The TDM Professional

London's Two-Wheel Transformation

In an article titled "City's two-wheel transformation" of the UK's The Guardian, London's mayor, Ken Livingstone, is quoted saying, "We want nothing short of a cycling transformation in London. We are announcing the biggest investment in cycling in London's history, which will mean that thousands more Londoners can cycle in confidence, on routes that take them quickly and safely to where they want to go." This investment in cycling includes $800M for the conversion of existing city streets into dedicated bicycle "super-cycleways" with the goal of increasing bicycling by 400% by 2025.

According to the article, the super-cycleways will link residential areas to the city center. The routes that have been selected "are based on a 12-month study of the most popular roads already used by cyclists and will have continuous, wide cycle lanes, dedicated junctions and clear signs."

"Planners hope the changes will encourage a 'critical mass' of cyclists to use the routes, creating a safe and accessible environment as well as cutting congestion and pollution across London."

Imagine Arlington with bicycle super-cycleways. These bike facilities wouldn't just be for fast riding, but for all cyclists and would accommodate people enjoying the day with a slow bike ride, running errands, and children riding to school. I'm sure more people would bike in Arlington with dedicated bike streets, where there were fewer potential conflicts with motorists. Afterall, safety is key and dedicated bikeways are the best way to ensure this.

by Paul DeMaio, BikeArlington

In an article titled "City's two-wheel transformation" of the UK's The Guardian, London's mayor, Ken Livingstone, is quoted saying, "We want nothing short of a cycling transformation in London. We are announcing the biggest investment in cycling in London's history, which will mean that thousands more Londoners can cycle in confidence, on routes that take them quickly and safely to where they want to go." This investment in cycling includes $800M for the conversion of existing city streets into dedicated bicycle "super-cycleways" with the goal of increasing bicycling by 400% by 2025.

According to the article, the super-cycleways will link residential areas to the city center. The routes that have been selected "are based on a 12-month study of the most popular roads already used by cyclists and will have continuous, wide cycle lanes, dedicated junctions and clear signs."

"Planners hope the changes will encourage a 'critical mass' of cyclists to use the routes, creating a safe and accessible environment as well as cutting congestion and pollution across London."

Imagine Arlington with bicycle super-cycleways. These bike facilities wouldn't just be for fast riding, but for all cyclists and would accommodate people enjoying the day with a slow bike ride, running errands, and children riding to school. I'm sure more people would bike in Arlington with dedicated bike streets, where there were fewer potential conflicts with motorists. Afterall, safety is key and dedicated bikeways are the best way to ensure this.

by Paul DeMaio, BikeArlington

Best Companies To Work For Keep Telework Trend Going

Fortune recently released its 2008 list of 100 Best Companies to Work For.  An impressive 84 of these "best companies" allow teleworking for at least  20% of an employee's schedule.

Recalling an earlier post that I wrote on the correlation between increasing gas prices and telework, telecommuting is an increasing popular arrangement that benefits employers and employees.  Telework rewards employees with less commute time and stress as well as helps employers recruit and retain valuable talent. And for those companies in Virginia, Telework!VA, a program administered through the VA Department of Rail and Public Transportation, offers incentives to expand or introduce a formalized telework program. 

The Fortune list also highlighted companies with "unusual perks." Among those cited were Genentech and Google.  Genetech gives employees that commute via public transportation, bike, or walking a $4 daily subsidy.  Google gives $1,000 toward the purchase of a hybrid or electric car.  Creativity is flowing to attract more employees to environmentally friendly transit. 

What is your company doing to help lessen the DC commute tension?  How do you think employers can encourage employees to commute via public transit, walking, biking, or carpooling?

Carly Nider, Arlington Transportation Partners

Fortune recently released its 2008 list of 100 Best Companies to Work For.  An impressive 84 of these "best companies" allow teleworking for at least  20% of an employee's schedule.

Recalling an earlier post that I wrote on the correlation between increasing gas prices and telework, telecommuting is an increasing popular arrangement that benefits employers and employees.  Telework rewards employees with less commute time and stress as well as helps employers recruit and retain valuable talent. And for those companies in Virginia, Telework!VA, a program administered through the VA Department of Rail and Public Transportation, offers incentives to expand or introduce a formalized telework program. 

The Fortune list also highlighted companies with "unusual perks." Among those cited were Genentech and Google.  Genetech gives employees that commute via public transportation, bike, or walking a $4 daily subsidy.  Google gives $1,000 toward the purchase of a hybrid or electric car.  Creativity is flowing to attract more employees to environmentally friendly transit. 

What is your company doing to help lessen the DC commute tension?  How do you think employers can encourage employees to commute via public transit, walking, biking, or carpooling?

Carly Nider, Arlington Transportation Partners

The Coolest Bike Shop In the World

Lance Armstrong seems to have the right idea. He's opening up a shop in his home town of Austin, Texas that will be dedicated to encouraging people to use their bikes to commute and get around. Says Lance:

"This city is exploding downtown. Are all these people in high rises going to drive everywhere? We have to promote (bike) commuting," Armstrong said Wednesday, gazing up at the towering condos rising next to the site of his new shop. "This can be a hub for that."

Way to go Lance. Enjoy the article.

Lance Armstrong Unveils His New Commuting Bike Shop, February, 18, 2008; Pamela LeBlanc, Austin 360.com.

Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and The TDM Professional blog and is a biking/Metrorail commuter from Alexandria, Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C.

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Parking Policy Shapes Our Cities

Rob Goodspeed over at the always interesting Goodspeed Update has a great post (The Urbanists' Panacea: Parking Reform, February 24, 2008) on urban parking policy and how it shapes our cities and impacts traffic. Rob discusses the ideas contained in UCLA planning professor Donald Shoup's book The High Cost of Free Parking.

Mr. Goodspeed also compares the amount of parking required by some of the local zoning codes. He tells us that the District is launching a major revision of it's zoning code and provides a "District of Columbia Zoning Requirement for Parking Study" PowerPoint and links to best practices in parking policy.

Everyone interested in reducing traffic congestion and improving the quality of life in our urban areas should take a look at Rob's post. There's lots to chew on here. Enjoy.

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Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and The TDM Professional blog and is a biking/Metrorail commuter from Alexandria, Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C.

Escape from the Suburban Fringe

The Brookings Institution's Christopher Leinberger has an awesome article in the March Atlantic Monthly (The Next Slum?) about what the future may hold for the outer suburbs and their McMansions. He posits that they may become tomorrow's slums.

Mr. Leinberger finds that the recent decline of some of these places is usually attributed to the subprime-mortgage crisis and its wave of foreclosures. And while true, he believes that in the future, that a structural change in the housing market, in the way that more Americans want to live and work, is what will really work against these places. Says Leinberger:

"Twenty years ago, urban housing was a bargain in most central cities. Today, it carries an enormous price premium. It is urban life, almost exclusively, that is culturally associated with excitement, freedom, and diverse daily life. It’s crucial to note that these premiums have arisen not only in central cities, but also in suburban towns that have walkable urban centers offering a mix of residential and commercial development. People are being drawn to the convenience and culture of walkable urban neighborhoods across the country—even when those neighborhoods are small. "

He says builders and developers have noticed and are responding to accommodate the demand by providing an alternative to conventional car-based lifestyles. They do so by developing infill in the cities and inner suburbs and even finding a way to bring the city to the newer suburbs. He calls these new places "lifestyle centers." Think Reston. He says demographic changes and increases in gasoline and heating costs will only hasten this change in development patterns that favor new and traditional downtowns aligned with transit. He also echos much recent data that says the turn towards more walkable living means better health. So as America moves toward these changes he paints a sad picture that awaits many of today's sprawling outer burbs:

"... much of the future decline is likely to occur on the fringes, in towns far away from the central city, not served by rail transit, and lacking any real core. In other words, some of the worst problems are likely to be seen in some of the country’s more recently developed areas—and not only those inhabited by subprime-mortgage borrowers. Many of these areas will become magnets for poverty, crime, and social dysfunction."

If you live there now, escape while you still have time.

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Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and The TDM Professional blog and is a biking/Metrorail commuter from Alexandria, Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C.

Business Mags Note Carsharing Is Growing Up

Two recent business magazine articles about Zipcar indicate that what started as a little green carshare company has become the industry's dominant national company.

The Fast Company article (Zipcar Makes the Leap, by Alex Frankel, February 14, 2008) shares that Zipcar has 180,000 members in 50 cities with revenues of $50 million a year. Next step an IPO, 2 million customers and $1 billion in revenue. Fast Company tells us that part of Zipcar's success has been soft-selling the green benefits in favor of the total experience. Another ingredient of success has been the college market. With Zipcar now on 70 campuses nation-wide, when students graduate and migrate to urban areas they are already predisposed to the concept. Fast Company also says that traditional car-rental companies have taken note of Zipcar's success and have started hourly rental in some select cities. Is Zipcar worried? Nah. Zipcar's CEO says that by positioning themselves as the Whole Foods of carsharing, the rental-car companies end up being grocery stores that add an aisle or two of natural foods. In the end, he believes Zipcar has too big a head start in technology and customer service to be concerned.

The Inc. Magazine article (How Fast Can This Thing Go, Anyway? by Stephanie Clifford, March 2008) is the cover story and quite extensive. The article's subtitle says "Zipcar was a classic founder-run company--long on passion, short on cash. Until a new CEO came aboard, gave the business a seven-step tune up, and put the pedal to the metal." The author thus traces the rise of the company with the story of how Zipcar CEO Scott Griffith, who was brought in at the beginning of 2003 -four years after the company was founded and had begun experiencing growing pains - implemented a seven-point strategy for turning a great idea into a thriving company. And so far it has worked. His seven points:

1. Break It Down to Built It Up
2. Before you Get big, Get Tech
3. Brand With Attitude. And BMWs
4. Hand Over Power, Watch Ideas Fly
5. Sell Where Your Competition Won't
6. First, Prove It. Then, Fund It.
7. Know When to Say No. And Whey to Say Yes

The future for Zipcar looks bright. We  just met with Ellice Perez, General Manager of the Washington, D.C. regional office and came away impressed with the way they've handled the merger (Is Carshare Merger a Sign of Progress, November 1, 2007) of the two companies in our area and with their plans for the future. Ms. Perez has built a solid local team. Now with information from Inc. Magazine we know that she's got the backing and support from a great corporate culture. So the future of carsharing in our area looks very bright too.

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Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and The TDM Professional blog and is a biking/Metrorail commuter from Alexandria, Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C.