The design of transit facilities on streets - shelters, stops, and special lanes - is being viewed as very important to increasing ridership by making transit service more comfortable and efficient for passengers.
This synthesis documents experience with selected streetcar and trolley projects and their
relationship with the built environment. There appears to have been a resurgence of such
systems in the United States. Their ability to spur growth and revitalization has not been
adequately documented, whereas local potential for changes in land use are often used as
justification for investment in them. Policymakers and planners seek a better understanding
of how this mode of transportation interacts with the built environment. The report examines
selected, built streetcar and trolley systems to trace their evolution, define significant factors,
and identify commonalities among levels of success in impacting the built environment.
This report presents an initial overview of published literature; a summary of an indepth
telephone survey of 13 of the 14 currently operating U.S. streetcar systems, a 93%
response rate; and case studies of five systems with more details on the state of current
knowledge and specific relationships of streetcars to their own built environments.
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Federal Transit Administration
Transportation Research Board (TRB)
Excerpt
Cross-Section Elements: Transit "Highways operate as truly multimodal transportation facilities, particularly in large urban areas. Accommodating public transit and other high-occupancy vehicles (HOVs) is an important consideration. On one end of the scale, this may involve including sidewalks to allow local residents to walk to and from bus stops. As higher levels of vehicle traffic and transit usage are expected, bus turnouts may need to be considered. At the higher end of the scale, such as on major urban freeways, dedicated bus lanes and/or HOV lanes may need to be incorporated into the design. The management of the local public transit operator should be consulted during the planning stage, if possible, so that these facilities can be incorporated into the design from the beginning." more...
from
Flexibility in Highway Design
Article / Paper / Report
Smart Growth - Transportation Guidelines: An ITE Proposed Recommended Practice
This publication "addresses those aspects of smart growth related to transportation--the effects of transportation and land use on each other and the characteristics of transportation systems and services that can encourage and support smart growth. The report primarily contains transportation concepts for accommodating growth and improving quality of life by providing more mobility choices and reducing dependence on personal vehicle use."
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Institute of Transportation Engineers
Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative: Rebuidling Disinvested Neighborhood "Main Streets" from the Bus Stop Up Los Angeles, CA
The Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative (LANI),
sponsored by Mayor Richard Riordan, is undertaking
a 30-month demonstration project that seeks to provide
an economic stimulus to eight transit-dependent
neighborhoods through community planned transportation
improvements, housing, and commercial
rehabilitation, and development. Incorporated in
1994, LANI has established community organizations
in each neighborhood and provided technical support,
training, and funding for demonstration projects
around transit facilities.
Main Street and the Blake Transit Center Ann Arbor, MI
<i>We need to encourage people to spend more time downtown,
not move through quickly. By widening the sidewalks
or adding diagonal parking or taking a look at two-way traf-
fic again, it would have some impact on the Blake Transit
Center. People would think about it differently - not just as
transportation but as a destination.
-Focus Group Participants</i>
<br><br>
Ann Arbor, Michigan, is a quintessential university town
with a population of 100,000, including a university population
of 30,000. Whereas other midwestern cities have experienced
suburban flight, the sizable student population has
helped the downtown area sustain a strong pedestrian and
transit orientation. Main Street, always the historic heart of
the city, has received new vitality in recent years with reinvestment
in the older commercial buildings and their adaptive
reuse as retail shops and services. This investment was
made possible in part by a 25-year commitment to caring for
and preserving downtown as the city's prime retail corridor
and historic center - a commitment that, by necessity, favors
people over cars.
Intermodal Improvements, US-2, Leavenworth Leavenworth, WA
The purpose of this project was to improve multiple modes of transportation on US-2 through the community of Leavenworth.
Aesthetic and Safety Improvement, SR-99 Des Moines, WA
The purpose of the project is to improve traffic congestion, operations, and safety; provide facilities for transit and pedestrians; and encourage economic redevelopment along the SR-99 corridor through the city of Des Moines.
