YPT Mobility Matters (V4 I4) by YP Transportation

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS IN TRANSPORTATION http://yptransportation.org

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4 SPRING 2012

IN THIS ISSUE MassDOT’s Fast 14 Rapid Bridge Replacement Project.....................1 The Difference Between Roads and Streets...........................................3 MEMBER PROFILE: Taylor Lochrane.............................5 Mobility Matters Editor’s Column..............................6 SPECIAL SECTION: SAN FRANCISCO YPT Chair’s Column........................6 Starting a YPT Chapter: West Coast Edition....................................... 7 Mobility Startups on the Move.............................................9 The San Francisco Bay Area Clipper® Card – A Truly Regional Fare Payment System..................11 4G Bike Sharing Comes to San Francisco Bay........................13 A Multi-Modal Agency for a Sustainable San Francisco............16 Privately-Provided Commuter Bus Services in the San Francisco Bay Area................18 Carless in Cali...............................20 I’ll take Transportation for 500 Please!............................21 Eno Center for Transportation Programs for Young Professionals...............................22 Look Mom! We’ve Gone Viral........23 YPT Upcoming Events..................24 YPT Photo Album.........................25

MassDOT’s Fast 14 Rapid Bridge Replacement Project: Managing Interstate 93 Demand with Half Capacity By Andy Paul Andy Paul is a Traffic and Safety Engineer for MassDOT. He is a member of the MassDOT Transportation Roundtable the Institute of Transportation Engineers, and currently serves as the Andy Paul Deputy Chairman of the Boston Chapter of the Young Professionals in Transportation.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) replaced 14 structurally deficient bridges on Interstate 93 in Medford, Massachusetts in just 10 weekends during the summer of 2011. MassDOT’s strategy to minimize impacts on drivers and the surrounding communities was a critical part of the success of this extraordinary undertaking. The team responsible for the project focused on local and regional outreach and maximizing throughput on the highway, by diverting drivers and capitalizing on every bit of available capacity. An early wakeup call. Early in the project development process, MassDOT senior leadership sent an important message: that the replacement of fourteen 50 year old bridges was their top priority. Interstate 93 serves as the northern artery into and out of Boston; the Commonwealth’s capitol city and the largest city in New England. Interstate 93 carries up to 200,000 vehicles on the busiest days of the year.

In August 2010, the northbound portion of one of the 14 bridges had a localized deck failure reinforcing the regional importance of this highway. The failure and subsequent repair work required multiple lane closures. Queues on the highway stretched back five miles south of the work zone into Boston and gridlocked city streets. The repair work was completed quickly, but the incident showed that prolonged lane closures were not going to be a feasible alternative for the broader bridge replacement project. The impacts on regional mobility on those few days in August motivated DOT leadership to fast-track the procurement and construction of the project, with the goal of designing and constructing the project in a single year. DOT used a design-build contract and precast bridge units to expedite the design, procurement, and construction process. Getting the timing right. Determining timing of the project based on traffic impact was vital to the project’s success. On an average summer weekend, traffic in the areas to be impacted was 20% less than weekday traffic. The busiest hours on the weekends had 25% less traffic than the peak weekday hours. Based on this analysis, MassDOT chose to complete core parts of the project on summer weekends. Weekends during the construction process, one direction of the highway was closed, reducing the 8-lane interstate highway to 4 lanes. The open side of the highway carried two lanes in each direction, separated by a movable concrete barrier. In order to avoid hours of delay and long queues, traffic had

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M obility Matters to be shifted away from the work zone to alternate routes and modes. MassDOT’s goal to minimize delay focused on two strategies: (1) public outreach to achieve the necessary diversion and (2) maximizing the capacity of the highway through the work zone.

the General Contractor, and MassDOT. This allowed for immediate decisions to be made to respond to incidents on the highway, in the work zone, and along the detour routes. Communication between field staff and the command center could be monitored on two-way radio by all project personnel, and was also monitored by the MassDOT Highway Operations Center (HOC). At any time, messages could be sent by the HOC to the mobile command center about incidents upstream or downstream from the work zone. This was particularly critical on Friday nights, when the highway was temporarily closed and traffic was diverted to counterflow lanes on the opposing side of the highway.

Public outreach. Project staff implemented public outreach at the local and regional levels. The process started at the local level with the City of Medford and its surrounding municipalities. Staff held weekly working group meetings with the local emergency services and transportation departments from the surrounding cities and towns. The working group’s goal was to effectively manage mobility and emergency response for the duration of the project.

The ability to separate construction activities from the highway allowed for a safer environment for construction workers and minimized interruptions to the highway. Glare screens1 were used to reduce distraction to drivers. By implementing these countermeasures the capacity of the lanes was increased by an average of ten percent.

Local knowledge of traffic patterns and the roadway network helped fast track the development of the transportation management plan. The close partnership between the DOT and the surrounding jurisdictions increased their credibility when proposing the concept to stakeholders. Local businesses were kept up-to-date about road closures, and transit riders were notified in advance about service changes.

During peak periods of the weekend, highway onramps upstream and within the work zone were closed to reduce entry points and traffic volumes. In turn, this increased the capacity of the lanes and moved regional traffic more effectively. This strategy was put to the test when one million spectators were expected to converge on Boston for the Bruins Stanley Cup victory parade. The project team reallocated resources to meet the variable demands of the traffic. This was crucial to maintaining regional mobility. The success of these efforts added to the credibility of the project team with the stakeholders and the region.

MassDOT started regional outreach with public officials, then branched out to large business and regional chambers of commerce. They held over 80 stakeholder meetings to publicize the upcoming project. Email updates to stakeholders provided information about upcoming work and the MassDOT website provided real-time information about traffic and project status. MassDOT used its existing ITS infrastructure to inform motorists about the upcoming weekend work. That existing infrastructure was supplemented with 37 temporary changeable message signs, providing real time travel times on Interstate 93 and warning drivers about excessive delays. The temporary message signs were located at points in the highway network where drivers could make a decision to continue on Interstate 93 or use an alternate route. Message signs also advertised free parking at a commuter rail station to encourage drivers to use the train.

Managing work zones safely and efficiently in is always a challenge. MassDOT was able to prioritize both safety and regional mobility on a project that went from conception to substantially complete in less than one year. The success of this project has lead to awards and recognition throughout the transportation industry. More importantly, the ontime completion of the project helped further establish MassDOT’s credibility by utilizing cutting edge Accelerated Bridge Construction techniques and an aggressive traffic management plan to minimize congestion and community impacts during construction.

Maximizing lane capacity. Maximizing the capacity of the lanes through the work zone was an important part of maintaining regional mobility. Rapid incident response, reduced interaction between construction activities and the roadway, and access management on the highway were all used to help maximize mobility during the project.

YPT Boston. In March, Andy presented his experiences on the Fast 14 at a brown bag lunch seminar hosted by YPT Boston. The approximately 20 professionals in attendance engaged in a lively discussion about the project and the impact it will have on the future of highway projects in Massachusetts. Attendees left the lunch seminar eager to hear more from other young professionals in transportation.

Coordination between state and local emergency response teams was critical to maintain throughput within the work zone. A mobile command center, staffed throughout the weekends, served as the project’s communication hub. The mobile command center was staffed with individuals from the State Police, local police and fire departments,

Glare screens are specially-designed fabric screens that prevent passing motorists from viewing the interior of the work-zone, preventing the “rubbernecking” phenomenon. 1

M obility Matters The Difference Between Roads and Streets

Mark Brown

of tax revenue with the least amount of public expense over multiple life cycles. If we want to maximize the value of a street, we design it in such a way that it supports an adjacent development pattern that is financially resilient, architecturally timeless and socially enduring.

By Mark Brown Mark Brown is a transportation planner at the Baltimore City Department of Transportation, where he manages complete streets capital projects and long range transportation plans. He also serves as the department’s representative on the Mayor’s Outcome Based Budgeting Committee, which seeks to allocate public funds more efficiently and improve city services for residents.

These simple concepts are totally lost on us. If you want to start to see the world with [accurate] eyes and truly understand why our development approach is bankrupting us, just watch your speedometer. Anytime you are traveling between 30 and 50 miles per hour, you are basically in an area that is too slow to be efficient yet too fast to provide a framework for capturing a productive rate of return. (Strong Towns)

Listen to any Bruce Springsteen song and you’ll probably hear a reference to “the street”. This is often accompanied by stanzas about how he spent a summer building a ’72 Challenger from scratch, stole a girl from a dude in LA, or found spiritual salvation in the hum of an inline V6.

Well said. Pick the average state highway, urban arterial, neighborhood street with average speeds of 35+ mph, or run of the mill downtown arterial which prioritizes auto traffic, and you’ll see an example of a road.

While Springsteen often uses “streets” and “roads” interchangeably, planners and engineers often confuse the terms. Let me break it down. Roads •

Exist in a netherworld separate from neighborhoods, civic engagement, and anything else that doesn’t fit into a traffic model.

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Efficient, but fragile. Primary purpose is to move traffic. Like a pipe moves water.

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Very serious business. Measured by delay, congestion, and level of service.

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Very “Platonic” as defined in Taleb’s critique of predictability in “Black Swan” (top-down, formulaic, closed-minded, skeptical). Yes, I reference this book a lot. Deal with it.

A street in Hong Kong. Probably not wide enough for rush hour traffic, but that’s OK. Photo from Car Free Baltimore.

Streets •

A civic stage. A platform for creative, social, and economic life.

