Title
Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan - Request for Approval
Description
This report requests the Transportation, Infrastructure and Innovation Subcommittee recommend City Council approval of the Public Transit Department’s Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP), a new requirement of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
THIS ITEM IS FOR CONSENT ACTION.
Report
Summary
On July 19, 2019, the FTA published the PTASP Final Rule, requiring public transportation systems that receive federal grant funds to develop safety plans that include Safety Management Systems (SMS) and to set safety performance measure targets by Dec. 31, 2020.
The purpose of the Final Rule is to ensure safety within public transit systems nationwide. SMS elements include:
- Safety Management Policy - A documented commitment to safety defining the system’s objectives and its employees’ responsibilities to safety;
- Safety Risk Management - An established process for identifying, analyzing, documenting, and mitigating safety risks and hazards;
- Safety Promotion - Establishes a process for safety training and communication; and
- Safety Assurance - Includes safety performance monitoring and measurement, management of change, and continuous improvement.
Safety Performance Measures outlined by the National PTASP include specific definitions for "reportable events" as they pertain to having occurred within the transit environment or are otherwise related to transit service, vehicles, or facilities. Those "reportable events" are as follows:
Fatalities
- Total number of reportable fatalities; and
- Rate per total vehicle revenue miles by mode.
Injuries
- Total number of reportable injuries; and
- Rate per total vehicle revenue miles by mode.
Safety Events
- Total number of reportable events; and
- Rate per total vehicle revenue miles by mode.
System Reliability
- Mean distance between major mechanical failures by mode.
Additional Information
The City’s draft PTASP (Attachment A) was developed through a collaborative process between staff from PTD and the T2050 project management consultant (PMC) team. The safety plan follows the federally mandated processes and procedures, including Safety Management System (SMS) principles and methods.
In addition, the City of Phoenix worked with the three service providers it contracts with to operate and maintain the City’s bus and paratransit services. As a result, each contractor has also developed their respective safety plans unique to their operations, facilities, and workforces. Under the new FTA rule, the Public Transit Department is responsible for overseeing the safety of its transit system, including the oversight of the three service providers under contract with the Department to provide bus and paratransit services.
The Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) coordinates and provides guidance to the regional transit agencies while the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) provides assistance to transit agencies across the state. The City’s regional partners, the Regional Public Transportation Authority (RPTA), Valley Metro Rail (VMR), Scottsdale, Glendale and Peoria, also fall under the new FTA rule and have created PTASPs specific to their transit operations.
Per federal requirements, the PTASP must be approved by the city of Phoenix City Council. Once implemented, the plan will be reviewed annually. The FTA is then requiring each transit system to annually self-certify that they have PTASPs that meet the requirements of the applicable rule; the FTA also intends to use its triennial oversight review program to assess compliance with the requirements of the rule.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
This item was approved at the Citizens Transportation Commission meeting on Oct. 22, 2020, by a vote of 10-0.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Mario Paniagua and the Public Transit Department.