New
data from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) show the average
American drove 9,360 miles in 2012—44 fewer miles than they drove in 2011. More
surprising is that the peak in miles driven per
person (aka vehicle miles traveled, VMT) occurred back in 2004, when
Americans, on average, drove 10,118 miles. Driving per person is down 7.5
percent over the last 8 years. This persistent decrease in driving is occurring
as transit ridership, bicycling, and walking are all increasing (e.g. The American
Public Transit Public Association just announced
a record 10.5 billion rides on US public transit in 2012; the 2012
Bike Walk Twin Cities Count Report shows that in the Twin Cities over the
last 6 years bicycling is up by 51 percent and walking by 24 percent).
Looking at this trend in a different way, the FHWA also reports
total miles driven in the US rose
slightly in 2012, but the percentage of the increase was less than the increase
in population for the year. Total miles driven in the US peaked at 3 trillion
in 2006 and 2007, and hasn’t hit the 3-trillion-per-year mark again since.
A variety of factors have been cited
for the decline, including retiring Baby Boomers; less enthusiasm for cars
among Millennials; a move in many places toward more compact and mixed-use
development; and demand-side policy efforts, including TDM [travel demand
management], tolling, and market-pricing of parking. In addition, some trends
that fueled VMT growth in the last century have eased: The transition toward women
working outside the home is essentially complete, car-ownership has gone from
rare to common, and people’s time budgets for car travel may have reached their
maximum.
As we await the release of Minnesota’s own 2012 numbers
this May or June, what might the national decline in driving tell us about the future?
It’s good for the air, public health, and
community livability.
This decline in driving should give us pause
about adding to the size of our state highway system. Minnesota already has a
large road network (the 5th largest road system in the US, and 8th
largest regional highway system in the US), and in the future we could have trouble
maintaining a highway system that doesn’t align with driving trends.
Our state should also consider and respond to the
preferences of residents as we make investments. A recent statewide poll found widespread
agreement among Minnesotans that transit is a good investment for the state,
and also that building more roads will not solve traffic congestion alone.
We hope these changing travel patterns will mean
a greater focus on investment in transit service and repair of the roadway
system we have. The trends also reinforce the goal of retrofitting more of our roadway
networks as complete streets—safer for people who are choosing different ways
to get around.
For more on driving trends in Minnesota see information
from MnDOT here (PDF).
The air in Minnesota is cleaner than it was 40 years ago, when cars without catalytic converters burned leaded gasoline and industry smokestacks had fewer controls. Yet, over that same period, we’ve also found out more about how air pollution affects people’s health and the environment. In short, we’ve found that lower levels of air pollution affect our health more than we had previously thought.
Based on this new knowledge, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has tightened federal air quality standards for lead, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, small particles, and sulfur dioxide in recent years. Even more stringent standards are now proposed for ozone and small particles.
Why are elevated levels of ozone and small particles in our air of such concern that stronger regulation is necessary? Because ozone and fine particles contribute to many health problems.
OZONE. The health effects from elevated concentrations of ozone include “breathing problems, lung tissue damage, and premature mortality” (California Air Resources Board). Even persons who are otherwise healthy may experience health effects when ozone levels increase. A recent study also shows that ozone contributes to cardiovascular events like heart attacks. (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/air/air-quality-and-pollutants/general-air-quality/be-air-aware.html)
FINE PARTICLES. These particles enter the deep lung and are transferred into the bloodstream where they can travel to and affect other organs. Fine particles have been shown to increase heart disease, respiratory disease, lung damage, cancer, and mortality. They also make asthma worse and lead to increased hospitalizations and deaths. People with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children are the groups most at risk. Fine particles are also major contributors to reduced visibility (haze). (California Air Resources Board, http://www.arb.ca.gov/adam/aqfaq/index.html#1 and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, http://www.pca.state.mn.us/gloss/glossary.cfm?term=Particulate_Matter,_Fine_(PM2.5)).
Currently in Minnesota, our air pollution levels fall within EPA standards. But if, as expected, the standards become more stringent, we’re likely to exceed the new limits and be “out of compliance” with the Clean Air Act. Non-compliance would trigger a mandatory multi-year planning process and implementation of programs and actions to reduce pollutants. Exactly what will be required depends on the specific sources of pollution. The costs of nonattainment would spread throughout the economy and could be very large.
