Watch that Wedge Jacking Up the Freeway

Why after all these years do some people in the fight still not get it. They always say they do but they keep proving they don't. Yes I'm talking about the enviros. The reason you build rail is to change land use patterns. The best way to reduce GHGs is to create dense walkable neighborhoods which is what developers create around rail.

The reason I bring this up is that the head of the NRDC came and spoke at Rail~Volution and mentioned that BRT as a mode was better for the environment than light rail from an energy standpoint. WHAT? I could feel the collective annoyance of the audience when he said this. This is the same point that the anti-rail crowd has been trying to jam down people's throats, the idea that because of coal fired power plants light rail is dirty. Well we know this is BS, (proven here too) but it also misses the point. Transit is a part of the solution but so is its integration with and promotion of land use and other modes such as bikes and walking. Buses just serve existing land use but do not change the paradigm along the high capacity spine of a transit network. (Note that I don't believe light rail is best for every situation and bus networks are important feeders). When you add this paradigm shift in, the decision to invest in rail transit creates drastic reductions in emissions.

Everyone should see CNT's map of Chicago CO2 gases per capita. It shows that where there is good transit and good land use, reductions in emissions occur on a per capita basis. This is due to the fact that when you give people options, they don't drive as much reducing GHGs. They might bike or walk and these modes also need infrastructure improvements also to complete the modal network effect. This is why the whole argument that electric cars are going to solve everything drives me crazy. Even with electric cars you get the same wasteful land use patterns which are incredibly energy intensive.

So while consultants to the Sierra Club and NRDC get it, there are still too many people in those organizations and in congress focusing mostly on technology for automobiles and BRT without dealing with the combination of two things that create the most efficient reductions in GHGs, buildings and transport. There are some that are starting to get it. But in order to do it, we need to change our infrastructure priorities to modes which promote the change, not just serve it. Don't get me wrong, buses are necessary, but don't tell me that BRT as a single mode is better than light rail for GHG emission reductions.

But now after the Seattle election we have an even bigger problem. The people in the roads faction know that the enviros split the vote and are going to exploit it. Already there have been articles touting the separation between the light rail supporters and the environmental community however wrong their assessments are on why there was a separation. The CSM article pushes the meme that the enviros were divided because of the transit portion, and not because of all the roads that caused problems. It seems that we have a breach in the wall and need to fill it.

S0 the environmental community in Seattle might have just created a new talking point for the opposition. So even if there aren't any GHG generating roads in new elections, you can guaranty that this "transit doesn't help climate change" talking point is going to come out of the mouthes of road warriors who would love to use this as a wedge issue in order to protect the road status quo.

News From the Other Side of the State

Probably a bit overshadowed by the transit tax ballot measure in Charlotte these last few days, Raleigh Durham poked its head above water again to discuss a possible new transit plan after the FTA mercilessly cut the initial one using our favorite cost effectiveness measure. The interesting thing about this is that the region is very polycentric and its travel patterns seem a bit abnormal to me for typical hub and spoke transit operations. However there should be a line that connects the two major cities. The article cites a possible commuter rail BRT combination, but we'll be watching for more information as it comes available.

In the Triangle, rising costs and low ridership forecasts forced TTA last year to shelve its quest to build a 28-mile track for trains that would run several times every hour, 18 hours a day, from Durham through Research Triangle Park to Raleigh.

But the advisory group has not ruled out making TTA's tracks the spine of a rail, bus and streetcar network that could stretch across the region and into neighboring counties.

The Picture Says It All

From the Charlotte Observer

07 Rail Election Blog Updates

So far it looks like survival in Charlotte. Still have to wait for full results but it looks good. No word from Seattle as its still too early on the west coast. I'm sorry to say that Blogger will be out at 11pm PST. They just had to choose an election day!?

