At 11:32 AM 10/21/08 -0400, you wrote: >Someday when people realize they are spending >beyond their means and loans are no longer easily available to drain 8 >grand on the car convenience, we will see people begging for less >personal car infrastructure and more public transit / carsharing / bike >or ped ways, etc. > >-Andy I spent 13 years on the Danby Planning Board, and another 12 on the Town Board. I have seen the urge to sprawl prevail over that entire time over any and all efforts to curb it in the name of rational planning. My conclusion is that we will change when we have to -- when we can no longer afford to disperse ourselves over the landscape. That day is fast approaching, and perhaps enough of us now realize it that we can start to plan for it, but support for any plans we may develop will materialize only as the changes unfold to enable them, I'm afraid. Witness the latest casualty, the proposal for a bike trail into Caroline.
Flag stops all over the place make bus runs slow and inefficient. At some point we will have to rationalize the system by sticking to fixed stops of a limited number. That will come when fuel prices rise enough to up ridership and the riders demand better service. The planners among us can and should think about where those stops should reasonable be located and try to plan for building bus stops with covered bike storage where they will be needed. Joel >Evan Wray wrote: > > A friend wrote this article which gives a quite different view. > > > > > > Time for TCAT to wield its claws > > > > In light of all the recent discussion about TCAT, I would like to offer the > > following, which was originally written in response to Maria Coles article > > in the Journal that kind of started this whole debate about the towns > > supporting TCAT financially. Equitable funding is definitely an issue, and > > would provide a smidgen of additional resources to maintain service levels > > to the outlying towns, but the elephant in the room is town land-use > policy. > > > > Zoning outside the city spreads buildings and destinations so widely, there > > aren't enough potential riders along any one route, nor at any one stop to > > make transit efficient or convenient. Though TCAT tries valiantly to serve > > outlying areas, it is forced to chase far-flung development, resulting in > > meandering routes, confusing schedules and infrequent service. Hence, only > > 7% of commuters ride busses to work. maybe a bit more since the fare cut. > > Mass-transit is only effective when there are masses of people near the > > route, especially when busses are oversized for the demand (smaller but > more > > frequent vehicles would serve the outlying towns better, however ridership > > would have to increase to pay additional drivers). By perpetuating sprawl, > > towns have insured that public transit will never be capable of efficiently > > serving their populations, never have enough ridership, and always need > > subsidy: increasing what we ALL pay for TCAT. > > > > The immediate solution is equitably sharing the cost burden, but in the > long > > term we must solve the core problem of potential riders being too > spread out > > to be adequately served. This "spreading out" is a direct result of poor > > land use policy. Towns need to focus new development at transit stops along > > major roads, forming compact village nodes, as suggested by the County > > Comprehensive Plan. This would put more people and business within a short > > walk to transit, boost ridership, lead to more frequent service, and give > > town residents a choice equal to the auto for most trips. This choice will > > be increasingly important as fuel costs rise. However most of the towns > seem > > reluctant to take the steps necessary to deal with the economic, energy and > > climate challenges of the 21st century, which include designing a > settlement > > pattern that will nurture effective public transit. They have chosen > instead > > to timidly revise their 20th century car-oriented zoning, continue to allow > > for sprawl, and have effectively outlawed the higher density that would > make > > public transit really work. So what can be done? > > > > Luckily, zoning does not exclusively determine how our cities and towns are > > shaped. Transportation is actually more critical. No amount of land use > > policy could have created Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo: they were made > > possible by the Erie Canal, and the canal had to come first. The > settlements > > followed the design for transportation. The same later happened with the > > railroads. Similarly, in Curitiba, Brazil, planners designed fixed bus > > routes through the countryside and mandated the densest future development, > > hence the most riders, be within a 5 minute walk of public transit. Thirty > > years later, Curitiba enjoys a convenient, well-used bus system serving a > > city filled with green-space. The fixed routes have been so successful that > > busses may soon be replaced by trains, to handle growing ridership. > > > > What built the ridership base was frequency of service. people could > rely on > > bus connection to the core city without worrying about a schedule, such > that > > the bus became a more convenient alternative to the car. Limiting stops by > > clustering development along the routes sped up travel times and made bus > > transit even more attractive to commuters, again boosting ridership. > However > > these incentives to ridership came by way of intelligent land use policy in > > outlying areas. something we could clearly learn from the Brazilians. > > > > The inherent potential for transit routes to guide development gives TCAT > > the power to make the towns rapidly adopt more sustainable land use policy. > > TCAT should refuse to serve every random house farm, condo barracks and > > strip center that pops up in the towns at the whim of developers. It must > > designate which main roads and village centers will get service, and refuse > > to extend service beyond. Therefore if the towns want public transit to be > > an option for their citizens, they will have to revise their zoning > > accordingly, placing new development along those routes and in those > > centers, with no new significant development in between. Existing sprawl > > could be served as needed by mini-busses or taxis to shuttle outlying > > suburban dwellers to village transit stops. An improved network of bikeways > > and trails could also serve to get sub-urban folks to the nearest village > > bus stops. > > > > To some this may sound like a harsh strategy, but it is also harsh to > > perpetuate car dependence, destroy countryside, over-tax citizens, and > > knowingly create inefficient settlement patterns that will make our > > children's lives more difficult, and squander our region's natural and > > economic wealth. > > > > The upside of nodal zoning for the towns would be reduced scale of road > > infrastructure, lower maintenance costs, more vibrant village social and > > economic life, less commuter car traffic passing through their now car > > dominated village-scapes, and town residents having a viable mobility > > alternative to the car for 90% of their trips. TCAT