What should the program for a Transportation Management District look like?

So for almost 20 years, I've suggested DC create TMDs, based on the concept of what Montgomery County Maryland does for its business districts but also what are sometimes called "Transportation Management Associations" like the one that covers Potomac Yard in Arlington/Alexandria (FAST Potomac Yard) or the Robinson District in Suburban Pittsburgh (Airport Corridor Transportation Association).  There are tons of these organizations across the country.

-- "Parking districts vs. transportation/urban management districts: Part one, Bethesda," 2015
-- "Parking districts vs. transportation/urban management districts: Part two, Takoma DC/Takoma Park Maryland," 2015
-- "Parking districts vs. transportation/urban management districts: Part three, jitneys/shuttles/delivery and the tertiary transit network," 2015
-- "Transportation demand management requirements for large developments and the MGM National Harbor Casino as an example of why this is absolutely necessary," 2015

Note that DC has created a MID, a "mobility innovation district" to support an electric shuttle in the Southwest Business Improvement District.  And they had "parking innovation districts" for awhile, but they were idiosyncratic, not systematic, and had many restrictions.  

A TMD is the way to go, focusing on everything, not just parking, which is more typical.  The famed Don Shoup approach in Anaheim includes revenue from parking meters, parking structures, and parking tickets as part of the business improvement district (I hope they are investing in the kinds of programs listed below).

At the time, my focus was trying to create a shared parking scenario, and to invest in sustainable mobility.  Often places have "lots of" parking, but it's spread out across multiple properties, and they don't coordinate. So people spend most of their time complaining about lack of parking.

-- "Testimony on parking policy in DC," 2012

It happens that Salt Lake has the potential for a TMD, in the Sugar House business district which is mixed use commercial and taller multiunit housing, as well as for the residential neighborhood which is across the street and mostly single family housing, not so much to coordinate commuter traffic and throughput, but to encourage sustainable mobility in response to the surgical addition of significant density, the existence of a streetcar and bus service, etc. 

This came up in an email discussion a few weeks ago, and I started listing what I thought should be the elements of an ideal TMD program.

Transportation Demand Management programming

The reality is, especially in a place like Salt Lake, most people drive.  The issue is two-fold, dealing with nonresidents working in or visiting the district, and with residents in their trips outside of the district and within the district.

Photo: Leah Hogsten, Salt Lake Tribune.  While this might not be dense for a much bigger city, Sugar House is becoming the densest SLC neighborhood outside of downtown, especially along the Trax light rail line.

But Sugar House is intensifying, the area is served by multiple bus routes traveling east-west and north-south, as well as a (minimally used) streetcar service which connects to the light rail line further west.  

Note that the streetcar has been particularly useful in stoking development ("Streetcar through Sugar House and South Salt Lake has spurred up to $2B in economic growth," Salt Lake Tribune), which contributes to density, which helps to build the foundation for shifting more trips to sustainable modes.

The best way to do this is to put out a survey on people's travel behavior, for the businesses, the residents of multiunit buildings, and the residents of single family and small apartment buildings.  In serious TDM programs there are people ready to help individual clients make the shift.

One thing the downtown district did in Columbus, Ohio is give all the workers free transit passes as a traffic management strategy ("Columbus Shows What Free Bus Passes Can Do for Ridership," Columbus Dispatch, "Free bus passes for workers: Columbus's big idea to relieve a congested downtown," Guardian).  

The program, by a different organization, has also been extended to the Short North neighborhood ("Free Bus Passes Coming Back for Short North Workers and Residents," Columbus Underground).

I would think that such a program should be encouraged for workers, and it should be offered promotionally for the residents of multiunit buildings, especially along the streetcar route, to get them to experiment with transit.

The Tribune article asks the question of whether or not the streetcar is contributing to traffic reduction.  I'd say definitely not, the ridership is abysmal.  But that is partially the result of expecting changes to "trickle down" rather than working to make the change in purposeful ways.

Promoting biking, walking, and other sustainable modes is another element of TDM.

Coordinating Parking/Developing a shared parking scenario

One of the big problems with capitalism is every property does its own thing.  Ideally there would be a shared parking scenario so people would park once, and go to multiple places, without worrying that their car will be towed.  Ideally this is complemented by district wide valet systems where you can drop your car off at one location but get the car at another location.  

This is discussed in the links above.  Two examples are the Chestnut Hill Parking Foundation in Philadelphia, which coordinates off street parking, and College Park, Maryland, where a number of shopping centers gave their rights to the city to manage the parking lots, as a way to discourage all day parking by commuter students.  The lots are metered, the city collects the revenue, and maintains the lots.  And in many "neighborhood commercial districts" across the country, the city will maintain off street parking comparably.  

Arlington and Montgomery Counties provide parking structures in certain districts, and these are usually paid parking but not always (e.g., pay in Silver Spring but not Bethesda).

Intra-district shuttle systems

Item # 5 in "Creating a Silver Spring "Sustainable Mobility District" | Part 2: Program items 1 - 9," discusses how to implement an integrated parking-shuttle system in Silver Spring, Maryland.

This is an example of what I call tertiary transit ("Intra-neighborhood (tertiary) transit revisited because of new San Diego service," 2016), focused on movement within a neighborhood district, although mostly it's done in tourist areas and downtowns ("Low cost electric shuttle services debuts in Lake Worth Beach and Boynton Beach" Palm Beach Post, "Looser rules on transit tax bringing ‘Freebee’ shuttles to cities. Is Uber next?," Miami Herald, Long Beach, California, "FRED, San Diego's subsidized shuttle, will give free rides Downtown for another year," San Diego Union Tribune, "They're like Uber but free new electric shuttles are popping up all over South Florida," Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel), and using vans and small buses, to from and to transit stations ("It was very fast’: A shuttle service starts free rides from this Tri-Rail station," Sun-Sentinel).

The Turkish bus firm Karsan produces a 16 passenger electric bus which would also work but is bigger ("What Kind of Big Impact Will a New Minibus Have on North America’s Small Bus Market?," Mass Transit Magazine).  

