The Tennessee Department of Transportation adopted a “multimodal access” policy in 2015, but recognized that the policy alone would have limited impact without a more comprehensive approach to improving safety for everyone. Since then, TDOT has taken steps to update its practices across the department to improve safety and access for people walking, biking, and taking transit, bringing a Complete Streets approach into all of the internal machinery that makes the agency run. Many of the changes TDOT has made could be replicated or adapted by other states.
multimodal
Netflix-of-transportation app guiding users toward sustainable mode choices
The Whim app, launched a year ago in Helsinki, partners with local public and private transportation providers, bundling transit and taxi fares, bikeshare trips, and other mobility services into a monthly subscription, with tickets based on the regional mode choice and travel behavior. A recent analysis of the data shows that this Mobility as a Service app allows residents to use the existing system more efficiently and improve their choices for each trip.
Study: Carlessness drives incomes down
New York City has its share of income disparity problems. However, in terms of transportation, at least parts of New York stand out as places that live up to the idea of providing equity through multimodal choice. A new paper by David King of Arizona State University and two co-authors finds that residents of Manhattan suffer no economic penalty if they lack a car. In the rest of the country—and even in the more suburban borough of Staten Island—that’s not the case.
Lyft tests mobility as a service across major U.S. cities
The move toward “mobility as a service” took a step forward last week when Lyft expanded a pilot program, for people who agree not to drive a private car, to dozens of cities. The “Ditch Your Car Challenge” program, initially offered just in Chicago but now in 35 additional cities, offers to provide credits for Lyft, transit, bike share, scooter share, and car share modes. The modes vary by city, but the credits are substantial in all of them. Fifty to 100 participants will be selected in each city.
Can we bring back the golden era of transit in the U.S.?
A recent statistics brief by Union Internationale des Transports Publics compares transit ridership and metro infrastructure development around the world. Although U.S. cities were among the first to introduce subways and elevated trains as a form of public transportation, the statistics are clear that in the past few decades there has been little to no development in this transit sector. However, a few transit systems are innovating to boost their ridership and integrate it with other new modes.
New multimodal trip data on the horizon
StreetLight Data, which provides trip-making data compiled from cellphones and mobile devices, recently announced a new multimodal data initiative called “M2.” The company has offered data from personal and commercial vehicles for several years. SSTI used these data for a study of travel demand management opportunities in Northern Virginia. By incorporating additional data from location-based services, the company can now identify trips made by walking, biking, transit, and potentially other modes.
Using real-time travel information to encourage transit
Real-time travel information at a glance empowers travelers and can support transit-oriented development by providing information in an easy-to-access format. Smartphone apps are beginning to provide this service, but few can reliably show all options easily on a small screen, and many miss important local information, such as the distance to transit stops or bikeshare kiosks. New screens installed in public locations are allowing travelers, including those unfamiliar with the area, to see all their options on one screen.
Portland plans new development fee structure based on people instead of cars
For 20 years, Portland, OR, has assessed Transportation System Development Charges (TSDC) on developments based on the presumed new trips that each project would generate. In December, the City Council unanimously passed a resolution allowing the Portland Bureau of Transportation to use a new methodology for assessing the fees based on person trips instead of car trips.
September webinar: A guide for complete transportation—Arizona DOT’s new design guide
In case you missed our September webinar: In February, Arizona DOT published its much-anticipated Complete Transportation Guidebook, which ADOT views as a conversation about integrating sustainable transportation practices into the planning, scoping, and design of the project development process. The guide seeks to incorporate multiple transportation modes and is meant to be accessible to government agencies at all levels that work on transportation projects. By providing guidance on available infrastructure choices with a complete transportation approach that covers the planning, scoping, and design of transportation improvement projects, ADOT is hoping to instill sustainability practices both inside and outside the agency. A recording is available on our website.
U.S. 36: Changing commute habits through infrastructure, incentives, and education
The Colorado Department of Transportation is putting the final touches on the reconstruction of U.S. 36 between Denver and Boulder, and their efforts to both accommodate and encourage alternatives to driving alone in the corridor seem to be working. Prior to the completion of construction, a two-year social media-based TDM program launched. The TDM program, managed by 36 Commuting Solutions, is showing success at generating mode shift from single-occupancy vehicles to carpooling and transit.