In California, Transit Expansion Meets Shared Mobility

 

By Barb Thoman, Executive Director

 

 

Last month, I got a sense of the profound transportation changes underway in California when I attended the Live Ride Share summit in Los Angeles. The focus of the day-long event was how the new "sharing economy" is beginning to reshape the way Californians live and get around. In this context, Live Ride Share brought together people from government, the private sector, nonprofit organizations, and others to discuss collaboratively accelerating the proliferation and use of transportation options in the LA region.

 

There are many reasons to advance transportation options. High on the list for California are ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  The expansion of transit—along with car sharing, bike sharing, and ride sharing—will help the state achieve those goals.

 

In 2006, California enacted the Global Warming Solutions Act, which set a target for an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. The law established a system of pollution fees and a cap-and-trade auction. The pollution fees are estimated to total over $1 billion in the 2015-2016 program year and an impressive 60 percent of the revenue will be spent on strategies to reduce driving! The following table shows how that funding will be targeted.

 

California Greenhouse Gas Reduction Funding Allocation	Percent of Total GHG Funds 2015-2016
High speed rail	25%
Transit and intercity rail capital program	10%
Low carbon transportation options program	5%
Affordable housing & sustainable communities	20%
Combined total	60%

Source: California Air Resources Board

 

 

The expansion of public transit was a priority in California’s major metropolitan regions long before the state made a commitment to address climate change. The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system opened in 1972, at a time when the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metro region was beginning two decades of stop and go (mostly stop) planning for rail transit. In 1981, San Diego became the first US city to open a modern light rail line. The Los Angeles region, which had no rail in 1980, today has an impressive bus and rail system.

  

The weekend I was in LA, I rode nearly every mode of transit—all for purposeful trips to destinations I really needed to reach.

 

The LA region has 70 miles of light rail, one subway line, and 390 miles of regional/commuter rail, plus an extensive bus system. Local voters have approved funding referendums for transit over the past decade. Measure R, which passed in 2008 with a 2/3^rd vote in favor, generates about $850 million annually for transit through a half-cent increase in the regional sales tax for transit in LA County. Measure R revenues are paying for the five rail lines under construction in Los Angeles County today.

 

Live Ride Share attendees hope that combining use of this robust public transit system with the innovations that allow for sharing of rides, cars, and will enable the LA region and the state of California to reduce driving and car ownership.

 

“We need shared mobility for an economically viable region.”

Hasan Ikhrata, Executive Director, Southern California Council of Governments

 

In addition to expanded public transit, the Live Ride Share summit highlighted recent developments for shared mobility apps, services, and infrastructure. Of interest:

 

• Car2go is expanding slowly in the LA area and is adding bike racks to its fleet in Portland, OR.

• Lyft and Uber’s ride sharing services continue to expand in California, but controversies about safety training and employment practices continue.

• Flywheel, a new app, is being used by traditional taxis in San Francisco that are battling with Uber and Lyft for market share.

• Bike share won’t come to the City of Los Angeles until 2016. The program will be run by LA Metro, the transportation agency, with funding coming from highway express lane toll revenues.

• South Bay suburbs are piloting slow-speed electric vehicles for neighborhood trips.

• LA Metro has a strategic plan to improve “first and last mile” connections to rail and bus rapid transit stations in the County. See the guidebook for local communities as well as LA Metro.

• The Getaround app connects vehicle owners with people who want to rent their vehicle for an afternoon, week, or weekend. It is available currently in four West Coast cities.

 

It was exciting to hear from others at this event who are passionate about creating an integrated system of multimodal transportation options. Clearly, Los Angeles County is ambitiously moving ahead with transit and bike/walk investments. But they also don’t yet have the bike-sharing or car sharing systems we enjoy here in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. That tells me we need to keep taking advantage of the options we do have, while also pushing for more, if we want to keep pace with peer cities around the country.