There are many sources of harmful air pollutants, including factories, homes, and other places where fuel and wood are burned, as well as farms where crop and livestock dust are generated. Vehicle tailpipe emissions contribute significantly to the creation of ground-level ozone and diesel emissions along interstate highways contribute to elevated levels of particles adjacent to those corridors.
Our transportation system and our personal transportation choices can either be part of the problem or part of the solution. Shifting trips from driving to transit, walking, or bicycling could play an important role in protecting air quality by reducing vehicle tailpipe emissions.
According to US EPA, a single passenger car emits nearly one pound of carbon dioxide per mile driven. Transit saves space on the road and emits a fraction of the pollution of driving alone.
Transit emits just a fraction of the air pollution of driving alone. More bicycling and walking also reduces emissions. We know this first hand from the combined efforts of TLC’s Bike Walk Twin Cities non-motorized transportation pilot program and the Volpe Center at the US Department of Transportation.
Since 2007, our BWTC program has been measuring the rate of bicycling and walking in the Twin Cities. Using the data from 2010, which showed bicycling up 33% since 2007 and walking up 18%, USDOT calculated the impacts on levels of driving and emissions. The results: in 2010 alone, more than 7 million miles were covered on bike or foot rather than in a car. From 2007-2010, more than 14 million miles shifted from driving to bicycling and walking.
And what’s the impact of less driving on air quality. Here is the chart from Volpe, showing that every day in the Minneapolis area, more bike/walk trips and less driving meant less carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and hydrocarbons.
USDOT Volpe Center CONVERSIONS for Minneapolis-area pilot. Based on 7,260,877 averted vehicle miles travelled (VMT) in 2010 and 14,521,754 averted VMT for 2007-2010.
Other transportation options that can protect air quality by reducing tailpipe emissions include increasing use of car and bicycle sharing, telework and telecommuting programs, van pooling and carpooling.
So, what’s next with air quality issues in the Twin Cities? The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency manages compliance with the federal Clean Air Act in Minnesota. Currently, the MPCA is collaborating with the Minnesota Environmental Initiative, a nonprofit organization, to oversee an 18-month study process, called the Clean Air Dialogue, to identify options to reduce air emissions and reduce the risk of falling out of compliance with new air standards.
Transit for Livable Communities is one of the invited participants in the Clean Air Dialogue. If our region commits to building out our transit system (bus and rail) and keeps working to make bicycling and walking safe and convenient options across the metro, we can show how emissions from transportation can be reduced – contributing to cleaner air and better health.
My employer, Transit for Livable Communities (TLC), awarded funds to a project along Jefferson Avenue in Saint Paul. The project was proposed by the City of Saint Paul and the funds are from the federal nonmotorized transportation pilot program that TLC administers. The project has been the subject of recent news articles: here and here. Here is some context.
Why TLC? TLC is an organization focused on increasing transportation options for Minnesotans with the goals of improving health and economic opportunity, strengthening community, fostering a sound economy, and preserving our natural resources. Based on its transportation-related expertise, TLC was appointed by Congress to administer the Minneapolis-area pilot location of the nonmotorized transportation pilot program funded in the 2005 federal transportation bill, SAFETEA-LU. TLC created Bike Walk Twin Cities (BWTC) to run the program. BWTC and TLC are accountable to the Federal Highway Administration and Mn/DOT for the use of these funds. Funding for projects has been awarded on a competitive basis.
A big picture approach to transportation options. The Jefferson Avenue project is one of 37 infrastructure projects in the Twin Cities funded by TLC through Bike Walk Twin Cities. Several of these projects have opened in the last year and many more are opening in the next few weeks, with more to come in 2012. These include bike boulevard projects like the one proposed along Jefferson. Check out this video about the RiverLake Greenway. Here is a schedule of Fall 2011 openings of new projects, including two more bicycle boulevards. In Saint Paul, two projects have already opened: The Marshall Avenue connection, from Cretin Ave. to the River, and new bike and pedestrian facilities along Como Avenue, creating a connection from the U of M campus to the Capitol. These new routes are filling in a network of routes to make it easier for people to choose getting around on bicycle or on foot, including in combination with transit.
