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LCTI: Commerce Moving Forward

Sustainable Transportation Equity Project (STEP) Implementation Grant

City of Commerce | Commerce Moving Forward

City of Commerce Logo

June 2021 – March 2025

Project Details

Commerce Moving Forward includes construction of the first mile of Class II bike lanes in the city. A community-based tree planting project facilitated by TreePeople is providing 400 shade trees near pedestrian, bike, and transit corridors and engage residents directly with tree planting and tree care. City of Commerce Transit, the LA Region's only fare-free transit system, is adding two zero-emission fixed-route buses and two zero-emission Dial-A-Ride shuttles to kickstart the City's commitment to a zero-emission fleet. Lastly, development of a Transit-Oriented Development and Displacement Avoidance Plan will prepare Commerce for the buildout of LA Metro's future Citadel rail station to connect city residents and employees regionally.

A map of the City of Commerce and a solid line represents the project area.
Project Area Map, City of Commerce, CA in Los Angeles County 

Project Highlights

  • Commerce has hosted Clean Air Day events at local city parks for the last two years to celebrate the new electric buses and shuttles and educate residents about different ways they can contribute to cleaner air in their community.
  • Through this project, over 500 volunteers have helped plant 400 street trees that, once fully grown, will provide shade for bikes and pedestrians.
  • 62 Commerce residents learned about bike safety through a series of online and in-person classes as part of LA Metro's Bicycle Education Safety Training program. While not originally part of the STEP grant, Commerce seized the opportunity to participate in this program through the relationships they built under STEP.

Lessons Learned

  • Consolidating smaller active transportation infrastructure projects into one Request for Proposals may help keep costs down.
  • Take the opportunity to work with additional partners outside of the STEP subgrantees when they're available. Facilitated through this project, City of Commerce has partnered with LA Metro, Estolano Advisors, and People for Mobility Justice on a series of bike safety events and with LA Metro on planning for displacement prevention near an upcoming Metro station.
  • In-person events, such as a tour of the Net Zero Plus Electrical Training Institute and a ride-along on the new zero-emission buses, help rejuvenate participation in advisory group meetings.

Funding Details

Grant Amount: $3,240,078

Resource Contributions: $866,962

Project Total: $4,107,040

By the Numbers

Services, Vehicles & Equipment Funded

  • 2 GreenPower EV250 30ft Low Floor Battery-Electric Transit Buses for transit service expansion
  • 2 GreenPower EV Star Plus ADA Electric Shuttles for weekend service expansion of a dial-a-ride service
  • 2 Level 2 Overnight 11kW Chargers
  • 2 ABB Terra 54HV 50kW DC Chargers - Single CCS1 Connector
  • 1.35 miles each way (14,256 linear feet total) of new class II bike lane
  • 400 shade trees along transit, bicycle, and pedestrian corridors
  • 20 volunteer tree planting events and 48 volunteer tree care events
  • 1 transit-oriented development (TOD) and displacement avoidance plan
  • At least 3 TOD and displacement avoidance planning public workshops
  • 12 STEP Implementation Advisory Committee meetings
  • At least 2 clean transportation-related outreach events

Estimated Quantifiable Benefits

  • GHG emission reductions: 1,487 MTCO2e
  • NOx reductions: 404 lbs
  • PM2.5 reductions: 146 lbs
  • ROG reductions: 98 lbs
  • Passenger VMT reductions: 4,773,065 miles
  • Travel cost savings: $2,765,831
  • Transportation fossil fuel reductions:​ 126,971 gallons
  • Direct Jobs: 12
  • Indirect Jobs: 6
  • Induced Jobs: 8

    Event participants on bikes in a parking lot Event participants including children standing in or near project booth

    Event participants standing in front of zero-emission bus Volunteers planting trees

    Community Details

    Commerce Moving Forward focuses on the City of Commerce, which is a small, urban city in southeast Los Angeles. The four main residential neighborhoods in Commerce are spread out throughout the city, next to industrial sites, warehouses and logistics facilities, freeways, and train tracks. Proximity to industry has led to significant exposure to environmental risks such as poor air quality and designation as a disadvantaged community per CalEnviroscreen 3.0. While the majority of Commerce’s 12,719 residents commute outside the city for work, approximately 56,400 employees (four times the residential population) commute into the city. Each STEP project was determined through its own specific engagement and planning processes. Through these processes, residents prioritized the need for access to bike lanes, weekend dial-a-ride service, more frequent fixed-route transit service, sidewalk shade, and affordable housing. 

    Demographics of Community Served by Project

    95% Hispanic/Latino, 2% White, 1% Asian, 1% Black and African American, and 1% Other
    Median Household Income: $ 38,051

    Community Benefits

    Commerce Moving Forward takes a holistic equity approach to implementing active and clean transportation strategies. Currently, the city’s residential neighborhoods lack active and clean transportation options for all community members. STEP-funded projects will increase the clean transportation options available to community residents, while developing a plan for countering potential displacement risks and working directly with community residents to ensure the projects meet their transportation needs.

      Outreach & Engagement Strategies

      • Surveys
      • Community advisory meetings
      • Volunteer tree planting and tree care events
      • Flyers and brochures
      • Canvassing and tabling
      • Project demonstrations

      Target Populations

      • Older adults 
      • Youth
      • Residents with disabilities
      • Non-English speakers
      • Residents without access to a vehicle
      • Low-income residents 
      • Undocumented

      Partnership Structure

      Grantee

      The City of Commerce is the local government overseeing the whole Commerce Moving Forward project. The City of Commerce is also the lead implementer on most of the project's components, including the expanded electric bus and shuttle services, the city's first bike lane, and the transit-oriented development and displacement avoidance plan. 

      Subgrantees 

      Community Partners

      Contact

      Roxana Lara | (323) 722-4805 Ext. 2238 | City of Commerce