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Collaboration |
Your faculty value the opportunity to collaborate and believe this kind of interdisciplinary effort is necessary for the best community planning and design solutions. Therefore, they ask that you adopt the goal of forming effective interdisciplinary partnerships in this course and in your professional career.
Demonstrate Teamswork! |
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Welcome |
Transportation
The Study Questions are provided here for your review.
Effects
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 Efficient public transportation is a top priority for functional communities. Access to public transportation and the system in which it functions is key.
Congested traffic is a result of over reliance on the private automobile. Good public transportation can solve some problems of traffic congestion because it efficiently delivers many people to retail shops, supermarkets, jobs, neighborhood, schools, and cultural amenities while replacing many private automobiles.
Public transportation is also something that provides a way for people of all ages to get around. Often the poor, disabled, elderly and the young are stranded in the suburbs or city if they don't have a car. |
Light Rail Train in San Jose, California |
Table
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The table below compares the effects of different methods of transportation on cost, parking, pollution and energy use, through a rating system of 0 – 5. The higher the number, the worse the method is for that category.
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Effects of Various Transportation Types |
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Pedestrian |
Bicycle |
Motorcycle |
Personal Automobile |
Taxi |
Bus |
Train |
| Cost |
0 |
1 |
3 |
5 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
| Parking |
0 |
1 |
2 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Pollution |
0 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
3 |
| Energy efficiency |
0 |
0 |
3 |
5 |
5 |
3 |
3 |
| The comparisons above are based per person. For example, since buses transport more people at one time, the pollution rating will be lower. Further, the costs associated with owning a personal automobile will be more expensive than utilizing public transportation.
Other considerations in determining the success of public transportation are convenience, parking, and proximity to residences. |
Street Section
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The first image illustrates the design of a one way street, in Italy, that is shared by light rail, buses and private automobiles. Enlarge and study the image. It includes two traffic lanes for autos and buses. A third raised lane is for for public transportation vehicles, including electric light rail and buses. Parallel parking is provided on the side opposite the transit line. The width of the street is about 40 feet. The waiting area is covered to protect the transit user from sun and rain. The waiting booth is about 4 feet wide and held back form the curb 2 1/2'.
The second image shows two lanes for automobile traffic and a raised light rail transit area with street furniture. This image is from San Jose, California. |
Street Section
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Convenience of mass transit and the use of the private automobile deals with reliability and access. The reliability of public transportation is dependent upon the circulation routes provided. One way to increase efficiency in the flow of public transit vehicles is to provide a lane solely for a public transportation. Circulation routes must also be within comfortable walking distances so that public transportation is accessible to pedestrians. Use of public transportation is encouraged when traffic laws favor public vehicles and when access to parking for private autos is rare or expensive.
An example of a traffic rule favoring public vehicles is a requirement that a bus or a light rail car, stopped at a traffic light, is permitted to move through the intersection before private automobiles move when the traffic light turn green. This causes public vehicles to move more quickly through congested areas than private autos. This increases the convenience and desirability public transportation.
Protecting the waiting passenger at the light rail stop is another important consideration. Shade and cover from rain as well as convenient ticket purchase and comfortable street furniture help make the public transit commute pleasant. |
Transit shelter, San Jose, Calif.
Street furniture
Bus competing with autos for space |
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Of course, the public transportation system must be managed well. Cars must be clean, safe and reliably on time. Fixed schedule transportation is where buses or street cars arrive at the same scheduled time at each stop each day. In an open schedule system, buses and trams circulate at specified intervals rather than set times. This system is necessary in larger urban areas where traffic situations are unpredictable. |
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Aesthetics
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The public landscape should be beautiful. Fine, long lasting materials along with fountains and public art enrich the quality of life and encourage use of the public infrastructure.
The first image here shows the flush paving and light rail tracks of the San Jose system. The corridor becomes a public plaza space shared by the light rail vehicles. It enhances pedestrian access. |
Paving
Fountain |
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Parking should be convenient and not block the flow of traffic. This plan view diagram shows a three lane street. One lane is raised for the bus or tram, with 90 degree parking available on the opposite side. With this arrangement, parked cars cannot block transportation routes. From a public transportation point of view this arrangement is positive since it discourages double parallel parking of autos that occurs in very congested areas and blocks transit lanes. Since the tram is fixed to a rail system, it could not maneuver around a car blocking the track and as a result, had to wait until the car was moved.
To allow for more parking, an option is to use part of the median.
An overall goal for public transportation is to discourage the use of the private automobile except where it is essential. In a time where energy conservation is prudent, mass transit systems should be organized and subsidized if necessary to make there use less expensive than the private auto.
The bonuses of cheaper cost for the individual, no maintenance, and fuel efficiency are all desirable things, yet why are there so many private autos in urban areas? One reason is that people wish to live outside the city and must then commute regularly between the suburbs and the city. The economics of public transportation demands a certain population density to be economically feasible. Widely space, low density suburbs often do not meet this criteria.
High population densities also justify more public vehicles on every route. This means a shorter time between buses or trams. If one has to wait a maximum of ten or 15 minutes between buses or light rail cars then the convenience of public transportation rivals that of a private auto.
Railroad Square Mixed Use Development
Santa Rosa, CA
The proposed Railroad Square Mixed Use Development will be the centerpiece of SMART's and Santa Rosa's vision of a transit village at Railroad Square.The design team's proposal emphasizes five major objectives:
· Create a new urban residential community with a mix of market rate and affordable housing that supports transit rider ship.
· Create a home for the Sonoma County Food & Wine Center that combines a public market hall, wine pavilion, office and event space.
· Establish a critical mass of retail that complements the Food & Wine Center.
· Create outdoor space to host events, accommodate a farmer's market and provide public space for Railroad Square.
· Create transit facilities and circulation to support the future transit center including train platforms, bus stops, taxi/auto drop-off areas and bicycle facilities . |
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Past Projects of This Studio |
We have contributed to the positive planning and design efforts of many communities during the ten years that this combined studio has been doing outreach work. We have worked in these Idaho communities: Orofino, Riggins, Grangeville, Harrison, Hayden, Sandpoint, Lewiston, Star, Rupert, New Meadows, McCall; these Washington communities - Clarkston ; and these Montana communities - Seeley Lake.
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