New bike lane uphill from Mississippi River on Marshall Avenue, Saint Paul
Goals of the nonmotorized pilot program Congress recognized the value of bicycling and walking to improve health, reduce traffic congestion, and improve air quality. The goals of the pilot program are ambitious – to increase bicycling and walking as a means of transportation and to document health and other benefits – all in about five years. Only four communities have been given this extraordinary opportunity. In this pilot location, when all projects are complete, the funds will have brought more than 75 miles of new bikeways and sidewalks, provided the majority of startup funding for Nice Ride Minnesota bike-sharing (in a public-private partnership) and the Sibley Bike Depot Community Partners Bike Library. The funds have brought a new Bike Center to the University of Minnesota, including the biggest installation in the nation thus far of an RFID system to track bicycle commuters to provide wellness and other benefits. The pilot program is also funding one of the nation’s most robust efforts to actually count the number of people bicycling or walking—as one means of finding out how these investments pay off. Data from 2007-2010 show a 33% increase in bicycling and a 17% increase in walking.
Jefferson and Griggs. TLC did not propose these projects. The City of Saint Paul proposed both the Jefferson and Griggs projects. The original deadline for completing them was 2010. By the summer of 2011, with the City’s inability to move their Jefferson project forward and with no work completed on Griggs, TLC indicated that if the City could not follow through on the projects they would need to be cancelled so the funds could be reprogrammed elsewhere in the pilot area. Community leaders interested in the Griggs project argued that its fate should not be linked to progress on the Jefferson project. In August, in response to assurances from the City that the Griggs project would be accelerated, the TLC board reaffirmed that Griggs and Jefferson would proceed independently.
The Jefferson and Cleveland diverter. The proposal from the City of Saint Paul, funded in 2009, called for making Jefferson Avenue a bikeway from River to River. Several improvements in the section of Jefferson east of Lexington have already been added –there are now bike lanes and the speed limit has been reduced to 30 mph. A sidewalk will be added with pilot funding. The City proposed to make the segment west of Snelling a bicycle boulevard. A bicycle boulevard is a residential street to which certain features are added to make bicycling and walking safer, while also discouraging non-local automobile traffic. The City’s proposal for this section of Jefferson included a combination of traffic circles, stop-sign removal, curb bumpouts, and medians. The City conducted public meetings about their proposed plans for Jefferson Avenue. During this process, most of the bicycle boulevard elements were rejected, leaving just the median, or diverter, at Cleveland. However, as indicated at the public meeting on September 27, 2011, the City of Saint Paul has now reopened the process and will re-consider all the options they originally proposed for this segment of Jefferson Avenue.
New features on the streets. Both Saint Paul and Minneapolis have worked to become cities where bicycling and walking are real options for getting around. The nonmotorized pilot program has helped make that ambition more of a reality. Minneapolis and surrounding communities are seeing new features on the streets, such as bicycle lanes, bike boxes to improve safety for cyclists at complex intersections, bicycle-detection stop lights, curb bump outs, and medians. Some of these features have been around for a while, some are totally new to our region. These are features that have been shown to work well in other communities to make bicycling and walking safer and more convenient. In addition to infrastructure, Bike Walk Twin Cities has funded efforts to help people learn about and use these new features, incorporate the expanded network of bicycle routes into their travel choices, and have access to bicycles.
What about you? Have you seen any of the new projects funded through this pilot program? If you’re interested in checking them out, please join us—there are several openings in the next week.
Bicyclist along the RiverLake Greenway, Minneapolis
Construction workers add Bike Boulevard markings to Bryant Avenue South. Credit: Leslie Foreman
Bike Boxes at intersection of Franklin Avenue & East River Parkway
Curb improvements on RiverLake Greenway
Traffic circle under construction on 5th St NE bicycle boulevard
Nice Ride Minnesota expands to Saint Paul, summer 2011
During September and October, new bicycle routes funded through Bike Walk Twin Cities will open in Minneapolis. These projects, and others that opened last year as well as some due for 2012, are expanding the network for cycling, especially on-street cycling. The new projects include three bicycle boulevards, advisory bike lanes, and the state's first bicycle stop light. Some of the project openings will be celebrated as part of October Bike Walk Week October 3-9.