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Robust and complimentary. Multiple activities ensure a vibrant, healthy public space.

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Democratic and “bottom up”. While infrastructure is built by the city, adaptable and community driven uses gives a neighborhood ownership of the street.

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Playful, intuitive, exists with neighborhoods, not despite them.

Frequently, these roads try to be both a street and a road, but end up failing at both. For instance, a state highway designed to funnel traffic as quickly as possible with numerous curb cuts serving auto-centric big box stores is neither an efficient road nor a neighborhood enhancing and economically vibrant street. By trying to serve both through and local trips in such a mono-modal fashion, and by encouraging inefficient and economically draining development patterns, we see that these types of roads erode instead of create value for cities.

Charles Marohn at Strong Towns explains the concepts of roads and streets using 45mph design speeds as an example. Disregarding surrounding land uses, economic value and social health of neighborhoods, roads designed to be “safe to a fault” have been the status quo for a long time:

Finding examples of streets is less clear-cut, but far more interesting. Luckily, Daniel Toole has done a great job of documenting the best examples of streets: alleys. His blog (and his new book, Tight Urbanism), is a photographic journey into alleys all over the world. When streets are tightly framed by buildings and surrounded by a mix of uses, something magical happens. It’s the sense of serendipity - turn a corner and you may find an exotic

The value of a street comes from its ability to support land use patterns that create capturable value. The street with the highest value is the one that creates the greatest amount

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M obility Matters fruit vendor, a busker playing your new favorite song, or a Thai restaurant tucked into a small corner.

The plazas have also been a boon to nearby businesses. Would you rather do business next to 45 mph traffic, or on a street where people are encouraged to stroll into your shop without fear of being hit by a bus?

Alleys work great as streets because they create an intimate streetscape, which serves as a “stage” for outdoor cafes, performers, and other serendipitous activities. Based on Donald Appleyard’s research showing that residents of streets with light traffic had three times more friends and twice as many acquaintances as the people who lived on streets with high volumes of traffic.

The Tactical Urbanism Guide from The Street Plans Collaborative is an excellent guide to creative, communityfocused public space projects. A lot of examples focus on low cost, short turn-around projects non-profits and community groups could initiate. Small things like adding chairs to a street corner, creating a garden out of a vacant lot, or building a mini-park out of sod, benches and portable planters in a parking space can change how neighborhoods think about streets and public spaces.

It stands to reason that alleys take this concept to the next level, with the social capital of alleys surpassing even low volume streets and providing more opportunities for social interaction and street life. It can also be argued that alleys are streets in their purest form – primarily a civic stage, robust, “bottom up”, and contributing to civic life.

The very process of planning and building these projects can also strengthen communities. These small projects also challenge what could be considered the dictatorship of auto-focused public spaces. With streets often making up more than 15% of cities total land area, leaving these spaces dedicated solely to automobiles is an environmental, social, and economic waste.

Jackson Heights Plaza. Photo by Marcus Woolen on Flickr via Streetsblog. An urban cyclovia. Photo by daveyoil on Flickr.

Jackson Heights Plaza in NYC is a great example of a road turned into a street. Continuing the precedent of public plaza installations throughout the city, travel lanes that have been converted into new outdoor cafes and other people-oriented uses have energized neighborhoods, increased foot traffic and given a boost to local businesses.

While cities are spending enormous amounts of money to maintain their streets and related utilities, there should be a better return on investment than simply supplying drivers a marginally smoother ride or shaving 2 minutes off of an auto trip. The Tactical Urbanism Guide encourages readers to think creatively about what a street could mean for a neighborhood.

Streets converted into pedestrian plazas were a city planning fad in the 1970s and 1980s and were expected to revitalize downtowns. Instead, the conversions often created dead zones due to poor management and lack of foot traffic. But NYC’s program strategically locates plazas by selecting sites with active retail, tourism magnets, and abundant foot traffic.

Finally, I can’t mention livable streets without mentioning the Open Streets Initiative, an effort to bring Bogota-style Cyclovias to cities across the US. Open Streets events close off a series of streets to traffic (usually on Sunday) to encourage physical activity, socializing, community events, and local business patronage. These events also bring

M obility Matters people from diverse walks of life together. People who may have never run into each other during the course of their daily routines.

The true potential of a street isn’t the efficient movement of vehicles, but the social and design qualities that make people want to stay around awhile.

MEMBER PROFILE: Taylor Lochrane

September 2011 with a vision to investigate ways of converting our roadways into an electronically integrated surface transportation system that integrates people (e.g., pedestrians, drivers, and passengers), vehicles (e.g., bicycles, motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses), and a freshly envisioned infrastructure.

Transportation has always been something that I had a major interest in growing up. As an undergrad, I knew I wanted to work in the transportation industry but I was not sure what specific area I wanted to focus in.

Working in modeling and simulation, I have been assigned some interesting projects. One of my first tasks was to develop a sketch planning tool for practitioners to use in selecting innovative or alternative junctions. In November 2011, the Capacity Analysis for Planning of Junctions (CAP-X) was released as an open source tool to the private and public agencies across the country.

Luckily, my transportation engineering professor Dr. Al-Deek invited me to join his project team as an undergraduate research assistant to see if I was interested in the research side. When I was invited attended the Transportation Research Board (TRB) in Washington DC. I had no idea what to expect. But from this conference that I knew transportation research specifically traffic operations was the area I wanted to focus in and that graduate school would become my next adventure. Taylor Lochrane

Some of my current ongoing research deals with the impact of work zone driver behavior on traffic operations. This research, conducted in the STOL, uses an equipped vehicle to collect real-time data on actual driver behavior through an assortment of sensors in the vehicle. This vehicle will be part of a new concept of a “Living Laboratory,” , where instrumented roadways can be used for measurement of transportation system operations performance. I really enjoy working with the staff of the Office of Operations R&D in this new laboratory at TFHRC.

My name is Taylor Lochrane and I was born and raised in Orlando, Florida, The Sunshine State! I attended the University of Central Florida (UCF), earning my B.S. and M.S. in Civil Engineering. I continued graduate school at UCF in the Civil Engineering Ph.D. program in 2009. In 2010, I ran for Student Body Vice President and was elected to represent 56,337 students. I also was the first Ph.D. engineering student to be elected to office. At the end of my term as Student Body Vice President, I decided to follow my dream to work in Washington, DC at the US Department of Transportation. I accepted a position with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Office of Operations Research and Development at Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC) in McLean, VA.

When I started this new position, I received an invitation to my first YPT event. Being new to a big city, I was interested in attending this networking event. I was glad to meet other transportation professionals from such diverse backgrounds. The conversations I had about the different projects among the various modes of transportation made the conversations very interesting. It was this great experience from meeting such a great group of professionals in the industry. I became a member after this first networking event and actively try to attend the events that YPT organizes. The strong leadership from the Board of Directors and diverse, dedicated Board of Advisors [ed. note: see the back of this issue to learn who’s on the YPT Board of Advisors] shows in the organizations positive attitude and desire to better the transportation industry.

I was hired under the Student Career Experience Program (SCEP), which provides active students with a full-time job experience in major specific fields within federal government until graduation. I currently work in the Saxton Transportation Operations Laboratory (STOL) which is the newest state-of-the-art facility at TFHRC. The STOL opened in

M obility Matters Mobility Matters Editor’s Column

mart card, Bay Area young professionals are at the forefront of transportation technology.

Shana R. Johnson, AICP, is a Senior Transportation Planner at Foursquare Integrated Transportation Planning in Rockville, Maryland. Her work is focused on public transportation, transportation demand management, and long-range transportation planning.

They are also leading the way in transportation service and management innovations. Teresa Tapia’s article explores the creation of SFMTA, which is considered a national model for a successful, integrated multi-modal transportation agency. Krute Singa’s explores the interplay of commuter bus services that are provided privately by high-tech and bio-tech firms in Silicon Valley, and publically-provided commuter bus service, and Heath Maddox’s provides an overview of the Bay Area’s soon-to-be launched bikeshare system.

As Spring draws to a close, I’m happy to present one of the most wide-ranging and diverse issues of Mobility Matters that we’ve ever had. Federal transportation leglistation reauthorization, tactical urbanism and cyclovias, structually deficient bridge replacement, and much more are covered in this issue alone! Shana R. Johnson

Mobility Matters wouldn’t exist without the contributions of YPT members from across the country! If you are interested in writing for the Summer issue of Mobility Matters, please email a brief synposis of your article idea to mobilitymatters@yptransportation.org. We are actively seeking articles on transportation issues, topics and events that will be of interest to our readership. Anyone is welcome to contribute!

Innovation is synomous with the San Franciscio Bay Area, and this issue’s special section on San Francisco appropriately highlights a number of transportation innovations that Bay Area young professionals are advancing. From real-time ridersharing, to developing mobile phone applications to help transit users access real-time passenger information, to implementing San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA)’s state of the art “Clipper” s

We’d also like to hear what you think of Mobility Matters. What do you like? What would you like to see change? Mobility Matters exists to inform and promote the work of young transportation professionals, and we’re always happy to hear from you!

