Orange County Transportation Authority

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The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is the public sector transportation planning body and transit service provider for Orange County, California. Its ancestor agencies include not only the prior Orange County Transit District but also such diverse entities as the Pacific Electric Railroad and the South Coast Transit Corporation. In 2005, OCTA was judged America's Best Public Transportation System by the American Public Transportation Association, for its record ridership gains in the bus and the Metrolink trains that it operates or funds. OCTA also operates the 91 Express Lanes.

The Authority's administrative offices are located in Orange and it maintains bus operations bases in Anaheim, Garden Grove, and Santa Ana. A paratransit base operated by Veolia for the authority's ACCESS service is located in Irvine.

Contents 1 History 2 Labor disputes 3 Formative agencies 3.1 Orange County Transit District (OCTD) 4 Public transportation 4.1 Routes 4.2 Bus fleet 4.3 Trivia 4.4 CenterLine light rail 4.5 Bus Rapid Transit 5 Highway and road operations 5.1 Current projects 5.2 91 Express Lanes 6 References 7 External links

[edit] History

In 1991, OCTA was created by under state law combining the Orange County agencies that managed transportation planning (Orange County Transportation Commission), Park-and-ride facilities, public transportation (what was then Orange County Transit District), and other transportation related administrative offices into one organization. OCTA administers funds from Measure M, the half cent transportation sales tax. Measure M was passed in 1990 and has paid for freeway expansion on most freeway miles in Orange County, traffic signal synchronization, and increased Metrolink service.

OCTA suffered tremendously during the 1995 Orange County bankruptcy. The agency lost $202 million in revenue over 17 years due to the bankruptcy.^[1] As a result, bus service was reduced.

In 2000, OCTA embarked on a bus restructuring effort dubbed Straightlining, later renamed to Point to Point. The goal of Straightlining was to better utilize funding for the bus system by eliminating long deviations and keeping buses on major streets instead of through neighborhoods. Routes were straightened out and almost every route in the system was changed in September of 2000. However, the project failed spectacularly, as ridership dropped due to the increased number of transfers required, while paradoxically overcrowding on some routes increased because OCTA failed to plan for increased ridership along many of the core routes. In addition, the implementation of Straightlining was problematic as over 100 schedule changes were required in the three months immediately following implementation. Politically, problems occurred such as removing service to the local Braille Institute, which was rescinded before implementation. In the end, many routes were re-combined and deviations reinstated.

[edit] Labor disputes

OCTA (including the former OCTD) has been involved in various labor disputes between itself and its drivers, members of the Teamsters Union Local 952, including strikes in 1986 and 2007.

In April 2007, drivers threatened to strike again over the current contract. The OCTA offered a 13% raise over three years, but union sources said that it only came out to 8% after factoring in inflation. The drivers voted to strike. California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger intervened. He first issued a one-week cool-off, and later extended it to a 60-day period, while talks continued. Negotiations over wage and pension issues failed, and the union started to strike on July 7, 2007, at the end of the cooling-off period.^[2][3] This conflict was resolved on 16 July 2007 when the union ratified a new contract.^[4] Within a few days, the bus system was running at full capability.

[edit] Formative agencies

[edit] Orange County Transit District (OCTD)

Orange County Transit District was created in August 1972 by a vote of the people of Orange County, originally starting with five buses operating routing for what was hitherto Santa Ana Transit, and later that year bringing in other surrounding city transit agencies. The routing system was formed over the course of about fifteen years, and was held in place until the merge.

[edit] Public transportation

[edit] Routes

OCTA operates 80 lines which encompass every city in Orange County, along with the Los Angeles County communities of Lakewood, La Mirada, Cerritos, Hawaiian Gardens, and Long Beach, along with express service to Los Angeles, Diamond Bar, the San Bernardino County cities of Chino Hills and Chino and the Riverside County cities of Riverside and Corona.

• The double digit routes (and route 1) are the fixed routes that cover almost every city in Orange County. Buses operate on most major arterial streets.
• 1xx routes are descended from the old RunAbout service that used to serve residential neighborhoods. Most of these routes use smaller buses. Some routes are pieces of pre-2000 longer routes shortened during Straightlining, and use full size buses.
• 2xx routes are intra-county freeway routes which utilize OC freeways. These routes run from park-and-rides and transit terminals to the business districts and back.
• 4xx routes are the Metrolink shuttles which go from the Metrolink stations to business districts and vice versa. Metrolink fareholders ride free on these buses (as they do all OCTA buses), but otherwise regular fare is charged.
• 6xx routes are very similar to 4xx routes. Most of the lines only run on weekends. Currently, there is only one in service, the 686.
• 7xx routes are express routes. Lines 701 and 721 go from Huntington Beach and Fullerton respectively to Downtown Los Angeles using the Harbor Freeway Transitway, while Lines 757 connects Santa Ana with the city of Diamond Bar, Line 758 connects the city of Irivne to Chino, and Line 794 connects Costa Mesa to Riverside. Line 701, 721 and 794 charge a premium fare, while the 757 and 758 do not.

Some routes operate short turn trips which either start or end in the middle of the route. Those trips say Short Trip/Viaje Corto on the headsign, followed by the final destination. The final destination of every bus is on the headsign.