The idea is that intra-district transportation, especially by SFH residents, could be shifted to shuttles rather than by car.  Go to the grocery store, bring back your purchases, without driving.  Go out to dinner, you don't have to drive.  Get to and from the transit station, you don't have to drive.

Getty Images photo of buses in London.

Marketing Transit. Besides the general TDM approach, utilize other methods to promote transit. 

I hadn't thought about it, but maybe SLC is ripe for the double deck bus approach ("Making bus service sexy and more equitable," 2012) for rebranding and repositioning of bus service as sexy, even though the ridership numbers wouldn't justify it otherwise. 

The route on 2100 South would be a great place to start.

-- Marketing in the Transit Environment, National Rural Transit Assistance Project
-- Best practice guide #5: Public transport | Citizens requirements, Hi-Trans, EU
-- Marketing your transit agency: a step by step getting started guide, TripSpark
-- "Public Transit Marketing 101: Why and How Public Transit Agencies Need to Market," Agora, 2012

UTA does do different liveries for BRT.  Maybe they could do an exciting one for 2100 South.  I think a Roy Lichtenstein influenced livery, or the Multiplicity branding from Luxembourg would work.

Above: Multiplicity bus.  Below: Roy Lichtenstein did do a painting of VW microbuses.

Campaigns, especially focused on workers and the multiunit buildings, are in order.  

Arlington County requires transportation information kiosks for multiunit and public buildings, like libraries.  A TMD should create the same for its district.  The Palo Alto school district has safe routes to school maps posted in building foyers, which is another strategy.  Surprisingly, a Walmart in DC had a map posted similar to Palo Alto's.

Creative treatments of bus and streetcar shelters--my point is that shelters are marketing touchpoints for transit.  An exciting livery for the streetcar, which is super boring.  Work with UTA to support free transit days.  Etc.

Bobby Fouther public art on the Portland Streetcar.

Salt Lake Streetcar reminds me of the little girl next door saying:

"boring, boring, boring boring."

Marketing Biking

Salt Like is doing a nice job putting in dedicated cycle tracks.  Sugar House has some on Highland Drive, by Fairmont Park on 900 East, is adding more cycle tracks on 1300 East and other streets.  

Cycle tracks are proven to qualm safety concerns and increase the number of cyclists.  

There are also some trails in the neighborhood, including along the streetcar line.  Bike parking is pretty abysmal.  

There are at least two bicycle shops, one dedicated to e-bikes.  And there are some bike sharing stations, with an expansion coming.  There aren't many free air pumps or bike stands.  I don't know if some apartment buildings have high quality bike parking.  

The journal article "Making Cycling Irresistible," inspired my own blog entry in 2008,  "Ideas for Making Cycling Irresistible in DC."  Besides investing in better facilities, and Sugar House has some trails, traffic calmed streets, bike sharing stations, and bicycle boulevards,  

-- I argue that there needs to be real assistance programs in helping people transition to a bike for transportation, this entry, "Revisiting assistance programs to get people biking: 18 programs," lists a number of ways to do it.  One of the methods lends bikes, helmets, and locks, so people can try biking without having to pay for it up front.

-- Electric bicycles are maybe a quantum leap forward in getting people willing to commute longer distances by bike, plus they have significant environmental benefits over cars. E-bike promotion through voucher-based discounts, as some communities are doing, including Salt Lake, might be worth doing by TMDs.

-- There should be a program to promote high quality secure bicycle parking in large apartment buildings.

-- Bicycle sharing is expanding.  I've suggested a special parks focused concept with stations at Sugar House Park, Allen Park, Westminster University, Fairmont Park, Highland High School and other locations, including along the streetcar line and in the abutting City of South Salt Lake up to the Central Pointe station.  Ideally we could get a sponsor so that trips starting and ending in parks can be free. 

-- also special tours and occasional promotions to encourage people to use bike share.

-- There needs to be a system of secure bicycle parking, especially with the adoption of more expensive electric bikes.  Bike theft is a problem in Salt Lake. Currently, bicycle parking quality is pretty hit or miss.  Much, even at public facilities, doesn't meet the most basic standards of the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals.  

I've argued for creating such a network at the metropolitan scale ("May is National Bike Month too: Part 1 -- a good time to assess planning and programming").  No reason to not start by creating such a network in Sugar House.  It could include high quality air pumps and bike stands as accessories.  (At the very least, the library and post office could have them.) 

-- Some places have Bicycle-Friendly business districts programs and ride to shop days, which should be offered (Case Studies: Bicycle Friendly Business Districts, League of American Bicyclists).  In Denmark, Ikea stores have borrow-able cargo bikes.  Is that something to promote at the local supermarket?  Or to develop a community-based delivery service using bikes.

E.g., it bugs me that supermarkets offer free gas points based on sales, but nothing for people who walk or bike or use transit.

-- Regularly scheduled community bicycle rides are a way to get people out and biking.  I am always amazed seeing photos from Open Streets events, and I wonder, how come I don't see that many bicycles out in the community ordinarily?

-- Produce a brochure promoting biking in the greater neighborhood.  Like the old bikeways brochure produced by the Silver Spring Maryland urban district.

-- Bicycle shops in the area are more oriented to recreational bicycling.  Work with shops to better support biking for transportation. (E.g., I got pissed at the bike shop on 2100 South, when--because I am old--they suggested a cruiser bike.  Cruisers are totally unusable for real transportation.) Install mobility kiosks at their stores.  Maybe wall maps of the area bike routes, like at the Takoma Park shop in Maryland.  Or a brewpub in Pocatello.

-- Annual Urban Mobility/Biking Expo during Bike Month.  There are various forms.  Years ago, Arlington County, Virginia used to sponsor a sustainable mobility expo.  The UTA transit agency in Salt Lake City a Bike Expo.  Berlin has an annual Urban Mobility Day ("Berlin’s Urban Mobility Day showcases E-Mobility and new Apps," Urban Transport Magazine), and some colleges have Bike Weeks ("This week is Bike Week at the University of Utah").  NYC sponsors(ed?) a Bike Expo in association with the 5 Boro Ride, which had more than 100 exhibitors and 50,000 attendees in 2014.  Richmond hosted a Bike Expo in association with the UCI Race.