 

Rail~Volution Draws National Transit Supporters to the Twin Cities

 

By Barb Thoman, Executive Director

 

Each year, Rail~Volution brings together people from across the country who are passionate about building livable communities with transit.  After a 20-year wait, this national conference finally came to Minnesota! Early this week, nearly 1,500 attendees participated in dozens of workshop sessions on topics ranging from equitable transit-oriented development to creative placemaking and complete streets implementation. They also pedaled around on Nice Ride bikes, rode buses and trains, and marveled at the amount of development taking place in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Everyone we asked spoke very positively about the 2014 conference and said they were amazed at how much we have going on in this region.

“This is not a Republican or Democrat issue, this is an issue of American vitality. . . . We’re trying to push the envelope on transportation to grow America for a new generation.” (USDOT Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx, speaking at Rail~Volution, on investing in multimodal transportation)

Transit for Livable Communities was involved in the conference this year in a number of ways: We served on the steering committee, lead a mobile workshop on bicycling, moderated a session on advocacy, and had a table in the exhibit hall. I even mustered the courage to present at the fun, fast-paced Pecha Kucha Slam on the challenges of bike/walk/and transit in our cold-weather climate.

 

 

Our mobile workshop highlighted some of the investments from the Bike Walk Twin Cities program.  Sheldon Mains spoke about the work of Spokes Bike Walk Connect in the Seward neighborhood, helping neighborhood residents—including members of the local East African community— get a bike and learn to ride. Steve Saunders from the U of M spoke about two infrastructure projects—the new Dinkytown Greenway and the U of M Bike Center—as well as programs at the U of M to encourage the use of transit and bicycling. Haila Maze from the City of Minneapolis talked about redevelopment in Dinkytown. (Did you know that the Dinkytown CVS store has high sales and no off-street parking for cars?!)  

“Just because you have a bike lane, doesn’t mean you’re bike friendly.” (MnDOT's Liz Walton, speaking at Rail~Voltion, emphasizing the importance of a holistic approach: engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement, and evaluation/planning)

 

In addition to more than 20 mobile workshops, the conference featured nearly a hundred informative sessions. Here are a few cool things discussed at the sessions I attended:

• Los Angeles, with its 1.5-cent regional sales tax for transit/bike/walk, is embracing open streets in a big way.  LA Metro is awarding $4 million to cities in the LA region to put on open streets events over the next 12 months.  
• Transit agency general managers from Los Angeles, Boston, and Portland (OR) were asked to talk about what keeps them up at night. Maintenance of aging transit infrastructure was high on their list—although one general manager joked that despite the stresses of the job, he falls asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow.
• Transit phone apps are making access to transportation options easier. One session included the co-founder of an innovative new company from Minneapolis called OMG Transit. Their free app shows real-time bus, train, Nice Ride, HOURCAR, and car2go locations and arrival times.
• The new sharing economy, including ride-sharing services such as Lyft and Uber are growing quickly and will impact auto ownership and travel, and possibly transit ridership. Millennials are big users of these services.

Thank you to the conference steering committee, the local host committee, the hundreds of volunteers who helped plan the conference, and Rail-Volution CEO Dan Bartholomay and his planning team (now based in Minneapolis)!

We can't wait to continue the conversation when Rail-Volution travels to Dallas in 2015.

 

 Photos courtesy of Barb Thoman and Kerry Thomas.

Six Local Transit Projects Competing for Federal Funding

By Barb Thoman, Executive Director

 

In the Twin Cities metro area, six transit projects totaling $36 million are vying for $20 million in available federal funding.

 

The federal CMAQ program funds projects that reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality. Dollars are allocated through the Metropolitan Council and its Transportation Advisory Board (TAB).

 

The first three projects listed here received the highest rating in the initial scoring process:

 

1. Improved bus stations at Lake Street and Interstate 35W to replace the dismal facilities there today. The project would improve facilities for local bus passengers on Lake Street and for express bus passengers connecting at I-35W and Lake Street. Over 30 bus routes connect to these stations. The grant request from Metro Transit is $7 million of a $41 million project cost. The project is estimated to increase use of the I-35W/Lake Street stations by 1,100 riders per day.