Special Section: YPT San Francisco Bay Area YPT Chair’s Column

Wiener, was a huge success and put YPT on the radar for transportation professionals and the “transcurious” throughout the Bay Area. Leveraging social media resources such as Facebook and Twitter, and our Board’s own contacts,

By Chris Pangilinan, Chair YPT San Francisco Bay Area

Greetings from San Francisco, California, home of the West Coast’s first YPT chapter! It is an exciting time to be in the world of transportation, especially here Chris Pangilinan in the Bay Area, and many of our chapter’s members are right at the forefront of it all. But before we talk about transportation, I’d like to first say a few words about our fledgling chapter. Coming together as merely an idea at the end of last summer, YPT San Francisco Bay Area has quickly grown to nearly 60 members and over 200 friends. The kickoff event, attended by an at-capacity crowd of 180 people, which featured special guest appearances by San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Director Ed Reiskin and City Supervisors David Chui and Scott

Supervisor David Chui, SFMTA Director Ed Reiskin, and Supervisor Scott Wiener at YPT SFBay’s kickoff event. January 18, 2012.

M obility Matters we were able to quickly build a community for what was clearly an underserved market – young transportation professionals and those interested in the industry.

Singa talks us through the resurgence of the companyoperated commuter shuttle. In his article, Michael Vladimir gives us a unique perspective on the innovative startup culture here in the Bay Area and how transportation can very much be a part of it.

None of this, however, would have been possible without the dedication and hard work of the YPT SFBay Board. Our chapter is very fortunate to have such energetic folks leading the way! This energy is matched only by the enthusiasm of our members and friends who, despite the monsoon-like rainstorm last month showed up in droves for our second event and continue to show their support for YPT.

I would like to close by saying that it has been a great ride with YPT so far, and I look forward to a bright future ahead. As someone who two years ago moved to Washington, D.C. from San Francisco, I found it wonderful to instantly have a network of friends and colleagues that I could immerse myself into despite being new to the city. This is the beauty of YPT and we hope to continue that tradition here in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Speaking of our Board and our members, several of them have graciously contributed to this edition of Mobility Matters. If you would like to learn more about the formation of YPT SFBay, Paul Supawanich has a great overview of our chapter’s origins. For coverage on our area’s transportation issues, Teresa Tapia discusses the SFMTA’s strategic planning process. Ed Meng writes about our region’s integrated transit smart card dubbed the “Clipper Card”, Heath Maddox introduces San Francisco’s bike sharing program, and Krute

If you find yourself in town, please drop us a line and say hi! You can find us on Twitter at @YPTSFBay, Facebook at facebook.com/yptsf or email us at yptsfbay@gmail.com. We would love to have you at one of our upcoming events! As Scott McKenzie once sang way back in 1967: “If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to visit YPT while you’re here.”

Starting a YPT Chapter: West Coast Edition

Finding our Niche

A BRIEF HISTORY OF YPT SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA Paul Supawanich, Vice Chair for Administration, YPT SF Bay Associate Project Planner Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates San Francisco, CA YPT San Francisco Bay Visioning Meeting

The Bay Area is no stranger to transportation history and innovation. From historic cable cars Paul Supawanich to dynamic ridesharing, research and development of electric vehicles, and progressive parking pricing, the San Francisco region is home to transportation professionals of all walks of life, and to transportation enthusiasts that we like to fondly call “transcurious”. Given these unique environs, we believed conditions were truly ripe to welcome the West Coast’s first Young Professionals in Transportation chapter.

The Bay Area Chapter did not officially come to be until January 2012. Until that time, we were considered a YPT “interest

group.” From the perspective of our current board members, our true beginning was in September 2011, when a small group of individuals came together to hold the chapter’s first “visioning” meeting. While the visioning meeting was the first strategic gathering of the minds (approximately 10-12 people), this preliminary group had evolved from several other initiatives, including a YPT email list that had been developed from other

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M obility Matters organization’s events and an existing informal happy hour dubbed “Transit Oriented Beer,” or “TOB”.

transportation industry. Finally, we are fortunate to be home to several excellent academic programs that have either a direct or indirect connection to transportation.

Given the number of individuals and enthusiasm from those attending from our initial planning meetings, we knew our future group had immense potential to fulfill a niche in the Bay Area. But one must learn to walk before running. Accordingly, we spent numerous hours debating, discussing and defending various ideas and concepts about our chapter’s unique vision and goals that would be reflect the transportation community’s interests The output of this process ultimately defined our chapter’s fit within the Bay Area’s transportation community and complemented the vision and goals of YPT nationally.

We intend to become a resource for students interested in transportation as a financially accessible means of learning about the industry and connecting with others with experience in the field. In short, our chapter’s key goals can be summed up into the following message: The Bay Area YPT Chapter, an organization that attracts and is accessible for all individuals involved or interested in all aspects of transportation, the movement of people and goods, aims to provide its membership the following:

Initally, we were very concerned about answering the question, “How will YPT define itself from existing transportation organizations and not duplicate their efforts.?” Among numerous other transportation organizations, our board members had a vision of creating an organization that would appeal to the many types of individuals who touch transportation in some way, shape or form. If there is one thing that the Bay Area is known for, it is our embrace of technology and innovation. Being home to the largest number of technology companies in the United States in tandem with a growing number of start-up organizations related to transportation, we wanted to be sure to appeal and provide a forum for this group of individuals. Examples of companies that we’ve partnered with include peer-to-peer car sharing and dynamic ridesharing companies, mobile phone application developers, and urban cartographers.

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A multi-faceted network across the Bay Area’s unique industries to connect young professionals involved directly or indirectly with transportation.

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Interesting external events that educate members about transportation, practices policy, and innovation, that are also fun and focused on social connections.

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On-going career development network for young professionals including access to industry leaders and field experiences.

Getting Started Once our chapter had an established direction, it was time to start focusing on our programming and future membership. Members of the San Francisco Bay Area YPT Board Before any of that could happen, we needed to create the internal infrastructure to enable us to function as a chapter.

Furthermore, we wanted to provide a way for more traditional practitioners in transportation (engineers and planners from the public, private and Attendees at our inaugural event in January 2012 academic sectors) to connect among others in their age cohort with questions about career direction, interest in networking and a desire to further connect beyond the more traditional silos of the

These nuts and bolts items included establishing a bank account (and related non-profit documentation), working with YPT Nationals to establish a chapter affiliation agreement, logo and chapter by-laws, setting up internal (and external) forms of communication including Facebook, Twitter, email lists, website, and an internal portal for our board members to share files and collaborate. While current board members do have established positions, we mutually agreed that we will all function on

M obility Matters Moving forward into the summer, we are planning on focusing our next events on technical tours and other smaller, member-led events to complement our larger group happy hours.

roughly equal grounds as a “working group” until the next election. We’ve found that this arrangement has worked well given the numerous “start-up” tasks needed to establish the organization. In the planning of our first event (January 2012), our board decided that we really wanted to make a splash on the transportation scene. We were interested in inviting guests who could be universally interesting to a wide audience, as well as providing plenty of opportunity for personal interaction. With these two goals in mind, our solution was a happy hour that included a 25-30 minute program with a 5-minute presentation from each of our special guests and a brief Q/A with questions submitted from our Facebook and Twitter users.

What’s Next? The Spring of 2012 was a great start for the YPT SF Bay Chapter. Yet, we are excited for the months and years to come. In the next several months, we will be setting aside some meeting time to catch our breath from event planning and will be conducting some introspective strategic planning for the Chapter. With two events under our belt, we feel the time is right to check the direction of the ship, and make adjustments as needed. With the experience gained from our initial events and from the help and advice from our fellow chapters, we are looking to continue to grow our membership (approximately 60 members as of April 15) as well as our overall impact on transportation in the Bay Area.

Attendees were encouraged to submit fun questions such as, “what is the strangest thing you’ve ever seen on public transportation?” Our event theme was “government and leadership in transportation”, which led us to invite several high ranking City officials (Chair of the SFMTA and two San Francisco Supervisors with roles related to transportation). We believed that our guests and format were key in attracting a fantastic turnout for our inaugural event. We had over a turnout of approximately 175 individuals, with nearly 30 signing up to be formal YPT members within that week.

We would like to sincerely thank the other YPT Chapters for their guidance and also would be happy to offer thoughts from our Bay Area experiences to the new YPT Chapters getting their feet off the ground. It has been an exciting journey for our board members up through this point and we look forward to sharing stories and ideas, transportationrelated or not, with our colleagues in other cities in the years to come. We’re proud to be a part of the West Coast’s Future of Transportation!

Our second event was similar in format, but with the theme “innovation in transportation.” We were fortunate enough to host four guests from four relatively new entrants to the transportation sector. Our guests were founders or strategic staff members from City CarShare, Zipcar, RelayRides and Zimride.

Mobility Startups on the Move

improve upon. Today the question is when, not whether, we’ll own a smartphone. Google and Facebook have transformed the internet, and the iPhone and iPad have created new markets. The importance of transportation in all our lives combined with trends in technology are forming a perfect storm, prompting a revolution in mobility.

By Michael Vladimer, Founder, Yaygo MBA candidate, The Haas School of Business at University of California – Berkeley

“May you live in exciting times.”

