Balancing desires and agendas between individuals and a community

Recently, Greater Greater Washington wrote about how a Georgetown Transportation planning effort seems to be most focused on accommodating automobility. Also see the Washcycle report, "Georgetown Transportation Study" which notes the inadquate consideration of the transportation mode of bicycling within the study.

Similarly, there is another report (I saw a reference to the WTOP story, "Controversial traffic plan could slow your commute" in email) complaining that plans to make 15th Street NW two-way will significantly and negatively impact commuters.

I have been thinking about this and have a bunch of thoughts:

1. Neighborhood plans with resident involvement, for the most part, will mostly focus on automobility, because typical residents involved will likely think automobile first.

2. The City has inadequately defined the primary goals and strategies for transportation policy, which ends up treating all transportation as equal, and yielding to resident preferences for automobility, so that driving, even though DC's competitive advantage rests in large part on the transit system and infrastructure, is more equal than other transportation modes.

3. Many neighborhood planning efforts inadequately balance often more parochial concerns with broader community and city goals and objectives.

4. Maybe the City hasn't built an adequate template-matrix to ensure that all mobility considerations are addressed during the study process.
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E.g., I wrote about the Union Station Intermodal Transportation Study meeting tonight--I can't attend, so I'll be relying on the reports of BeyondDC, and I have to laugh because during the DC Strategic Neighborhood Action Plan process in 2001, and of course during the H Street Strategic Plan process in 2002 and 2003, but especially in the first study I kept mentioning verbally and in written comments, to no avail, the lack of transit "articulation" between H Street and Union Station.
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So I think it's very important to look at and consider the Goals and Strategies from the Master Transportation Plan of Arlington County, Virginia, to guide us when considering these issues in DC. The ArCo Plan does not treat all modes as equal. It focuses on promoting optimal and equitable mobility. That shapes decision-making at all levels, in terms of how the County deals with regional bodies and matters, how the County addresses broad Countywide issues, and how the County addresses transportation issues within neighborhoods.

DC has not laid out Goals and Strategies for its Transportation Policy (the Transportation Element in the City's Comprehensive Plan) in a similar manner. Here is DC's Transportation Goal:

The overarching goal for transportation in the District is:

Create a safe, sustainable, efficient multi-modal transportation system that meets the access and mobility needs of District residents, the regional workforce, and visitors; supports local and regional economic prosperity; and enhances the quality of life for District residents.

I am not being fair if I don't acknowledge a slew of goals and objectives in the DC Transportation Element, but without setting a clear vision that focuses on optimal mobility, comparable to San Francisco's Transit-First Mobility policy, which is part of their city charter, you are going to continue to have neighborhoods advocating for parking-first, automobile-first policies, like all the suggestions you hear from people about how DC should build parking garages in neighborhoods, as is done in the Bethesda _commercial district_, without acknowledging that providing parking for shoppers is a distinctly different policy objective when compared to encouraging or discouraging automobile use in the City, which, less face it, has a finite inventory of curbside parking spaces.
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From MTP Goals and Policies, Arlington County Master Transportation Plan:

Goal 1 – Provide High-Quality Transportation Services. Provide high-quality transportation services for all users and modes.

Strategies

1. Provide and promote affordable, convenient, and integrated transportation choices.
2. Construct and manage streets to be "Complete Streets." Streets should be safe and omfortable for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, motorists, and other users.
3. Increase the overall person-capacity of Arlington’s transportation network through the more efficient use of existing street rights-of-way.
4. Expand and complete the bikeway network with a focus on high-quality facilities, overcoming barriers, and facilitating overall connectivity.
5. Integrate local transportation facilities and transit services with those of neighboring jurisdictions to enhance regional connections.
6. Allocate transit resources to emphasize fast, frequent, and reliable service on the Primary Transit Network, and increase neighborhood access with the feeder and connector service of the Secondary Transit Network.
7. Facilitate car-sharing and regulate taxicab service to ensure they provide high-quality services that complement transit, paratransit and non-motorized travel options.

Goal 2 – Move More People Without More Traffic. Provide more travel choices and reduce the relative proportion of single-occupant-vehicle (SOV) travel through Transportation Demand Management (TDM), telecommuting, and travel shifts to other modes including transit, carpooling, walking, and bicycling.

Strategies

1. Implement land-use policies such as transit-oriented and mixed-use development that result in better access and use of the transportation system.
2. Focus on minimizing person delay across modes rather than focusing exclusively on minimizing vehicle delay.
3. Encourage the use of environmentally sustainable modes, including bicycling, walking, transit, carpooling, and telecommuting.

Goal 3 – Promote Safety. Provide transportation system operations that are safe and secure, and enable prompt and effective emergency response.

Strategies

1. Minimize rates of injuries and accidents for each mode and ensure that transit riders, pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists feel safe and comfortable at all times when traveling in Arlington.
2. Optimize the transportation system’s ability during emergencies to execute emergency responses, including evacuation when necessary.
3. Ensure that the County transportation infrastructure serves emergency responders’ needs to react to disasters and enables people to move away from danger areas.

Goal 4 – Establish Equity. Serve the mobility and accessibility needs of all residents regardless of age, income, or ability.

Strategies

1. Provide safe and convenient pedestrian access on all streets.
2. Ensure transportation facilities meet the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines, preferably through universal design.
3. Provide good quality travel options for all residents and workers throughout the county regardless of their location.
4. Support programs that emphasize the special transportation needs of children, the elderly and the disabled.
5. Provide a broad array of transportation options that ensure access to affordable travel.

Goal 5 – Manage Effectively and Efficiently. Fund, develop, manage, and maintain transportation facilities and services in an equitable and cost-effective manner.

Strategies

1. Use Transportation Demand Management (TDM) and Transportation System Management (TSM) measures to mitigate expected increases in travel demand and to maintain traffic operation efficiency.
2. Plan, design, and maintain transportation facilities in a manner that minimizes the life-cycle cost of the facility while providing high-quality service.
3. Manage motor vehicle congestion by emphasizing transportation alternatives, parking management, and queue management.
4. Identify and pursue policies and practices that take advantage of new technologies that can enhance the quality and efficiency of transportation facilities and services. Carefully design and implement demonstrations of such innovations.
5. Plan, measure and evaluate service with a general emphasis on daily and weekly peak demand.

Goal 6 – Advance Environmental Sustainability. Reduce the impact of travel on community resources including air and water quality, and increase energy efficiency.

Strategies

1. Increase energy efficiency and reduce hydrocarbon emissions by encouraging and accommodating nonmotorized travel, public transit, carpooling, telecommuting, and alternative-fuel vehicles.
2. Minimize the creation of impervious surface area for streets and other transportation facilities, and manage the collection and release of runoff in an effective and environmentally sensitive manner.
3. Increase planting of trees within street and highway right-of-way.
4. Respect and accommodate historic and cultural resources