American Public Transportation Association

Safety Program/Project Effectiveness Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has adopted the three “E’s” of rail safety--Engineering, Education, and Enforcement--as its pillars of system safety. In 2003, in preparation for the opening of the 13.7-mile Pasadena Gold Line, Metro developed a unique and proactive rail safety education and outreach program known as the Rail Safety Ambassador Program. To implement the program, Metro consulted with the leadership of the United Transportation Union (UTU) about the concept of hiring retired bus/rail operators as temporary/as-needed/on-call employees to serve as “Rail Safety Ambassadors.” These men and women would serve as Metro’s eyes and ears in the community. Management and supervision of the ambassadors was assigned to the Manager of the Transit Safety Programs in Community Relations, the department that originally conceived this concept. Finding the leadership in accord, Metro began to draft and train qualified retirees to be deployed at strategic locations before system testing began on the line. The Ambassadors were positioned to observe the behavior and patterns of motorists and pedestrians as they crossed the tracks, and how they responded to the various warning devices and signs. These Ambassadors played a pivotal role in encouraging the community to adopt safe behaviors, intervening when they observed unsafe acts, and educating the public about the meaning of the new warning signs installed at the crossings. In addition to assisting the public, Ambassadors also recommended safety enhancements based upon their observations and years of experience as Metro operators. Ambassadors met with staff on a weekly basis to report their concerns and recommendations. These reports were memorialized and shared with other Metro departments to evaluate the feasibility of implementation. A weekly matrix was compiled and distributed to Metro operations, law enforcement and third party coordinators. Metro realized intangible dividends in the form of goodwill in the community and bona fide safety vigilance for safe rail operations as a result of the Rail Safety Ambassador Program. These benefits have far exceeded the cost of this program.

Metro Gold Line (Pasadena) Six Rail Safety Ambassadors were posted for three months before and three months after the Pasadena Gold Line opened in 2003. The protocol for the Ambassadors included their attendance at weekly meetings where both oral and written reports were provided to Transit Education Program staff. These reports served as a catalyst to evaluate and 1

implement three distinct changes in the design of the crossings in cooperation with the affected jurisdictions (Los Angeles, South Pasadena and Pasadena.) 1. When the Ambassadors were initially on post, they noticed a constant flow of vehicles backing up across the tracks as parents were driving their children to school. Based on these observations, Metro worked with the school to change the drop-off pattern around the school. The number of vehicles stopping on the tracks decreased from approximately 30 vehicles to no vehicles per day. 2. Every Tuesday when trash was picked up in the Los Angeles community of Highland Park, the Ambassadors noticed that the large dump trucks could not make the turn without encroaching on the tracks that paralleled the narrow street. To rectify the situation, Metro worked with the City of Los Angeles to utilize smaller trucks. 3. On Marmion Way, along the Pasadena Gold Line alignment, the tracks run right down the middle of the street. The Ambassadors reported that pedestrians were failing to cross at the legal crossings and instead were trespassing onto the tracks as a shortcut. As a result of their observations, a centerline fence was installed along the Right-of-Way to prevent the illegal crossings.

Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension (MGLEE) In 2009, Metro’s rail system expanded with the opening of the 6.3-mile Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension (MGLEE) project. By this time, the Rail Safety Ambassadors had become an integral part of Transit Safety Programs unit at Metro. Following the success of the program on the Pasadena Gold Line, 24 Ambassadors were posted on the MGLEE alignment from March 30, 2009 until June 30, 2010. The diverse communities served by this extension included a major Spanish speaking population, Little Tokyo--one of three Japan Towns in the nation, and links to the Korean and Chinese cultures. All informational materials were produced in these languages and Ambassadors were bilingual. Three additional safety enhancements on MGLEE were a direct result of the Ambassador reports and observations: 1. Ambassadors reported that approximately 200 pedestrians per day were jaywalking across the tracks in front of El Mercado, a popular neighborhood market. Metro installed a centerline fence along the Right-of-Way which completely eliminated this unsafe behavior. The enhancement proved so effective that the centerline fence was extended throughout the entire alignment. In areas where a centeline fence could not be added due to crossovers, pipe rail was added on the sidewalks to prevent jaywalking.

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2. At 1st St. and Indiana St. as well as 3rd St. and Indiana St., the Gold Line makes an “S” turn as it proceeds eastbound. The Ambassadors reported that approximately 125 vehicles per week were not stopping at the limit lines and encroaching on the tracks. This practice prevented the train from making the turn. As a result of this observation, Metro added diagonal pavement striping, embedded reflectors and “botts dots” to better delineate the limit line at the intersections. The design change significantly improved compliance by motorists to stop at the limit line, and over time has virtually eliminated the problem. 3. Although there were pedestrian gates at the Little Tokyo and Indiana Stations, pedestrians dangerously accessed the stations by walking along the Right-of-Way. Safety enhancements such as additional signage and thermoplastic pavement markings were added to assist patrons in wayfinding and reduced the number of trespassing incidents. The Ambassadors’ observations served as an invaluable tool to further “tweak” the design and enhance the safety along the alignment. Furthermore, because the Ambassadors were retired bus/train operators, they empathized with the current operators who were frustrated with the unsafe behaviors of motorists and pedestrians. An independent peer review panel for MGLEE identified Metro’s Safety Ambassador Program as exemplary with their commendation that it served as a model for safety startup of at-grade rail systems throughout the nation.

