Just who is responsible for insuring the adequacy of a community’s mobility infrastructure when new development is contemplated?  This is a question that has been muddled so badly that the obvious answer now seems to escape all involved in the process: the Community is responsible for insuring the adequacy of the mobility infrastructure!

The community is that group of citizen landowners who will be directly impacted by the trips generated by the contemplated new development.  The Community is represented by the elected representatives and professional staff of the jurisdiction(s) in which the community is located.  Note that the affected Community, not the contemplated development, is the determinate of which and how many jurisdictions are affected.  Thus, if a proposed development in jurisdiction “A” impacts mobility in jurisdiction “B”, the responsible Community includes both jurisdictions “A” and “B”.

Have you noticed lately that traffic control paint markings and traffic control signs are looking a little shabby around the City of Annapolis?  I was actually being kind; most pavement markings are almost gone and this is not a good thing.  Respect for pavement markings and signage diminishes as these devices deteriorate.  If a motorist is only able to see faint markings in daylight, they become invisible in poor weather and after dark.  As a former City Traffic Engineer in a historic city about twice the size of Annapolis, one of my primary responsibilities was to insure that all signs and pavement markings were maintained in top condition at all times!  This is a major safety issue for motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists!  The City of Annapolis is clearly failing the traveling public in this important function.

 The Mayor’s Transportation Transition Team, of which I was a member, recommended that traffic operations be removed from public works where it is treated as an after thought and placed in the Department of Transportation where the Departmental focus is on mobility and traveler safety.  This would have been a lateral, no cost staff relocation and a substantial improvement in the City’s delivery of services to its citizenry.  It hasn’t happened!

Well we’re doing it again, paying lip service to transit!  The front page headline in the June 6^th Capital reads: “Bus line facing ax again.” This is yet another unfortunate testimony to bureaucrats who profess the virtues of transit (deriving either votes and/or income from bloviating about transit) but refuse to do the right thing when tough choices are needed. 

 Axing a particular route because it is not making enough money is not a tough choice!  Recognizing that transit, especially the 921 Route between Annapolis and New Carrolton, presents the type of alternative to single occupant automobile travel we desperately need to promote in this region and making it not only viable but the preferred alternative for many is the tough choice!  Where are you on this MTA!

 It is essential that we be honest about transit services.  Long ago it was recognized that transit is the only mobility alternative for many citizens.  It was also long ago recognized that transit presented many benefits to an automobile dominated society that, frankly, benefited not only transit riders but automobile drivers as well.  But even before such enlightened recognition, it was mass transit and the elevator that shaped our modern urban society.  Transit routes have dictated urban design and growth and do so even today apparently by greater minds than those deciding which route to ax in this region.  Transit systems can promote and reinvigorate a city and a region if visionary minds are listened to.  The Washington METRO comes to my mind for some reason, hmm!

 I find it quite ironic that so many never question the virtues of vertical transit but so easily dismiss horizontal transit as passé, well beyond its useful lifespan, except of course for those dense urban areas such as New York, Boston, or Philadelphia.  Imagine if elevators were all single occupant vehicles; buildings wouldn’t be very tall.  We also recognize that elevators are necessary in even very short buildings for a host of reasons.  In many ways it is the same for horizontal transit!  And, it is peak travel period corridor routes like 921 that specifically address reduced single occupant vehicles, reduced congestion, cleaner air, less fuel consumption and greater mobility options for ALL.  Isn’t this what we as transportation professionals should be promoting and enhancing?

Dear Members and Friends:

The Annapolis Regional Transportation Management Association (ARTMA) has taken on a broader and more proactive role in dealing with regional transportation issues.  ARTMA is a public/private TMA (Transportation Management Association) and as such represents the citizen transportation interests irrespective of political boundaries.  ARTMA has long been known for its work in promoting ridesharing programs and transit options to reduce peak hour single occupancy vehicle trips.  ARTMA is now involved in a broader range of transportation issues that affect the region’s mobility and economic vitality. 

Dear Members and Friends:

The Annapolis Regional Transportation Management Association (ARTMA) has taken on a broader and more proactive role in dealing with regional transportation issues.  ARTMA is a public/private TMA (Transportation Management Association) and as such represents the citizen transportation interests irrespective of political boundaries.  ARTMA has long been known for its work in promoting ridesharing programs and transit options to reduce peak hour single occupancy vehicle trips.  ARTMA is now involved in a broader range of transportation issues that affect the region’s mobility and economic vitality.

While ARTMA will remain the go-to source for regional rideshare programs, our expanded role is specifically intended to embrace and give voice to citizen concerns about traffic congestion, travel safety, and mobility options.  ARTMA will, through the expertise of its staff and membership, identify existing and emerging congestion issues, propose mitigation, and interject logical transport options into the regional planning process.

As Executive Director, I seek your support and participation.  If you are currently a member, become more active by joining one or more of our new committee forums that address specific transport interests such as promoting bicycle friendly routes or identifying dangerous intersections.   If you and your organization are not a member of ARTMA, join; let your voice be heard on transportation issues.  ARTMA’s goal is: optimize the existing transportation system and make mobility the key element in future planning.  I am excited about what we can do.  If you want to improve the way we move people, goods, and services, be part of the solution, be part of ARTMA.

Do you have some input, ideas, feedback or concerns?  Let's hear about it - enter your comments below. 

How to fix urban parking strategies

By John Alt

"Main Streets" in the U.S. and Canada are not being put to their highest and best use. The result of this under-utilization of street-space is that shoppers, merchants and in-town residents alike are short-changed on the efficiency of their commerce, the quality of their experience, and their ability to participate in and contribute to a sustainable pattern of urban life.

As Maryland searches for a sustainable way to fund its transportation needs, the work being done in Annapolis will likely be overshadowed by changes being made in Washington.

"I'm not sure we can anticipate the feds are going to bail us out. We're entering a new era," Anne P. Canby, president of the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership, told the Blue Ribbon Commission on Maryland Transportation Funding.

The state relies on the federal government for about 20 percent of its transportation funding, and Gov. Martin O'Malley is hoping for federal dollars to make up at least half of the construction costs of the Red and Purple Light Rail lines.Maryland Loan Quote

TEXAS - A proposed streetcar line would be financially viable and would attract ridership similar to streetcar systems across the country, a consultant's study concludes.

The next step is deciding which route should be built first and convincing a skeptical Fort Worth City Council of the system's viability. The city has qualified for a $24.9 million federal grant that would partly pay for building the system, but council members have put the plan on hold until they hear the results of a study by the consulting firm HDR.

Posted: August 24th, 2010 08:52 AM GMT-05:00 
Marketwire

COCHRANE, ALBERTA--(Marketwire - Aug. 23, 2010) - Representatives from the 15 Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP) municipalities will get a close-up look at the vehicle proposed as an option for future regional transit services in their communities. Cochrane, in conjunction with CRP, is hosting a demonstration of the double deck bus August 24. Media are invited to ride the bus at 10:30 am.

Washington Post - 8/8/10
By Robert Thomson

Nicholas Ramfos, director of the Commuter Connections service, wants to help people find the best way to get to work while imposing the least stress on the D.C. region's transportation system. He couches this goal in the language of commuters: "It's all about time and money."