Can there be too much parking?

Too many parking spaces can have a negative impact on a city.

Just look at Detroit. Here’s an article on the DC Streetsblog that contrasts the cities of Detroit and Pittsburgh and how much parking exists in their downtowns. Compare the parking maps of the two cities and you will see a drastic difference.

Parking policies in Pittsburgh have discouraged people from commuting alone by car into the downtown area. The city charges a 40% tax on parking throughout the city. In 2006 it was reported that the city was making more from the parking taxes than it was receiving from taxing resident income.

Detroit has no tax on parking although it is pointed out that this is not the only reason for all the parking in downtown. Parking lots are taxed at a much lower rate than buildings so there is not much incentive to build anything on the land. It was also pointed out in the article that Detroit has a “pitiful transit system.”

And which city is doing better? Well, it’s certainly not Detroit.

Another article on the DC Streetsblog reports that Cincinnati is reforming their parking policies and would eliminate or reduce parking requirements for many residential developments.

The “cities that manage the parking supply wisely have bolstered their downtowns.”

As well as the cities that have good public transit. They go hand in hand.

Jan

Climate Ride

Have you heard about Climate Ride?

Climate Ride is a nonprofit organization that “organizes life-changing charitable events to raise awareness and support sustainability, bike advocacy, and environmental causes.”

Each year they hold two week long events and one is coming up next month – a bicycle ride from New York City to Washington, DC.

Here’s a great blog post from a woman who grew up in Detroit and has cars “in her blood” but now lives in Washington DC and gets around by bike, walking and public transit. She will be participating in the fall ride and tells you why.

Jan

An idea reborn

So who knew?

That Elon Musk’s idea of pneumatic mass transit (see previous post on July 25) had a predecessor – in 1870 – in the New York City subway system!

Check out this fascinating New York Times story that details the saga of Alfred Ely Beach, who in 1870 “unveiled the city’s first subway, running through a pneumatic tunnel under Broadway from Warren Street to Murray Street. For three years, a giant fan blew thousands of passengers at the stately pace of 10 miles per hour in an elegant car, richly upholstered and illuminated by a zirconia light for 25 cents a ride.”

“Mr. Beach invented a ‘tunneling shield’ that allowed excavation to be done with minimal disruption at street level. Workers carted off the earth dug out of the tunnel at night to avoid detection, according to The Times.”

It lasted only three years but the technology was used in 1897 to connect 22 post offices around the city with a 27 mile system of pneumatic tubes. And others in the 20th century have followed up on the idea of pneumatic travel.

So what’s new is actually old, but who knew?

Jan

Making sure that car you want to buy is safe

If you’re in the market for a used car, how do you know that it will be safe for you to drive? One way, obviously, is to have a trusted mechanic check it out.

But there’s another way. A new rule issued by the federal government, effective August 15, 2014, will require automakers and motorcycle manufacturers to provide information, updated weekly, on uncompleted vehicle safety recalls. And they will have to put the information online. You will be able to search by the VIN number and it will be free to access this information.

So you will be able to tell if there are safety hazards that were not taken care of by the previous owner. You can already access recall notices for your vehicle at safercar.gov.

Helps with that “peace of mind” thing.

Jan

When a town puts walking before driving

Hamburg, New York. It’s a village of 10,000 south of Buffalo. Along with many other villages and towns that thrived when the steel mills were going strong, it has suffered the last few decades as the mills closed.

But this is not the reason why this town recently was featured in The New York Times and then The Atlantic Cities.

Back in 2001 the state department of transportation recommended that US 62, which is the main street through Hamburg, be widened to accommodate more cars. Residents didn’t agree and instead voted for an alternative plan which would rebuild the streets with traffic lanes that were narrower, have room for trees and wider sidewalks. Intersections were replaced with roundabouts. In the two years following construction, crashes and injuries dramatically decreased.

According to The Atlantic Cities article, “property values in the once-fading downtown have doubled and local business owners are investing millions in new projects. New residents have been attracted by the appeal of a village center where a simple walk up and down Main Street is a pleasure rather than something to be endured. Hamburg was, like many American towns and cities in the Rust Belt, in decline. Now it is thriving.”

Many towns and villages should be paying close attention. My wish is that my new hometown, Cortland, can follow the example of the town where I grew up. It’s been a long time since I’ve been back to the Village of Hamburg. I grew up outside the village and left back in the 1970s. Now I have a good reason to return.

Jan

Car Free in Cortland Part IV

We have a problem with the way we see walking and biking and public transit in Cortland. A lot of us see it as a last resort, an indication of class or ability or the amount of money we have. And I mean in a negative way. Sometimes, as I cross the street in front of a car waiting at an intersection at an inopportune time for the driver, I get nasty looks, impatient waves. Hurry up, they say.

