Manzanita Talks move forward | June 26, 2019 | Almanac | Almanac Online |

Almanac

News - June 26, 2019

Manzanita Talks move forward

by Kate Bradshaw

Efforts to bring together public and private sector leaders to talk about how to address regional transportation problems moved forward on June 13 with what Joint Ventures Silicon Valley President and CEO Russell Hancock called a historic discussion.

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Comments

Posted by Court Skinner
a resident of another community
on Jul 7, 2019 at 3:27 pm

I'm surprised that there have been no comments on this article. This is a first to my knowledge for the corporations and city officials to talk about how to solve this problem rather than just blaming one another. It's a good start to a problem that we really have no choice but to grapple with. The third member of the group, at some point, needs to be the mass transit representatives. BART, VTA, Sam Trans, CalTrain, and more I'm not yet aware of need to at some point be invited to the table. Recent articles in the San Jose Mercury News re a report delivered by the grand jury on the failure of the region to come to grips with moving people and its potential impact on the housing issue as well provide some enlightenment re the problems if not solutions. This is not a problem we can continue to ignore and it's good that discussions have begun. Local imaginations need to weigh in.


Posted by Ann Hackett
a resident of another community
on Jul 25, 2019 at 5:17 pm

How can we transform our current car centric addiction while significantly reducing VMTs?

A behavioral change can reduce the convenience of the personal car while increasing the accessibility of multi-passenger shared taxis and shared TNCs. This approach uses many carrots and one stick with the following features:
1. No on-street parking (the stick). This frees up on-street parking for contiguous bike lanes.
2. One-Way streets (optional…decreases the number of left hand turns)
3. Bicycle lanes interconnected throughout the city on one side of the street, side A with an optional thin curb to protect the bicycle lanes.
4. On side B, buses and taxis have loading zones. Side B also allows permitted parking for service and delivery vehicles.
5. Shared taxi-mandate by cities require that ALL taxis and TNCs accept passengers up to maximum capacity and are constantly dropping off and picking up passengers.
6. Taxis / TNCs mainly serve first and last mile and connect to public transit.
7. Public transit converts to forms of Bus Rapid Transit and / or Express service.
8. Fares are served through integrated cards such as the S.F. Bay Area’s Clipper card.
9. Taxis and TNCs convert to electric vehicles and increase the number of convenient bike carriers.
10. Some car garages convert to bike garages or housing. Once fully adopted, parking lots could convert to housing.
11. Reduced speeds.
12. Just transition for all.

One powerful advantage of taxis / TNCs is that they don’t need parking, rather they need access to loading (pick-up and drop-off) and storage (with electric charging stations) when not in operation. Shared taxis rely on directionality to enhance their efficiency, that is, they accept passengers if they are going in the same general direction. They are completely flexible and can respond to needs as they arise. Generally, they’re not door-to-door service but drop passengers close enough (within easy walking distance) to their destinations.

The supply and demand of shared taxis / TNCs needs to be carefully calibrated to ensure their reliability and convenience.

Other important advantages are the facts that conversion to this system is relatively “shovel ready” and capable of providing jobs which are critical for a stable society.

Imagine if shared taxis / TNCs could transport more than 10 times the number of passengers that they currently serve. If the public adapted to this transportation alternative then it would be possible to see a radical reduction in VMT, increase in alternative electric transportation, and increased connectivity. You could get where you wanted to go, when you wanted to go, without the need to find parking.

Car Free Days have demonstrated that it is possible to reduce personal car use without reducing mobility and access. They could be used as a learning / training exercise for cities to adopt changes necessary for survival.

There are plans for shared, electric, autonomous vehicles but there is a significant delay with autonomous adaptation. Shared and electric are possible now.


Thank you,

Ann Hackett







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