The TMD should sponsor at least two.  One in September when school starts with Westminster University and Highland High School as primary targets.  And one during Bike Month.  Such an activity should be a key event during National Bike Month, in every major metropolitan area.

Although major colleges should have a Bike Week/Bike Expo event during the first few weeks of the Fall Semester.  And for K-12 schools, 

-- During Bike Month, support "Bike to Work" Day.

-- There's talk about doing an Open Streets event at Sugar House Park.  A TMD should be a lead partner.  Open Streets events could also be held on Sugarmont Avenue, along the streetcar line and adjacent to Fairmont Park.

-- consider misters on the S Line Trail for hot summers.

-- map signage for bicycle trails and routes (we're adding the first such signs in the area to Sugar House Park).

Marketing Walking 

The blog entry, "Planning for place/urban design/neighborhoods versus planning for transportation modes: new 17th Street NW bike lanes | Walkable community planning versus "pedestrian" planning," suggests planning for walkable communities versus "improving pedestrian conditions."  

Some cities like Boston, Denver and Seattle have active pro-walking groups which are a model for improving places, technical assistance, and advocacy.

-- In Arlington County, WalkArlington does community walks.  Sometimes they're led by the elected official for that district.  Sometimes they are in parks or commercial districts, or cover history, etc.

-- improve sidewalks and street conditions along sidewalks.  Salt Lake is hot in the summer.  Maybe have misters.  More trees for shade.  Etc.

-- address lighting at night and in the early hours, especially an issue in winter.  Sugar House's main commercial streets do have light poles with "car lighting" and lower lights placed to light sidewalks for pedestrians.  But probably this can be expanded.

Safe Routes to Schools/TDM for schools.  Not typically part of a TMD, but increasingly traffic is generated in the morning and afternoon by parents dropping off/picking up students after school. 

Cars lined up to pick up students at a school in Reading, Pennsylvania.  Reading Eagle photo.

Apparently it can be quite gnarly ("Tantrums and Turf Wars: The School Car Line Is Chaos," Wall Street Journal).  All the reason to include it in TMDs.  Plus improvements to the walking and biking environment for children also helps neighborhoods simultaneously.

-- "Why isn't walking/biking to school programming an option in Suburban Omaha | Inadequacies in school transportation planning," 2022
-- School Walk and Bike Routes: A Guide for Planning and Improving Walk and Bike to School Options for Students
-- Safe Routes to School program, Washington State
-- City of Tacoma SRTS program, including SRTS Action Plan.  

-- Like with a TMD, the approach at a school should be the creation of a transportation demand management plan for teachers and staff, and students/parents.  

In 2009, I was able to spend half a day at Stoneleigh Elementary School in Baltimore County Maryland on International Walk to School Day.  They had a very sophisticated approach.  I've heard a school in Oxnard, California does something similar.  But it's rare.  What's needed is a school-based full scale TDM plan dealing with cars, buses, and kids on foot.

-- While SRTS is oriented to elementary schools, some districts like Palo Alto, do it across K-12.  In Boulder, Colorado, certain schools with SRTS programs have 50% or more mode split of kids coming to school by sustainable means.

-- organize "Walking School Buses" and "Bicycle School Buses" for each school in the TMD.

-- Promote International Bike and Walk to School Day which is October 6th, or the US one, when the dates differ.

-- schools need high quality secure bicycle, scooter, and skateboard parking too.  Showers and lockers in schools can encourage teachers and staff to bike to school instead of drive.

-- lighting is also an issue in mornings, evenings--especially as school buildings are used more in the evenings, and in the winter

Public space maintenance including public spaces like plazas, trees, and public art/Aesthetic qualities of transportation infrastructure.  A lot of communities dependent on the car have pretty ugly roads.  And by default, this is the environment that defines the community.  

In "Extending the "Signature Streets" concept to "Signature Streets and Spaces"," I argue for a focused approach to improve these aesthetic conditions and to address all modes.  Ed McMahon, now of Urban Land Institute, has made this point for decades.

Like business improvement districts, TMDs could take more responsibility for public space design and maintenance than is currently the case.  I suppose my model here is half a transportation district, half business and neighborhood promotion.

One thing would be to promote public art lighting of the freeway underpasses.  But also expanding the tree cover, providing and clearing trash cans.  Here a big thing is medians, and too often they don't have plantings.  Which yes, are tough to maintain, but add a lot of aesthetic value when they are.  Lighting is also an issue of public space maintenance as well.

Light Channels, Bill FitzGibbons, San Antonio.

Public art crosswalk by Carlos Cruz-Diez commissioned by the Broad Museum, Los Angeles.

Provision of wayfinding and identity systems ("Basic planning building blocks for urban commercial district revitalization programs that most cities haven't packaged: Part 2 | A neighborhood identity and marketing toolkit (kit of parts)").   

Salt Lake has a couple different systems which can be integrated.  Basically there are two scales, for pedestrians and for cars, with identity signs for civic spaces like parks.  Nothing for transit.  And there are some monument signs identifying the district.  Downtown they also have map signs.

Map and historic interpretation signage should be added to the system.  And business district brochures focused on the independent businesses.  

Boise has a great identity system for neighborhoods, which could be adapted for Salt Lake's residential areas.

Newcastle's Ride and Walk wayfinding brochure, also made available as signage, is a model too.

Traffic calming.  Salt Lake already has a best practice program called Livable Streets, and they are implementing it across the city.  A separate citizen initiated project by a friend is interesting because rather than focus on one street in Sugar House, it addresses multiple streets simultaneously.  

In those communities where there aren't good programs, a TMD could step up.  For example, the Memphis Medical District Collaborative created a Streetscape Lookbook to shape the look of the streetscape and road network.