Please mark your calendars for these openings. More details will be shared as plans become complete.
Bryant Avenue Bicycle Boulevard- Grand Opening Thursday, September 22
This is the longest of the new bike routes in Minneapolis, providing a north-south route from West 58th Street to downtown Minneapolis, via the bicycle/pedestrian bridge over Lyndale Avenue and the bike path to Loring Park. The route includes new medians at Franklin Avenue to make crossing easier for bicycles and people walking. There also will be easier access for bicycles to the Minnehaha Parkway bicycle trail. The route runs roughly parallel to Lyndale Avenue.
University of Minnesota Bike Center-Grand Opening week of September 27
The new bike center in the Oak Street ramp will include retail sales and repair from the Hub Bicycle Coop, and (with membership) 24-7 key-card access to showers, changing rooms, and secure bike parking. The Center also offers classes and meeting space. With 70,000 students and faculty at the Twin Cities campus, there is great opportunity to get around more smoothly by riding bicycles (including Nice Ride bicycle-sharing), walking, and using transit.The University Bike Center will also offer the option to sign up for RFID (radio frequency identification) tags to track bicycle usage and be eligible for prizes.
New routes in Downtown Minneapolis-Grand Opening Wednesday, October 5 (tentative)
Getting into downtown Minneapolis on bicycle is now easier due to two new projects. Cyclists have long waited for a better connection into from the Hiawatha LRT trail (which ends at 11th Avenue South). A new bike path now exists adjacent to the Valspar parking lot, connecting to westbound bicycle lanes on 3rd Street South and eastbound lanes on 4th Street South. Another new project, on East 14th, 15th, and 16th Streets, brings "Advisory Bike Lanes" to the United States for the first time (though Portland, Ore., also has plans for them: http://bikeportland.org/2009/10/21/bikeway-design-focus-advisory-bike-lanes-24880) Advisory bike lane streets are low-traffic narrow streets with bike lanes in each direction and one center lane for autos. If no bikes are present, cars can drive on top of the bike lanes (this is not legal for other bike lanes). If cyclists are present, cars use the center lane (wide enough for cars) to pass.
New routes in Northeast Minneapolis-Grand Opening Thursday, October 6 (tentative)
Northeast Minneapolis has had few routes for a growing population, but that is about to change with three new routes (and a fourth in 2012). The new 5th Street Bicycle Boulevard, featuring the state's first bicycle stop light and bicycle signal detection, runs from Dinkytown through the Nordeast shopping area and up to 26th Avenue North. (Much of the route runs parallel to University Avenue.) Two new east-west bike ways intersect it-the 22nd Avenue bike way and a new off-road bike path on 18th Avenue (not funded by BWTC). In 2012, the Presidents Bicycle Boulevard will provide another north-south route on Fillmore and 6th Avenues.
New Bike Lanes in North Minneapolis-Grand Opening, Saturday, October 8-A Bike Walk Week October Event
The new bike lanes on Emerson & Fremont Avenues provide a great north-south route, connecting many great destinations, from North Regional Library (at the intersection of Lowry and Fremont) to the businesses along West Broadway (The Cookie Cart and Avenue Eatery are just down the block from Emerson) to Plymouth Avenue not far from UROC and the Urban League. The Emerson/Fremont lanes connect to bike lanes along 7th Street North and 10th Avenue North , making it easier to connect to downtown and Northeast Minneapolis.
1st and Blaisdell Bike Lanes-Grand Opening, Sunday October 9-A Bike Walk Week October Event
These new bike lanes connect downtown Minneapolis (via LaSalle heading southbound and Marquette heading north) to the RiverLake Greenway at 40th Street in South Minneapolis. The route features buffered bike lanes along 1st Avenue (between 40th and 33rd) and bike lanes on Blaisdell, with green paint at the high-traffic intersection at Lake Street to make bicyclists and motorists aware of each other.
Manager Kari Binning outside Mississippi Market at Selby and Dale, St. Paul. (Photos by Amber Collett)
On June 1, the Mississippi Market kicked off summer by becoming the first Minnesota business to offer a Bicycle Benefits discount to shoppers. The Bicycle Benefits program is a nationwide progressive bicycling program that rewards cyclists for their commitment to physical activity, a healthy environment, and encourages increased helmet use.