No matter how we measure it, transportation is important. The average American spends almost an hour each day traveling to and from work1. Transportation is the #2 household budget item with US consumers spending almost one trillion dollars annually2. Although we

Like a run-away train, innovation has been accelerating at an ever-faster pace and transportation will soon feel its effects. As young professionals, Michael Vladimer we remember what the world was like just a decade ago: some of us still avoided owning a cellphone, many of us used Yahoo! for internet search, and we all recognized that the iPod would be hard for Apple to

http://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/acs-15.pdf

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cesan.pdf

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M obility Matters have begun to reduce the environmental impact of transportation, there has been little improvement for riders’ experience. Many of us still worry about catching the bus or fighting traffic or finding a cab. This is about to change. In particular, two mega-trends are creating the conditions to enable this change: the emergence of smartphones and the power of big data. Cellphones and smartphones allow people to inform and informed about their surroundings. For the first time in human history, the proliferation of smartphones is allowing masses of people to efficiently communicate where they are and where they want to go.

not to own a car, they can use car-sharing services such as Zipcar. Variations on Zipcar’s fleet of cars, GetAround and RelayRides are new peer-to-peer car-share services for sharing cars that are otherwise sitting idle. Classically for those who want to pick up a passenger, there has been slugging in Washington, DC and casual carpool in The Bay. Now, there’s an app for that: Zimride, Ridejoy, and Wheelz are ride-sharing services for different communities. Our company, Yaygo, provides a ride-share van service requested via smartphone app. We are exhilerated to launch our fast, fun, affordable service in San Francisco this summer.

“Big data” refers to the increase computing power used to analyze and respond to this tidal wave of information. These changes are beginning to be studied. For instance, the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of California – Berkeley has a course on Smart Cities that analyzes the effects of these trends3. Together, smartphones and big data present never-before-seen opportunities to improve the thinking behind transportation, which combined with the importance of the industry, foretell change.

Of course, transportation on two wheels is also included in the revolution in mobility. Scoot Networks is similar to Zipcar, except that it provides scooters instead of cars. Bikeshare services are also springing up around the US and around the world. SmartBike in Washington DC was the US’s first service in 2008, and was replaced with the wildly successful Capital Bikeshare in 2010. San Francisco is currently developing a bikeshare service of its own. Paris is a leader with its bikeshare, and last summer Tel Aviv initiated the Tel-O-Fun bikeshare.

We can already see innovation in public transit, cars, cabs, and bicycles. At the most basic level, riders are more informed in choosing and using these modes of travel. Increasingly, they interact with their mode of transit.

If the world of transportation is changing, what does this mean for us as young professionals in transportation? And, how can we leverage our community to innovate better transportation solutions?

Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has created an application programming interface (API), a method for interacting with SFMTA’s data, that permits software developers access to data that is crucial to developing apps. This has enabled popular smartphone apps, such as iBART and Transporter, as well as mobile web pages, like NextBus. Riders with cell phones dial 511 to get current information on bus routes. These technology solutions allow riders to spend more time enjoying life and less time worrying about transit.

Foremost, I advocate for us to unite through organizations, such as YPT, which are the best way to communicate and collaborate. When you hear about ideas that interest you, get involved! We have a diverse team at Yaygo including a transportation engineer and a city planner. I expect that other startups would similarly welcome team members with a deep knowledge of transportation. YPTers can also support innovation by helping people new to transportation understand regulations. Having lived for five years in Washington DC, I appreciate that there can be many good reasons why transportation is regulated (and regulated differently in different cities). However, many entrepreneurs are unaware of what the regulations are, and the myriad of laws can be daunting. The more municipalities can clarify the regulations and help entrepreneurs navigate the law, the easier it will be to innovate. Additionally, public-private partnerships, such as bike-share services, are another way to collaborate. We can all contribute to and benefit from the change imminent changes in transportation.

There are also apps for those who prefer taxicab service. Cabulous and Taxi Magic both let passengers hail a cab and alert riders when the cab has arrived. Uber cab provides a similar service with a fancier experience: sleek black cars. Catching a ride can also be social and environmental. Waze is an app that routes commuters around traffic. What’s special about Waze is that its data is crowdsourced: Wazers chose to share their data with the community and, in turn, benefit from others’ data. In addition to basic traffic flow information, Wazers can alert the community to hazards such as accidents and hidden police. For those who prefer 3

The revolution in mobility has begun! These are exciting times indeed.

http://smartcitiesberkeley.wordpress.com/

M obility Matters The San Francisco Bay Area Clipper® Card: A Truly Regional Fare Payment System Edward Meng, Senior Consultant Transportation Business Group, CH2M HILL

Edward Meng

CH2M HILL is the prime consultant to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, responsible for managing the delivery of Clipper® (formerly TransLink®), the integrated smartcard-based fare payment system for the San Francisco Bay Area.

Photos courtesy of MTC

and financial settlement between all participating transit agencies on a daily basis. The Clipper® system is unique in its level of sophistication used to enforce each operator’s fare policy and operating environments. Supporting flat fares (single tag), distancebased fares (dual tag – pay on exit), and zone-based fares (dual tag – max fare on entry), the Clipper® smart card system fare policy implementation includes four fare categories (Adult, Youth, Senior, RTC/Disabled), over 4000 unique fares, 100 fare products, and over 12,000 recognized intra- and inter-operator transfer combinations.

Home to over 7 million people, the San Francisco Bay Area is comprised of the nine counties that touch the San Francisco Bay and over 100 municipalities within its 7000 square miles. These cities and counties range from the urban hills and mountains of San Francisco to the agricultural and pastoral areas of Sonoma and Napa County; from the studentconcentrated neighborhoods of Berkeley to the powerful dot-com campuses of Silicon Valley. Over two dozen transit agencies provide over 1.5 million trips daily on a diverse range of public transit modes in the Bay Area: historic streetcars, world-famous cable Photo courtesy of Metropolitan Transportation cars (the only mobile Commission (MTC) National Historic Landmarks in the United States), high-speed ferries, diesel commuter rail and electric-powered rapid transit, light rail, diesel and natural gas buses, and electric-powered trolleys. Almost half of the trips in the region are taken using the Clipper® smart card.

Originally known as TransLink®, MTC rebranded the card as Clipper® in June 2010 to increase recognition and utilization of the system. Overall brand recognition of TransLink® was relatively low, and the program was transitioning to a new smart card technology and key consumer rollout phase. The program’s new name, Clipper®, and associated marketing were designed to capture the public’s attention and connect the program to the region. Clipper ships were a technological innovation that sped travel time to the San Francisco Bay Area during the region’s Gold Rush era, and were essential to the development and prosperity of the region in its early days. The Clipper® launch event was held on San Francisco’s Hyde Street Pier featuring local and regional leadership, followed by increased marketing and outreach efforts. Clipper® logos replaced TransLink® logos on all fare payment devices, Clipper® cards were distributed free of charge, commercials aired on local television and radio stations promoting Clipper® card ease and convenience, and the website, Facebook page, and Twitter pages were all updated and rebranded.

Currently, the Clipper® fare payment system can be used on the Bay Area’s seven largest transit agencies (AC Transit, BART, Caltrain, Golden Gate Transit/Ferry, SamTrans, SF Muni, Santa Clara VTA), which account for 95% of transit trips in the region. Managed by the Bay Area’s MPO, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the Clipper® fare payment system is one of the first truly regional smart card systems to be deployed in the United States. With nearly 10,000 devices deployed across the region, the Clipper® system supports fare structures, transit products, and transfer policies implemented at each agency, as well a regional shared “float” account, which holds all “e-cash” funds loaded on patron cards until fare payment. The Clipper® central system performs central clearing

Aggressive advertising and outreach campaigns were held in three languages (English, Spanish, Chinese) on

Photo courtesy of MTC

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M obility Matters transit vehicles, at transit stops, and at strategic regional hubs, and over 130 outreach events were held, with special focus on senior, youth, and limited-English proficiency populations.

Indeed, Clipper® is becoming a part of the local lexicon in the Bay Area. News about the Clipper® card can often be found on MTC’s and agency websites, on the Clipper® card Facebook and Twitter pages, and increasingly, on independent local blogs and media. In fact, the San Francisco Chronicle’s website, SFGate.com, recently ran an article titled “You know you’re a real San Franciscan if…” and included having a Clipper® card as criteria for being a “local”. The Clipper® card is becoming a part of the Bay Area culture.

In 2010, MTC also adopted Regional Resolution 3866, which required participating Clipper® agencies to convert their Photo courtesy of SFGate.com existing prepaid fare media (i.e. tickets and passes) to Clipper®-only. The transition from traditional paper and magnetic fare media was deemed critical to the success of the program. At the time, the system was only achieving around 1 million transactions monthly. MTC had projected that fare media transitions would result in 20 million transactions per month. The fare media transition was expected to help achieve the original program objectives of increasing ease of transit use, regional access, and ridership goals.

MTC is currently in the process of implementing the Clipper® card fare payment system on the remaining 20 agencies in the region. The San Francisco Bay system operated by the Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) is expected to debut in mid-2012, followed by Union City Transit, Marin Transit, and the operators in Napa and Solano Counties in 2013, and the remaining agencies in Sonoma County and outer East Bay afterwards. MTC is also exploring integration of the Clipper® system with some nontransit activity. Patrons can currently use Clipper® to pay for their parking at both BART and Caltrain stations. Further, a pilot with parking garages managed by SFMTA is currently being developed, which may lay the groundwork for a potential regional Clipper® parking solution in the future.