Car sharing. Car sharing works in certain conditions ("Car sharing and integrated sustainable mobility planning," 2013, "Another example of DC's failures in transportation planning: carsharing," 2011, "When the one over neighborhood is in the county next door, and housing prices have been in the tank: Mount Rainer, Maryland," 2016, section on car sharing).  While it won't work across Salt Lake, it could potentially work in Sugar House and maybe Central City/Downtown.  (And don't muck it up with EV requirements.  That adds complexity and seems to have doomed many programs.)

It's worth exploring providing it, perhaps on a nonprofit basis, to discourage car ownership and promote sustainable mobility, while still providing access to cars as necessary.  

Hoboken, New Jersey has been particularly successful (""Car-sharing program finds home in crowded Hoboken":," AP) as has been DC.  Those places and their successes alongside the many failures prove that the necessary preconditions are very specific, although I do think Sugar House could pull it off.  But the mode split for transit, walking, and biking has to increase simultaneously.

EV charging.  I'm going to put EV charging as an issue, but I wouldn't say the TMD should install it per se, because management and maintenance is a problem, but it should actively encourage its provision in larger commercial properties, in multiunit housing buildings, parking structures, maybe at certain public facilities, etc.  

TMDs could regularly inspect such facilities (and inspect secure bike parking, air pumps, repair stands too) to ensure that they are working and to take the necessary steps to make them work when they aren't.

Planning and advocacy.  Goes without saying.  The TMD should be planning all these elements, and advocating for improvements as needed.

Follow up: arenas and stadiums as "performing arts centers" attractions for cities: experience versus retail

A couple weeks ago I wrote "Good quote on arenas and stadiums as "performing arts centers" attractions for cities," quoting Ron Kirk then Dallas mayor, on the decision to go forward in building a basketball arena in the late 1990s for the Dallas Mavericks.  

He was very clear about the point of the arena being developing the area around the arena, which has resulted in over $3 billion in new development over about 25 years.  That's pretty amazing.

This relates to my lesson about such facilities.  That if you want spillover benefits, you have to plan for them, what I call "transformational projects action planning."

-- "Framework of characteristics that support successful community development in association with the development of professional sports facilities, 2021

-- "Updating the best practice elements of revitalization to include elements 7 and 8 | Transformational Projects Action Planning at a large scale," 2024

2.  I also wrote recently in "Suburban stadium/arena interest a function of new, younger generations of ownership or a better real estate play?," about the desire for team owners to control more land around the stadium or arena, which they can develop for greater profit.

My problem with this is that it gives them a monopoly on earnings, rather than opening up the potential for other firms to benefit from the likely investment of public monies in such sites.

Battery District.

3.  There is a great article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, "Stadium entertainment districts — such as the one proposed in South Philly — are changing the game for fans around the country," about this phenomenon and reading it, it's great for teams--for example, the Atlanta Braves make $59 million per year in lease and other income from the Battery development next to their stadium.

It's also another lesson about planning and development.  As commercial districts shift to what I sometimes call "eater-tainment" ("Successful retail today often includes food, experiences, social elements, and isn't rote," 2016), the reality is that when going to a sports event, consumers aren't interested in shopping at retailers--unless they sell team merchandise exclusively--they want experiences.  From the article:

These mixed-use developments help provide a hedge at a moment when the dominance of American sports programming faces new competition, from such entertainment as video games and on-demand TV, and when fan behavior can be unpredictable. Last year’s World Series between the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks was the least-watched on record. .

.. Of course, that’s not why most people go to the Battery. They go to ride the mechanical bull at PBR Atlanta, the bar brand of the Professional Bull Riders league, billed as the toughest sport on dirt.  They play in the Sandbox virtual-reality center and browse through the unique designs at Baseballism, a fan shop. 

"PBR Atlanta opens near Suntrust Park: 7 things to know about Battery Atlanta’s “cowboy bar”," Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“It’s more than just a baseball day experience,” said Winston Parrish, a Braves fan who with his father, Dwight, came from Asheville, N.C., to the Phillies’ opening day game. “You’re able to get a hotel right there in the Battery, and walk from your hotel to the game.” 

When Dwight Parrish attended baseball games as a boy in the 1960s and 1970s, the focus was on seeing star players and snacking on Cracker Jack. “Today, it’s a different thing,” he said. “It’s all about the kids. It’s all about the family experience. It’s awesome.”

Note that support of other businesses making money of patrons is a primary justification for public investment.

4, Retail consumerism now is more purposive, special directed trips.  It's not the kind of "mixed primary use" attraction that Jane Jacobs wrote about where people will shop, eat, then go see a movie.  Plus the effect of online commerce, which significantly reduces in person shopping.

In short, if you are a businessperson wanting to open a business by a stadium or arena or a development like the Navy Yard or Wharf districts in DC, focus on eating, drinking (tough because a lot of the time events are scheduled at times that discourage patrons from eating outside of the facility) and experience.

======

P.S.  Looks like the Phoenix Coyotes are coming to Salt Lake ("Did Ryan Smith just confirm the NHL is coming to Utah?," Deseret News).  

I've written about why does the NHL continue to support the Coyotes when they are unsuccessful ("Revisiting "Framework of characteristics that support successful community development in association with the development of professional sports facilities" and the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team + Phoenix Coyotes hockey," 2022).

OTOH, while the "Good quote" article argues that Salt Lake doesn't really have the market size to justify more teams, I guess when a billionaire wants a team and there is a super-weak one out there, it presents opportunity.

Drive ins are negative contributors to community

Salt Lake.  A few months ago, Salt Lake City banned more drive ins on 2100 South in the Sugar House business district ("City council looks to transform single-family zoning across the city; bans Sugar House business district drive-thrus," Building Salt Lake., "One SLC neighborhood backs drive-thru ban as it transforms into ‘model walkable, transit-connected community’," Salt Lake Tribune).  That's pretty close to us, and Sugar House is where Sugar House Park is, where I'm on the board.