 

Credit: Metro Transit

 

2. Mall of America Transit Station Renovation and Expansion. This project would improve the Mall of America Transit Station by expanding the facility to serve more bus routes, reconfiguring the site so buses don’t cross the light rail tracks, and improving safety and access for passengers. The grant request is $7 million of a $21 million project cost. Operational savings from the project are estimated to be $1 million annually. The project is estimated to increase use of the MOA station by 1,100 riders per day.

 

3. Construction of B-Line Bus Rapid Transit from Union Depot in Saint Paul along West 7th Street to the MSP Airport and Mall of America. The project would improve passenger waiting, speed up passenger boarding, provide real-time trip information, and include other improvements. The grant request from Metro Transit is $7 million of a $14 million total project cost. The project is expected to increase ridership by 1,700 riders per day.

 

Credit: Metro Transit

 

4. New Southwest LRT Park-and-Ride and Public Plaza. This project includes a new parking structure for 240 vehicles and a new public plaza in Hopkins at Excelsior Boulevard and 8^th Avenue serving the Southwest light rail line. The grant request from City of Hopkins is $7 million of a $12.2 million project cost. Service is estimated to serve 234 new daily riders.

 

5. Bus Service Expansion in Shakopee, Prior Lake, and Scott County. Funding would be used to purchase four buses for a new community-run bus service to connect with Southwest light rail, which is scheduled to open in 2019. The grant request from this city/county proposal is $0.96 million of a $1.2 million project cost. Service is estimated to serve 750 new daily riders.

 

6. Improvements to Cedar Grove Transit Station. This project would change the configuration of this bus station and add an enclosed walkway to provide a direct bus and passenger connection on Cedar Avenue/Highway 77 in Eagan. The improvements would reduce the travel time on each bus route by 10 minutes and reduce operating needs by one bus per day. The grant request from Metro Transit is $7 million of a $15 million total project cost. Operational savings from the project are estimated to be $400,000 annually. The project is estimated to increase use of the Cedar Grove Station by 150 new riders per day.

 

Our take: The project implementation year for this round of funding is 2017. With that in mind, TLC would prioritize projects that can be implemented in 2017 or before. Since Southwest LRT will not open until at least 2019, the two corresponding projects (#4 and #5 above) can be considered in the next solicitation. We applaud the Council/TAB for identifying equity considerations as it develops funding recommendations. We continue to be concerned about the need for improved shelters and signage on the bus system as a whole.

 

While receiving CMAQ funding will be a win for any of the projects on this list, we have to lament that so little funding is available for transit expansion. That is why we are strong supporters of Move MN. We also believe that since the Lake Street station on I-35W increases the capacity of the highway, more of this project should be funded with state and federal highway dollars.

 

The Transportation Advisory Board will make its CMAQ funding recommendation on May 21 and the Metropolitan Council will act on the recommendation on June 11. Stay tuned.

 

 

Remembering a Transportation Champion

 

By Barb Thoman, Executive Director

 

 

It is a seismic moment in the transportation world when a leader of the stature of James Oberstar dies. Oberstar was a long-serving representative from Minnesota, but he was also an international giant in the world of transportation.

 

In his decades in Congress, Oberstar worked in a bipartisan way to forge a new vision for transportation that recognized how transportation underpins so much of our lives, how goods get to market, how people get to work, how children get to school. He set in motion and in policy a comprehensive, multimodal view of transportation that impacts the nation and world in positive ways every day.

 

At Transit for Livable Communities, we supported Congressman Oberstar’s vision for transportation. And we were specifically involved in carrying it out as administrators of the federal Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program he championed. Through this program, Congress charged four communities across the nation to test the potential of bicycling and walking to move people, improve health, and reduce air pollution.

 

In the Minneapolis area, the pilot program, known as Bike Walk Twin Cities, led to an expansion of the network for bicycling and fostered innovation, from bike sharing to community bike/walk centers. It contributed significantly to huge increases in bicycling and walking from 2007 to 2013. Congressman Oberstar was there at the beginning of Bike Walk Twin Cities, leading a bike ride at the University of Minnesota campus, and with the vision to see what this pilot could inspire. His leadership in creating this program has engendered a new commitment—by elected officials, transportation professionals, and communities—to making sure our transportation systems serve everyone.