Initial fare media transitions began in March 2010 and have continued to this day. As of April 2012, fare media transitions for six of the seven participating agencies have occurred; the fare media transition for the 7th agency, the Santa Clara VTA, is planned for Summer 2012. Since the rebranding of the program from TransLink to Clipper® in June 2010, the program has experienced tremendous growth. In June 2010, the system processed around 1.7 million transactions and $4.2 million in revenue. Today, it processes nearly 17 million monthly transactions and nearly $30 million in revenue, a ten-fold growth in transactions and seven-fold growth in revenue. ®

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Photo courtesy of MTC

There are several trends developing nationally and internationally for smart card systems like Clipper®, which MTC is also exploring. Mobile solutions are being developed which would access existing web functions, like checking balances, viewing transaction history, and initiating remote loads of value. Near Field Communication (NFC) technology using mobile phones will likely gain momentum as more NFC-capable mobile phones hit the market, reducing management of card distribution, as “cards” are copied onto a chip in the phone, and in the long term, acting as a point of sale for value to be loaded onto the card. Other models of fare payment systems, including account-based systems and open payment systems are also being considered by MTC. The Clipper® program has experienced an incredible amount of growth within the past two years, and is looking to embrace new technology as a way to improve operational efficiencies, distribution, access, customer service, and reduce the costs of fare collection. Transit riders are experiencing a new way to pay for public transportation across multiple agencies, and it’s as easy as “Load It”, “Tag It”, and “Go”!

M obility Matters 4G Bike Sharing Comes to the San Francisco Bay

and 400 spread between the South Bay cities. A system membership will give users access to bikes and stations in any of the pilot locations, but bikes will not be allowed to circulate from one city to another. A major incentive for Caltrain’s participation is to encourage bicycle access to their stations without increasing the number of bikes they must accommodate onboard their trains. Membership and use fees have yet to be finalized, but the system is likely to be structured in much the same way it’s done in other cities: once you are a member, you can use the system for free for trips of 30 minutes or shorter.

By Heath Maddox, Transportation Planner, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority

Heath Maddox

Heath Maddox is a Senior Planner in the Livable Streets Subdivision of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA). He has served professionally for the past 12 years as a bicycle and pedestrian planner for local and regional government agencies.

Bicycle sharing began sweeping across Europe in the mid1990s when the Velo’v program in Lyon ushered in the third generation of public bicycle sharing systems with a number of innovations including the use of electronic locks, smart cards, telecommunication systems, and onboard computers. In the past few years, starting with the introduction of the first fourth-generation system, Montreal’s Bixi, bike sharing has taken off in North America as well. Just since 2010, large-scale systems have launched and continued to expand in Washington DC, Minneapolis, Denver, Boston and a host of smaller programs have rolled out in cities like Boulder, Honolulu, San Antonio, and Broward County, FL. Not to be left out, New York City, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area are poised to launch similar systems of their own later this year. These fourth generation systems take all the innovations of generation three and add a solar, portable, modular station design that requires no external AC power or excavation and can be installed and turned on in an hour or less. San Francisco Regional Bicycle Sharing System An interagency team in the Bay Area has been working to bring just such a fourth generation system to San Francisco, the Peninsula and South Bay this fall. A regional bicycle sharing pilot program led by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) in partnership with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and Caltrain will deploy 1000 bicycles regionally by Fall 2012 at up to 100 stations along the Peninsula transportation corridor. The pilot locations (San Francisco, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Redwood City and San Jose) are all lined up along the Caltrain corridor to facilitate first- and last-mile use of the system in conjunction with regional transit in addition to use of the bikes for standalone short trips (see Figure 1).

San Francisco Bay Area Regional Bicycle Sharing Pilot Jurisdictions

Membership may cost from $5 to $10 a day, or $75 to $95 for a year, with monthly or multiday memberships options as well. Once trips go beyond 30 minutes, half-hourly rates kick in to encourage short trips and quick turnover of the bikes. Data from other cities show that 98% of trips made by annual members are 30 minutes or less. Casual users are typically not as skilled at avoiding extra fees, but the overwhelming majority of trips by short-term members are still under an hour or two.

Half the total, or 500 bicycles and approximately 50 stations, will be located in San Francisco, with 100 in Redwood City

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M obility Matters A combination of local, regional and federal grants are funding the startup costs of project with major funding coming from a $4.3 million Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Innovative Bay Area Climate Initiatives (BACI) grant and $1.4 million from the BAAQMD’s Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA).

which would facilitate a system launch by early Fall. This BAAQMD-led project is a pilot that will run for 12 to 24 months, followed by a final evaluation. Upon completion of the evaluation, the goal of the project is for regional operations to continue and expand seamlessly following the pilot period.

Project Schedule

San Francisco Bicycle Share Pilot Service Area

In February 2012, the BAAQMD issued a request for proposals (RFP) for bicycle share vendors to furnish, install and operate the regional pilot system. The RFP closed on March 21, 2012, and the BAAQMD plans to award the contract this spring.

The pilot service area in San Francisco lies in the city’s employment- and transit-rich Downtown/SOMA area between the Financial District, Market Street and the Transbay and Caltrain terminals. This area is notably flat, has the densest bikeway network coverage and has the highest bicycle use counts in the city. The service area also assists those who commute by transit from cities to the east and south that encounter difficulties bringing a bicycle with them on BART or Caltrain.

On May 2, 2012, the BAAQMD Board authorized the Air District’s Executive Director to enter into a contract with Alta Bicycle Share (Alta) or the next highest ranked bidder in the event that no agreement can be reached with Alta. Alta, which operates bike share systems in Washington DC, Boston and Melbourne, and has been chosen to deliver systems in Chicago and New York City, was the highest ranked vendor in the Air District’s proposal evaluation process. If negotiations move according to schedule, Alta should be under contract before summer,

Much of the city’s densely urbanized northeastern quadrant is similarly well-suited for bicycle sharing, and the pilot service area is strategic for immediate expansion into this area. To choose the introductory service area, a citywide suitability study was done, using eleven factors

San Francisco Bike Share Suitability Map.

M obility Matters Minneapolis, and New Balance sponsors the Hubway system in Boston. New York City just announced that Citibank will put up $40M for naming rights of their soon-to-be-launched system. Sponsorship recognition is generally through logo placement on the program website, at stations, and on the bicycles themselves. Such logo placement is different from advertising schemes in cities like Paris, where bike sharing is delivered under contract with an outdoor advertising company and subsidized by a revenue stream stemming from ads on billboards and street furniture, much of which is otherwise unrelated to the actual bicycle sharing system itself. Here, the regional partners have begun to develop a sponsorship program and identify sponsorship opportunities for the San Francisco Bay Area bicycle share system. Once there is a selected bicycle share vendor, the partners will determine more details regarding sponsorship. The available grant funds will cover the majority of the capital and operating expenses for the pilot phase of the project. Additional revenue from membership and user fees as well as sponsorship will help the project reach complete rollout of the 1000 bicycle pilot and may provide funding for expansion.

City of San Francisco Bicycle Share Pilot Service Area

known to be positively correlated with bike sharing success in a raster-based GIS overlay analysis. Station Planning The SFMTA bicycle sharing team has identified over 60 potential sites concentrated in or immediately outside of the pilot service area in locations found to be most suitable for bicycle share use. Within the service area, the SFMTA prioritized stations to serve regional transportation stations such as BART and Caltrain.

Post Pilot: Evaluation and Expansion MTC will be performing an in-depth analysis of all the BACI-funded grants to determine their effectiveness at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Member surveys in conjunction with the rich travel data that will be automatically gathered by the bike sharing system as it is used will provide the basis for this evaluation. Economic and fiscal analyses will be conducted to judge the longterm viability of the system as well. If bike sharing proves a success and is deemed economically sustainable and worthy of continuing, then a transition phase will be initiated in which ownership and overall management of the system is transferred from the BAAQMD to a yet-tobe-determined agency or company.

The remaining sites fall along the existing bicycle network and maintain the ideal distribution of one station every two to four blocks. This fine-grained coverage creates a flexible network for users and increases options when the system is used for both first- and last-mile connections to transit and for short stand-alone trips. In the Peninsula and South Bay cities, stations are primarily being concentrated in the area immediately surrounding the anchoring Caltrain station, but will also provide connections to nearby major trip attractors (e.g. Stanford University, and large high tech campuses). An exciting aspect of this regional pilot is that it will test the viability of bike sharing in urban centers of varying size and density, providing key lessons for expansion to the rest of the region.

Additional Information Additional materials, including fact sheets and presentations are available on the BAAQMD, SFMTA, and VTA project websites online:

System Sponsorship

http://www.baaqmd.gov/Divisions/Strategic-Incentives/ Alternative-Transportation/Bike-Share-Pilot.aspx

Cities elsewhere have had success in enlisting sponsors to support bicycle sharing efforts. Kaiser sponsors Denverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s system, Blue Cross Blue Shield sponsors NiceRide in

http://www.sfmta.com/cms/bshare/indxbishare.htm http://www.vta.org/bike_information/bike_sharing.html

M obility Matters A Multi-Modal Agency for a Sustainable San Francisco

goals to reduce the City’s impact to the climate with the implementation of various agency wide strategies. The five strategies outlined in the plan address specific efforts and solutions for each of the modes. In addition, the Complete Streets Strategy is one of a handful of city-level efforts to develop a comprehensive Complete Streets program, which is by its very nature a multimodal process.

By Teresa Tapia

Teresa Tapia

Teresa Tapia is a Transportation Planner III at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation. She has over five years of experience in transportation planning. While the Bay Area feels like home now, she is originally from Los Angeles.

In addition to the Climate Action Plan, the SFMTA has produced important plans for improving transit and bicycling in the City. For one thing, the SFMTA has developed a comprehensive program to improve the reliability of the city’s transit system (Muni) and reduce delay along key high-ridership corridors. SFMTA has developed service changes based on public input collected in 2008 and 2009, to improve customer satisfaction with Muni. Further, based on current outreach input and extensive analysis, the Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP) proposes to develop a Muni Rapid Network with the implementation of substantial engineering improvements along key corridors to improve transit travel time and reliability. The TEP’s Muni Rapid vision, and in conjunction with other Muni programs, the TEP will be the blueprint for making Muni a great transportation choice in the city.