Recap:

San Francisco won't have results for a few weeks.
Seattle's Prop 1. Was defeated but no one knows what that means
Charlotte's Transit Tax gets 70% of vote
Box Elder County Voters in Utah say yes to commuter rail
Davis County voted against a transit sales tax while Weber County was too close to call on thiers


Update 11:25 PT: Measure A in San Francisco appears to be ahead in early voting and Measure H is behind. Just what we wanted to hear.

Update 10:55 PT: People in Seattle don't know where to go next, mostly because so many different groups were for or against that a no vote doesn't really say what people were against.

Update 10:40 PT: Transit Supporters in Charlotte are surprised by the overwhelming victory.

Update 10:09 PT: With about 450,000 votes counted, Prop 1 is failing 44% to 56%.

Update 8:37 PT: Doesn't look good so far for Seattle.

Update 7:50 PT: The Transit Tax is declared safe by the Charlotte Observer. The anti-rail faction that drove this election got destroyed and rightfully so. This should be seen as a mandate for a real transit system.

Eric over at Xing Columbus in the comments says that Mayor Coleman of Columbus who is pro-streetcar seems to have won by a landslide.

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Update 5:27 PT: It'll only be 10 minutes downtime. Also, the initial results from early voting in Charlotte are here.

Update 6:37 PT: 51% of precincts are in for Charlotte, Transit is winning 71% to 29%.

Update 6:55 PT: Muni Measure A and Parking H are also up tonight. I'll be watching for those although apparently we can't get things done here in San Francisco in one night.

Update 6:57 PT: 62% in Charlotte and its looking pretty good. 71% to 29% for Transit.

Update 7:43 PT: 96% in Charlotte and its still 70% to 30%. It doesn't look good for the road warriors. If they believed that this was a vote for or against rail, they sure are getting hammered.

Where the Dem Candidates Stand on Transport

This is the best review so far I've seen of where the democratic candidates stand on transportation issues. It's not completely correct since it says that Richardson introduced light rail in New Mexico even though it was commuter rail. If you scroll down past the CAFE standards info you'll get to the public transit and smart growth section. So go check out the link to Daily Kos.

My favorite quotes from some of the candidates...

Edwards

...will create incentives for states and regions to plan smart growth and transit-oriented development with benchmarks for reductions in vehicle miles traveled.

Richardson

Bike and walking trails. Support metro area governments that create useful, safe bike trail infrastructure and bike parking in appropriate regions of the country. Create tax incentives for companies, universities, and governments to encourage bicycle commuting. Smart growth planning.

Provide state-level planning grants to allow coordination of planning functions and policies encouraging energy and water conservation, transit-oriented development, and other commitments to planning that reduces energy demand.

Obama

Reform Federal Transportation Funding: As president, Barack Obama will re-evaluate the transportation funding process to ensure that smart growth considerations are taken into account. Obama will build upon his efforts in the Senate to ensure that more Metropolitan Planning Organizations create policies to incentivize greater bicycle and pedestrian usage of roads and sidewalks, and he will also re-commit federal resources to public mass transportation projects across the country. Building more livable and sustainable communities will not only reduce the amount of time individuals spent commuting, but will also have significant benefits to air quality, public health and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Clinton

Link federal public transit funds to local land use policies that encourage residential developments that maximize public transit usage. Over the next 25 years, a large percentage of the buildings we live, work, and shop in will be rebuilt or newly built. This presents a significant opportunity for the federal government to encourage sensible residential and commercial development that are linked to, and encourage, public transit usage. Local areas seeking large federal investments in public transit are already required to have land-use plans and policies that make investing in a high-density transit system worthwhile. Today, these requirements are focused mainly on commercial developments and not enough on residential considerations. Hillary will encourage the sort of dense residential concentrations needed to support public transit systems by better linking public transit funding with residential land-use policies. This will help to discourage sprawl and fight congestion.

They talk a good game. I still wonder who will deliver.

Those Who Do Not Learn From History...

Are Doomed to Repeat It.

