CITY REQUESTS REVISION OF TRANSIT POLICY; PLAN TO PUSH VAN, CAR POOLS.

Byline: Patrick McGreevy Daily News Staff Writer

The Los Angeles City Council ordered an overhaul Tuesday of its parking subsidies program that encourages city employees to drive downtown alone and discourages others from using van pools or public transit.

Following up on a Daily News article on how the subsidies help cause congestion and smog, the council called for drafting a policy that would encourage use of van pools and public transit while discouraging driving alone.

``I think it's upside down,'' said Councilman Richard Alarcon, who heads the council's Transportation Committee. ``I hope we can create a process that encourages using mass transit and at the same time provides reasonable benefits for our employees.''

Under current policy, city employees pay as little as $15 a month for a parking space leased by the city for up to $100 a month. In comparison, the city charges employees an average of $58 a month to use a van pool and only gives workers $15 a month for train services that can cost $100 or more.

Alarcon's motion, which was approved by the full council, directs Bruce Roberts, head of the city's Commuter Services Office, to work with City Administrative Officer Keith Comrie and a joint management-labor committee to come up with a new policy within 45 days.

Roberts said after the meeting that he will likely recommend increasing the city's $15 monthly subsidy for bus and train riders to between $43 and $65, while at the same time considering an increase in the $15 to $25 parking fee charged city workers.

``The transit subsidy is far too low to get people to use it,'' said Roberts. ``If we raise the subsidy it will have to be a significant increase.''

Currently $500,000 of the $750,000 collected in parking fees annually goes to fund transit subsidies, with the rest going to the general fund. One option may be to reduce the payment to the general fund, he said.

Roberts said he is leaning toward recommending a hike in the $15 transit subsidy to as much as $65.

``If we don't go any higher than the $42 cost for a bus pass, then all we will be doing is paying more to the same people that are already using the bus as opposed to getting new people to take the Metrolink or Metro Rail,'' Roberts said.

Roberts was less willing to talk about how much the parking fee should be raised - a politically touchy subject that will require union concurrence. Charging city employees the market rate for parking is unlikely.

``I'm assuming that's politically not possible,'' Roberts said.

That issue will be given to the committee of eight union leaders and four city managers to settle.

Paul Cauley of the CAO's Office, the co-chairman of the committee, said raising parking fees was an option.

But he added that some employees paying parking fees did not have a choice in being moved from city-owned parking at City Hall to leased parking at other buildings.

Another option to consider is the county model of paying all workers a flat stipend that they can put toward either parking or transit. However, Roberts said he doesn't like that system, because the money isn't linked to taking transit and employees usually end up thinking of it as a part of their pay rather than a transit subsidy.