In the last few years, California has moved forward with legislation and policies to propel cities toward more sustainable growth. While the disconnect between transportation and land use planning has been clearly highlighted, the discordant processes between different transportation planning bodies is also evident. In many cities across California, different agencies have different goals, jurisdictions, and competing interests that often lead to stagnated projects. In many cases, this has led to substantial delays in achieving a mode split that is suitable for building sustainable communities and reducing the carbon footprint of cities in the region.

Further, the SFMTA has also developed a comprehensive Bicycle Plan that provides a blueprint for the next set of investments for the bicycle network. A number of projects outlined in the plan have already been implemented; the bicycle mode share has SFMTA Bike rack. Photo by Frank Chan on Flickr. substantially increased along these project corridors and particularly in the core central area of the city.

In the Bay Area, however, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has been building its capacity to become a multi-modal service provider that manages the mobility for the entire City of San Francisco. This new agency model is being watched and hailed as a potential alternative to the often incompatible relationship between traditional departments of transportation and transit agencies. In fact, the SFMTA is one of a handful of agencies worldwide that operates with a multi-modal service package. This creates a unique opportunity for the Bay Area to carve new pathways toward sustainable mobility and be model for multi-modal transportation planning and implementation. Created in 1999 as a result of Proposition E, the SFMTA is a product of five different agencies merged to create a single entity. While vestiges of the old Department of Parking and Traffic are still present in the file systems, the SFMTA has come a long way in establishing itself as a multi-modal agency. Further, in line with the development of the Sustainable Communities Strategy that is currently being developed by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the SFMTA has produced a comprehensive Climate Action Plan (2011) that outlines

The plan includes early efforts to identify barriers to multimodal integration between bicycles and transit. With the development of the TEP and the Bicycle Plan, SFMTA

M obility Matters has two solid modal plans from which to develop key strategies for integrating these different modes.

modes. The plan would prioritize a faster and more reliable transit system, better bicycle and walking conditions for all age groups, easier access to taxis, more vehicle and ridesharing options, smarter parking solutions and more convenient payment and information options.

In addition, as one of the first multimodal and multiagency projects, the Better Market Street project is in the process of producing innovative approaches to addressing the multimodal needs on Market Street, the most important and historically significant street in the City. The Better Market Street Project is an attempt to redesign and repurpose a multi-faceted and diverse transportation corridor. Particular emphasis has been placed on improving the public realm and improving the symbiotic nature of Market Street as a multi-modal and multi-use corridor. Other projects with a special focus on multimodal planning include the Van Ness and Geary Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) projects.

The Strategic Plan also shifts the agency’s identity into a service and customer-oriented transportation agency. As stated in the Strategic Plan, “the SFMTA is committed to delivering these services with a customer-focused team, and building lasting relationships among all team members. The restructuring of the agency over the years, the addition of new leadership, and the creation of new subdivisions such as the Multi-modal group under the Strategic Policy and Planning Division are key steps in moving the SFMTA forward with its new role as the mobility manager of the City. As the Director of Transportation, Ed Reiskin states, “The next six years chart the course for a future of integrated of transportation choices that will improve the quality of life for us all.” As part of these next five years, the SFMTA will be taking further steps in developing multi-modal policies and strategies. As a follow-up to previous modal plans such as the Bicycle Plan, the SFMTA is preparing a Bicycle Transit Integration Project to develop policies and strategies for integrating bicycles and transit at various levels of operation. In addition, the SFMTA is also in the process of completing a Complete Streets Strategy and a Multi-modal capital investment strategy for maintaining and expanding infrastructure in the system. Although challenges remain, the SFMTA has progressed substantially in the last few years and is in a position to offer multi-modal solutions to the multi-faceted problem of Climate Change. Having removed many of the institutional barriers, the SFMTA is now focused on implementing industry best practices for multi-modal planning as well as developing new innovative solutions. With the TEP and the Strategic Plan, the SFMTA is an exciting organization to keep your eyes on.

San Francisco Historic Cable Car, Photo Source: SFMTA

One of the latest efforts to move the agency forward in this unique vantage point is the adoption of the agency’s Strategic Plan. The SFMTA Strategic Plan for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 - FY 2018 was approved by the SFMTA Board in January 2012 and represents the vision, mission, goals and objectives for the Agency. It is essentially the agency’s business plan to manage the mobility of the City and move closer to a functioning multi-modal agency that is closer to achieving the sustainable goals outlined in the 2011 Climate Action Plan. The Strategic Plan sets the wheels in motion for a more connected, sustainable and vibrant San Francisco by building upon the City’s Transit First policy. If successfully implemented, the Strategic Plan could achieve substantial gains in improving the use of sustainable transportation

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M obility Matters Privately-Provided Commuter Bus Services in the San Francisco Bay Area

concerns over having access to a vehicle for workday travel and for personal emergencies. On campus, employers retain cars or bikes for use during the work day and some contract with car sharing companies to provide a fleet. All companies have an emergency ride home program that provides free taxi rides in case of emergencies.

By Krute Singa

Krute Singa

Krute Singa is the manager for the Commute Smart Program, an initiative of the San Francisco Department of the Environment, which works with commuters and businesses, promoting mobility programs for trips to work and school, and implementing the Commuter Benefits Ordinance.

The transportation managers of businesses that provide commuter bus services have all stated that recruiting and retention are among the top reasons for providing the commuter buses. The buses allow companies to recruit from a larger labor pool as the prospective employee does not have to factor the cost of commuting to the campus location when deciding to apply for or accept a job offer.

Privately-provided commuter buses have operated in one form or the other since 1950. The fiscal problems facing the public transportation industry during the 1980s presented opportunities for expanded entry into the commuter transportation market. But private transit service began to decline in the 1990s ,as their routes were either taken over by transit agencies or could not compete with fare subsidies. Today, few of the operators are still in business.

The bus service also allows employees to live in locations that suit their lifestyles. This mobility may not be a positive aspect when considering that the more environmental choice is to live near work to decrease travel costs, congestion and air pollution altogether. While this is a valid argument, the reality is that people will live where they can afford housing or in areas fitting their preferences. The companies do not offer bus service to those living within a specified radius of the campus, instead providing free transit passes to encourage local transit use.

Recently though, privately-operated commuter bus services, particularly those operated by firms for their employees, have regained popularity. Why has demand increased so rapidly over the past eight years? And should local transit agencies support these services, or consider them competitive?

The variety of privately-provided commuter buses offer flexible and direct service to employment areas not well covered by public transit. They incorporate the latest advancements in wireless communications, alternative fuels and passenger comfort. This next generation of services grew in response to the demand for express travel between cities or suburbs to low density employment centers. Part of the attraction to privately-operated services is due to the amenities provided. The buses are luxury coaches and many operate on alternative fuels. Seats are arranged to facilitate laptop use and with wireless access, commuters are able to start or end their workday en route. Even highlypaid professionals who are otherwise able to drive alone to work and afford rising gas prices are choosing the bus for more productive use of their commute. By offering an attractive and convenient ridesharing option, fewer cars travel on local streets and congested highways.

Privately-operated commuter bus in Silicon Valley. Photo by Richard Masoner.

Transportation managers have also reported sense of community fostered by the bus. Riders come from different departments and the bus provides an unstructured way to socialize and share ideas.

Corporate commuter bus services are combined with other programs to offer a comprehensive package that alleviates

For companies with limited space, commuter programs,

M obility Matters By diversifying the services in their retinue, transit agencies are acting as mobility managers. Mobility management involves fostering and organizing a network of diverse transportation services and providers to satisfy customer needs, moving beyond establishing and operating traditional fixed route transit systems. This means incorporating vanpools, carpools and commuter services provided either through public agencies or private companies into the agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s transportation network. The role of the transit agencies shifts from solely being a transit provider to one that acts similar to a travel agent by brokering customer needs with a variety of service providers and providing one-stop customer information on all available travel services.

Interior of privately-operated commuter bus.

especially the commuter buses and vanpools, reduce the demand for parking and accommodate future growth in limited space.

The continued decentralization of metropolitan areas, and changes in family and work patterns are steadily eroding traditional markets for fixed-route transit and limiting opportunities for service expansion. Privatelyprovided commuter buses have been successful in the Bay Area mainly due to their appropriate response to travel demand.

Benefits are not only limited to the company providing the services. In San Francisco, privately-provided commuter buses stop along corridors that have local public transit connections. The service is therefore complementary, encouraging ridership of local transit services to connect to the commuter bus. Stop locations are typically adjacent to retail or service establishments, stimulating economic activity when riders patronize the merchants to and from work. Patronage includes stopping at the coffee shop in the morning, to happy hour gatherings after work at establishments nearby the drop-off locations.

Providing express service from city and suburban areas low density suburban employment locations on a comfortable bus equipped with wireless internet access understands exactly what highly-skilled commuters need in terms of travel time, quality of service and productivity..

Perhaps most importantly, the employer-based commuter buses have made the largest impact in reducing drive alone commuting out of all transportation demand management programs offered by the companies. Encouraging and facilitating private sector operations rests on formal recognition of the service as complementary to conventional transit. Transit agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area have started to recognize the complementary services that the commuter buses provide, filling transit gaps on a regional level by providing service to areas where public transit is not financially feasible due to insufficient density, including suburban office sites and large company campuses. As such, transit agencies are in the process of creating support services to assist with curbside provision and coordinating with local transit operations.