“We’re excited to promote not only bicycling, but helmet use and cyclist safety,” said Kari Binning, Marketing and Media Manager at the Mississippi Market. “We think this program is a great fit for the Twin Cities community and hope that other businesses participate as well.”
Here’s how it works:
Purchase a Bicycle Benefits sticker for $5 from a participating business
Put the sticker on your helmet and be sure to wear it –no discount without the helmet!
Show the cashier your Bicycle Benefits sticker to receive a five percent discount off your groceries
As an added benefit, your 1 ½” by 1” all-weather resistant helmet sticker enables you to get deals across the country. Other notable communities participating in Bicycle Benefits include Burlington, VT, Bozeman, MT, Madison, WI, and Seattle, WA –and the program is growing rapidly!
“I am excited to participate in this program! I really enjoy biking to the Market and I think it’s awesome that they are recognizing and rewarding the bicycling community here,” said Anna Cioffi, a regular shopper at Mississippi Market.
The Bicycle Benefits program is free for businesses to participate and the national program provides a “Business Start-up” package for purchase. Bicycle Benefits business members receive a decal for their storefront and a counter card to help inform customers about the program.
You can find out more at www.bicyclebenefits.org and join the movement to use pedaling energy to create a more sustainable community.
On May 2nd MnDOT issued a request for applications for $4.2 million in federal Safe Routes to Schools funding. This round of funding is for infrastructure projects that will make it easier and safer for children in kindergarten to 8th grade to walk and bicycle to school. The application deadline is June 15th, 2011. Schools, school districts, units of government, Tribes, non-profits, and other entities are eligible to apply. The funding is for projects to be constructed in 2012 and 2013. Click here for the full request.
AAA released last week their report on the annual cost of owning a car, about $8776 for a sedan, $11,239 for a SUV. They calculated based on gas at $2.88 per gallon, so these costs are somewhat low given the current price of gas. The report includes a worksheet for calculating your own costs. The basic categories are:
Operating costs, including gas, maintenance, and tires
Ownership costs, including depreciation, insurance, taxes, licenses/registration, and finance charges
Other costs, including washing, accessories, etc.
I began thinking about how a person would calculate these buckets if they regularly used transit or got around by bicycling or walking. Based on the calculations below (which are based on personal experience not exhaustive research), the annual cost for each mode are:
Mid-sized sedan = $8,776 (AAA report)
Transit = $1,810
Bicycling = $680
Walking = $250
Of course one key factor to using transit is being near bus lines or LRT stations. Metro Transit buses and trains have bike racks, so “nearby” is a little farther away. There also are options, especially in the Twin Cities, for car-sharing and bike sharing. HOURCAR car-sharing has monthly membership fees from $5-$15, plus trip fees. Nice Ride Minnesota annual subscriptions are $60 for unlimited ½ hour trips. And for a limited time this spring, Nice Ride subscriptions are on sale for $40.
Using the chart in the report from AAA, my estimates are as follows.
Transit: Annual cost $1810
Operating = $0 in terms of gas, maintenance, and tires. The local bus system does have these costs.
Ownership costs = $30/week or $1560 per year for a GoToCard, based on rush-hour fares and not counting the 10% discount.
Other costs: maybe better shoes for walking, rain coat, umbrella, occasional cab fare for missing the bus. Let’s say $250.
Bicycling: Annual cost $680.
Operating $190-$280
For bicycles, the annual maintenance, assuming you already have a bike, is an annual tune up, new tires, new bike lights or batteries each year. A local bike shop offers tune ups for $70-$160 (basic tune up to bike overhaul). Last year a set of commuter bike tires cost about $80. A new bike light is around $40.
Ownership: $250
None of the categories on the AAA chart work for bikes. Some things particular to bikes might be a place to park it. Or perhaps, if you are a year-round rider, a second bike for the winter rides. The Sibley Bike Depot has refurbished bikes from $130-$350.
Other: $150
For bikes, there are some accessory costs, especially a good helmet and visible clothing. For winter cyclists, gloves and a good hat. Figure $40-$60 for a good helmet. For jackets, there are a lot of opinions out there about what breathes and keeps you dry and warm. The options for dropping money are equally wide-ranging. Figure $70 and maybe that’s more than you need, much less than you might spend. Accessorizing you and your bicycle can be as expensive as you like. You’ll need some kind of messenger bag or panniers for your stuff. I got a perfectly useful over-the-shoulder bag at a campus bookstore for around $25.