Needless to say, the local business advocacy group didn't agree.  But they did make a good point, that in times like covid, being able to do drive through/pick up helped them survive.

Between 900 and 1300 is the main district, although there is redevelopment and strip shopping and a couple extant older buildings between 700 and 900.  There was an ice cream manufacturing plant, now slated for housing.

There are a couple shopping centers, a Smith's (Kroger) and a Natural Grocers, some extant liner retail on 2100 South, and some new buildings with decent restaurants on the ground floor.  There is some perpendicular retail on side streets, but it tends to not do so well unless it's destination.

But overall since the region's development paradigm is sprawl, drive ins are huge.  Suzanne is into them.  I'm not.  But we do succumb.

(Rachel Rydalch | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Chick-fil-A on 2100 South in Sugar House has historically generated a long drive-thru line, Tuesday, March 8, 2022. A proposal before the City Council would ban new drive-thrus from opening in dense commercial areas of the neighborhood.

On 2100 South is a Chick Fil A (terrible, expensive food) which tends to block traffic.  2100 South is pretty narrow, two narrow lanes in each direction.  So this is a problem.  It's likely what generated the call for action.

The other drive throughs (CVS, Walgreens, McDonald's, Cafe Rio--terrible food, ate there once, never again, a couple banks) are able to provide enough queuing capacity on site to accommodate use.  Although CFA did redo their access pattern and it did reduce traffic.

OTOH, 1300 East and 700 East are major roads abutting the district, and they are set up for drive throughs in a way that 2100 South isn't.

DC.  In DC, drive throughs aren't allowed in C2 commercial districts, those are the ones that abut rowhouse residential districts. Gas stations require a special exception review.  Drive throughs and gas stations are matter of right in C3 districts.  

One such district abuts H Street NE ("H Street NE nightlife district, failing?," "A follow up on the H Street article: Learning from Philadelphia | More sophisticated daypart, retail, cultural, and experience planning," "The community development approach and the revitalization of DC's H Street corridor: congruent or oppositional approaches?," 2013, and "DC and streetcars #4: from the standpoint of stoking real estate development, the line is incredibly successful and it isn't even in service yet, and now that development is extending eastward past 15th Street," 2015) and when we were addressing zoning issues 20ish years ago, we weren't sophisticated enough to try to downzone the 1400 block and adjoining block on Maryland Avenue.to C2.  At the time there was a Sonic on Maryland Avenue.

It's since been replaced with a Chick Fil A, and on the other side a gas station came in ("360 Apartment building + Giant Supermarket vs. a BP gas station, which would you choose?" 2013) it was during the time of the Fenty Administration and they had zero interest in or knowledge of place values in communities.  

Like a lot of administrations, to them any development was good development.  (Like for Walmart a few years later, "Walmart to close one of its three DC stores.")

Article states that drive throughs are negative contributors to community ("Mega drive-throughs explain everything wrong with American cities," Vox).  They are probably "fine" in terms of "the economy," although drive throughs tend to be chains, and chains contribute less to the local economy than independently owned locally based stores.

There's no question they don't contribute to community, they cause environmental issues (exhausst, poor use of space), they puncture the street plane and make it difficult for walking.

Maria Zivarts on Twitter makes a good point about the difference between a coffee shop that is a drive through serving 20 cars versus a walk up shop serving 20 people.  Not to mention the locally owned store likely contributes to the community in ways that a chain store doesn't.

Last week for the first time I went to Loki Coffee on 900 South ("A Utah couple open a cafe, aiming for ‘a West Coast vibe and East Coast efficiency’," Salt Lake Tribune).  Of course, most of the tables were used by people on their computers.  But it was a great vibe.  

There were people sitting out front--they need tables and chairs and a patio.  The block is an odd one for retail in that the buildings are all detached, and the road is wide.  OTOH, a lot of the lots have a big front yard and the buildings are attractive and it's in the center city with higher population density.

Loki Coffee.  Photo: Bethany Baker, Salt Lake Tribune.

I think Loki Coffee has a wide range of events scheduled for April.

Something you won't find in a drive through/chain establishment.

Zoning changes to protect place value,  Making neighborhood abutting commercial districts off limits to drive throughs is a good start.  Directing drive throughs to places where the land use context better supports them is an acceptable compromise.  At the very least require review.  It could be there are some instances depending on the size of the lot, queuing capacity, and type of business, where a drive through is less obtrusive, like a pharmacy.

Plants on tops of bus shelters to help bees: Utrecht, Netherlands

 Came across this via Reddit, "Dutch city transforms over 300 bus stops into 'bee stops'," Lonely Planet.

Railroad tourism as a way to promote transit: Union Pacific's Big Boy steam locomotive journey

Valley Transit (San Jose) poster promoting transit use and transportation demand management.

I have three pieces about transit marketing around the idea of creating a National Trains Month, to be held in May, which is the anniversary of the creation of a transcontinental railroad system.  

-- "Modern railroad tourism promotion," 2018
-- "May should be National Train Month as a way to market and promote passenger rail," 2021
-- "Two train/regional transit ideas: Part 2 | Running tourist trains from Union Station," 2021

The idea is to promote all forms of rail transit, including freight (that's a way to have the big railroads help pay for the event.)  It is inspired by how Amtrak had National Trains Day/Weekend in the early to mid 2010s, as a promotional event.

The idea of leveraging grand train stations is also discussed in this entry from 2015, "New State Rail Planning Initiative in DC: First meeting Monday September 28th," suggesting DC Union Station as a point of leverage.

Traditional railroads often do promotions of their old steam engines.  And some do special lighted trains during the December holiday season.

Even though I am into railroads, for some reason, I am not enamored of steam.  

Nonetheless, Union Pacific is doing a run of its Big Boy steam locomotive from Wyoming to California and back in June and July, and I probably will try to see it when it's in Ogden ("Union Pacific releases new details about Big Boy tour; Ogden a major stop," Standard-Examiner).