Two big elections tomorrow. Charlotte and Seattle. This will determine the future of two regions. If I lived in either region I would vote for the transit.

Charlotte

The city is trying to change its development paradigm. By building an extensive transit network that includes streetcars, light rail, commuter rail and rapid bus, the region will certainly change the way it grows up. It's up to the citizens to decide whether they want to be a regional city or a national metropolitan area. Since the City of Charlotte has the tools to develop the right way around transit, there is no doubt that if the transit tax is retained, the city will continue to change.

Seattle

The Seattle region is a bit different from Charlotte. Chalk full of environmentalists that like to shoot their own feet and the usual car obsessed road warriors, this region just needs to get started. They've been fighting about this transit decision since the 1960s and still haven't gotten what they so desperately need, a core rapid transit system. But if you need proof that this should get done, one only need to look at the same thing being discussed 40 years ago. This is going to keep coming up, it'll also keep costing more. Start already will ya?

Bloomberg and The Carbon Tax

I'm starting to like this guy. He gets it. Obviously its good that he's independently wealthy so he doesn't have to worry about special interests which makes him able to make tough decisions. He recently announced his support for a National Carbon Tax. The only question I have about this tax is who it will benefit. Some folks are going to want it to lower their taxes. Transit providers are going to want a share due to their obvious carbon reduction benefits. And with the highwaymen always want more funding and are possibly looking at a new sources for their addiction. So we'll have to see where the conversation goes before we can get too pumped up about it. But as of now it seems to be going in the right direction.

Why Not Build Both?

The LA Times has an article about planning for the Subway to the Sea. They've decided to not only study a route on Wilshire but on Santa Monica. When you look at the ridership on both lines it seems to make more sense to put it on Wilshire, and the property owners in neighborhoods along the line are stuck in the stone age. But here's a crazy proposition. Why not build both lines!? It seems to me that both routes would be good and will be needed in the future. It's interesting that people look at what ridership is now, because bus ridership doesn't tell you what the rail ridership is going to be, especially with the density and amount of young people in West Hollywood who would probably ride a train but not a bus. Another issue is the distance that people would have to travel from Union Station to get to the Sea if they used the Subway. But it would be shorter for people from the North. So really wouldn't it increase ridership on both if they built both. As Houston showed with its network effect, the sum is greater than the parts.

A Sad Day in the Running Community

I'm sorry to report that US Marathoner Ryan Shay has died. My heart and thoughts go out to Ryan Shay's family. As many of you know before I got into this whole crazy transit thing I was a runner. And many of the folks I raced against are now running towards the ultimate glory of the Olympics. However sometimes sad things happen. It's unfortunate that such a young fit athlete could be struck with a heart attack, but for those who knew Ryan or watched him race, he pushed himself to the limit. I remember sitting in the bleachers watching him run away from the 10,000 field at NCAA's in 2001. No one was ever going to catch him that day as he was on fire, pounding away on the track towards his championship. It is a sad day in the running community and he will be missed.

Live Blogging from Rail~Volution

Here we are in windy and sometimes rainy sometimes sunny Miami for Rail~Volution. We start our panel in about an hour and a half. We're going to talk about visualizations for new transit projects. Also, there will be a discussion on how visualization is going to now be required for large federal projects. Then we'll talk about blogging. Check out Steve's page (Urban Review St. Louis) who is on the panel with me. He's really good about catching folks parking where they aren't supposed to park and talking about urban issues.

Update: 3:10 ET Effie Stallsmith is up from the Federal Transit Administration and Steve is live blogging over at Urban Review St. Louis linked above.

Update: 3:30 ET Effie discusses transportation departments taking their plans and meetings to myspace.

Steve pointed out a youtube about RSS feeds. A lot of folks know how this works so you don't have to watch it, but I thought it was of interested to folks out there who are tired of going to different sites looking for new content. Why not make it come to you?