But you know what? Drivers can make up that time in a moment, and are limited by the cars in front of them. If they accelerate until they reach that limiting reagent, then there’s no net loss. It’s my road, too. And we’re all pedestrians. You don’t drive up to your desk; cars are made specifically to get people to a place where they start walking. Parking lots are as much for walkers as for drivers. They’re blacktop portals where drivers transform into walkers (no matter if they’re walking a mere twenty feet).

Jan’s post about empty buses makes me think of something else, too. There are complaints that there are only one or two riders on a given route during the day. If you don’t see enough people on the bus to make you happy as a community member, or public agent, or taxpayer, then YOU SHOULD RIDE THE BUS. We’re already paying for it. So milk it. It’s cheap (the absolute cheapest I’ve ever encountered), it’s easy, we have a system that lets you get on anywhere along the route and get off at personalized destinations.

So what are we doing in our cars? What does it take to shift the paradigm? I’d argue that our perception, our very language, is an important first step. I walked to Hall’s Hill Blueberry Farm a few weeks ago to stock up on the most delectable blueberries I’ve ever tasted. It’s safe to say they are absolutely and deliciously gone by now. The owner was a bit stunned when I showed up with my backpack and water bottle, sweating and smiling. He asked why I was already sweating, and when I said I had walked, he said “No, you didn’t.” That’s not the first time that’s happened to me, either. People express confident doubt upon learning I walk from x to y. It’s a funny thing, a little difficult to respond to; “Um, yes, I did, actually.”

They might be impressed. “Wow, that’s six miles. Each way.” And as much as I am flattered by the awe, I’d love if it weren’t a big deal. I’d love if people walked and biked and took the bus all over the county, region, nation. Wouldn’t that be a beautiful norm?

And it happens, gradually. My coworkers have easily gotten used to my tales of travel by foot. They’re supportive, which is awesome. And nobody’s worked up about it in either direction – no one says it’s impossible or dangerous to not have a car, and I’m not evangelical about walking. I wish our society and culture were more zealous about it, but that’s a long process. It’s happening in other places, though. There are towns in Germany that don’t allow cars except in a parking garage on the outskirts for regional trips, and Jan has posted about more than one city ripe with bicycle culture and pedestrian pride.

People (though perhaps more U.S. citizens than not) think we’re the greatest nation in the world – comprised of innovative leaders, brilliant social entrepreneurs, thinkers light-years ahead of their time. But it all comes down to what we do. And if what we do isn’t smart, isn’t sustainable, isn’t forward-thinking, then neither are we.

Emma Ignaszewski

Empty buses

We’ve all heard the refrain over and over. “All I see are empty buses. No one is riding the bus.”

Transit consultant Jarrett Walker has an answer for those who don’t see why taxpayers should spend money on a public transit system when the buses are not full.

“Empty buses serve a purpose.” is an article by Tanya Snyder from DC Streets blog which was reposted on TODNews.com and the article explains Walker’s thinking about ridership vs. coverage.

Transit agencies need to make a trade-off between ridership and coverage and they should determine, with public input, how much of their resources will be spent on routes with a high number of riders vs. routes that just need to be there. The sheer existence of a route can be a tremendous benefit and a lifeline to those without any other transportation options.

I also like to tell people that just because they see an empty bus at one point in time doesn’t mean that all of the buses are running empty. It would be great if we could get more people to use public transit and that is one of our goals but transit is serving an important purpose just by being here. Let’s not forget that.

Jan

“Be Cool at School”

A young man who considers himself an environmentalist writes to Mr. Green and asks what is the best thing he can do for the earth once he goes off to college.

His answer which appears on the Mr. Green blog is to ditch his car.

“Abandoning your wheels is one of the greatest things you can do to shrink your collegiate environmental footprint, since burning a gallon of gas emits almost 20 pounds of carbon dioxide. That’s 600 pounds of CO2 in just four 200-mile trips home and back.”

Mr. Green suggests some alternatives – take the bus or train, sign up for a car sharing service, or carpool. A student (and their parents) can save a boatload of money on parking passes, maintenance and gas.

Some schools ban cars for freshman. Others have carsharing services like Zipcar or ridesharing services like Zimride. You can encourage your school to provide more environmentally friendly options.

SUNY Cortland. Are you listening?

Jan

Online shopping making traffic worse?

That’s what John Woodard as been exploring as part of his urban studies graduate program at Columbia University.

According to this article in The Atlantic Cities, Woodard has found that traffic and congestion has actually increased due to the proliferation of delivery vehicles. And that the time that you saved by shopping online is probably just spent getting in your car and going somewhere else.

I know I’m dating myself but this sort of reminds me of what we all heard when computers in the workplace became ubiquitous and how computers would save on printing costs. Companies were going to save a bundle on printing and paper costs.

I think we all know how that worked out.

Jan

Ready for your own personal jetpack?

I’m not sure I am but I’m sure there are folks out there braver than I.

Check out this story on Foxnews.com.

Jan