It's exactly the kind of event I suggest needs to be pulled into a larger scaled schedule of events to promote railroads--freight and passenger--and rail-based forms of transit.

And special programs for kids.  Japan's local railroads sometimes have railroad-related playhouse areas.  The National Park Service has a railroad themed Junior Ranger booklet, Railroad Explorer. 

I think railroad passenger services, which are mostly commuter oriented, need to provide free days to give people an introduction to the service, and that could be done during a National Trains Month.

Railroad themed playground in the Depot District of Lacey, Washington.  Photo by Nikki McCoy.

Etc.

WMATA and MWCOG announce new joint transit initiative | Could a regional "transport association" be on the horizon, or just a transit bailout?

According to Twitter and other news sources ("WMATA and MWCOG announce new joint transit initiative," DC News Now) WMATA the operator of regional subway and bus services, and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, are going to start working together.

The COG is the union of local governments and designated by the USDOT as the region's metropolitan planning organization for regional transportation planning and coordination.

From the article:

In a news release sent out Wednesday, officials said that the organizations’ Boards of Directors will meet on May 1 to start “months-long discussions about how to efficiently provide, fund, and govern public transit.”

Funny of course, because this is driven by the financial pressures faced by WMATA foremost ("Facing massive budget shortfall, Metro releases budget proposal that slashes service and increases fares") but also other area transit providers, who've lost lots of riders in response to work from home.

But the issue of base funding for WMATA has been discussed for decades, including by me.

-- "Getting WMATA out of crisis: a continuation of a multi-year problem that keeps getting worse, not better," 2015
-- "DC area transit commission board member thinks he has a brilliant idea on how to fund Metrorail: sales taxes," 2022

It's a shame that it had to reach the level of a super crisis to do anything.  15 years ago I first wrote that WMATA needed to rebuild the regional consensus about the value of transit:

-- "St. Louis regional transit planning process as a model for what needs to be done in the DC Metropolitan region" (2009)

DC area transit planning and operations is an extreme example of gaps.  Sorry to repeat ad infinitum but my joke is I might be a bad planner but I am great at gap analysis and I have been writing about this failure in transit and transportation planning coordination in the DC area for almost 20 years, with very specific suggestions on how to address it.

Concepts.  The concept of a multi-regional and multi-state transit network is outlined in "The meta-regional transit network" (2009).  I made a presentation about this at the University of Delaware public policy school in early 2010, "Metropolitan Mass Transit Planning presentation"  (link to presentation within).

My mobility shed/mobilityshed and transit shed entry dates to 2006, "Updating the mobilityshed / mobility shed concept."  

Another related concept is intra-district versus inter-district transit ("Making the case for intra-city (vs. inter-city) transit planning," 2011).  This concept eludes almost everyone who writes about transit.  It's about speed versus access.  Also see, "A thought about an intra-district transit network for Tysons," (2020).

And a more expanded concept of "sustainable mobility" as a platform dates to 2018 ("Further updates to the Sustainable Mobility Framework").

Other seeds include Steve Belmont's Cities in Full and his discussion about monocentric versus polycentric transit systems, Robert Cervero's coining of the term "commuter shed," the hierarchy of networks in the Arlington County Master Transportation Plan, the invention of transportation demand management planning in Victoria state, Australia (also see Engwicht's Reclaiming our cities and towns: better living through less traffic), mobility hubs, and the concept of high frequency transit sub-networks.

The 2018 entry, "Branding's not all you need for transit," states that there are three elements to transit systems:

• an integrated metropolitan/regional transit system through a transport association
• treating transit as a design product
• tying it all together with an integrated branding system

1.  I first understood the DC area transit planning gap in two dimensions.  By default, WMATA is the area transit planner, with no checks.  Second, when budget crisis hits services are cut.

-- "Without the right transportation planning framework, metropolitan areas are screwed, and that includes the DC area," 2011

2.  And financing. The area doesn't have a dedicated sales or payroll tax for transit (MTA and a couple other systems do have a payroll tax, it's standard in France). 

My point was to get one passed, do it when you're successful, not when you're desperate. Best would have been the early 1980s when the system was still bright and shiny and growing.

Plus WMATA's success in farebox revenue recovery (at one time, 80% for rail) was true but a chimera. It charges by mode, so bus + rail is two fares. Most transit agencies charge one fare. (2) There was a lot of use of the federal transit pass, so there was a lot of insulation from the high fares. (3) for a long time there were no real discounted transit passes, where other systems offer them to encourage transit use and discourage car use.

So in good times, revenue was high and this made the jurisdictions happy because it reduced their annual outlays.

Note in bad times, sales and payroll tax revenues tend to drop also.

Some places also take a percentage of the real estate transfer tax.  It's easier though when all the participating jurisdictions are within one state, not three.  For example, Virginia Governor Ralph Youngkin has vetoed more money for WMATA out of pique on losing another issue ("Youngkin Dumps Metro Subsidy on F.C., N. Va.," Falls Church News-Press).

-- "Metrolinx Toronto: 25 potential tools to fund transit-transportation infrastructure," 2013

Metro (WMATA) Owner's Manual: Your Metro...How to Use It, cover.  Advertising supplement to the Washington Star, 1975.

3.  My recommendation was to split planning from service..  That the planning function should define network breadth -- the broad area in which services are to be provided and network depth -- level of service standards and other requirements for service.

If the budget didn't match the network breadth and depth requirements, rather than cut service, first the transit operators should make their case for more money.  If it wasn't forthcoming, only then cut service.

4.  Combine the commuter railroads, make it a 24/7 services.  A variant is that starting in 2006 I also wrote that the area's railroad passenger services should integrate into what I later called RACER, Railroad Authority of the Chesapeake Region.  But the idea wasn't unique to me, it started a few years before that by Dan Malouff of BeyondDC.

This map is a concept, it didn't include Southern Maryland because at the time, Maryland MTA was planning light rail for the US-301 corridor.  I'd say there should be a line between Baltimore and Frederick, etc.