Riders boarding privately-operated commuter bus.

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M obility Matters Carless in Cali

riders are generally more talkative and alert on the ride to wine country than on the way back to San Francisco. But the buses may see less ridership in the future. The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) is currently under construction and will be fully operational in the next ten to fifteen years. While the buses have to contend with traffic along US-101, SMART will be able to operate at speeds up to 79 miles per hour with a southern terminus at Larkspur Ferry Terminal in Marin County. Either way, wine country is easily accessible for those without an auto.

By Paul Stannis

Paul Stanis

Paul Stanis is an Associate Transportation Engineer with DKS Associates. Raised a Hoosier, he received his BS and MS from Washington University in St. Louis before working in New York City and the Bay Area.

As summer progressed and the temperatures warmed up, I learned the Pacific Ocean was also accessible by transit. Access to Ocean Beach in San Francisco is fairly simple from the N-Judah or L-Taraval Muni light rail routes or eleven Muni bus routes. When the ocean is producing excellent waves, surfers lugging their boards on Muni routes to and from the water is a common sight.

Almost four years ago, I bought a one-way airline ticket, packed my bags, and moved to the center of car culture. The Golden State beckoned and I was ready to oblige with the adventure spirit of the gold rush forty-niners. My apartment was a short distance from work, and I would be able to ride my bicycle or take the bus on a daily basis. However, while it was an employment opportunity that lured me to the Bay Area, I wanted to experience the sun, surf, and snow, essentially everything in a Californian tourism commercial.

Farther south of San Francisco, the Valley Transit Authority Highway 17 Express bus connects San Jose Diridon Caltrain Station to Santa Cruz. The 17 Express bus is regularly filled with families on weekends during the summer months to visit the Santa Cruz boardwalk and amusement park. Whether visiting Ocean Beach in San Francisco or Santa Cruz, the sand stays in my shoes for days.

The difficulty was that I was carless and would need to rely on car rental agencies or rides from friends. Getting around San Francisco would be easy enough with BART and Muni as reliable and efficient options, but Lake Tahoe, Santa Cruz, and Sonoma County all seemed beyond the reach of transit or bicycle.

The Bay Area also has an excellent network of ferries which connect San Francisco with Oakland, Alameda, Solano County, and Marin County. While all of these ferry routes provide amazing views of the San Francisco Bay, scenery and skyline, perhaps the most impressive view is provided on Giants home games. On these days, a ferry leaves Oakland 45 minutes before game and shuttles passengers to a special gate behind AT&T ballpark with 15 minutes to spare before first pitch. No need to fight the crowds on BART or Muni or struggle to find parking if traveling from the East Bay since the gate is literally steps from the stadium. After the game is over, the ferry departs AT&T ballpark 20 minutes after the last out. It is one of my favorite views of the city and the commute cannot be beat.

Fortunately, Tom Krakow, a co-worker of mine, shared in the difficulties of finding a way up to Tahoe in the winter months for world-class skiing. Tom long-ago ditched his own auto for an easier and more relaxing way up to the snow. The Bay Area Ski Bus has been shuttling snowbirds from 20 pick-up locations around the Bay Area to six different Lake Tahoe ski resorts since 1996. It sounded like the perfect option for someone who was carless and still needed an occasional snow fix. Not only was I provided breakfast, a ride there and back on charter buses, a lift ticket, an aprĂ¨s happy hour, and movie entertainment for a reasonable $85, I instantly made friends with others traveling to the mountain.

While the San Francisco Bay Area is spread over a large area, I have been pleasantly surprised that many of the places I enjoy visiting are accessible without the use of a car. In an area of the country where ingenuity and innovation are valued to such a high extent, it is encouraging, but not unexpected, that so many transportation options are enjoyed by so many people.

After the snow had melted and the skis had been put in storage, wine countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hills turned green from the winter rain and the allure and beauty of wine country was in full bloom. The distance from San Francisco to Healdsburg is roughly 70 miles, and is connected by a single bus transfer. Golden Gate Transit travels from San Francisco to Santa Rosa where an easy transfer to Sonoma Transit will get you the rest of the way up to Healdsburg. Needless to say,

M obility Matters I’ll take Transportation for 500 Please! By Randall Keith Benjamin, II

Keith Benjamin, II

Randall Keith Benjamin, II is a focused, action oriented leader. This summer, Keith will be in Paris, France as a Fellow through the Give1Project. He just completed his service as the Legislative Associate for the Transport Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO.

Whether we want to admit it or not, the poor economy has devastated millions of families of color around the country. With 27.4 percent of Blacks below the povertyline, disparities—though they have always existed— have unfortunately become much more urgent. Those who fought to get into the middle class have drastically fallen into a deep abyss due to the loss of income, job, or home. Families’ lives have been left in jeopardy with more questions than answers. A dreary reality has set in for so many, and those who have been on the front-lines advocating on behalf of communities of color have shifted their focus squarely on the need for significant job creation. Tours, panels, hearings, press conferences, rallies and the like have all been called and conducted in an effort to bring these issues to light; however, these gatherings have neglected a policy issue that may just be an answer to making equity, economic stability, and opportunity for people of color more possible than ever: transportation.

The median household income for Blacks in 2010 was $32,106. That’s 30 percent less than the comparable figure for Whites and just $10,000 above the poverty line for a family of four. You know those statistics, but take those numbers and pair it with the fact that those who sit in the lowest 20 percent income bracket spend about 42 percent of their total annual incomes on transportation. Minorities are four times more likely than white counterparts to depend on public transportation for their work commute. Research completed in 2011 by the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program takes these findings further, reporting that although 70 percent of US residents have access to transit, only 30 percent of jobs are actually accessible by transit. For those in low-income communities this is especially difficult: only about 22 percent of metropolitan jobs in low- and middle-skill industries can be reached by transit. That fact alone makes it at least fathomable why Blacks account for 20 percent of pedestrian deaths in the United States. The National Urban League’s recently-released 2012 State of Black America report argues that the federal government must be an active partner if the downward spiral of our communities are to be properly addressed. Transportation is vital and access should be seen as a civil right and not a privilege. We cannot advocate for the investment in job creation when those that need it the most have no way to get to those opportunities we will create. Transportation access and equity are pivotal to any conversation around better and new employment options. If we are going to talk about inequity within communities of color as it pertains to economic progress, we are going to have to bring transportation to the top of our priority list.

The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA-LU), or “the transpo bill” for short, was recently pulled back from a cliff with the passage of a 90day extension, and a longer bill is now being considered in conference. If the House and Senate had not acted by March 31st, every dime of transportation funding for the entire country would have cease. For perspective, that would have been an immediate loss of 1.8 million jobs and a missed opportunity of creating another 1 million. Streets, roads, and rails are some of the largest properties owned by cities and localities. As the lifeblood of how this nation’s communities are structured, stoppage of this funding can literately halt mobility-in every form. I t is the privilege of access that allows jobs, schools, health facilities, businesses, and the like inter-connect to serve the needs of its citizens. It is in that reality that the economic devastation of communities of color and transportation collide.

Transportation equity ensures that jobs created to aid those in need can actually be accessed by those in need. It ensures that satisfaction is not found in transportation options, but in transportation that leads to opportunities. It ensures that when planning decisions are made people of color are seen as an asset and not a bargaining chip. Access means something, and if we are going to be serious about moving towards equity and progress in our communities, we are going to have to be sure that we know how to get there.

M obility Matters Eno Center for Transportation Programs for Young Professionals

are encouraged to network and connect with attending transportation patrons. YPT and Eno: A History of Working Together

By Melissa Paradis

Melissa Paradis

Throughout the history of the LDC program, YPT and Eno have joined forces to help the “Eno Fellows” transition from an academic setting to the transportation workforce. Many YPT members have been involved with the LDC program for a numbers of years. We not only encourage them to network with our Fellows, but over the years Eno has invited several YPT members to speak during LDC, encouraging Fellows on their path in the transportation industry.

Melissa Paradis is the Program Coordinato for the Eno Center for Transportation, where she assists in and supports the planning and production of materials for meetings and courses for the Center for Transportation Leadership.

For 20 years, the Eno Center for Transportation has hosted 20 of the nation’s top graduate students in transportation for a weeklong course that offers attendees a firsthand look at how national transportation policies are developed. This course – the Eno Leadership Development Conference (LDC) – is Eno’s flagship program for emerging transportation professionals and its inception in 1992, more than 200 “Eno Fellows” have gathered in Washington, DC for a rigorous week of introduction to transportation policy.

As Eno has grown, YPT members have supported many of our programs and can often be seen at our policy forums and luncheon debates. In turn, several Eno staff members frequently attend YPT events and often reach out to YPT for input when looking at issues relevant to young and emerging professionals. Mostly recently, Eno and YPT joined forces to host a Transportation Trivia Night. The event was so well received that it will be repeated during LDC.