 

Congressman Oberstar’s legacy and passion for transportation also extends beyond Bike Walk Twin Cities. He spoke excitedly and in fluent French about the TGV high-speed trains in France. Under his leadership, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee initiated the federal New Starts Program that has funded many new rail lines across the US, including our own Hiawatha (Blue Line) and Central Corridor (Green Line) light rail. Congressman Oberstar helped to secure early funding for the renovation of Union Depot in Saint Paul, which will begin serving Amtrak trains this week. The wildly popular Safe Routes to School program was one of the programs of which he was most proud.

 

We are saddened by the death of such a great leader and a good friend. We also are committed, like so many others he inspired, to working toward the vision of transportation as pivotal to health and prosperity for all. As people travel this state’s and this county’s growing network of bike routes, we hope they will tip their helmets to Congressman Oberstar for his vision and leadership.

 

Met Council/TAB Propose 58 New Transportation Projects for Funding

By Dave Van Hattum, Senior Policy Advocate

The Metropolitan Council recently took public comment on an amendment to add 58 transportation projects totaling $159 million in federal funding to its project list known as the “TIP.” These projects were selected by the Met Council’s Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) in 2012. The applications were first submitted back in 2011.

Here is a sample of four of 58 projects being funded—one from each of the four categories and the amount of federal funding to be awarded:

• $6 $7 million widening of TH116 in Anoka County from two lanes to four lanes in the cities of Andover and Ham Lake (Surface Transportation Program category)
• $1 million for an extension of the Point Douglas Regional Trail in Washington County (Transportation Enhancement category)
• $6.4 million for improved bus service on Snelling Avenue in Saint Paul (Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Category)
• $1.6 million for replacement of a Hennepin County bridge on TH46 over Godfrey Parkway in Minneapolis (Bridge Improvement and Replacement Category)

Click here for the full list of projects by category.

As a fairly new member of the Transportation Advisory Board, let me attempt to decode how this process works.

Every couple of years, the Twin Cities region decides how to spend a good chunk of federal transportation funds—approximately $160 million to $180 million. The Twin Cities Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) is tasked with running a process to make these funding decisions. TAB, an extension of the Metropolitan Council, is comprised of 33 members including elected officials.

The federal funding allocated by TAB is a relatively small amount compared to larger sums of state and federal transportation funding that MnDOT, and to a lesser extent, the Met Council and regional transit agencies, allocate. However, the variety of transportation projects that can be funded with this money is less constrained (i.e. no state constitutional limits restricting funds for “highway purposes only”), and could have a greater amount of public input.

The Transportation Advisory Board (with assistance from a Technical Advisory Committee) creates funding categories and develops detailed scoring criteria to select what it believes is the best slate of projects proposed by local units of government and other public agencies. The Regional Solicitation process gives all cities and counties in the region an opportunity to submit projects for TAB’s consideration.

When approved, the Metropolitan Council will add this new roster of 58 projects to its running list—the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) document. These projects are planned for implementation over the next few years. The TIP includes a listing of all road, bridge, transit, and non-motorized projects in the region funded with federal money.

Advocates should take note that local decision-making about how to spend much of this federal money has great flexibility, particularly in the category called the Surface Transportation Program (STP).

Unfortunately, the TIP amendment is the end of a lengthy project selection process and, as such, is not the best opportunity to shape outcomes. So where does the greatest opportunity for public impact lie?

The key shapers of outcomes are: 1) how the regional solicitation is designed, 2) the TAB policies that put certain projects in certain categories, and 3) the scoring criteria and selection of projects by the TAB/Met Council.

Given recent changes in federal law, the Met Council has recognized the need to re-assess, from the ground up, the categories, selection process, and scoring criteria for this flexible federal funding. The Council is also developing a new long-range regional plan (Thrive MSP), which will inform the Council’s Transportation Policy Plan, which then informs how money, including this federal funding, gets spent.