might even garner > > ridership sufficient to lower the subsidies it needs from its funding > > partners. > > > > As in Curitiba, once transit aligned most of the development along fixed > > routes, the possibility of replacing fossil-fuelled busses with other forms > > of transit like trains or trolleys, which can run on solar and wind power, > > has become a step towards its energy independence and continued economic > > competitiveness. Having TCAT serve the towns on fixed routes that guide > > responsible land-use is the first step on a similar evolutionary path > toward > > sustainable public transit in Ithaca. TCAT must wield its claws and > lead the > > paradigm shift with regard to land use. > > > > Rob Morache Time for TCAT to wield its claws > > > > In light of all the recent discussion about TCAT, I would like to offer the > > following, which was originally written in response to Maria Coles article > > in the Journal that kind of started this whole debate about the towns > > supporting TCAT financially. Equitable funding is definitely an issue, and > > would provide a smidgen of additional resources to maintain service levels > > to the outlying towns, but the elephant in the room is town land-use > policy. > > > > Zoning outside the city spreads buildings and destinations so widely, there > > aren't enough potential riders along any one route, nor at any one stop to > > make transit efficient or convenient. Though TCAT tries valiantly to serve > > outlying areas, it is forced to chase far-flung development, resulting in > > meandering routes, confusing schedules and infrequent service. Hence, only > > 7% of commuters ride busses to work. maybe a bit more since the fare cut. > > Mass-transit is only effective when there are masses of people near the > > route, especially when busses are oversized for the demand (smaller but > more > > frequent vehicles would serve the outlying towns better, however ridership > > would have to increase to pay additional drivers). By perpetuating sprawl, > > towns have insured that public transit will never be capable of efficiently > > serving their populations, never have enough ridership, and always need > > subsidy: increasing what we ALL pay for TCAT. > > > > The immediate solution is equitably sharing the cost burden, but in the > long > > term we must solve the core problem of potential riders being too > spread out > > to be adequately served. This "spreading out" is a direct result of poor > > land use policy. Towns need to focus new development at transit stops along > > major roads, forming compact village nodes, as suggested by the County > > Comprehensive Plan. This would put more people and business within a short > > walk to transit, boost ridership, lead to more frequent service, and give > > town residents a choice equal to the auto for most trips. This choice will > > be increasingly important as fuel costs rise. However most of the towns > seem > > reluctant to take the steps necessary to deal with the economic, energy and > > climate challenges of the 21st century, which include designing a > settlement > > pattern that will nurture effective public transit. They have chosen > instead > > to timidly revise their 20th century car-oriented zoning, continue to allow > > for sprawl, and have effectively outlawed the higher density that would > make > > public transit really work. So what can be done? > > > > Luckily, zoning does not exclusively determine how our cities and towns are > > shaped. Transportation is actually more critical. No amount of land use > > policy could have created Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo: they were made > > possible by the Erie Canal, and the canal had to come first. The > settlements > > followed the design for transportation. The same later happened with the > > railroads. Similarly, in Curitiba, Brazil, planners designed fixed bus > > routes through the countryside and mandated the densest future development, > > hence the most riders, be within a 5 minute walk of public transit. Thirty > > years later, Curitiba enjoys a convenient, well-used bus system serving a > > city filled with green-space. The fixed routes have been so successful that > > busses may soon be replaced by trains, to handle growing ridership. > > > > What built the ridership base was frequency of service. people could > rely on > > bus connection to the core city without worrying about a schedule, such > that > > the bus became a more convenient alternative to the car. Limiting stops by > > clustering development along the routes sped up travel times and made bus > > transit even more attractive to commuters, again boosting ridership. > However > > these incentives to ridership came by way of intelligent land use policy in > > outlying areas. something we could clearly learn from the Brazilians. > > > > The inherent potential for transit routes to guide development gives TCAT > > the power to make the towns rapidly adopt more sustainable land use policy. > > TCAT should refuse to serve every random house farm, condo barracks and > > strip center that pops up in the towns at the whim of developers. It must > > designate which main roads and village centers will get service, and refuse > > to extend service beyond. Therefore if the towns want public transit to be > > an option for their citizens, they will have to revise their zoning > > accordingly, placing new development along those routes and in those > > centers, with no new significant development in between. Existing sprawl > > could be served as needed by mini-busses or taxis to shuttle outlying > > suburban dwellers to village transit stops. An improved network of bikeways > > and trails could also serve to get sub-urban folks to the nearest village > > bus stops. > > > > To some this may sound like a harsh strategy, but it is also harsh to > > perpetuate car dependence, destroy countryside, over-tax citizens, and > > knowingly create inefficient settlement patterns that will make our > > children's lives more difficult, and squander our region's natural and > > economic wealth. > > > > The upside of nodal zoning for the towns would be reduced scale of road > > infrastructure, lower maintenance costs, more vibrant village social and > > economic life, less commuter car traffic passing through their now car > > dominated village-scapes, and town residents having a viable mobility > > alternative to the car for 90% of their trips. TCAT might even garner > > ridership sufficient to lower the subsidies it needs from its funding > > partners. > > > > As in Curitiba, once transit aligned most of the development along fixed > > routes, the possibility of replacing fossil-fuelled busses with other forms > > of transit like trains or trolleys, which can run on solar and wind power, > > has become a step towards its energy independence and continued economic > > competitiveness. Having TCAT serve the towns on fixed routes that guide > > responsible land-use is the first step on a similar evolutionary path > toward > > sustainable public transit in Ithaca. TCAT must wield its claws and > lead the > > paradigm shift with regard to land use. > > > > Rob Morache _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