The program is designed for students in transportationrelated programs, including engineering, planning, public policy, public administration, economics, business, and law. This year those selected as “Eno Fellows” will come to Washington June 3-7 for meetings with federal officials and leaders of business and non-profit organizations. A fundraising dinner will be held at the end of the conference honoring a distinguished industry leader where fellows

Opportunities With Eno For YPT Members Want to get more involved with Eno? You have a variety of opportunities ranging from social media outreach to speaking engagements, including: •

Share LDC program information with professors or those who are in positions to nominate Fellows

2012 Eno Fellows Tierra Bills University of California, Berkeley

Scott Himes The Pennsylvania State University

Christopher Silveira Georgia Institute of Technology

Zachary Bugg North Carolina State University

Jennifer Johnson Clemson University

Naomi Stein Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Johnathon Ehsani University of Michigan

Josephine Kressner Georgia Institute of Technology

Sarah Swensson San Jose State University

Daniel Fagnant The University of Texas at Austin

Gregory Macfarlane Georgia Institute of Technology

Jacob Teter University of California, Davis

Madison Fitzpatrick Northwestern University

Christopher McCahill University of Connecticut

Madeline Wander University of California, Los Angeles

Alexander Garcia Florida State University

Cortney Mild University of Oregon

Runze Yu University of Washington

P. Sean Garney George Mason University

Juana Sandoval Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission

M obility Matters •

•

Submit a blog post for the Eno Center for Transportation Leadership or the Eno Center for Transportation Policy Would you like to speak to the LDC students? Contact Lindsey Robertson, Directors of the Eno Center for Transportation Leadership, at lrobertson@enotrans.org

•

Lead discussion on Twitter or LinkedIn on an initiative you would like to see Eno move forward

•

Write a research piece for Eno Brief, our monthly newsletter. Contact Pamela Shepherd, Senior Director of Communications, at pshepherd@enotrans.org

If you have other ideas for involvement, contact Melissa Paradis (Program Coordinator) at mparadis@enotrans.org.

Attend Eno events (luncheon debates, policy forums, receptions, etc.)

Look, Mom! We’ve Gone Viral! as the steady growth of the chapters in DC, Boston, Austin and NYC all speak to the demand in the transportation industry for an organization like ours.

YPT CHAPTERS OPENING NATIONWIDE By Aimee Custis, YPT National Vice Chair for Communications Communications Manager, Coalition for Smarter Growth

Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the state, several ambitious students at UCLA have teamed up to start the chapter building process for YPT Los Angeles.

It’s been a busy year for Young Professionals in Transportation. YPT began four years ago, when founder Joung Lee, with colleagues from around Washington, DC started YPT National. At the close of 2011, YPT already had three new chapters established and flourishing - YPT Boston, YPT Austin, and YPT NYC. While growing from a local organization to a national one hasn’t been without its growing pains, we’re on track to more than double the number of our chapters this year, and it’s only June!

Our sights have hardly stopped with our expansion to the West Coast. YPT Atlanta held a phenomenal kickoff event in April. Over at YPT Chicago, two great networking events have helped organizers gain critical mass, and we expect to sign a Chapter Affiliation Agreement in the next few months. A group of dedicated individuals continues to plan for the eventual launch of YPT Pittsburgh. Last but certainly not least, YPT Minneapolis is holding its very first event soon!

YPT’s fifth chapter, YPT San Francisco, has signed its Chapter Affiliation Agreement (the formal document making a chapter official), and as you can see by the contents of this issue, our friends in the San Francisco Bay area have certainly hit the ground running! San Francisco’s astonishing explosion, as well

We’ve also received requests to start chapters in several other cities. To find out more about starting a chapter in your city, visit YPT online at yptransportation.org/chapters.

YPT National yptransportation.org/yptnational facebook.com/yptransportation @YPTvoice info@yptransportation.org

YPT Boston yptboston.org facebook.com/yptboston @YPTBoston yptboston@gmail.com

YPT Minneapolis yptminneapolis.org facebook.com/yptminneapolis @YPTMinneapolis info@yptminneapolis.org

YPT Atlanta yptransportation.org/atlanta facebook.com/yptatlanta @YPTatlanta yptatlanta@gmail.com

YPT Chicago yptransportation.org/chicago facebook.com/yptchicago @YPTChicago yptchi@gmail.com

YPT NYC yptransportation.org/yptnyc facebook.com/yptnyc @YPTNYC yptnyc@gmail.com

YPT Austin yptransportation.org/yptaustin facebook.com/yptaustin yptaustin@gmail.com

YPT Los Angeles yptransportation.org/losangeles facebook.com/yptlosangeles @YPTLosAngeles losangeles@yptransportation.org

YPT Pittsburgh yptransportation.org/pittsburgh YPT San Francisco yptsfbay.org facebook.com/YPTSFBay @YPTSFBay

M obility Matters

YPT Upcoming Events YPT Austin Board of Directors Meeting Wednesday June 6 @ 7pm George Washington Carver Museum Conference Room Questions to yptaustin@gmail.com

YPT Boston Board of Directors meeting Monday June 11 @ 6pm MAPC - 60 Temple Place, 3rd floor Questions to yptboston@gmail.com

Minneapolis Chapter Kickoff Wednesday, June 6th @ 6:30 PM YPT Minneapolis Republic - 221 Cedar Ave S RSVP @ http://yptminneapoliskickoff.eventbrite.com/

Brownbag Series: Hubway, Boston’s Bike Share System Tuesday June 12 @ noon YPT Boston MAPC - 60 Temple Place, 3rd floor RSVP @ http://yptbostonbrownbaghubway.eventbrite.com

YPT NYC 2012 Summer Tour Series Throughout June, July, and August Specific locations and dates to be announced soon Questions to yptnyc@gmail.com

YPT National Board of Directors meeting Tuesday June 12 @ 6pm AASHTO - 444 N Capitol St NW, Suite 249 Questions to chair@yptransportation.org

ENTREPRENEERING, CLICHÉS, and STORIES Roundtable Luncheon w/ Mr. J. Michael Heath, President, Alliance Transportation Group YPT Austin Monday, June 11 @ 12 PM At Alliance Transportation Group Office

YPT Austin Game Night Round Rock Express Baseball Game Thursday June 21 @ 7pm Dell Diamond, Round Rock RSVP: Coming soon on FB/LinkedIn!] Questions to yptaustin@gmail.com

YPT NYC Board of Directors meeting Monday June 11 @ 5:30pm Questions to yptnyc@gmail.com

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YPT Photo Album YPT Atlanta Kickoff Seminar

YPT Chicago Kickoff Happy Hour

YPT NYC Trivia Night

M obility Matters YPT National Chapter Board of Directors, 2011-2012 Nick Perfili, YPT Chair Transit Planner Fairfax County DOT

Michael Rodriguez, Vice Chair for Membership Associate Consultant Parsons Brinckerhoff

Chanel Winston, Deputy Chair Strategic Planning, Procurement & Public Finance US DOT – FTA

Sophie Guiny, Vice Chair for Programs Senior Consultant Booz Allen Hamilton

Aaron Zimmerman, Vice Chair for Administration – Secretary Senior Transportation Planner Loudoun County Office of Transportation Services

Brittney Kohler, Director at Large (Chapter Development) Manager, Infrastructure Initiatives ASCE

Aimee Custis, Vice Chair for Communication Communications Manager Coalition for Smarter Growth

Alek Pochowski, Director at Large (Sponsorships) Engineering Associate / Planner Kittelson & Associates

Bud McDonald, Vice Chair for Finance – Treasurer Federal Programs Financial Analyst, AASHTO

Board of Advisors YPT’s Board of Advisors is made up of preeminent public and private sector leaders in transportation with a wide range of exemplarily experience in the field. We are grateful for their participation and willingness to assist the development of a new generation of transportation professionals. Mary Peters, Former Secretary of the United States Department of Transportation Jack Basso, Chief Operating Officer, AASHTO Mortimer Downey, Chairman, Parsons Brinckerhoff Emil Frankel, Bipartisan Policy Center Jane Garvey, North American Chairman, Meridiam Infrastructure Jonathan Gifford, Professor and Associate Dean for George Mason University’s Transportation Policy, Operations, & Logistics Masters Program John Horsley, Executive Director, AASHTO

Tony Kane, Director of Engineering and Technical Services, AASHTO Art Guzzetti, Vice President for Policy, American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Emeka Moneme, Executive Director, Carmen Group Gloria Shepherd, Associate Administrator for Planning, Environment, and Realty, Federal Highway Administration Stephen Van Beek, Chief of Policy and Strategy at LeighFisher Bob Skinner, Executive Director, Transportation Research Board (TRB)

Mobiility Matters Team Mobility Matters is a quarterly publication of Young Professionals in Transportation. The views expressed in the articles published in Mobility Matters represent only the views of their authors, and not those of YPT. YPT strives to incorporate articles in Mobility Matters that represent a diverse range of perspectives on transportation and cover all transportation modes. If you are interested in contributing to Mobility Matters please email Shana Johnson, Editor, Mobility Matters, at mobilitymatters@yptransportation.org for more information. Mobility Matters Editor: Shana Johnson Senior Transportation Planner, Foursquare Integrated Transportation Planning

Mobility Matters Design and Layout: Alpha Wingfield Visual Information Specialist, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, United States Department of Transportation

Mobility Matters Editorial and Layout Support: Aimee Custis Communications Manager, Coalition for Smarter Growth

M obility Matters YPT Sponsors, 2011-2012 YPTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diversity of programming, events, publications and other opportunities is made possible through support from our annual sponsors â&#x20AC;&#x201C; firms and organizations within the transportation industry making a financial commitment to the development of the next generation of transportation professionals through their support. To find out more about YPT sponsorship opportunities, visit us online at http://yptransportation.org/sponsors, or email sponsorship@yptransportation.org.

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials YPT National Chapter Sponsor

Parsons Brinckerhoff - YPT National Chapter Sponsor

American Public Univesity System YPT National Chapter Sponsor

Eno Transportation Foundation YPT National Chapter Sponsor

M obility Matters