Exit Interview: Metro CEO Snoble Oversaw Unprecedented Expansion of Transit Service

You are retiring after more than seven years as the CEO of Metro L.A. We do this interview with you to put on record your legacy-your contributions to the changing transportation landscape of L.A. What are you most proud of from your tenure?

It's been a great ride. The first that I am very proud of is having brought a culture of safety back to Metro. We've reduced accidents and done a huge amount to assure the safety of our customers and employees.

Beyond that, we made improvements to the bus system, with the Rapid buses and all the new buses we have that are either CNG or Hybrid buses. They are good-looking and serviceable buses. I am very happy with how we have put together a much better bus system than we previously had.

There were other things, like opening up the Orange Line. It has been a huge success. The Gold Line opening and operating has been very rewarding. The construction of the Gold Line's Eastside extension is probably the best federally funded project in the country. It has over 3.8 million hours of workload without a lost-time accident, which is a phenomenal record. There has been an overall improvement in the image of the organization, which has earned the trust of the public. That is embodied in the passage of Measure R, which is the vision for how we are going to be able to move around in Los Angeles County going forward.

Is there anything left for your successor at Metro to do?

Other people should have an opportunity to get into this great laboratory and learn to do things in a better way. There is plenty left to do. The structural deficit has to be overcome. There is still a lot of work to do in changing people's opinions and giving them better options than the single occupant vehicle.

What is your assessment of the "State of Metro"? What is your successor inheriting, especially regarding Metro's structural deficit, capital needs, and operational capability?

In this particular economy things are really ticking back at a time when the demand for services is increasing. We see an outward demand out there of a lot more people willing to try our services than ever before. At the same time, the state is abandoning its commitment to funding transit. Sales tax revenues are down, and the stimulus money is not operating money, so we're not seeing much help there. Mr. Leahy is going to have to deal with the deficit to make sure Measure R can kick in and do what it's supposed to. There has been progress and the momentum for more progress. They will certainly enjoy that momentum if they fix the structural deficit.

Let's turn to the state infrastructure and transportation measures that were approved by the voters of the state in November of 2006. Can you give us a status report on the allocation of the bond money?

Unfortunately the bonds are casualties of the economic situation, and the state is not in the position to make those bonds available. We are just sitting on hold, waiting until things turn around-for the state to be healthy enough to sell bonds to provide the revenue to do that.

The state began selling bonds recently. Are those some of those 1B bonds?

I believe that they were trying to do some 1B bonds. If that is true then we will see some of that money coming through. Here again, that is capital money. That doesn't help us on the operating side. It doesn't help us with the structural deficit. It certainly helps with many highway projects and some transit projects.

Is there any bond funding for addressing the needs of goods movement?

The goods movement program we put together is still pretty solid if they sell the bonds. There was about $1 billion in there that was "hoped for" money, which could be in jeopardy, but most of our projects are at the front of the line. We will be okay as long as we can get these bonds moving from a goods movement standpoint.

Regarding the capital side of Metro's ledger, how significant is Measure R's passage? How is Metro planning to program and spend the capital dollars generated from Measure R?

The planning has been ongoing. The overall confidence in the package that was in Measure R is very solid. We're very happy with that. There is still a lot of environmental work. There is still final design and engineering on most of the projects. Once the money starts to flow-we will see that in late December and January-we will start to see some pretty fast progress. It will take 30 years of sales tax to complete all the projects in Measure R. We'll start to see progress in another year and steady progress for the next 30 years. And it does have operating money in it that will certainly help.

It was pretty well established in Measure R that the Expo Line and the Gold Line extension are the first two big rail projects. They get pretty much pure Measure R funding. Those projects would be able to continue to move along. They are both advancing a good waiting list. In the near future those two projects would be the ones you will see actually under construction. And of course the Eastside connection finishes in June of this year, but that's not quite Measure R.

Art Leahy, the former CEO of OCTA, has been selected as your successor. Art started as a bus driver for L.A. County many years ago. Share what your hopes and expectations are for Art's tenure as your successor.

