Lochner’s Post

🌐✨The City of Charlotte’s Multimodal Assessments Explained Multimodal Assessments are one of three types of transportation assessments that may be required under the CTR Guidelines. The goal is to identify pedestrian, bicycle, and transit infrastructure needs. The assessment is categorized into three tiers that align with zoning and trip generation, prompting varying mitigation levels. CTR aligns with the Council's mobility impact mitigation commitment, solidified by the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan and Strategic Mobility Plan. Aiming for 50% single-occupancy vehicle trips, these plans pave the way for sustainable urban growth. 💡🛣️ Key Components: 1. Sidewalks and Paths: Identifying compliance gaps. 2. Intersections and Ramps: Ensuring accessibility. 3. Pedestrian Crossings: Evaluating needs. 4. Street Lighting: Enhancing visibility. 📝🔄 Submission Requirements: Applicants integrate a comprehensive Multimodal Assessment in the CTR Report, documenting mitigation points, proposed solutions, and physical plans. Aligning with ADA and CDOT guidelines, they address accessibility and mobility goals. Charlotte's Multimodal Assessments not only meet current needs but shape a future where urban development seamlessly integrates with accessible and sustainable transportation. To learn more about the assessments, read here: https://lnkd.in/gUZ4d_uz

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has halted construction on the long-anticipated expansion of the Second Avenue subway. This high-profile project is among nearly 100 transit upgrades relying on $10 billion in federal funding, contingent upon state matching funds—a funding stream now jeopardized by Governor Kathy Hochul's indefinite pause on implementing congestion pricing. The expansion of the Q subway line from 96th Street on the Upper East Side to 125th Street in Harlem is the first of many projects the MTA must shelve due to the expected $15 billion in congestion pricing toll revenue being in limbo. This revenue was critical not only for the subway extension but also for unlocking additional federal funds. According to a coalition of influential business, transit, and climate groups, the absence of congestion pricing funds also means the MTA cannot access billions in federal funds, as these require matching state contributions. Jamie Torres-Springer, the MTA’s head of construction and development, acknowledged the halt, stating, “There are a lot of projects that we will not be able to build, and we’ll be focusing on state of good repair.” The coalition, including the Real Estate Board of New York, the Environmental Defense Fund, and the Riders Alliance, warned in a letter to MTA and federal transit officials that nearly $10 billion in federal funding for various projects—such as accessible station upgrades, track replacement, signal modernization, power upgrades, and new railcars—is at risk. The state was expected to contribute $14.7 billion. Kate Slevin, executive vice president of the Regional Plan Association, which spearheads the coalition, expressed concerns about the "cascading effect" the halt on the Second Avenue subway extension could trigger for other major projects. Slevin emphasized the broader implications, including impacts on federal aid, construction jobs, air quality, and public health, due to the uncertainty created by the loss of congestion pricing revenue. The diverse coalition's analysis emphasizes the significant, long-term impacts on the MTA's ability to fund its current and future capital programs. The pause on congestion pricing not only threatens the Second Avenue subway expansion but also the overall enhancement of mass transit services crucial for New York City. #MTA #SecondAvenueSubway #NYCTransit #CongestionPricing #Infrastructure #PublicTransit #NYCSubway #UrbanPlanning #TransitFunding #SustainableTransport #GovHochul #NYCDevelopment #FederalFunding #TransportationCrisis https://lnkd.in/eR3xQmQr

🚦 Exciting News for Toronto's Traffic Management! 🚥 Toronto's traffic challenges are getting a high-tech makeover! The city's traffic management team has just unveiled a comprehensive plan to tackle congestion, especially amidst the surge in construction projects. 🏗️ With Toronto leading North American cities in active construction, innovative solutions are on the horizon. In a report heading to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee on Wed., Oct. 25, the general manager of transportation services highlights the need for strategic traffic management amidst construction road closures and a surge in special events post-pandemic. 🚗🚴♀️🚶♂️🚇 Proposed initiatives, awaiting council approval, include the deployment of the latest generation of intelligent traffic signals powered by AI and real-time data. Inspired by successful practices from cities like New York and Los Angeles, these technologies aim to optimize traffic flow for all modes of transportation. 🌐🚦 Downtown Toronto's construction-related traffic congestion is a key focus, ranking as the third most congested in North America. Smart traffic signals have already been installed at 59 intersections, with plans for 30 more by year-end. 🌆 The upcoming report also suggests a groundbreaking QR code program at construction sites, providing real-time info via smartphone scans. If approved, the city plans to expand construction hubs, dedicating additional resources to traffic management within these areas. 🚧📲 Let's navigate Toronto's future with smarter, efficient traffic solutions! 🌟 #TorontoTraffic #SmartCity #UrbanInnovation #TrafficManagement #CityDevelopment #ConstructionProjects #AIinTransportation #QRCodeRevolution 🏙️🚀 📰 Source: https://lnkd.in/gfwhyQhG

