Conference Presentation, Panel
2015 CA Summit - Building Better People Movers: The Future of Transportation in California
- California is currently undergoing a "transformation" in transportation, driven by the state's aggressive environmental objectives, which target a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions where the transportation sector accounts for approximately 40% of the total.
- State policy is shifting from a sole reliance on highway expansion to a "corridor focus" that integrates targeted capacity improvements with dynamic pricing (tolling) to fund maintenance and alternative mobility options.
- Cap-and-trade revenue is being allocated to specific transportation projects, including $225 million in grants for 14 local projects in a single year to improve strategic growth and land use.
- The state has funded 9 new clean locomotives for Metrolink and capital grants for stations like the Rosa Parks Willowbrook station to boost ridership and reduce emissions.
- The California High-Speed Rail project is advancing despite controversy; the current 12-hour travel time between Los Angeles and the Bay Area is deemed unacceptable, with a commitment to building a high-speed network that facilitates a major mode shift from air and car travel.
- Electric vehicle (EV) adoption in the US represents less than 1% of new car sales, while California sees 3-3.5%, rising to 10% in the Silicon Valley Bay Area.
- Governor Jerry Brown has set a target of placing 1.5 million electric vehicles on California's roads by 2024, representing 7-8% of all cars and 10% of new car sales.
- There are currently approximately 12,000 EV charging stations in California, with roughly 5,000 in Southern California, alongside policies to incentivize charging infrastructure in multi-family homes.
- Workplace charging stations are identified as a critical driver for EV adoption, with data showing they make an employee 20 times more likely to purchase an electric vehicle.
- Julie Strobe, CEO of Strobe, notes that fully autonomous vehicles require solving three specific barriers: reducing sensor size and cost, accumulating sufficient "time in the saddle" to collect data, and navigating complex policy landscapes.
- Industry projections for fully autonomous vehicles vary significantly, with manufacturers like Audi and Ford targeting 2017–2020, Elon Musk predicting 2021–2023, and the IEEE projecting 75% autonomy by 2040.
- The state's DMV has successfully enacted regulations allowing autonomous vehicle testing on roadways and is preparing for public workshops in early 2016 to develop operating regulations for vehicles that may lack traditional controls like steering wheels.
- Hyperloop Technologies has announced plans to build its first permanent 3-kilometer test track in North Las Vegas rather than California, citing faster permitting and regulatory processes in Nevada.
- Rob Lloyd of Hyperloop Technologies describes the system as operating in a pressure-reduced environment (equivalent to 160,000 feet altitude) at speeds up to 750 mph, utilizing magnetic levitation to eliminate friction.
- The initial commercial application for Hyperloop is targeted at freight transportation, specifically moving shipping containers from ports like Los Angeles and Long Beach directly into the I-5 corridor to alleviate truck congestion.
- The Gold Hirsch Foundation endows a "transportation technology strategist" position within the City of Los Angeles to coordinate multimodal hubs and data-sharing partnerships, such as with Waze.
- Move LA successfully spearheaded Measure R in 2008, resulting in a half-cent sales tax that raised an estimated $35 billion for public transit and road investments across Los Angeles County.
- The Gold Hirsch Foundation supports "Ciclavia," an open-streets festival that shuts down major boulevards to encourage pedestrian and bicycle activity, aiming to shift public perception of urban space.
- MTA data indicates that over 80% of public transit riders in Los Angeles do not have access to a personal vehicle, highlighting the critical need for viable alternative mobility options.
- California is investing $950 million in a transit capital program specifically designed to improve connectivity between regional systems and the future high-speed rail network.
- Secretary Brian Kelly expressed support for public-private partnerships (P3s) as a financing tool but clarified they are not "free money," citing the Presidio Parkway as a recent example utilizing availability payments.
- Legislation authorizing P3s in California passed in 2009 is set to expire in 2017, though the Governor has proposed extending this authority for another decade.
- The Los Angeles Metro (MTA) is soliciting interest from international investors for the Sepulveda Tunnel project, a proposed tunnel through the Santa Monica Mountains connecting the San Fernando Valley to the Westside.
- Audience questions highlighted the issue of "induced demand," where expanding freeway capacity often fails to improve traffic speeds due to increased usage.
- Los Angeles is seeking accelerated federal funding to complete the Purple Line subway extension and an airport train connector by 2024 to support a potential Olympic bid.
- The accelerated timeline for the Purple Line and airport connector is considered tight, with the Metro requesting funding that allows only a six-week gap between project completion and the Olympics.
- Rob Lloyd explained that Hyperloop speed is route-dependent rather than distance-dependent, favoring straight, uninterrupted paths over frequent stops, and proposed a "packetized" transport model.
- High-speed rail and Hyperloop remain in a competitive dynamic for the Los Angeles to San Francisco corridor, with Hyperloop proponents arguing their technology could leapfrog existing infrastructure.