Transportation Working Group

Working group name/topic: Transportation
In what ways does this topic area need to progress to achieve greater sustainability?
(e.g., Move rapidly towards creating affordable, low carbon transportation options in Santa Fe)
Overarching Goals and Objectives – In what ways does this topic area need to progress to achieve greater sustainability?
(e.g., Move rapidly towards creating affordable, low carbon transportation options in Santa Fe)
Primary goal: Create a low-carbon, equitable transportation system
Achieving the primary goal will require critical thinking, analysis, political will and new approaches to implementing the following objectives:

Develop transit that increaseslow-carbon access to goods and services: develop infrastructure and transportation systems supporting all community members, regardless of age, ability, or income, to be able to select travel options to their desired destinations that substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Develop infrastructure that increases low-carbon access to goods and services:Create higher density, mixed use zoning and land use planningthat works with transportation planning to be connected to frequent transit service and safe bike and pedestrian infrastructure,creating access to services such as medical, healthy and affordable foods, shopping, work, and recreation.
Increase access to zero-emission travel that maintains healthy lifestyles: Ensure there are well maintained and accessible recreational biking and walking trails to all geographic areas of Santa Fe, to support healthy lifestyles; ensure that there are adequate bike-share programs to supply bikes to all who want to use them.

Overview – Background information that could provide history, recent context (facts/figures), relevance for a sustainable community, strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threats (SWOT) analysis.
Moving people and goods efficiently and effectively generates economic wealth, impacts health, and provides access to goods and services. The transportation sector has historically focused on increasing “mobility”, defined as moving people or goods from one point to another. The reason for transporting people and goods is to create “access” to goods or services. Therefore, the underlying goal of transportation should be to understand how to create access to goods and services in the most efficient and equitable manner possible.
Santa Fe’s transportation system is reliant on personally-ownedvehicles that are used to connect people to a widely distributed housing and commercial landscape. Vehicle emissions are the largest contributor to GHG emissions within Santa Fe County. Daily vehicle miles travelled, within Santa Fe County, grew by 13% between 2010 and 2015, with an estimated 74 million gallons of gasoline and 15 million gallons of diesel consumed within the county.
The future evolution of Santa Fe’s transportation system will necessitate a transformation of the ways and means in which we measure, fund, design, and build transportation systems. The evidence is clear and well documented, that shifting toward a built environment that increases density and mixed land use results in increased access to goods and services and creates more affordable transit, pedestrian, and bicycle-friendly neighborhoods that can significantly reduce GHG emissions.
Challenges

Santa Fe City and Santa Fe County have low population densities (2,232 persons/mi2, and 72 persons/mi2, respectively), making it challenging to develop cost effective public transportation. The 2010 UC Census revealed that the mean travel time to work was 22 minutes for Santa Fe County, 80% of people commute alone, 13% carpool, 3% walk, and only 1% using public transport (American Community Survey, 2014).
Funding, regulatory and performance measurement environment that unabashedly favors single-passenger automobile movements and low-density development patterns

Right now there isn’t a head transportation coordinator within the city. The MPO is perceived to play the role of transportation coordinator, but it isn’t a city organization and employees are not city staff.

City doesn’t have any current plans to grow the existing bus fleet
A long-standing and deep community culture that largely supports low-density residential, commercial strip-corridors, and driving.
Social equity issues and the stark demographic disparity between southern and northern Santa Fe
Lack of coordinated investments among all public transit providers in technology, including websites, real‐time GPS tracking, trip planners, route maps, signage, and google transit.
Poor weekend and evening service of public transit across most fixed routes
Poor mobility and access options for “the last mile” between public transit stops and final destination
Transportation/Housing costs in Santa Fe can account for up to 53% of a household’s income.

