Laguna's traffic congestion is way down due to the COVID-19 "self-distancing" measure. The stay-at-home order, isolation and mass layoffs contributed to reduced distance traveled by these amounts:
With reduced motor vehicles on our roads and the Laguna Beach Trolley shut-down, now is a good time to try Laguna's bike-routes while complying with "self-distancing" rule.
GOOGLE Maps shows LB "bike-friendly" routes in blue. Maybe GOOGLE didn't get the memo.
Google Maps bike-friendly routes in Laguna Beach
For more charts on distance traveled, flight delays, empty SoCal freeways see this LA Times article.
The SoCal Toll Roads consist of the SR-73, SR-133, SR-241, SR-261 and "SR-241 Completion" through San Clemente and managed by the Transportation Corridor Agency, the TCA. The roads occupy three geographic regions, the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor (FETCA), the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor (SJHTCA), and the SR-241 Completion portion of the SJHTCA. 36-miles of roads were completed in 1999, the SR-241 Completion portion will complete the project for 52 miles total in this analysis. No more roads were constructed since 1999.
In 1987 the roads were initially financed by toll fees to begin planning design and construction of the projects. Other finance sources were these:
Revenue Bonds: Interest, Convertable CABS, Term Rate, Liens
Development Impact Fees (DIF)
Toll Revenue
Toll Fines and Fees
Early Toll Road bonds were issued in 1995 with initial maturity planned for 2035. The bonds were restructured in 2013, 2014, and 2018 to benefit from lower interest rates and to repackage debt financing with extended maturity dates.
The charts show the debt and income incurred to finance these roads over the lifetime of the project, from 1987 when the first toll revenues were collected to 2053 - the planned maturity date of the latest bonds issued. The first chart shows the monies contributing to the road financing, over 270 sources in all.
Prior to 2013 the revenues were actual realized income, after 2013 the income from toll revenue, fees, fines and developer fees were projected through optimistic forecasting till bond maturity in 2053. All values in these charts are annualized per year.
The next chart shows the net income from all sources, annualized per year. Look closely at the chart prior to 2013, the income from toll revenue and all other sources cannot pay the bond debt service. After redeeming the bonds in 2014 and refinancing, the new debt financing reaches break-even in 2029 and forecasts a profitable outlook till 2053. But remember, revenues after 2013 are FORECASTS and hypothetical, revenues before 2013 are actuals.
This next chart shows the truth about these toll roads: the debt never stops. Past performance of these roads show the revenue collections did not pay for the bond debt service, the projected revenues show wishful forecasts of debt service on bonds.
We don't know the real value of future revenues, but how much is all this forecast revenue and debt worth? The last chart shows the total cost of forecast revenues, debt service, maintenance and operations in the charts above, for 52 miles of completed toll roads.
TAKE-AWAY: If light rail costs $10 million per mile, a new rail system could be built every year from 2006 to 2053 for the cost of this toll road, that is 48 light rail systems each 52 miles long.
The annualized costs increase beyond the bond maturity date. For the Toll Roads to arrive in this financial state the accounting practices of the TCA are in serious question. See NotMyTollRoad for more details. Story in the LB Patchhere.
What: The city of Laguna Beach invites the public to participate in three "listening meetings" and a shortsurvey about the Neighborhood Trolley Service. When: First Meeting: February 24 2020, 6pm Second Meeting: February 26 2020, 6pm Third Meeting: March 9 2020, 6pm Where: Laguna Beach Community and Suzi-Q Center, Third Street, Laguna Beach Survey: The short surveyis still active and taking comments. Details:
Toll Roads are like Timeshare Condos: you don't know how much they will cost and you don't know when the debt ends.
Consider these SoCal Toll Roads:
SR-73
SR-133
SR-241
SR-261
SR-241 Completion
These toll road projects are managed by two oversight boards, the Foothill/Eastern TCA and the San Jouquin TCA (Transportation Corridor Agency). Two financial firms evaluated the bond debt for these projects as shown in these charts.
The latest bonds mature in 2033 and 2053, these studies show for 36 miles of toll road the project cost will be
2033: $242 Million per mile
2053: $322 Million per mile.
When the San Joaquin SR-241 Corridor is included, 52 miles of toll will cost
2033: $167 Million per mile
2053: $223 Million per mile.
TCA's debt restructuring scheme guarantees the debt will never be paid off. Stop corporate welfare!
