In June 2018, the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) completed a study of one of Orange County’s busiest north/south transit corridors - Central Harbor Boulevard. Through preliminary technical studies, collaboration with the four corridor cities (Fullerton, Anaheim, Garden Grove and Santa Ana), as well as stakeholder feedback, 12 conceptual alternatives in the Harbor corridor area were developed and evaluated to improve transit choices and routes in accordance with the travel demands, mobility needs, and performance measures. The final recommendations from the study are summarized in the June 14, 2018 staff report to the OCTA Board of Directors (re: Central Harbor Boulevard Transit Corridor Study).
In early 2018, the evaluation results for the 12 conceptual alternatives were presented to the OCTA Board and to each city council in the study area for their review and comment. The modes evaluated included enhanced bus, bus rapid transit (BRT), streetcar, and rapid streetcar which represented a range of implementation costs and ridership potential.
The city council feedback confirmed a lack of consensus among the study area cities regarding the type of transit investments desired. Based on the city council comments received, no conceptual alternatives were recommended for advancement into the next study phase. However, there was support for speed and amenity improvements to existing bus service in the corridor. A number of speed and amenity improvements were identified, including:
- Provide off-board fare collection
- Implement all-door boarding
- Enhance transit signal priority
- Incorporate queue jumps (giving buses priority at intersections)
These improvements have been shown to reduce boarding time at stops, reduce traffic delay for buses, and improve schedule reliability. Implementation of these improvements in the Harbor Boulevard corridor is a logical first step for any long-term transit strategy. These improvements are also consistent with the service improvement strategies outlined in the OC Transit Vision, OCTA’s 20-Year transit master plan. OCTA will seek opportunities to work with the corridor cities to implement the bus service improvements described above.
A summary of the study and the final reports are provided below.