Resources
Organizations

Santa Fe Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)
Santa Fe City Transportation Department (Santa Fe Trails)
North Central Regional Transit District (NCRTD)
NM Department of Transportation (NMDOT)
Rio Metro Regional Transit District (RMRTD)/Bici-Bike-Share/Rail Runner Express
Santa Fe Conservation Trust, Trails Program
Chainbreaker’s Collective

Services

Santa Fe Trails bus system, launched in 1993, has an annual ridership of over 1 million (1/3 from tourists), is serviced by a fleet of 35 CNG buses, and hosts 11 distinct routes.
Park and Ride (State): The NMDOT operates the Park and Ride Shuttles with three routes servicing the metro area as a primary means of access to the Rail Runnertrain stations and services for commuters from Los Alamos, Espanola, Albuquerque, and Las Vegas, with an annual ridership of 186,000 within the Santa Fe region.
Rail Runner train service providing commuter servicebetween Santa Fe and Belen with 14 stops and a annual ridership of 720,000 people from the Santa Fe area
North Central New Mexico Regional Transit District (NCRTD): free shuttle serving four counties and an annual ridership of 72,000 people from the Santa Fe area
Santa Fe Ridefinders (City): helps people to find carpoolers and vanpoolers.
The City website also connects interested parties to erideshare.com.
City employee shuttle van from remote parking area.
New Freedoms (City): curbside transportation program for seniors and the disabled.

Documents

Santa Fe Metropolitan Transportation Master Plan 2015-2040
Santa Fe Metropolitan Public Transit Master Plan
2012 Santa Fe Metropolitan Bicycle Master Plan
Santa Fe MetropolitanPedestrian Master Plan
NCRTD Long Range Strategic Plan
New Mexico Statewide Public Transportation Plan
New Mexico 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan
AASHTO Guide for the Planning, Design, and Operation of Pedestrian Facilities
AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities

Targets -Quantifiable, time-bound, and reasonable goals that will support the primary goal. Each target should define the timing for achieving it. Timing should be Immediate, Near Term (before 2020), Medium Term (2020-2025) and Long Term (by 2025 and beyond)
(e.g., average MPG of community vehicles are 25+ MPG within the Medium Term)

Develop transit that increaseslow-carbon access to goods and services:

Reduce emissions from automobile usage

Reduce transportation based GHG emissions by 20% by 2020, 50% by 2030
Reduced Daily Vehicle Miles Traveled (DVMT) per capita by 15% by 2020
Reduce average commute times from 22 minutes to 15 minutes by 2020
Increase average car and light duty truck fleet MPG by 15% by 2020, 25% by 2025.
Increase mode use of walking, bicycling, and public transport by X% by 2020, Y% by 2025.

Increase access via public transport

Increase number of neighborhoods served by public transport
Decrease bus transit times to critical destinations (e.g., community college, hospital, grocery stores, etc.)
Increase transit ridership 2% annually
Decrease number of low income households by 50% that spend more than 20% of their income on transportation by 2020

Develop infrastructure that increases low-carbon access to goods and services:

Decrease average housing and transportation costs (as measured by Housing and Transportation Affordability Index) by 10% by 2020
Increase percent of high density (R7, R14) or mixed use developments
Ensure that there are no neighborhoods that are food deserts

Increase access to zero-emission travel that maintains healthy lifestyles

Increase miles of sidewalks, multi‐use paths per neighborhood by X% by 2020
Increase percent of students that bike or walk to school
Improve Santa Fe’s Walkscore from “Car Dependent” to “Very Walkable”
Increase percent of neighborhoods that have uninterrupted bike-friendly routes to primary good/service destinations
Reduce per capita number of bicycle and pedestrian crashes

Strategic areas – these are the primary areas in which the recommendations will impact, in order to meet the suggested targets.
(e.g., vehicle efficiency, vehicle fuels use, urban density, public transportation)

Strategies to develop transit that increaseslow-carbon access to goods and services:

Reduce travel demand
Increased investment in public transportation, sidewalks, and bike paths connecting neighborhoods to goods and services.
Revise zoning and land use regulations for mixed use areas, so that residences, schools, stores, and businesses are close together, reducing the need for driving.
Invest in technology and programs supporting ride sharing/car pooling/e-commuting
Ensure that all neighborhoods have access to an affordable and efficient bus system
Ensure that all neighborhoods have access to safe bikeways and walkways
Increase efficiency
Enact programs and policies that incentivize car owners to purchase more efficient automobiles (high mpg or hybrids) and retire older, low efficiency ones
Switch to lower carbon fuels
Increase adoption of electric vehicles. NOTE: Currently EV vehicles using grid electricity have the equivalent use emissions as 40 MPG vehicles
Development of electric vehicle (EV), bike/car-share and alternative fuels infrastructure

Develop infrastructure that increases low-carbon access to goods and services:

Amend zoning codes to increase housing density and mixed use

Address the need for more affordable middle income housing in Santa Fe, to reduce the need to commute from outside of the City.
Identify and invest in a new metric/performance measurement system that includes a balance of quantitative and qualitative data paired with optimal solutions the City is committed to realizing with new measuring and monitoring methods. (i.e. investments in smart technologies like “smart parking meters” is a crucial step enabling optimal solutions)
Predominately build and design urban “complete” streets and move away from standards that encourage roadways designed primarily for motor vehicles unless absolutely necessary.
Place a maximum restriction for on site parking spaces, shifting to on-road parking and shared parking facilities.

Increase access to zero-emission travel that maintains healthy lifestyles:

Implement bike-share programs
Continue to build high-quality bicycle lanes, sidewalks, crosswalks, and networks of walking and hiking trails accessible to all neighborhoods in the city
Create incentives for students and employees to bike or walk to school/work

Actions –Actions are recommendations, within the different strategic areas, that will help to reach the targets. These could be programs, policies, or projects.
Each action should include:

Description - What the recommendation is, why it is important, and its measurable impact
How - Major steps needed to implement the recommendation
Timing - When the it should be initiated (Immediate, Near Term, Medium Term, Long Term).
Who -Responsible parties, including who leads and who supports
Resources - An estimate of the resources necessary to implement it, including financing, partners, staffing, etc.
Strategic area – which strategic area is this recommendation impacting?

Actions supporting transit that increaseslow-carbon access to goods and services:

Create a bicycle, pedestrian, and transit coordinator position within the city, that would focus on integrated land use and transportation planning, to work closely with existing city entities (e.g., citizen committees, councilors, and engineers) and across departments to identify opportunities for improvement and ensure that best-practices are integrated into long-term planning and projects under development. (Priority, Immediate, City)
Transition city fleet to electric vehicles and lower carbon fuels, and invest in recharging infrastructure. (Medium Term, City)
Increase Santa Fe Trails trip frequencies and evening and weekend hours on key routes to increase ridership. Increase public transit options to include human services, medical facilities, advanced educational institutions, and general access around the south side of Santa Fe.(Near Term, City)
Expand Park and Ride to serve more areas with increased hours of operation. (Near Term, State)
Investigate options for other types of public transit including trams, trolleys, fixed-rail systems, and vans. (Long Term, City/State)
Prioritize first/last mile infrastructure improvements near public transit facilities. (Near Term, City)
Investigate EV car-sharing for first/last mile options for low income households. (Near Term, City)
Seek grants and other financial incentive programs to implement various progressive transportation action items. (Immediate, City)
Implement a 0.02 $/gallon gasoline tax with a rebate for low income households and with revenue targeted to the construction of green roads (semi-permeable roads, bike/bus lanes, sidewalks). (Immediate, City)
Improve mobile apps that provide next bus/train information. (Immediate, City/State/Private)
Invest in ride sharing technologies and programs that encourage shared use of bicycles and cars – include apps that provide incentives for large institutions to utilize shared services and pooled fleets with low carbon footprints. (Near Term, City/Private Co)
Provide “sustainable transport” awards to businesses that reduce freight deliveries through improved planning and localizing purchases as well as offer walk/bike/carpool incentives. (Immediate, City/Private)
Santa Fe MPO broker annual land use/transportation policy forums over the next five years that highlight existing land use regulations and policies that may or may not support an efficient transportation system. (Medium, MPO)
Make the downtown a pedestrian zone with perimeter parking and then electric vehicles and bikeshares.
Explore economic feasibility of low-emission rideshare or passenger vans to fill in the first/last mile and non-arterial transit demand.