Metro Expo Line For the first time in decades, a rail system was heading toward the congested Westside of Los Angeles. Many of the city’s greatest public venues are clustered at the head of the line at Exposition Park: the Natural History Museum, the California Science Center, and the California African American Museum, including the campus of the University of Southern California (USC) and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. With the opening of the 8.6-mile Expo Line in 2012, Metro Ambassadors walked alongside with test trains to explain to the community what was occurring, what to expect, and the importance of obeying all rules and safety warning devices. Safety Ambassadors have been on the new Expo Line since testing began in April 2011. As with the Pasadena Gold Line, MGLEE and the Ambassadors’ reports, additional safety enhancements were installed to the Expo Line. Such enhancements included: the installation of pedestrian gates and signage at four blind corners; the installation of bollards at busy intersections to protect patrons from vehicles; and, dynamic outline pavement markings to delineate hazardous areas. Furthermore, dynamic safety striping was added at crosswalks with “WAIT HERE” pavement markings along the entire length of the alignment.

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The efforts of the Expo Line Safety Ambassadors yielded similar success as achieved on the Gold Line and MGLEE projects. The number of people exhibiting unsafe behaviors declined from initial reports of approximately 300 per week per location to less than 10 incidents per location when the Expo Line opened. Currently, 12 of the original 24 Ambassadors continue to be on post along the Expo Line at key locations such as the University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles Trade Technical College (LATTC) and near elementary and high schools along the alignment. The Ambassadors continue to meet with Transit Safety Programs staff on a weekly basis to report their findings.

Metro Blue Line Based on the success of the Ambassadors assigned to the Gold Line, MGLEE, and Expo Line, Metro has recently assigned 15 Safety Ambassadors to the 22-mile Blue Line. This is Metro’s oldest light rail line which began operations nearly 23 years ago traveling through downtown and south central Los Angeles, Compton, Watts, and Long Beach . In conjunction with the design and implementation of safety enhancements based on “lessons learned”, the Safety Ambassadors are observing pedestrian and motorist behavior and recommending safety enhancements. The Ambassadors will continue their Blue Line assignments until the safety enhancements are completed in FY15. Metro is optimistic that the combination of engineering, education, and law enforcement efforts will help significantly improve safety on the Blue Line, as it has on the other Metro projects.

Safety Program/Project Benefit Level The primary benefits of the Metro Safety Ambassador Program have been described above. The additional benefit of employing retired bus/rail operators as Safety Ambassadors is the cumulative years of knowledge of systems operation and safety training. They have “seen it all” and they know the consequences of unsafe behavior by the public. They have the initiative and moral authority to educate others on the importance of obeying the safety signs and signals and they are not afraid to share this with the public. Because Ambassadors are retired from Metro, they can be hired to work when short-term projects unexpectedly arise and are available on an “on-call” basis. For example, Metro employed Ambassadors for two weeks during a quad-gate simulation on MGLEE, for three weeks to assist passengers to safely find their bus bay while striping was installed at the El Monte bus terminal, for one month while the pedestrian gates on MGLEE were being replaced, and, for a three-month project to repave the Artesia bus plaza.

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Before the expansion of the Ambassador program was confirmed, Metro completed an analysis comparing the costs of the Rail Safety Ambassadors with the costs of a private vendor to provide school crossing guard services. The Ambassadors proved to be much more cost-effective because they were not subject to working a minimum or maximum number of hours as required by an outside vendor. In the course of the analysis, it was discovered that crossing guards only worked with elementary schools, while Metro Ambassadors could be deployed to work wherever needed.

Safety Program/Project Innovation Metro’s Ambassador Program is state-of-the-art and not only an ad-hoc transitory program. Although the initial design of a rail line includes many safety elements consistent with industry practices, Metro realized, through the Ambassadors, which irrespective of how good a particular design looked on paper, the “real world” behaviors were very different. Metro’s innovative approach to safety issues is proactive, and the communities within Los Angeles County’s Metro Rail System recognize and applaud Metro’s efforts to instill a Safety Culture within their communities. The Ambassador program has been enthusiastically endorsed and supported by Metro’s Executive Management. To the best of our knowledge, Metro is the only transit agency in the nation that employs retired bus/rail operators as Safety Ambassadors.

Safety Program/Project Transferability There is the highest level of transferability of the Safety Ambassador program to other agencies. Because every transit agency has retired bus or rail operators, the Ambassador program is easily transferable. However, there must be a commitment to implement the program at the highest level of the agency and a dedicated staff to develop and manage the program. Metro is not aware of any laws to prevent another agency from adopting this kind of approach. Metro’s Transit Safety Programs unit is an integral part of the equation, as illustrated in safety innovations associated with Metro’s Light Rail System.

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