Mobility Lab Express
          February 1, 2014 - Issue 31
Hello Transportation Aficionado, 
Howard Jennings
Howard Jennings, managing director, Mobility Lab

New Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe's administration has the opportunity to take a fresh look at transportation funding and invest more dollars in commuter services that get maximum efficiency from our existing infrastructure and provide critical access to jobs at very low cost.

 

Fifteen local and regional commuter assistance programs in rural, suburban, and urban areas all 

around Virginia help people get to work and other destinations without the need for driving in their own vehicles by using transit, car- or vanpools, teleworking, biking, and walking. This takes millions of trips off the roads.

 

If, for example, a way could be found for the state to provide to these programs only $20 million per year more than the current $6 million in state funds, it could nearly quadruple their services. This could free up space on existing roads to make travel easier in congested areas. Twenty million dollars is only one half of one percent of total road and transit spending in Virginia, but it could potentially save many millions of dollars in the need for road construction. This potential return on investment deserves more serious study.

 

Read the rest of our take on why commuter-services programs are the perfect strategy for today.

 

In This Issue
Arlington's Strategies Integrate Community Development and Transportation
The Future of Transportation: Key Insights from Transportation Camp DC 2014
"Hot Zone" Commuters Taking Bikeshare to Use Metro
Partner Spotlight - Japan International Transport Institute
Quick Links
Hot Stats

What are the most influential environmental factors that correlate highly with daily Capital Bikeshare ridership?

  • No surprise, people prefer biking when it's warm out.
  • The amount of daylight has a weak correlation with CaBi usage, perhaps because city streets are lit. 
  • Data suggests biking can be increased in Arlington by improving the lighting.
  • While few people are willing to bike while it's raining, more appear to bike on days it has already rained or there is a threat of rain.
  • CaBi members have higher riderships on weekdays, suggesting they use the bikes to commute to work. Non-members do the opposite, with ridership doubling on weekends.
Discover your own insights about CaBi and weather here.

  

  

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Transit Tech Initiative
Arlington, Virginia has announced an exciting project that will provide travelers with personalized information reflecting their transit needs. Stay tuned for more updates!
 
Mobility Lab In the News



Arlington's Strategies Integrate Community Development and Transportation

Speaking more locally to Howard's nationally focused comments above, Arlington's commuter-services strategies have yielded substantial economic, transportation, and environmental benefits - allowing continued growth with less reliance on auto trips, and more use of transit and other travel options.

Dennis Leach, director of transportation, Arlington, Virginia

 

It isn't just one policy but many that contribute to enhanced performance such as:

  • Building mixed-use environments with highest densities around transit stops
  • Expanding viable and attractive transportation options
  • Making user information readily available and providing ongoing education and encouragement
  • Sustaining and strengthening transportation demand management (TDM), and
  • Actively managing parking.
Sustaining community performance requires ongoing investments in infrastructure.  
 
The Future of Transportation: Key Insights from Transportation Camp DC 2014

The Future of Transportation: Key Insights from Transportation Camp DC 2014

 

What are the most cutting-edge transportation experts around the U.S. excited about? 

 

Find their answers in this video - the first of several we'll be releasing - from January's TransportationCamp DC 2014 at George Mason University's Arlington, Virginia campus.

 

As Chris Hamilton of Arlington County Commuter Services says, "We've got the best minds in the country all locked in one place for one whole day talking about stuff that they're passionate about in trying to make American cities better places to get around. And so we literally have the smartest people in the world right here."


Read more of what smart people with smart ideas are saying here.

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"Hot Zone" Commuters Taking Bikeshare to Use Metro

In Capital Bikeshare's 2013 customer survey, the local government regional partnership that created the service asked who made trips to and from Metro. It turns out that 54 percent of our customers do.

Paul DeMaio, program manager, Arlington County, Capital Bikeshare

 

So how far do Capital Bikeshare customers ride to get to and from Metro and their home? Well, we had some interesting findings which include a "hot zone" of bikeshare activity surrounding Metro stations.

 

Using Capital Bikeshare trip-duration data for all stations during a week in July 2013, we determined the trip distances to and from Capital Bikeshare stations adjacent to Metrorail stations. We found that Capital Bikeshare is a useful transit service for first-mile/last-mile trips to and from Metro, and this analysis shows that about 40 percent of bikeshare trips involving Metro are within that first and last mile.

 

Read more and view my slideshow about these findings here.

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Partner Spotlight - Japan International Transport Institute

Mobility Lab's Director Tom Fairchild is excited to participate on a panel on Wednesday, February 5 at The Brookings Institute held by the Japan International Transport Institute (JITI).

 

The session is part of JITI's Intersection Series and will focus on "Mobility Innovation in the Sharing Economy." Register here. Fairchild will be joined by Mobility Lab contributors Adie Tomer of Brookings and Joseph Kopser of RideScout.

 

JITI is an independent research institute that performs studies related to U.S., Japan, and international transportation issues and serve to foster bilateral and multilateral learning and dialogue. Its frequent seminars examine all modes of transportation, including air, maritime, and surface transportation, and interrelated topics such as economic aspects and environmental impacts. Recently, JITI - which is funded by The Nippon Foundation - has been particularly focusing on civil aviation, environment, and high-speed rail issues. 

 
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We hope Mobility Lab Express, our events, and the research and case studies at our website will be go-to resources for you. In fact, we invite you to share your stories of how transportation-demand improvements have been made in your communities. How are you "moving people instead of cars?" We may publish your feedback, and together we'll strengthen transportation for all! 
 
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Please check out much more at mobilitylab.org, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

 

Mobility Lab is a research-and-development initiative for "transportation demand management - moving people instead of cars." Based in Arlington, Virginia - which has one of the largest TDM programs in the U.S. and removes 45,000 car trips from the county's roads each work day - Mobility Lab seeks solutions, stories, and partnerships from all over the world.

 
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