Actions to promote infrastructure that increases low-carbon access to goods and services

Amend land use regulations to require mixed‐use development and higher densities. (Immediate, City)
Amend land use regulations to require large development projects and subdivisions to provide safe bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. (Immediate, City)
Amend land use regulations to ensure that new developments in the city are planned with adequate connections to public transportation. (Immediate, City)
Increase affordable, high density housing in Santa Fe (R7 – R14) to reduce number of commuters. (Near-Medium term, City/Private)
Ensure all communities havenearby access to healthy food (grocery stores, farmer’s markets, and community gardens) viawalking, biking, and public transport. (Immediate, City)
Conduct a comprehensive engineering analysis targeting redesign of roads that are unnecessarily wide, traffic is moving too fast, turning radii are too wide, and crossings are inadequate. (Near term, City)
Design streets with narrower lanes, to include space for bike lanes and sidewalks. (Medium term, City/State)
Improve crosswalks to make them safer – double signing and repainting, using “continental” (longitudinal) striping for increased visibility, adding median refuges where feasible, various additional measures for multi-lane roads. (Immediate, City)
Lower the threshold for marking crosswalks at uncontrolled locations. Stop failing to provide for pedestrians and cyclists at legal crosswalks or selected mid-block crossings under the mistaken rationale that itonly gives them a “false sense of security.” Rather, level the playing field to reflect that cars and trucks are not necessarily the only mode being designed for. Focus on facilitating crossings, through ramps and markings, rather than ignoring or prohibiting use of (otherwise) legal crosswalks. Use FHWA guidance developed through research over the last 40 years culminating in “The Safety Effects of Marked vs. Unmarked Crosswalks at Uncontrolled Locations.”
Streets should be designed as ecosystems where man‐made systems interface with natural systems, integrating pervious pavements and bioswales that manage stormwater run‐off and native trees and bushes to provide shade and filter air. (Near term, City)
Improve vibrancy of streets, making progress towards recommendations for Complete Streets. (Medium term, City/Private)

Actions supporting access to zero-emission travel that maintains healthy lifestyles

Implement a city-wide bikeshare program. (Near term, City/Private)
City and Businesses to offer transportation rebates (through City infrastructure funds) to employees who consistently bicycle/walk to work. (Immediate, City/Private)
Promote active transportation with events like Bike‐to‐ Work Week, promote Safe Routes to Schools, and promote/sponsor bicycle-based street events/group rides. (Immediate, City/Private)
Continue the design and construction of a comprehensive pedestrian and bicycle trail system throughout the City (especially in south-side areas). (Medium term, City/MPO)
Evaluate impact of public parking locations and fees. (Near term, City)

Examples -Include any descriptions and links to case studies or best practices that are being done in other cities and would provide an illustration of some/any of the proposed actions.

New York City Sustainable Streets Progress Report

Developing Indicators for Sustainable and Livable Transport Planning

GUIDE TO SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Transportation Master Plan (TMP) - City of Boulder, Colorado

Madison in Motion: City of Madison’s Sustainable Transportation Plan

Bike Sharing in the United States, State of Practice and Guide to Implementation

Plug-In Electric Vehicle Handbook for Public Charging Station Hosts

Alternative Fuel Vehicle Program: Kansas City, MO.

Complete Streets Policies

Sustainable Cities Institute

Safety Effects of Marked vs. Unmarked Crosswalks at Uncontrolled Locations

Why Communities & States Need Bicycle and Pedestrian Staff