Walking: Annual cost = $250
Operation—mostly your body, with clothes and shoes.
Ownership—ditto.
Accessories—well, wardrobe is limitless.
Costs attributable to getting around on foot: good pair of shoes, umbrella, rain coat, hat, gloves.
Notes:
The AAA report calculates a cost per mile. They estimate the cost per mile for a mid-sized sedan driven 10,000 miles in a year is 73.9 cents.
There is some data that the average length of a bicycle trip is 4 miles. If that’s twice a day for a year, the total is 2080 miles. With annual costs of $680, that’s 32 cents per mile. One regular commuter I know logs around 15,000 miles per year as a bike commuter. He may spend more, being a year-round guy, but using our figures his cost per mile would be 5 cents.
If we guess that a person walking (to transit or to nearby work) walks 1 mile each way, that’s 520 miles a year. With annual costs estimated at $250 thats48 cents per mile.
As a regular bicyclist in the Twin Cities, I’m used to bicycling in traffic. I’m a confident bicyclist, but I don’t take too many risks, and I follow traffic rules. If the road is particularly narrow or steep, I take the full lane because I know that I can (and should!) for my own safety. That being said, I worry about drivers becoming agitated. I usually ride on the far far right side of a lane because I hate being honked or yelled at by drivers.
A few weeks ago, the decision to ride on the far right side of a lane radically altered my view of bicycling. I was approaching the intersection of Washington and Broadway in NE Minneapolis. There was a semi-truck making a right turn on red in the right-turn-only lane and I was coming down the rightmost through lane, but riding far over to the right (there isn’t a bike lane on the road, so I was conscious of the fact that cars could try to pass me in my lane.) As the light turned green, I started forward and was clipped by the semi truck’s tail-swing as the back end of the truck crossed into my lane. My bicycle stopped, but I didn’t. I was thrown up and over my handle-bars. I landed on the crown of my head and my helmet was destroyed. I know that I never again want to be made to feel as vulnerable and fragile as I did when the truck hit me. From now on, I will take the full lane at intersections–and I encourage other bicyclists to do the same.
As I waited in the ER, I kept picturing the accident in my head and how it could have gone differently. If there was a bike lane, the semi-truck driver might have been more conscious of bicyclists on the road. A bike lane’s dedicated space would have encouraged me to bike farther to the left of the right-turn-only lane and I might have missed the tail-swing. There are a lot of “might-have-beens” in this situation, but I also realized that being a confident bicyclist does not mean I can be an unaware one. I was too focused on making it through the intersection and didn’t pay enough attention to the truck next to me.
While I was lucky only to have a mild concussion, this accident (and others one hears about) highlights the importance of both infrastructure and culture change. For drivers and bicyclists to be on the same roads, everyone needs to follow the rules to keep each other safe. Bicyclists should strive to be good role models and show that we can be trusted on the road and that we won’t be jetting in front of motorists suddenly or running red lights at busy intersections. We all have to work to build a culture of trust and awareness; infrastructure will help us do that, but so will public outreach and involvement in your own community. Bicyclists, be out on your bike and encourage others to bike safely in the Twin Cities. Drivers, respect our safety and give us space on the road. Mutual respect, awareness, and well-designed infrastructure are all crucial to helping prevent crashes like mine.
Special Note: For Autumn Bike Walk Week, HOURCAR is waiving half of the application fee for new individual HOURCAR accounts (a $25 value) with coupon code BikeWalk10. Visit http://www.hourcar.org to apply today! (Member qualifications and safe driving criteria apply. Expires October 15, 2010).
Last week, Megan Hansen, the Member Services Coordinator with HOURCAR car-sharing program, had a conversation with a customer who said he used the money he would have spent on car ownership to pay off his mortgage early and travel extensively. I asked Megan, who is a TLC member, if she could fill me in about HOURCAR and the connection between car-sharing and a multi-modal transportation system. Megan reported that September broke all previous records for HOURCAR applications and new members—a higher level than when gas was $4 per gallon. “Applications went way up in September – higher than the last couple months and higher than last year, even with similar fall discounts for students and other groups.” This could be a blip, but here’s to hoping that this trend is part of a larger shift in which people are walking, biking, taking transit, and ride-sharing for more of their daily travel.