-- "A "Transformational Projects Action Plan" for a statewide passenger railroad program in Maryland," 2019

-- "DC, Transformational Projects Action Planning, and the Baltimore-Washington Maglev project ," 2021

In 2017, I wrote "A new backbone for the regional transit system: merging the MARC Penn and VRE Fredericksburg Lines," about how to jumpstart the railroad merger.  I note that GGW just wrote about this this week...

5.  Hamburg's transport association is the model.  In 2014, I visited Hamburg, Germany which has an amazingly integrated transit system with multiple modes--train, subway, bus, ferry--reaching hundreds of miles into two adjoining states.  

I learned that it was led by the City of Hamburg, which often holds ownership stakes in the various services, but services were delivered, including bus, by more than two dozen operators.

Hamburg "invented" the German transport association form, where all the transit operators in a region are coordinated as a group, that planning is separate, that schedules and fares are integrated.*

This came about because Hamburg realized in the early 1960s that if they wanted people to use transit, it had to be easier to use.  It took them 5 years to get everyone together, and to create a coordinated schedule and fare system. 

Later the method was adopted by Germany as a whole, as well as Austria and Switzerland.

-- HVV, Hamburg Transport Association
-- "HVV Celebrated 50 Year Anniversary, City of Hamburg
--"Verkehrsverbund: The evolution and spread of fully integrated regional public transport in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland," Ralph Buehler, John Pucher & Oliver Dümmler, International Journal of Sustainable Transportation (2018)
-- Transport Alliances - – Promoting Cooperation and Integration to offer a more attractive and efficient Public Transport, VDV, the trade association for German transport associations.  

* note that one "problem" with the VV model is it isn't expansive enough, you need private services like taxi and bike share and at times, the highway people, at the table too

A good model for coordination and presentation of modes is laid out on a website is for the Manchester, UK system.  Transport for London and SF MUNI also.

6.  Gaps don't abate.  While continuing to write often about discoordination in transit planning in the DC area, with multiple different BRT systems, and the railroads, etc.

-- "Silver Line Metro expansion a classic example of the need to have true regional transportation planning," 2011
-- "One big idea: Getting MARC and Metrorail to integrate fares, stations, and marketing systems, using London Overground as an example" 2015
-- Will buses ever be cool? Boston versus the Raleigh-Durham's GoTransit Model," 2017
-- "Route 7 BRT proposal communicates the reality that the DC area doesn't adequately conduct transportation planning at the metropolitan-scale," 2016
-- "Reviving DC area bus service: and a counterpoint to the recent Washington City Paper article," 2019

7.  German VV as the model for DC.  It took me until 2017 to write an entry specifically mentioning the German VV as the way forward for the DC area, in an organization I suggested could be called the DMVTA.  That's 7 years ago in March.

-- "The answer is: Create a single multi-state/regional multi-modal transit planning, management, and operations authority association"

Conclusion.  But I imagine the impetus for this initiative is WMATA's massive budget shortfall, not better transportation planning, coordination, and integration in the DC metropolitan area.

Note the area does some best practice things.  Like a common fare media card system, which even works in Baltimore.  

But otherwise, there are multiple different transit "stores," systems and liveries for BRT, lack of one integrated call center, failure to integrate railroad services into the fare card system, lack of coordinated planning, etc.

I guess I'll send this to them.

National Library Week, 4/7 - 4/13

Normally it's at the end of the month, this year, the middle.  Personally I think it should be the entire month.

-- "Libraries are rooted in the community and here your story can grow," Wilmington News-Journal.  From the article:

Libraries and librarians play such a crucial role in the well-being of our communities, and the Delaware public libraries are no exception. We are not a disparate collection of books,: Today’s libraries function as vibrant community centers that contribute to the social, cultural, and educational fabric of our neighborhoods, enriching the lives of young and old. 

Libraries help our communities face the rising challenges of the modern world, such as isolation, disparity and misinformation. The services they provide and the programs they deliver are aimed at connection, compassion, truth, and equity because our mission is rooted in the needs of our community. 

Despite the misguided perception that libraries are unnecessary, evidence continues to support what those of us in the library community have known for a long time: libraries benefit us all.

The four biggest issues these days are:

1.  Campaigns all across the US, in conservative areas, to ban books. It's mostly in the schools, but also in public libraries ("Why Americans must unite against the organized effort to ban library books," Nashville Tennessean, "History of Book Bans in the U.S.," National Geographic, "The Fight for the American Public Library: Library boards, school boards and legislatures are becoming battlegrounds in a push to censor books. Communities are fighting back.," Bloomberg, "Public libraries are the latest front in culture war battle over books," Washington Post, "Book ban attempts spiked in 2023, new research shows," Politico), "Book bans in US public schools increase by 28% in six months, Pen report finds," Guardian).

The Utah State Legislature proposes a statewide banning policy.  If a book is banned by three school systems, all have to pull it ("Bill that requires statewide removal of school library books deemed pornographic by 3 districts close to passage," Salt Lake Deseret News).

And state library agencies in conservative states are dropping their membership in the American Library Association ("Florida joins conservative states severing ties with national library group," Politico).

There has been some defunding and or attempts of libraries in Michigan and Missouri ("Missouri libraries dodge GOP funding strike — for now," Kansas City Beacon). And probably elsewhere.

Toronto Public Library has a display of books increasingly banned in the US.  

The Brooklyn Public Library will provide a library card to anyone in the US, to evade censorship bans.

In response to book banning efforts, the director of the Hoboken New Jersey Library made the entire city a "book sanctuary" ("Haters attacked an inclusive public library. So its director made the whole city a book sanctuary," LGBTQ Nation).

Obviously, it affects authors ("For John Green, the Battle Over Access to Books Has Gotten Personal," New York Times).

2.  Funding.  Besides punitive funding cuts in support of book banning, libraries always have to worry about funding.

For example, New York City, which has just opened up a bunch of new library facilities ("A Love Letter to Libraries, Long Overdue," New York Times) proposed budget cuts that could lead to weekend closures ("NYC Budget Would Close Libraries On Weekends While Police Get Huge Bonuses," Vice).   Though later the proposal was rescinded.