Bottom line: As we’ve reported previously, how Twin Cities residents get around is changing greatly, with less car travel and far more transit, bicycling, and walking (partly made possible by more compact, mixed-use development and improving transportation options). The biggest opportunity for change will come in the future when there is an opportunity to influence the criteria and policies that drive the type of projects that can be submitted and how they are scored. Stay tuned for future communications about opportunities to help shape how our region grows and how it invests federal, state, and local resources.

 

The Trend of Less Driving Continues

By Barb Thoman, Executive Director

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 recent article from the State Smart Transportation Initiative at the University of Wisconsin Madison offers some reasons for this decline:

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 5^th largest road system in the US, and 8^th 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).

 Updated 4-19-13.

2012: A Big Year for Bus Rapid Transit in US Cities

By Aaron Isaacs, TLC member 

Recent TLC blogs have reported on a number of local highlights for transit in 2012. (Not to miss: Dave Van Hattum’s “Twin Cities Transitways Update.”) In this new guest post, Aaron Isaacs recaps a very full year nationally for bus rapid transit (BRT) and notes advances in streetcars, light rail, and commuter rail. 

Bus Rapid Transit services were launched or expanded in Chicago and several other cities across the US in 2012. Photo credit: Chicago Transit Authority.

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)

After a long gestation, bus rapid transit is finally taking off.  Many transit systems are adding bus rapid transit as a higher speed, limited stop service in traditional local bus corridors, incorporating typical light rail improvements such as full-fledged stations with real-time departure displays, off-board fare collection, and distinctive, high-amenity buses. Traffic signal priority is common and a key feature of this service.  Bus rapid transit typically operates in dedicated on-street bus lanes, although there is usually some mileage in mixed traffic. 

BRT advocates have pushed for BRT on exclusive rights-of-way, such as along abandoned railroads. But when that type of corridor has been available, light rail usually has been the mode of choice.

For the Twin Cities, the launch of a new Cedar Avenue BRT line will begin service in 2013, but 2012 saw several new BRT openings across the country:  

In Chicago, the Jeffery Jump, a limited stop service, uses a new on-street bus lane on the southeast side of the city, supplementing local service. 

The Las Vegas Sahara Avenue Corridor, a 12-mile BRT line, is part of a “Complete Streets” reconstruction, with wide sidewalks, landscaping in the median, dedicated bus lanes in certain areas of the corridor, and street trees. It operates with double-deck buses and raised station platforms that minimize the first step into the low-floor buses. 

Monterey, California, has implemented the 6.75-mile JAZZ BRT. In addition to the usual amenities, each bus shelter has a pair of video cameras to deter crime. At each stop a bar code can be scanned with a smart phone and it will link the person to a live recording of a performance from that year’s Monterey Jazz Festival.

Stockton, California, of all places, has opened its third BRT route, the 6.3-mile Joaquin Hammer Lane Corridor, with off-board fare collection and signal priority. They report a tripling of ridership compared to the local buses that preceded the BRT.

San Antonio’s new Primo BRT has CNG-powered buses, free Wi-Fi, and LRT-style bike racks inside the bus. An innovation to consider adopting here is the rear facing, self-restraint wheelchair spot. The passenger in the wheelchair backs up against a bulkhead and doesn’t need to be belted in by the driver--quite a time saver.

New BRT vehicles in San Antonio are designed to make boarding easier and faster for passengers, including those using wheelchairs and boarding with bikes. Photo Credit: Via Primo

 

Streetcars

Modern streetcar pioneer Portland, Oregon, doubled its mileage with the opening of the 3.3-mile Eastside Loop. Following Portland’s lead, there has been a wave of streetcar studies and construction starts across the nation, and some of those will open in 2013.

Celebrating Portland's streetcar expansion, November 2012. Portland's streetcar vehicles are made in the U.S. Photo credit: Portland Streetcar, Inc.

 

Light Rail

Established light rail systems keep expanding. In Dallas, the Blue Line Extension (4.5 miles) and the Orange Line Phase 1 (5.4 miles) bring their system to 58 miles.