Consider the cost of lightrail is $13-$20 million per mile (no tunnels, no elevated sections, good soils, granted right-of-ways), what could SoCal residents do with the savings over Toll Roads?
If you made it this far, sit back relax, here's NotMyTollRoad's video.
I
am asking for your help to submit Public Comments on an environmentally
devastating toll road proposed for South Orange County. The studies
show the road is not needed and it will not improve mobility, in
addition this special single purpose agency the Transportation Corridor
Agency (TCA) has not paid down the debt incurred 30 years ago and it has
grown in the wrong direction. Please submit a public comment on this
proposal by February 7, 2020 (action form below). The San Juan Creek and San Mateo Water
shed are in jeopardy as well as critical habitat for endangered and
threatened species both plant and animal. As you may or may not know
the TCA was denied water permits for this extension - they could care
less and got around that by building the next segment of the toll road
for a private developer. We have asked for an investigation into this,
however, the TCA is moving and pushing forward rapidly. In addition the
proposed toll roads will go too close to 6 schools, the particulate
pollution and noise is not acceptable.
If you want to try and help us protect our precious open space and coastal historic city, this is the only chance you'll get!
Notice
in the map below that options 13, 14, 17, and 22 go right over our
beautiful biking trails and hills, and one goes right near San Clemente
High School. If we don't speak up, the TCA and CalTrans will assume we
don't care. WE DO!
Car use is hugely subsidized. Because user fees are set too low, we are paying people to drive more, we have excess demand for the road
system. If we priced the use of our roads to recover even the cost of
maintenance, driving would be noticeably more expensive, and people
would have much stronger incentives to drive less, and to use other
forms of transportation, like transit and cycling. -HBS
Problem:
Researchers for Harvard Business School investigated what incentives or "nudges" would change commuter behavior to choose alternatives to driving, and how business organizations can encourage their employees to commute using alternatives to driving. The researchers found these incentives did not reduce single occupancy vehicle (SOV) use.
Nudges:
Matchmaking carpoolers with priority parking
24/7 emergency ride-home service
Free transit tickets to encourage discounted commuter transit passes
Commuter pamphlets to save commuters time and money
Researchers found reasons why the incentives do not work:
When commuters do not pay the full cost of driving ie employee free parking, free road maintenance, driving subsidies.
When transit or carpooling is less convenient for an individual commuter.
When approaches required change a habitual behavior: one-off events like flu shots ok, but not daily routines like exercise.
Solutions:
The researchers found our infrastructure, financial incentives, and social norms strongly
favor driving alone to work. They found the nudges although easy for employers to implement are not are not enough to make a difference. To shift habitual commuting behavior the researchers recommend these improvements:
Make the full cost of driving salient for employees: avoid subsidizing driving to work alone including free parking and infrastructure. Pay employees the monetary equivalent of driving as a bonus to pay for parking or keep as cash for alternative modes of travel.
Make driving harder, and make other forms of commuting easier: provide remote parking lots for those who drive
alone, local parking to those who share
rides), you can enhance the convenience, safety, comfort, and
cost-savings of other modes like carpooling.
Stark implications for Laguna Beach Of course, drivers do not like institutions restricting choices convenience or parking. But the long-term health vitality in the Laguna village fundamentally depend on
it.
The anticipated pedestrian improvements at PCH between Legion and Broadway were proposed to LB Council 17 December 2019. The main design elements are:
All-way pedestrian crosswalk (scramble) at Forest and PCH
Ocean Avenue converted to one-way
Longer left-turn queues for cars
Pedestrian curb ramps and benches
Decorative paving stones and landscaping
$640k was budgeted for the project, the lowest bid accepted, anticipated costs are $931,000. Here is the plan for Forest Avenue and PCH, no further drawings were available.
Enhanced Mobility and Complete Streets Transition Plan:1
Rail: 0
Relaxed parking: 0
Scooter: 1
Shuttle: 5
Single formula: 0
Skateboard: 1
Transit Center: 7
Transit: 29
Trolley: 17
Walking: 3
Parking: 412
The intent of our 2019 DSP is clear.
Once again our Laguna Beach Planning Commission denies solutions to
Laguna's mobility crisis by preserving a reliance on car transportation (circa 1950). The LBPC denies mobility planning altogether, Laguna will remain a parking lot.
GOOGLE Maps shows LB "bike-friendly" routes in blue. Maybe GOOGLE didn't get the memo.
