The TDM Professional

How Much Does Transportation Affect Your Quality of Life

Transportation affects our lives a lot, and according to a 2006 survey, most Arlington County residents think the transportation system and services in the county affect their quality of life very positively.  A telephone survey of Arlington residents conducted in 2006 by Southeastern Institute of Research for Arlington County Commuter Services revealed that 88% view their quality of life as good or very good, and transportation is an important determinant of that sense of satisfaction.  This seems like common sense, but the survey statistically documented that the higher people rated their satisfaction with the transportation system and services in Arlington, the higher their perception of their quality of life. 

Overall, 78% rated the transportation system and services in Arlington a four or five on a five point scale.  According to researchers this is much higher than in most cities.  Among the key drivers of satisfaction cited were overall ability to get around the county, ability to get around by bus, choice of transportation options, safety, convenience, and the time required to make trips.

Arlingtonians’ affection for choice is borne out by their usage of other modes than driving alone.  For work trips only 50% drive alone, compared to 74% average for the DC region, and much higher nationwide. Twice as many take transit in Arlington (26%) as in the rest of the region, six times as many walk (6%), and three times as many bike to work (3%). 

For non-work trips Arlingtonians’ dependence on the car is even lower.  In the 2006 survey, only 45% of trips were made by driving alone, and an amazing 33% were made by walking!  And of course, the less we drive alone, the more we all benefit from less traffic congestion, less pollution, less parking demand, etc.

All this is good news for Arlington residents, workers, and visitors; but it is also an aid to Arlington officials who are working to improve services and quality of life.  In future posts we will go into some of the reasons behind these statistics that confirm the importance of Arlington’s policies and services.  You can also check out the many studies at the ACCS TDM Research Center.

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Howard Jennings is a Metrorail commuter and manager of Research and Development for Arlington Transportation Partners, the business services section of Arlington County Commuter Services. 

Transportation affects our lives a lot, and according to a 2006 survey, most Arlington County residents think the transportation system and services in the county affect their quality of life very positively.  A telephone survey of Arlington residents conducted in 2006 by Southeastern Institute of Research for Arlington County Commuter Services revealed that 88% view their quality of life as good or very good, and transportation is an important determinant of that sense of satisfaction.  This seems like common sense, but the survey statistically documented that the higher people rated their satisfaction with the transportation system and services in Arlington, the higher their perception of their quality of life. 

Overall, 78% rated the transportation system and services in Arlington a four or five on a five point scale.  According to researchers this is much higher than in most cities.  Among the key drivers of satisfaction cited were overall ability to get around the county, ability to get around by bus, choice of transportation options, safety, convenience, and the time required to make trips.

Arlingtonians’ affection for choice is borne out by their usage of other modes than driving alone.  For work trips only 50% drive alone, compared to 74% average for the DC region, and much higher nationwide. Twice as many take transit in Arlington (26%) as in the rest of the region, six times as many walk (6%), and three times as many bike to work (3%). 

For non-work trips Arlingtonians’ dependence on the car is even lower.  In the 2006 survey, only 45% of trips were made by driving alone, and an amazing 33% were made by walking!  And of course, the less we drive alone, the more we all benefit from less traffic congestion, less pollution, less parking demand, etc.

All this is good news for Arlington residents, workers, and visitors; but it is also an aid to Arlington officials who are working to improve services and quality of life.  In future posts we will go into some of the reasons behind these statistics that confirm the importance of Arlington’s policies and services.  You can also check out the many studies at the ACCS TDM Research Center.

____________________________________________________________________

Howard Jennings is a Metrorail commuter and manager of Research and Development for Arlington Transportation Partners, the business services section of Arlington County Commuter Services. 

Another Reason To Drive Less. Save Our Lungs

Earlier this month the American Lung Association released its Annual State of the Air Report. In issuing its list of most polluted cities, the bad news for us here is that the Washington/Baltimore area moved up in the rankings and we are now #10 in short-term particle pollution and #9 in ozone pollution. Not good news.

In its Tip Sheet for Protecting Your Family from Unhealthy Air, ALA says one of the best things we can do is: "Walk, bike or carpool. Combine trips and use buses, subways, light rail systems, commuter trains or other alternatives to driving."

Fortunately there are many resources for learning more about these pollutants and how you can help:

• CommuterPage.com has a great Air Quality and Transportation page for individuals.
• Arlington Transportation Partners has information for employers.
• Arlington's Car-Free Diet has a nifty calculator that can demonstrate to you how changing your driving habits can help clean the air (in addition to saving you money and burning more calories).
• Clean Air Partners is the Washington/Baltimore region's headquarters for information about air quality and they have a wealth of information and tools including the ability to sign up for Air Quality Alerts and Forecasts.
• And when the air quality is forecast to be bad (orange, red or purple) you can Ride the Bus Free in Northern Virginia on Metrobus and all the local systems!

So there's no excuse. Learn a little and do your share to clean the air and help save our lungs.

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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.