Last month, the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) adopted a $168 billion Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) to guide our region's growth over the next decade. This plan is all about creating a more connected, equitable, and sustainable transportation system for Atlanta. To make the details engaging, we've put together an "immersive" blog post highlighting the 12 key things you need to know about the MTP. It's a great way to understand how this plan will impact our commutes, neighborhoods, and overall quality of life. Head over to the ARC's "What's Next ATL" blog to explore the plan! Let's keep Atlanta moving forward! #AtlantaMTP #2050MTP #TransportationPlanning #ATLRegion #MPO #WhatsnextATL #OneGreatRegion #strategicinvestments #healthsafelivablecommunities #diversestakeholderengagement #competitiveeconomy

Seattle has taken action on new 20-year transportation plan for the future of its streets, sidewalks and public spaces. Some of the priorities on the city's transportation landscape include: 🚌 Boosting transport frequency and reliability, optimizing networks. 🚴♂️ Adding more bike lanes and facilities to promote cycling. 🌉 Making critical improvements for safety and functionality. 📈 Defining goals towards safety, equity and mobility enhancement. 🏗️ Committing to resilience, equity, and sustainability in building. Explore all the details on how the city aims to build its transportation plan in this piece by Cities Today ⤵️

New Urban Institute analysis with explores how bus priority lanes can expand equitable access to job opportunities. Our model finds that enforcement is a significant determinant of impact - clear priority bus lanes produce a ~5x average increase in job access compared to lanes blocked 50% of the time. We show how our model can be used to compare investment alternatives by comparing the access benefits and service delivery costs of bus priority lanes and increased frequency. Read more in our Urban Wire post: https://lnkd.in/eUuZDQYY

In her 2024 State of the State address, Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, focused on major transportation plans for the upcoming year. Namely, three new subway stations under Second Avenue could be on the way for the City. This would help fill a major #transit desert in Harlem and provide added connectivity for residents. https://lnkd.in/eFC28U_u #nyc #newyork #transportationplanning #transit #transportation

The provision of bus services should be considered from day 1 of the planning for any new development. Join our webinar on 30th January to hear more about Designing Bus-Friendly Infrastructure. Our speakers: David Knight, Director of Transport Planning, NORMAN ROURKE PRYME LIMITED and Nick Small, Head of Built Environment and Infrastructure (Central and Southern England), The Go-Ahead Group will: Explore innovative approaches to urban planning that prioritise the needs of bus services within new developments. Sustainable Mobility Solutions: Understand how new developments can embrace sustainable transportation practices, contributing to eco-friendly and efficient bus services. Collaborative Planning Strategies: Delve into successful case studies and collaborative planning strategies that bring together urban planners, local authorities, and transportation experts. https://ow.ly/j1UU50Qr2Tj #UrbanPlanning #PlanningForBuses #DesignForBuses

Those who follow the goings-on around Charlotte are probably aware of the desire to eventually build a second light rail line (called the Silver Line) to help combat increasing vehicular traffic congestion.  Despite not even being anywhere close to starting construction, the history behind the Silver Line is fascinating, and is definitely worthy of exploring more closely in a later post.  But for now, the planned 29-mile route would travel from Matthews to Belmont, with 31 stations in total. As with many things, the biggest hurdle will be funding.  With cost estimates cresting $2 billion, this would be one the most expensive transportation projects in North Carolina history.  However, there is widespread unwillingness from the state level to help foot the bill, and state leaders recently voiced their preference of a “roads first” approach instead. Unsurprisingly, “roads first” directs funding and other resources towards building and upgrading the road network.  This is generally a relatively easy approach due to minimal public resistance as well as its perception of addressing a widespread inconvenience.  The main problem with roads first, however, is that it directly translates to “cars first”, and assumes that road construction is a one-size-fits-all fix, when in reality it is much more complicated than that. As ridiculously simple as it sounds, “build it and they will come” has been extremely evident in Charlotte.  By 2035, our current light rail line (the Blue Line) is expected to have fueled about $44 billion in development, much of which has rapidly revitalized previously dormant areas such as South End in a manner that allows residents to get around without needing a car for everything.  On the other end of the spectrum, I-485 was gradually built section-by-section around the outer reaches of Charlotte, and rapidly fueled a boom of subdivisions and shopping centers in its wake, quickly necessitating several widening projects in an attempt to keep up with rapidly increasing traffic volume.  At the time of this post, the 17 mile section of I-485 between I-77 and US 74 (Independence Blvd) is undergoing a $346 million project to add more lanes, and is already the second widening project within this section of I-485 since 2010. And therein lies the dilemma.  As the cost of infrastructure continues to rise, so too does the cost of getting it wrong.  State leaders are on record saying they don’t want Charlotte’s traffic to rival Atlanta’s legendarily bad traffic, while simultaneously being seemingly unwilling to do anything differently than Atlanta.  Obviously, there are areas where we need new roads, but there are also areas where it is evident that more lanes will not fix the root of the problem. Something has to give.

Really interesting Bus Centre of Excellence webinar earlier this week, on planning for buses in new developments. If you missed it, there's a recording + slides at https://lnkd.in/ebhRPpmS . Definitely watch the recording - lots of extra wisdom and tips in the discussion at the end with David Knight and Nick Small fielding questions. Some key points: ▶ Location, location, location! You want developments to be on existing PT corridors or new ones that could credibly be made to work.  ▶ Demand needs to be at scale. Multiple developments on a corridor can support each other. ▶ Transport planners shouldn’t be shy in setting out what's needed for good bus access, when masterplans are being drawn up.