With the Blue Line Extension in 2012, Dallas added 4.5 miles of LRT service to the city's growing transit system. Photo credit: Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)

Los Angeles opened the 6.5-mile Phase I of its Expo Line LRT, bringing the system mileage to 60. Ironically, it uses the right of way of one of the former Pacific Electric “Red Car” interurban lines, which was run out of business by auto competition in the 1950s.

Sacramento and Pittsburgh each added one-mile extensions to their existing LRT systems.

 

Heavy and Commuter Rail

Miami’s heavy rail metro finally reached the International Airport, increasing the system to 22 miles. 

Both the West Coast and the East Coast saw an expansion of commuter rail lines in 2012. Seattle’s Sounder rehabbed a run-down branch line to extend service to Lakewood, Washington. On the opposite coast, Boston’s MBTA made a further extension beyond Providence, Rhode Island, down the high-speed Northeast Corridor to Wickford. Although known for Amtrak service, six local transit authorities run commuter trains over most of the Northeast Corridor.

 

Rail~Volution 2012: Taking the Long View in Los Angeles

By Dave Van Hattum, Senior Policy Advocate

In the transportation and land use realm, Los Angeles has earned an infamous reputation as a car-dependent metropolitan region with major air quality problems. Today, however, a historic shift is underway and politicians, planners, and citizens are rallying around a long-term vision of greatly expanded transportation options and reinvigorated communities.

In mid-October I attended Rail~Volution 2012 in Hollywood and saw firsthand the Los Angeles area’s extensive subway, surface rail, and bus system that, thanks to Los Angeles County voters, will grow tremendously in the decades ahead, transcending L.A.’s image as a land of ubiquitous freeways. As Christopher Leinberger, a developer turned researcher/advocate, noted during the conference, “the drivable suburban fringe collapsed over the past half-decade” and it would be wise to plan for new forms of land use and development going forward. It seems we can increasingly look to the Los Angeles metropolitan area for this type of thinking put to action.

Growing options for getting around the Los Angeles area.
(Photos courtesy of Barb Thoman)

 

Throughout my visit, I was struck both by the exciting transformation taking place in the region and by the long arc of transit advocacy. Rail~Volution began in 1995 in Portland and has since become a national, annual event where public transit advocates and implementers share their homegrown experience and evolving visions and philosophies. At a reception this year, I serendipitously chatted with a Sacramento transit planner and former Minneapolis resident who lobbied in the 1970s for creation of the Hiawatha LRT line that eventually opened in 2004.  It reinforced my sense that while good ideas often take time, they prevail through the committed efforts of visionary leaders and engaged citizens. Transportation is both access to opportunity and a major shaper of the places we call home. Consequently, we all have a stake and we should all be advocates for “building livable communities with transit,” the theme of Rail~Volution 2012. 

The latest news on long-term trends in the national transportation landscape informed many Rail-Volution sessions. As presenters emphasized, transit, biking, and walking rates continue to rise steadily and greater investment in transit is increasingly on the ballot and supported by local voters across the country. The market continues to grow for housing and offices near good transit and walkable streets. And new technology regularly opens up exciting new possibilities from tracking bike and pedestrian trips (and comfort level) to the potential for the 3D Express Coach, a radical new hybrid of transit and highways.

Ample pedestrian lanes encourage foot traffic through a shopping area in Pasadena.
(Photo courtesy of Kathie Doty)

Appropriately, most of the Rail~Volution sessions also included a multi-dimensional approach—i.e. transit and housing, and community development, and school access—that simply wasn’t taught to or practiced by transportation planners and engineers who designed most of the roads, parking structures, and transit systems in place today. This new, integrated approach is leading to significant institutional changes. L.A. Metro, for example, has a new definition for the "highest and best use” of land it owns near transit stations. The new definition considers the long-term importance of affordable housing (which translates into more future transit customers), not just the highest short-term monetary return. And across the country, realtors, housing developers, and home buyers can easily assess the combined cost of housing and transportation at any precise location.

