growing an active transportation system
TRANSCRIPT
G R O W I N G I N P L A C E : S U S T A I N A B L E U R B A N D E S I G N F O R C H I L D R E N & F A M I L I E S
M A R C H 5 , 2 0 1 0
R A L E I G H , N C
GROWING AN ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM
Cynthia Hoyle, AICP
Hoyle Consulting
Urbana, IL
Community Design – Impacts on Children
Fewer children walk or bike to school
Unintended consequences
Solutions
Best Practices
Retrofitting our Communities
• In 1969 48% of students walked
or biked to school. (Nationwide
Personal Transportation Survey.)
• In 2001 less than 15% of students
walked or biked to school. (2001
National Household Travel Survey)
• Today 34% of students living
w/in 1 mile of school walk or
bike compared to 90% in 1969. (Center for Disease Control )
Picture courtesy of Dan Burden
http://www.pedbikeimages.org
School siting issues: A generation ago
Small schools
Located in community centers
(EPA, 2003)
School siting issues: Today
Mega-schools
Built on edges of towns and cities
Dorman High School, Roebuck, SC, photo provided by Mark Fenton.
Parents driving children to school:
20%-25% of morning traffic
(NHTSA 2003; Dept. of Environment)
Unintended Consequences:Traffic congestion
It’s not just distance
Students who live within 1 mile and walk or bike:
2001: 63%
1969: 87%
(CDC, 2005)
Destin Elementary School, Destin, FL, provided by Dan Burden, available from PBIC Image Library.
Most common barriers to walking and biking to school
Long distances 62%
Traffic danger 30%
Adverse weather 19%
Fear of crime danger 12%
Note: Sum of percentages is more than 100% because respondents
could identify more than one barrier.
(CDC, 2005)
Traffic Danger
If more children walked or
biked to school, it would
reduce the number of
cars near the school at
pick-up and drop-off
times making it safer for
walkers and bicyclists and
reducing traffic
congestion.
Parisi and Associates. Transportation tools to
improve children's health and mobility: Look
at what California is Doing. Accessed at
www.dhs.ca.gov/epic/sr2s/documents/SR2S
TranspoTools.pdf.
http://www.pedbikeimages.org/imageDetail.
cfm
Picture courtesy of Dan Burden
Walkable Urbanism
There's demographic evidence; there's consumer research evidence; but probably the most compelling evidence is the price premium people are willing to pay to live in a walkable urban place, that the survey's show anywhere from a 40% to 200% price premium on a price per square foot basis for a walkable urban place as oppose to a competitive near by drivable suburban place.
Christopher B. Leinberger
Visiting Fellow, Brookings
SOLUTION:
MODE SHIFT
Good News!We Can Fix It
How to Create Mode Shift
Provide people with choices:
Invest in bicycle/pedestrian infrastructure
Calm traffic
Create Safe Routes to School
Build Transit Supportive development
Retrofit sprawling neighborhoods
Revitalize walkable neighborhoods
Education and Encourage Measuring the Health Effects of Sprawl; Barbara McCann and Reid Ewing; Smart Growth America and Surface Transportation Policy Project, 2003
Mode Shift
Infrastructure
Appropriate land-use and design
Interconnect modes, land-use, and infrastructure
Social Marketing –encouragement for behavior change
TO SUCCEED YOU HAVE TO:
•ENGAGE THE PUBLIC
•CREATE PLANS WITH VISION
•PLAN FOR IMPLEMENTATION
•BE CREATIVE WITH FUNDING OPTIONS
You want this:
And this:
Disconnected Land-Use Peds/Bikes - Afterthought
Not This
Start with Plans
Long Range Transportation Plan 2025 (LRTP 2025) adopted in 2004 by Champaign-Urbana Urbanized Area Transportation Study (CUUATS)
big.small.all countywide visioning process called for more housing and mobility choices, less sprawl
More Community Transportation Plans
Champaign Moving Forward:
Transportation Master Plan 2008 – Update to Champaign’s Comprehensive Plan
Urbana Bicycle Plan –Adopted plan becomes part of Comprehensive Plan
LRTP 2025 Preferred Scenario calls for:
Express bus service between core and fringe areas of
the community
An enhanced arterial fringe road system that provides
improved mobility around the community
Transit intensive corridors
High capacity transit system in the University District
Mixed use, denser development and redevelopment
If implemented LRTP 2025 will:
Create higher population density, less sprawl
Promote alternative transportation modes
Save money on infrastructure
Create walkable activity centers and reduce reliance on
automobiles
Make travel safer for pedestrians and bicyclists
Increase mobility for motorists
Educate residents about alternative transportation
modes, safety, and new transportation concepts
HOW Do We Implement the LRTP?
Infill and having choices sounds good, but how do we get there while protecting new development and growth?
miPLAN asked the community to tell us what they want.
miPLANMobility Implementation Plan
miPLAN's Purpose - What mobility options does the community want, both now and in the future?
To implement the LRTP 2025. LRTP found: Cities do not have the $ to build and/or maintain new
arterial roads serving fringe development. (Champaign has $50 million deficit in funding for arterial construction.)
If we continue with our current growth design, e.g. travel by auto, our community will face serious roadway congestion problems in less than 20 years.
Public Engagement: Neighborhood Transopoly®
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Attribution: Jan Metzger, Center for Neighborhood Technology, 1950-2010
Summary of Public Input:
Strong consistency found for the following
top priority mobility improvements:
Improved bicycle infrastructure and routing
Better street lights
Additional sidewalks
Later evening MTD transit service
Additional direct MTD transit routes along
major arterials
Mobility Enhanced Development Report
Affordability Index Formula
Affordability Index =
Housing Costs + Transportation Costs*
Income *Transportation Costs include the modeled cost of Auto
Ownership, Auto Use, and Transit Use
Identified opportunities for mobility enhanced development , e.g. development with mobility choices.