Polarization doesn't help ("In the land of self-defeat" and "I Am Being Pushed Out of One of the Last Public Squares, the Library," New York Times).

3.  Libraries as community hubs.  Both book bans and funding cuts (it is proposed that the Huntington Beach Library system outsource, "Huntington Beach considering privatizing library operations," Orange County Register) are tragic considering how libraries (and parks) are the primary civic assets in a community that are public facing (schools too, but only for those people who have families), and key "social infrastructure" elements ("Neighborhood libraries as nodes in a neighborhood and city-wide network of cultural assets").

For example, "Residents offered free health checks in libraries," BBC and "Creative library project underway in Wilmington to spur community and economic development," Wilmington News-Journal.

Library staff in SF hold a press conference and protest about understaffing.  Photo: Martin do Nascimento, KQED.

4.  Libraries as community hubs also can be a drawback.  Since they are really the only public -civic asset that is open for set hours, has staff, and restrooms, libraries can be inundated with dealing with civic problems like homelessness, violence ("'Not What I Signed Up For': SF Librarians Demand More Security Guards," KQED/PBS), drug use, and mental health ("Texas libraries work to bridge state’s mental health services gap," Texas Tribune) and mental illness.

Other developments.

1.  Nonprofit opens free bookstore.  Why not put such facilities in libraries ("Nonprofit Reading Ready Pittsburgh opens free bookstore in Homestead ," WESA/NPR).

2.  Daycare at the Park City, Utah Library.  Probably in rented space ("PC Tots invites all to ribbon cutting at Park City Library," Park Record).  The Drumbrae Library in Scotland includes a day care facility ("Work begins on Drumbrae's new library, day care centre and youth cafe," Guardian, 2011).

Libros Book Club.  Photo: Nate Martinez, Express-News.

3.  Independent readers lounge in San Antonio.  Indicates demand for longer hours, or special ways to meet the needs of other audiences, not unlike how university libraries stay open late ("Late-night readers lounge opens in San Antonio. Here's what we know," San Antonio Express-News).  Note that the central library in Montreal stays open til 10pm.

Also see "24-7 Library Spaces Drive Commuter Student Success," Inside Higher Education.

4.  World Book Day, March 7th.  I had no idea there is a World Book Day.  Studies in the UK find that few children read for pleasure ("World Book Day finds children are put off reading for pleasure: Annual event to encourage young readers has revealed research finding that significant numbers feel discouraged from following their own tastes," and "Almost a million children in the UK do not own a book," Guardian).

5.  Lots of libraries are under threat of closure in the UK because of the defunding of local government by the national Conservative government ("Battle to save Britain's libraries as budget cuts, closures and austerity leaves future uncertain," Big Issue, "Review finds libraries in England suffer ‘lack of recognition’ from government," Guardian).

I was reading an article about Reagan, transit and cities, and it was the first article that put the funding cuts under the title of "austerity" which has been the British Conservative Government's policy since 2010 of defunding local government and local services ("How austerity (and ideology) broke Britain," Guardian).

6.  Underfunding school libraries.  There was an article in the Post about Oxon Hill, Maryland ("In a Maryland school library, empty shelves are about to get emptier") although a letter to the editor ("A community can build Oxon Hill Elementary's library") suggested parents organize themselves.  That happened a number of years ago in DC ("The fight for school libraries in D.C.," Washington Examiner).  Also see "Cressida Cowell renews call for £100m investment in primary school libraries," Guardian and "D.C. Council Bill Seeks to Close Gap in Librarians and Literacy," City Paper.

In a political move the conservative state government in Texas took over the Houston Public Schools, and the hard ass new superintendent got rid of the libraries and remade them into discipline centers.

7.  US Literacy Crisis ("30 million adults are unable to read a simple story to their children, according to the National Literacy Institute," WEAR TV)).  From the article:

Addressing the U.S. literacy crisis: Study shows children, adults lack reading skills 30 million adults are unable to read a simple story to their children, according to the National Literacy Institute. This is a generational issue that can lead to other problems like high unemployment rates and even poor health. 

This is a generational issue that can lead to other problems like high unemployment rates and even poor health. In fact, statistics show one in three children entering kindergarten lack the basic skills they need to learn to read. And two-thirds of U.S. fourth graders do not read at grade level. 

"For a child who is struggling to read, to have an adult sit with them one-on-one and not just listen to them and make some corrections as they're reading but mainly to be their cheerleader while they're practicing -- that's huge," Pierce said. But learning how to read is only half the battle. Children have to continue to practice reading as they grow.

8.  Literary programs.  The LA Library system received a publishing outfit as a donation and will continue to publish books ("The L.A. Public Library is getting into book publishing. Why it makes total sense," Los Angeles Times) and Hugo House, a nonprofit in Seattle focused on literary arts is in financial distress ("Seattle’s Hugo House faces uncertain future," Seattle Times).

9.  Private library: Prelinger Library devoted to ephemera ("This San Francisco Library Collects Print Materials You Were Never Meant to See," KQED/PBS).  I figure that's where most of my ephemera will be donated too when I die, plus either Washingtonia Library or the Historical Sociey in DC and the Utah Historical Society.

10.  Oodi Library, the central library in Helsinki.  I've been meaning to write about this in a separate entry.  The ground floor is a cultural center.  At the cost of fewer books.

11.  Co-location.  I mentioned how the main library in Pocatello now has a pedestrianized street in front of it, and a park, including a playground, across the street.  The park has an amphitheater and is used for the Saturday Farmers Market.  

The Nottingham UK library has added a playground to its front "Children's play area opens outside Nottingham Central Library," BBC).

I've mentioned how the South Park Library in Seattle captured the street in front of it.

12.  The Boston Public Library has started a nutrition program headed by a chef, headquartered in the Roxbury branch ("'Boston Public Library’s new chef to lead cooking program in Roxbury'," CBS News).