FutureModes
Because the future is closer every day Volume 3, Number 3, September 19, 2013
APA Florida conference offers a strong perspective on TOD and economic development By Jo Laurie Penrose, AICP Earlier in September I attended the 2013 conference of the Florida chapter of the American Planning Association. It was great to see so many familiar colleagues and learn more about what’s going on with Florida planning. All of the sessions I attended were centered on transportation, since that’s my planning niche. From the session titles, people seem excited about the potential for public transportation, specifically rail, to stimulate economic development. As of September, there are several rail lines with plans to start service in Florida. All Aboard Florida is a private service. The others will be government operated, at least for the first few years. Before the train systems ever start running, many jurisdictions are looking at activity centers and transit-oriented development near the rail stops. FDOT recently published a TOD guidebook containing comprehensive plan policies and typologies for different station types. http://www.fltod.com/ Several of the local jurisdiction that will have Sunrail stops have revised their comp plans to make TOD easier to undertake. One of the key planning considerations is the pedestrian character of a TOD Station Area, as the walk-access to the station is a primary factor in achieving ridership potential. To improve pedestrian conditions, a primary goal of TOD is to intensify development activity in the Station Area, especially within the Transit Core (quarter-mile radius around a station). The stations need to have the right transit connection to make access easier. One way to do that might be to infill the area street network to create more connectivity, according to one panelist. Related to that, I went on a mobile workshop to see several SunRail stations under construction. The stops look like any rail station, with long platforms and canopies for shade. These are SunRail stations, though! The service is scheduled to open next spring. I hope to get back to Florida in 2014 to ride the train.
Canopies under construction at Altamonte Springs SunRail station Photo courtesy of SunRail
Transportation projects frequently have another focus, which is economic development. The solutions are more than just wider lanes for motor vehicles. This type of planning for roadway design is a change from the cars-only perspective of the past. Orange County is using this concept to revamp corridors in some of its Alternate Mobility Areas. Osceola County has dropped its functional classification of roadways in favor of thoroughfare standards. The standards—multimodal corridor, boulevard, avenue and street—can be a complement to a form-based code. The question is, still, how we are going to pay for infrastructure in a time of falling gas tax revenue. The FDOT operates managed lanes on I-95 in South Florida, of course. A panel on tolls was fascinating. The answers most discussed are tolls or a mileage-based user fee. One presenter mentioned higher parking fees as a way to implement congestion pricing. An unusual idea discussed in this session was a tolled bus lane. Bob Frey, planning director at the Tampa Expressway Authority, said his agency has been working on this concept. These dedicated transit lanes allow private vehicles to pay a toll to travel in the lanes. With tolls collected electronically, (no toll booths, no toll booth congestion) all vehicles in the lane will maintain free-flow operating speeds. The expressway is now working to identify a pilot project for a tolled bus lane. The bus toll lane concept could provide the financial resources and lane capacity to grow the premium transit service. According to the expressway authority website, even with one-minute headways (60 buses per hour) transit uses less than 10% of the price-managed lane capacity on a limited access facility. The remaining 90% is a revenue opportunity to provide funding in support the transit service. http://www.tampa-xway.com/Projects/BusTollLanes.aspx If you attended the conference and heard any of the sessions I mentioned, please let me know if you have a different perspective, or if there’s more to say on these topics.