“HOURCAR works best for people who can take care of most of their transportation needs without a vehicle. But sometimes a car is necessary, and that’s the niche HOURCAR fills for many people. It’s one part of a multi-modal system.”
For Megan, car-sharing and the multi-modal transportation system that TLC supports are so interconnected the relationship is hard to describe. “We all want the same thing – the opportunity to get around without driving all the time, and for some people, to be free of the costs of car ownership.”
For those seeking encouragement on the way to giving up a vehicle, Megan offers the following story from a new HOURCAR member trying to follow in his friends’ footsteps. Both of them were regularly getting around without a personal vehicle but weren’t ready to give it up entirely. They joined HOURCAR to find out if car sharing would fill their need for access to a car, and, happily for them and for HOURCAR, were able to take the leap and sell their personal cars.
“I have so much respect for the people who are using HOURCAR to change their lifestyle. It’s not an overnight thing,” she adds, acknowledging that she’s been a commuter and knows the challenge. Her basic words of wisdom? “Don’t be afraid to try it! There is a choice about how much you drive and there are so many possibilities out there for arranging your life.”
From Barb Thoman, Executive Director, Transit for Livable Communities
In late August, my husband and I spent two days being tourists in Montreal, a North American city that feels more like Europe. We walked a lot, rode the city’s rental bikes, and took the subway. We were not alone. Half the trips people take in Montreal are on these modes and city planners are taking steps to reduce motor vehicle use even more.
Montreal is a city of 2 million in a region with a population of nearly 4 million, situated less than two hours north of Burlington, Vermont. Montreal has much greater density of development than does the Twin Cities, with mile after mile of buildings of two and three stories. This density results in walkable destinations, including many neighborhood shops and cafes.
Bicycling
We toured Montreal’s tourist destinations using the extensive bike rental system called Bixi – a name which combines the words bicycle and taxi. Bixi served as a model for the new Nice Ride system in Minneapolis. We saw the rental bikes nearly everywhere we went along with even more people riding their own bikes. Bicycling is easy in Montreal as the city has an extensive network of dedicated street and off street routes – including one that ran right in front of our hotel. Bike parking is also ubiquitous.
Bicycling in Montreal.
Transit
For longer trips we rode the city’s rubber-tired subway trains. The four line system, built in 19696, remains a major workhorse. The subway attracts the second-highest ridership per capita in North America, behind New York City. The Québec (Province) Liberal Party has announced its support for three new extensions to the system, which could increase its size by one-third by 2020. Montreal is also served by five commuter rail lines and a fleet of 2,500 buses. For comparison, the Twin Cities’ region has 1,000 transit buses.
Société de transport de Montréal.
Walking
People in Montreal do a lot of walking despite the city’s cold and snowy winter weather. Montreal gets significantly more snow than does the Twin Cities. I learned from a web site that both the streets and sidewalks are cleared in winter by crews contracted by the city. Mini-bulldozers push the snow from the sidewalks out to the street and trucks haul it away.
Snow Removal in Montreal. Credit:Chicagoan in Montreal Blog
Last year, the city began reducing the speed limit on residential streets from 50 km/h (30 mph) to 40 km/h (24 mph) in an effort to improve safety for bicyclist and pedestrians. The speed limit will remain at 50km/h along the city’s main arteries and at 30 km/hr near school zones and parks.
Motoring
We certainly also saw a lot of cars in Montreal as well as roadways in need of major repairs. We also saw a lot of shared cars. Montreal has North America’s most extensive car sharing system, called Communauto (community cars in French). It would be interstinginteresting to know how many cars each Montreal family has, on average . average. I would guess it’s fewer than we have in the Twin Cities. Given all the people I saw shopping and eating out in Montreal, it made me wonder if they have traded a portion of the cost of a second car for a transit pass, a bike, and more dinners out with friends. I guess that’s a research topic for my next trip.
The Future
The City has an ambitious Transportation Plan that includes “Massive investments in alternatives to the car.” Watch this great four minute video from the City’s web site about that plan by clicking here.
Recent Comments