Earlier this month the American Lung Association released its Annual State of the Air Report. In issuing its list of most polluted cities, the bad news for us here is that the Washington/Baltimore area moved up in the rankings and we are now #10 in short-term particle pollution and #9 in ozone pollution. Not good news.

In its Tip Sheet for Protecting Your Family from Unhealthy Air, ALA says one of the best things we can do is: "Walk, bike or carpool. Combine trips and use buses, subways, light rail systems, commuter trains or other alternatives to driving."

Fortunately there are many resources for learning more about these pollutants and how you can help:

• CommuterPage.com has a great Air Quality and Transportation page for individuals.
• Arlington Transportation Partners has information for employers.
• Arlington's Car-Free Diet has a nifty calculator that can demonstrate to you how changing your driving habits can help clean the air (in addition to saving you money and burning more calories).
• Clean Air Partners is the Washington/Baltimore region's headquarters for information about air quality and they have a wealth of information and tools including the ability to sign up for Air Quality Alerts and Forecasts.
• And when the air quality is forecast to be bad (orange, red or purple) you can Ride the Bus Free in Northern Virginia on Metrobus and all the local systems!

So there's no excuse. Learn a little and do your share to clean the air and help save our lungs.

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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.

Is $4.00 a Gallon The Tipping Point?

From the Environmental Economics blog we learn from a recent John Zogby poll (Consumers Cut Driving But Not Diets, May 21, 2008, Reuters) that while with rising food prices people are buying less expensive food they are eating the same amount. However, in coping with rising gasoline prices Americans are beginning to make changes in order to save. From the article:

Nearly half of respondents to a Reuters/Zogby poll of likely voters in the presidential election later this year said they are driving less to compensate for record U.S. gasoline prices, which hit a record average of $3.80 per gallon on Tuesday according to travel club AAA..."People have more control over gasoline. They are driving less* and driving smarter," pollster John Zogby said by telephone.

The article goes on to say that:

Private spending data supports the poll's finding on gasoline demand. U.S. drivers pumped nearly 7 percent less gasoline for the week ending May 16 than they did the same week last year, Mastercard Advisors said this week.

Data from WMATA shows that ridership is up, despite the recent rise in fares. So is this small price sensitivity to gasoline beginning to change habits? Are people driving a bit less, switching modes or both? The pollster goes on to say that according to their research $4.00 may be the point where people make real changes:

"People have been saying that once prices hit $4.00, they are going to adjust their lifestyles and cutting back driving is one way they are doing it," he said.

I wonder if this will be so. Or are people slowly getting accustomed to higher prices? Either way, those of us in the industry need to help people find options to save money by driving alone less. If you live or work in Arlington our Car-Free Diet is a great place to start. You can even calculate what you'll save by driving less! If you live or work elsewhere start with CommuterPage.com or CommuterConnections.com. And stay tuned as we see if prices rise and what will happen as a result.

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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..

The Carbon Emissions of Biking vs. Driving

Just in time for Bike To Work Day this Friday, May 16, the Sierra Club's Answer Guy Hey Mr. Green puts to rest the silly notion that fueling a bike (by feeding a person food that has been grown with fossil fuel inputs and transported to the consumer) is worse for the environment than fueling a car (Is Driving Better Than Cycling, April 29, 2008). Says Hey Mr. Green:

"Of course it takes some energy to make and propel a bike, but nowhere near what's required to make and propel cars that weigh 70 or 80 times as much and demand vastly greater energy for maintenance, from oil changes to tires to new fenders and grilles when they get banged up."

Now that we've cleared that up, we hope to see you out on the trails on the 16th. I'll be riding to the Rosslyn pit stop. With 26 pit stops in all, there should be one close to your home or office. Its not too late to sign up to participate. See you on Friday!

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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.

Chicken or Egg on Auto-Oriented Land Use Planning

The good folks at the always interesting Planetizen discuss the chicken and egg nature of doing land use planning for encouraging more people to walk, bike and use public transit (People Like Cars, and There's Not Much We Can Do About It, May 7, 2008, by Christian Peralta). Says Peralta:

"Even though many planners want to think that lots of people would relinquish their cars if they just had a light rail stop nearby, I feel like most Americans remain whole-heartedly committed to private auto ownership, single-family homes, big box retail stores, and the slew of other elements that have created the modern urban landscape."

So he asks if this is a chicken and egg situation where the physical landscape has to change before people consider changing their auto-oriented lifestyle. He seems to posit that it is a combination of city design, policy that increases the costs associated with driving and education to encourage behavior change. Most planners and transportation folks would agree.

I'd say its not so much chicken or egg. Planners do indeed need to move forward with designing for density and more around people and less around cars. They also need to coordinate these efforts with building more transit, bikeways and pedestrian-friendly environments and providing information and services that encourage their use. As an example, here in Arlington we believe that creating the conditions where more people bike, walk and take public transit rest on these three things:

1. Great planning that focuses density in transit corridors,
2. Providing a robust amount of multi-modal transportation infrastructure that focuses on people not vehicles, and
3. Great educational TDM programs.

All together these three things help contribute to a more vibrant, growing, prosperous and sustainable community.

Additional related information.

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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.