Art is a very good choice. I am very proud of the board for the way they went about doing this, as far as who they selected. Art has a big advantage because he knows the region very well. He has been a partner in Mobility 21 for a long time. He knows all the other players, not only in Los Angeles County but also the other five county areas. He has a very good understanding of all the pieces that are involved, not only from a transit standpoint but also from a highway standpoint. He is one of the most experienced people as far as congestion pricing in the country. He knows the operation. He drove a bus here so he knows it very well, from first-hand experience. He's gotten really good experience in Orange County. Orange County is a bit different from L.A. County but there are many similar challenges, on a bigger scale. He has the ability to carry on, and it is important that Measure R be carried on. He is really going to be able to do that. In a lot of ways I am jealous that he is getting to go forward. At the same time, that's what you need. At this point we need a renewed vigor and the ability to come in and really make it work.

One of the successes that set the Orange County transportation system apart is the 67-mile network of toll roads in the county's transportation system. Metro is helping to plan L.A. County's first congestion pricing scheme for the 110 and 10 freeways. Can you address that demonstration project and what Art Leahy might bring to the table from his experience in Orange County to potentially scale this Metro demonstration project?

When we were developing this program along with the Department of Transportation we immediately went to Art. We took a look at the 91 Freeway. He showed us the operation. He really knows the pieces of it, and he had a lot to say about how we structured this to begin. He is going to hit the ground running. He is in an excellent position to be able to expand as necessary.

You helped to form Mobility 21 and helped consolidate a strong regional voice. Can you assess how successful Mobility 21 and these efforts have been, especially in light of the stimulus package in Washington?

I'm really proud of what has happened with Mobility 21. We are a force now. We actually have name recognition. Our positions are actually taken by our legislators. The stimulus package was a good example of that. Mobility 21 has made a very big difference and it has nothing to do but grow and become more and more powerful. I would be remiss if I didn't remember Rusty Hammer. When he first came to Los Angeles we had the same idea that we needed to get the political process to work together. We have come a long way in doing that. Gary Toebben has been great, coming in and addressing the whole process. We're bringing business, labor, and the agencies together to really focus in on a strong message. It's been very important to Southern California.

The Faster Freight Cleaner Air Conference in Long Beach is taking place as we do this interview. James McCarthy, the Deputy District Director for Planning and Local Assistance at CalTrans District 7, noted that the 405 HOV lane project might receive federal stimulus funds. Do you agree with this assessment? What other Metro priorities do you envision the county might fund with stimulus dollars?

We certainly hope that we get some stimulus dollars for it because we were counting on the 1B bonds, and we don't think we are going to see that. The way stimulus money is coming to the state is looking positive for us. Plus, we have a significant amount of money to provide back to the cities and the county of Los Angeles, so they can do immediate things in their particular areas to make substantial improvements to our transportation infrastructure. One of the things the stimulus is going to work well for is that we are in a strong position to use it. Metro has worked very hard to make sure the money goes to the right places and of course we will have a very transparent process as we go forward. But we are really hopeful that this is all going to work out and that the 405 is going to be funded. We have the bids on it and we're ready to go if we could have the money.

President Pro-Tem of the Senate, Darrell Steinberg, finally achieved success with the signing of SB 375, which links regional planning and transportation. As regions move to implement SB 375, what are your thoughts on what must actually be done to get to the goal?

It was a big step forward that forces people to deal with these kinds of things. Hopefully the cities, counties, and the powers that be will embrace the spirit of the legislation-all of this stuff works together. We can really create more livable, sustainable environments if we are smart about how we go about doing development and connecting infrastructure between those developments. It is a huge start. If people embrace the intent of it then we will see a lot of changes. I suspect some places will do it more than others-those are the places that will probably end up having a much more sustainable and viable community than those who just view at it as a bureaucratic exercise.

Give us some hints as to what you're going to do next with your 23 years of transit experience, much of which have been in leadership of public transit agencies.

I am going to retire. But I still have a lot that I have to say and give. I want to consider teaching opportunities. I want to maybe sit down and do some writing because there are a lot of interesting stories that to tell about what happened along the way. I want to see if there is some other role I can play in a leadership position on boards, where I might be able to contribute.

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What are your thoughts about meeting the congestion challenges of Los Angeles?

In L.A.-even though we do have a considerable amount of money going toward putting HOV lanes in and changing intersection configuration-we are not able to look at adding a lot more pavement. We have to make our pavement work smarter. Congestion pricing is one of the strategies to better manage the throughput of our freeways. We also need to look at other kinds of technology so we can better manage how our pavement works to accommodate more vehicles. We have to look at smarter ways to get throughput on those freeways. That can be car pools, van pools, and express bus services, all which mean that your HOV lanes have to work. Congestion pricing is a good strategy in making those HOV lanes work and provide people with a faster trip.