While an arc of successful transportation advocacy can already be seen in the inspiring Rail~Volution workshops, the L.A. tours of abundant LRT, BRT, heavy rail, and lots of new bike lanes, and the large contingent of attendees from the Twin Cities (over 80), the impetus for Rail~Volution is far from over. Success has brought new challenges including an anti-tax movement that is anti-transit, efforts to block local planning initiatives, and a lack of federal leadership evident in MAP 21 (the recent federal transportation law) that could negatively affect funding for transportation options in Minnesota. .

Since 1996, Transit for Livable Communities has strived to bring long-range and holistic perspectives (and action) to the design of the Twin Cities transportation system.  Designing a fair and effective transportation system has always been, and will continue to be, a challenging endeavor. Getting it right depends on clear values, innovative policy, and thoughtful definition of obstacles, as well as smart technology and educated community members. Most importantly, it depends on involving all stakeholders in a meaningful manner. We will continue to build a strong coalition of partners advocating for the world-class transit/bike/walk systems our region deserves. We will learn from other forward-thinking metro areas like Los Angeles along the way, and expand this dynamic conversation about livable communities when Rail~Volution comes to the Twin Cities in 2014.

New federal transportation law–A missed opportunity

By Barb Thoman, Executive Director

In July, President Obama signed a new transportation law: MAP-21. The new law ran 600-pages and is effective for 27-months (significantly less time than previous transportation laws). Transit for Livable Communities and advocates for transportation reform across the US were disappointed that many of the forward-thinking provisions in the Senate bill were traded away in conference committee.

We greatly appreciate the phone calls and letters from our members over the past two years which were key to defeating some terrible proposals advanced by the US House—proposals to make funding for transit less secure and to eliminate bicycle and pedestrian projects from funding eligibility.

The bill that emerged from the House and Senate conference committee did not include House demands for approval of the Canadian-backed oil pipeline (Keystone XL) or a prohibition of the regulation of toxic coal ash. But traded away were provisions to ensure a “state of good repair” on US roads and bridges, provisions to improve freight rail, a portion of the dedicated funding for bicycling and walking, and other elements key to improved safety, accountability, and expanded transportation options.  

Click here for TLC’s statement on the new law and here for Transportation for America’s recap of the top 10 things to know about the new law. On behalf of Transit for Livable Communities and our members, I sit on the executive committee of Transportation for America (T4A), a national coalition working for a healthy transportation system that is ready for the rapidly changing economy of the 21st century. 

As you read my statement and the T4A blog, here is some background to keep in mind about the role federal funding plays for transportation in Minnesota. 

Minnesota, as with all states, receives federal transportation revenue in proportion to its estimated share of gas taxes paid, plus a subsidy from general revenues. Minnesota’s annual federal support is approximately $700 million.

The majority of federal transportation funding falls under the jurisdiction of state departments of transportation (DOT) but a portion is allocated directly to metro regions. In Minnesota, that includes the Metropolitan Council and seven planning areas in Greater Minnesota.

Federal funding is particularly important in Minnesota because the majority of state revenue for transportation—approximately $1.7 billion annually—is dedicated in Minnesota’s constitution to “highway purposes.”  Federal transportation funding supports a wider range of transportation projects for Minnesotans, from road and bridge construction and maintenance to new rail projects, bus operations and maintenance, bicycle and pedestrian projects and safety efforts.  

Federal funding facilitates a wide range of transportation projects in Minnesota.

 

In 2012, federal transportation revenue is contributing to the construction of nearly 100 separate projects in the metro area (plus at least 100 projects in Greater Minnesota), including Central Corridor LRT, the Mississippi River Regional Trail in Spring Lake Park and Rosemount, the widening of Highway 10 in Anoka County, and replacement of the Lafayette Bridge over the Mississippi River in Saint Paul.

At TLC, with your help, we will continue to build the movement to support multimodal transportation investments, in our state and at the federal level. Given that MAP-21 is only a 27-month law, the work begins now for a better transportation law next time. Join us!

