DATE: October 10, 2023
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Council Members George Syrop and Francisco Zerme?o
SUBJECT
Title
City Council Referral: A Bench for Every Bus Stop
End
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
That Council reviews the attached Council referral memo (Attachment I) and provides direction to staff.
End
SUMMARY
A formal Council referral was received from Councilmembers Syrop and Zerme?o on September 26, 2023, based on interest to explore the possibilities to install benches at bus stops to make public transportation more enjoyable and accessible to residents who ride the bus. The referral requests that Council direct staff to:
1. Collaborate with AC Transit to conduct an expedited Accessibility Study of Hayward's bus stops to determine which stops are suitable for the installation of street furniture before the end of FY23/24. This collaboration may include financial support from the City not to exceed $30,000.
2. Pilot five (5) low-cost Sim me Seats (https://simmeseat.corn/) at our highest priority, shelter-less bus stops according to AC Transit's Overall lndex Score for each stop (Attachment I) to determine the cost of maintenance while AC Transit conducts the Accessibility Study from Step 1.
3. Develop a staff report and project proposal that outlines the cost of installation and maintenance of bus benches across all bus stops in Hayward that currently do not have a shelter and meet the accessibility requirements determined by the Accessibility Study from Step 1. Installation of benches should be prioritized by AC Transit's Overall Index Score for each stop (Attachment I). Staff's proposal should include a funding strategy to complete this initiative within five (5) years, utilizing dollars from our CIP budget, grants, Measure BB, support from local organizations to "adopt" or sponsor a bench, and/or any other relevant funding sources.
4. Present the project proposal and results of the pilot to th...
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