[edit] Bus fleet

Model	Length	Year	Numbers	Quantity	Fuel Type	Notes
NABI 40-LFW	40'	2000	2101-2161	61	LNG
New Flyer C40LFR	40'	2007-2008	5501-5799	298	CNG
NABI 40-LFW	40'	2001	2201-2378	178	LNG
GMC RTS T8H-203	40'	1980	3001-3176	176	Diesel	Last of these were sold at auction on February 16, 2008.
Gillig Phantom	40'	1989	4201-4269	69	Diesel
New Flyer C40LFR	40'	2007-2008	5501-5799	298	CNG
New Flyer D40HF	40'	1990	5000-5039	40	Diesel
New Flyer D40HF	40'	1990	5101-5114	14	Diesel
New Flyer D40LF	40'	1995	5201-5250	50	Diesel
New Flyer D40LF	40'	1996	5301-5397	97	Diesel
New Flyer DE40LF	40'	1998	5419-5420	2	Diesel-Electricity
New Flyer GE40LF	40'	2005	5421-5422	2	Gasoline-Electricity
New Flyer D60LF	60'	1999	7201-7210	10	Diesel
New Flyer D60LF	60'	2000	7301-7320	20	Diesel
New Flyer D60LF	60'	2001	7401-7420	20	Diesel

As of 1997, most buses are equipped with bike racks and can carry a maximum of two bicycles at any given time. Many of the 1xx, 4xx, and 6xx buses are not equipped with bike racks as they are operated with smaller 'Cut-Away' buses.

[edit] Trivia

• South Coast Plaza is the most served attraction on the OCTA routes, served by 12 routes (51, 55, 57, 76, 86, 145, 172, 173, 211, 216, 464, 794).
• The longest route is the 1 (Long Beach-San Clemente) which utilizes Pacific Coast Highway for the vast majority of its route. Trips take an average of 2-2.5 hours.
• Several routes, all the 2xx (except 205), 4xx, and 7xx routes do not operate weekends or holidays
• Routes 43, 50, 57, and 60 are part of the "Night Owl" service and run 24 hours a day.

[edit] CenterLine light rail

The CenterLine, a 9.3-mile light rail system serving Irvine, Costa Mesa and Santa Ana, was originally planned in the 1990s, and was intended to open in 2009. Costing $1 billion USD, the route would have served destinations including John Wayne Airport, South Coast Metro, South Coast Plaza, Santa Ana College, and downtown Santa Ana. As of February 2005, the CenterLine was suspended indefinitely, and later in May 2005, the plan was officially scuttled in favor of researching express bus service throughout Orange County and improvements to the Metrolink trains.

When the line was initially being planned, it was envisioned as a 30-mile route that would run from Fullerton to Irvine, through Anaheim, Orange, Santa Ana, and Costa Mesa. However, a lack of public support led to numerous truncations; Orange was initially removed from the route, followed by Anaheim.

[edit] Bus Rapid Transit

Beginning in 2008, OCTA will begin service on a series of three new bus rapid transit lines. The service is intended as a replacement rapid transit program for the abandonded CenterLine light rail. The service will feature new LNG-powered buses with signal priority transponders. Additionally, stops will be further apart, (approx. one mile), and will feature advanced bus shelters with real-time bus arrival information. OCTA estimates that these enhancements will increase travel speeds by up to 50 percent and reduce door-to-door travel times by 20 percent.

The first route will operate along Harbor Blvd., running from the Fullerton train station southward to Costa Mesa, serving the cities of Fullerton, Anaheim, Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Fountain Valley, and Costa Mesa. This route will stop at the Disneyland Resort.

The second route, opening in 2009, will run east-west from the Depot at Santa Ana along 17th St./Westminister Blvd. to the Long Beach Transit Mall where it will connect to the MTA Blue Line.

The third line will open in 2010, and will operate on a 28-mile route from Irvine in the south to Fullerton in the north. This line will closely follow the original CenterLine alignment for much of its route, serving locations such as the University of California, Irvine, John Wayne Airport, South Coast Plaza, South Coast Metro, downtown Santa Ana, and the Platinum Triangle in Anaheim. It will in addition connect to the Irvine Spectrum and Orange County Great Park.

[edit] Highway and road operations

OCTA is responsible for the Countywide Master Highway Plan, which designates major arterial streets in the County, However, all road maintenance responsibilities are with the city where the street operates in, or the County in the case of unincorporated areas. OCTA street funding is steered towards roadways on the Master Plan in recognition of their role in regional travel.

[edit] Current projects

In 2003, a budget crisis at the state level caused funds otherwise allocated for the expansion of the Garden Grove Freeway to be diverted to the resolution to the deficit; accordingly, OCTA took Measure M funds and self-funded the expansion. In summer of 2004, the contractor Granite Meyers-Rados (a joint venture between C. C. Meyers and Rados) was selected, and construction was started by December of that year. Estimated time of completion for the expansion overall is November 2006.

OCTA has completed carpool lanes and added some regular lanes on all other freeways. The last freeway widening to break ground is a short segment of the Santa Ana Freeway from the Riverside Freeway to the Los Angeles County line. There, the roadway will be expanded from three lanes in each direction to five (one carpool and four regular lanes). At the county line, the roadway will revert to three lanes in each direction, because the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has not allocated funding for the expansion in Los Angeles County.

[edit] 91 Express Lanes

OCTA administers the 91 Express Lanes after purchasing them from the California Private Transportation Corporation. The roadway was purchased to extinguish a "non-compete" clause that prevented safety and traffic flow improvements along the ten mile stretch of tollway. The other tollways in Orange County are governed by the Transportation Corridor Agencies.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official website
• The OCTAWiki
• Transit Rider
• Orange County Business Council