Top Ten Elements in Regional Plans: Our Peers Have Set a High Bar

By Dave Van Hattum, Senior Policy Advocate, & Bill Neuendorf, Director of Policy and Advocacy

The Met Council has recently begun a two-year process to update its long-range development plan for the Twin Cities region. Known as Thrive MSP 2040, the over-arching regional plan creates the foundation for four system plans – Transportation, Aviation, Water Resources, and Parks. If done well, this plan will provide a persuasive, strategic vision for the region, including greatly expanded, more affordable and sustainable transportation choices.

 

Thrive MSP on Metropolitan Council web site

 

Other regions similar to the Twin Cities have recently completed long-range regional plans or regional transportation plans. While each is unique to the region and its people, the plans emerging from our peers in Atlanta, Denver, Portland, Salt Lake City, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Seattle share a number of key themes. Here are ten themes consistently advanced by our peer cities.

1) An inspiring, non-bureaucratic, name for the plan. Regional planning documents are now being written for the general public not just government agencies. Their names are meant to inspire action rather than be cataloged on a shelf. Salt Lake City’s plan is called “Wasatch Choice” while San Francisco’s transportation/land use plan is entitled “Change in Motion”.

2) Well defined metrics of success. Measures of progress are identified in advance and in plain English. The use of quantifiable goals increases understanding, transparency and accountability

3) Explicit attention to equity considerations. It is not good enough to assume that equitable opportunities will magically happen for people of all incomes and ethnic backgrounds. Specific steps are identified so that public investments benefit all people. One of the leading regions is San Francisco, whose plans call for equitable mobility and access “for all Bay Area residents and visitors, regardless of race, age, income or disability”.

Regional Plans for San Francisco, Salt Lake, Denver, and Atlanta

 

4) Future development targeted in well-defined centers. Places like Denver and Seattle identify strategic centers and corridors as higher priorities for investment and redevelopment.

5) New road pricing strategies. Innovative road pricing strategies, such as rush-hour tolls on congested highways, can promote consistent travel times, encourage transit and carpooling, and achieve the highest people-moving results from all transportation investments.

6) Reprioritization of new public investment. After decades focused on highways, regions such as San Francisco and Denver now place greater emphasis on transit and bicycling infrastructure.

7) Cross-silo innovation. Results-oriented plans realize that comprehensive outcomes can best be achieved by breaking the mold of traditional governmental departments and agencies. In San Francisco, multi-jurisdictional programs are grounded in the Three E’s of Sustainability: economy, environment, and equity.  The identification of broad contextual goals supports policy makers in taking actions that deviate from outdated programs that may no longer deliver the most effective results.

8) Making the business case. To promote implementation of the plan, peer regions have embraced input from the community and business-sector from the earliest stages. Sincere collaboration between public and private sectors has resulted in more holistic buy-in. Salt Lake City is a particularly strong example.

9) Technical assistance to local government.  Educational materials, best-practice guides, and other types of technical assistance are frequently provided to local municipalities. These materials and programs simplify and promote the implementation of regional policies at the local level.

10) New public involvement strategies. In San Francisco, for example, they are not merely holding formal public hearings. They are also seeking direct input via on-the-street interviews and collecting ideas in non-traditional places. 

Much can be learned from the bold strategies incorporated elsewhere in the U.S. Meaningful public involvement will be necessary so that policy makers include the best options to make the Twin Cities an even better place to live and do business in the years ahead.

 

Links to Peer Cities’ Regional Plans

Atlanta: http://documents.atlantaregional.com/plan2040/docs/lu_plan2040_framework_0711.pdf

Denver: http://www.drcog.org/documents/2011%20MV%202035%20Plan%20for%20Web5-12-11.pdf

Portland: http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=432

Salt Lake City: http://www.wfrc.org/cms/publications/wasatchchoices2040report.pdf 

Sacramento: http://www.sacog.org/2035/files/MTP-SCS/Complete%20MTP-SCS%20no%20appendices.pdf

San Francisco: http://www.mtc.ca.gov/planning/2035_plan/FINAL/T2035_Plan-Final.pdf

Seattle: http://psrc.org/assets/366/7293-V2040.pdf