Analyzes costs of housing and transportation to households.
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MED Findings:
Transportation costs in core significantly less than fringe. Average $/month spent on transportation: Core=$832 or less Fringe=$1372 or less.
MED Recommendations:Build on current density and urban form.
Maximize options and choices in alternative forms of mobility.
Provide tools to create mixed-use, mixed-income market-rate developments through infill and redevelopment.
Maintain affordability through community development programs and by factoring in both household housing and transportation costs.
C-U Encouraging Mode Shift
Zipcar- car share program launched 2009 with 6 cars now have 8 cars
Safe Routes to School
Bike route maps, bus wrap, bike counts, etc. work with cycling community
Marketing to public on options for mode choice
RETROFIT STREETS
CONTROL ACCESS
COMPLETE STREETS
ROAD DIETS
SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL
Best Practices
Complete Streets
What are complete streets, and complete streets policies?
Complete streets are designed and operated to enable safe access for all users. Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities must be able to safely move along and across a complete street.
Creating complete streets means transportation agencies must change their orientation toward building primarily for cars. Instituting a complete streets policy ensures that transportation agencies routinely design and operate the entire right of way to enable safe access for all users.
Source: National Complete Streets Coalition - http://www.completestreets.org
Source: National Complete Streets Coalition
Road Diets
What is a Road Diet?
Bridgeport Way, University PlaceWashington
Major road 23,000 VPD
High speed limits, no sidewalks, high number of access points and uncontrolled access – high number of crashes many with injuries
After Road Diet:
Transformed into Complete Street with bike lanes, sidewalks, and 8 roundabouts
Flared intersections accommodate U-turns for large vehicles at signalized intersections
Lighted landscaped medians improved access management and pedestrian safety – reduced crashes
Bridgeport Way, University Place, Washington
Pictures courtesy of Dan Burden
Bike lanes installed to reduce bike-automobile conflicts and crashes
Interconnected signalized mid-block crossings optimized traffic progression while minimizing pedestrian-vehicular conflicts and crashes
Road diet reduced crashes by 60% and speeds by 6%
Bridgeport Way, University Place, Washington
Pictures: Cynthia Hoyle, AICP, Hoyle Consulting
SRTS programs – part of the solution
Improve walking and biking conditions around schools
Reduce congestion around schools
Increases physical activity (10 minutes to school and 10 minutes home=20 minutes of daily physical activity)
Can lead to cost savings for schools (reduce need for “hazard” busing)
Others: increase child’s sense of freedom, help establish lifetime habits, teach pedestrian and bicyclist skills
Elements of SRTS programs
Education
Encouragement
Enforcement
Engineering
Evaluation
Pictures: Cynthia Hoyle, AICP, Hoyle Consulting
Education & Encouragement
Bike Rodeos
Light the Night Bike
Light Campaign
Traffic Safety Workshops
Potential Issues
IssuesNo Sidewalks on way to schoolUnsafe intersection/street to crossDistances too great
SolutionsPark and walk – use a local park or church parking lot Have school buses drop kids at designated location to walk to school with volunteersWalk around your school track/playgroundHave your local police dept. assist with walkOrganize a Walking School Bus
WEBINARS
REPORTS
ORGANIZATIONS
PROGRAMS
Resources
Webinars
Safe Routes to School: Improves the Built Environment
SRTS State Network Project: Final Report
Reports
Report recommends combining strategies to significantly reduce GHG emissions:
Local and regional pricing/reg. that increase cost of SOV travel
Regulations to encourage eco-driving behavior/better fuel efficiency
Land use/smart growth that reduce travel distances
Expansion of multimodal travel options
Moving Cooler – Report on Transportation and Reducing GHG
Moving Cooler: An Analysis of Transportation Strategies that Reduce Green House Gas Emissions; Cambridge Systematics; July 2009
Organizations
http://www.saferoutespartnership.org/home
http://www.completestreets.org
http://www.ite.org
http://www.planning.org
http://www.apbp.org
Programs
http://www.walktoschool.org/index.cfm
http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/index.cfm
http://cufitfamilies.blogspot.com
http://frc.illinois.edu/c-ufitfamilies.htm
ProgramsInteragency Partnership for Sustainable Communities
1. Provide more transportation choices.
2. Promote equitable, affordable housing.
3. Enhance economic competitiveness.
4. Support existing communities.
5. Coordinate policies and leverage investment.
6. Value communities and neighborhoods.
HUD, DOT and EPA Partnership: Sustainable CommunitiesJune 16, 2009
http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/partnership/index.html
CUMTD Support for Mode Shift Includes
miPLAN Expansion of “unlimited access” to transit Lead agency for Car-Share program Major supporter of Safe Routes to School
program and projects (International Walk to School Day)
First transit district in US to be certified as Bicycle Friendly Business by League of American Bicyclists
Major supporter of community bicycling campaigns (Bike to Work Month/Week/ Day, education campaigns, etc.)
Invested in the development of a community bike share program
Sponsoring plans for “Green Corridors” in the community
Community visibility promoting safety, healthy lifestyles, sustainability
Coalition building
Increases mode shift
Benefits for Transit
It’s About Our Future:Active Transportation Benefits Everyone
http://www.ccrpc.org/planning/transportation/lrtp2/index.html
Cynthia Hoyle, AICPHoyle ConsultingUrbana, [email protected]
www.cumtd.comwww.ihavemiplan.comwww.cu-srtsproject.com