I'm sorry I never sent these notes out. (Thanks for reminding me,
Heyward.) This is a presentation that I attended, and was blown away
by the basic arguments which I have been paraphrasing ever since.
His vision should be taken very seriously by Caltrain, CETS, the
Dumbarton folks, etc.

In short, it's transit, not rail; it's the network, not the tracks;
it's getting from point A to point B, not from one train station to
another; it's speed and convenience for the commuter, not upgrading
the hardware; it's the future, not the past.

Martin
=================================

Improving Transit
in the Bay Area:
Principles of
Effective Systems

2006-07 SEASON: FORUM #3
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2006
LITTLE FOX THEATER
2209 BROADWAY
REDWOOD CITY
6:00 P.M. - 7:45 P.M.

On December 6, 2006, the City of Redwood City and the nonprofit
"Communities By Design"
hosted its third presentation of the 2006-2007 Forum season. The
presentation was given
by transportation expert Alan Hoffman, Founding Principal of The
Mission Group in San
Diego, CA. Alan Hoffman led the Forum at Redwood City audience
through a series of
market research findings and case studies to help explain how
"Improving Bay Area Transit"
could be achieved.

Mr. Hoffman opened with the question: "Why do cities invest in
transit?" The answer, he
said, usually lies in wanting to improve air quality and increase
transportation choices, while
decreasing congestion and sprawl. Before these goals are
accomplished, the lone driver
must be lured from his or her car and onto public transit. To
actually get people out of their
cars, we need to understanding the relationship between driving and
the passenger's desire
to save time and money.

Market Research Findings: Three Transit Essentials
Mr. Hoffman outlined the following three essential criteria for
successful transportation
planning - all of which must be carried out simultaneously:

1. Network Structure, or Connectivity: Getting people from point A to
Point B without
significant interruptions. This means that transit has to take people
from where
they are to where they are going.

2. System Performance: Getting people to their destination quickly,
without keeping
them waiting. The current high-frequency pick-up interval is 15
minutes; however
Mr. Hoffman asserts that 10 minutes is more appropriate.

3. Customer Experience: Making the rider feel good about their choice in
transportation, both during and after their trip.

Network Infrastructure: Creating Market Value
The best approach to create an effective network structure is to
design a system with the
most connections in the quickest amount of time and to the right
areas. Transit nodes
should be located at important civic centers, not in the peripheries
where sprawl would
consequently be encouraged. A weak network design is manifested by spread-out,
polycentric, activity centers. A community's transportation map
should not appear as a
linear series of dots connected by one transportation corridor.
Developments don't care
about proximity to such corridors; instead corridors should connect
important developments
so that future land use patterns are concerned with corridor proximity.

System Performance
The most effective network design consists of "connecting the dots."
If the easiest way to get
to your destination is typically by transit, then you've made a good
system. Mr. Hoffman
stated that, "Places next to transit are like gold to developers."
Mr. Hoffman added that the
use of traditional transportation design is adequate for very
centralized cities; however,
multiple, more creative transit models are necessary for sprawled
areas. Mr. Hoffman stated
that, "In short, the aim is to make transit not merely convenient or
useful, but to make it
indispensable." Transportations systems, like corporations, must
compete for customer
business; transit use will increase when it becomes the best option
for passengers.

Success Stories - Case Studies
Curitiba, Brazil, the rapidly growing South American city,
knew they needed to blanket their city with a well-
functioning transportation network. A subway system was
the first option considered, however it that would have
been far too expensive. Light rail was the next option, yet
once again costs were found prohibitive. One thing was for
certain, Curitiba didn't want their city be dictated by the auto,
instead public transit was to
guide the form of the city. Their solution was to create a network
of buses that functioned as
a "surface subway." To avoid buses getting caught up in the rest of
the heavy traffic, they
created bus-only roads with traffic signal priority over the auto,
resulting in the bus system
becoming the preferred mode of transportation. Compact and convenient
station tunnels
that were accessible and flush to the bus door allows for the average
stop time of buses in
Curitiba to be between only 20-40 seconds. At larger points of
transportation convergence,
a series of stations were positioned for quick transfers. This
station set-up made provisions
for a sophisticated system that enhanced the customer experience. For
the longer commute,
an additional network overlay of "speedy" buses was added to directly
connect major
transportation centers. Curitiba was able to cover the city with a
great system in less than 25
years at low overall cost. In turn, ridership increased from 7
percent in 1970 to 70 percent
today.

Mr. Hoffman's also showed less successful transit developments,
including Rio Vista West
and San Ysidro in Southern California. These "Transit Oriented
Developments" were what
"What makes transit sexy is not the mode or the technology, it's how
you design it."
- Alan Hoffman

Mr. Hoffman called, "T.O.D.'s without the T" for transportation - due
to the fact that the
development was too far removed from transit.

Transmilienio in Bogota, Colombia, is another noteworthy case study
with a reputable bus
rapid transit system that followed a minimal investment strategy.
Stations are usually never
farther than one-third of a mile apart. Transit lines were built to
intersect each other and get
the most convenient destination proximity. An additional express
route system services
passengers embarking on longer trips by eliminating frequent stops.

Operating costs for such major transportation systems are crucial.
Mr. Hoffman stated,
"Lower unit operating costs for rubber based tired systems permit
higher frequencies and
the overlaying of multiple express systems, reducing vehicle round
trip and cycle times and
serving more riders." In other words, frequency trumps mode.

Brisbane in Queensland, Australia, has a spectacular transportation
system that Mr.
Hoffman said "should be the envy of other cities." Downtown Brisbane
is small but doubling.
Their initial commuter rail system did fairly well for nearby users
but was inadequate for
farther residences. To improve their effectiveness, Brisbane utilized
a grade separated bus
method called "quickways." Underground bus stations feed subterranean
tunnels, then
surface to grade separated lanes so buses are not tied up with other
traffic. Generally,
passengers use the express inter-city bus until they reach the core.
At the core, rocket
buses travel along main lines, then separate to serve more remote
locations. The Brisbane
system, which cost $22 million/mile to build, became so successful
that it now carries 15%
more people than the busiest light rail system in North America, is
operating at or near full
cost recovery, and was forced to quit marketing because Australia
couldn't keep up with bus
manufacturing demands.

Customer Experience
The customer's experience while using transit is crucial to the
system's success. People
value connectivity, time and experience. User friendly design
elements such as legible
mapping, easy boarding, and a safe atmosphere help enhance the
passenger's likelihood to
continue using transit. Mr. Hoffman continually conducts focus groups
to obtain data on the
customer experience. His market research found that sleek,
transparent, uncrammed vessel
designs are highly preferred. Gender differences also play an
important role in the customer
experience. Women, Mr. Hoffman noted, are more likely to desire safe
and composed
environments, whereas men value having a sense of control. For
example, men generally
respond well to stations where arrivals and departures are clearly
displayed, especially with
audible warnings.

Mr. Hoffman wrapped his presentation up by giving one last piece of
advice, "Intensive,
systematic and focused market research should be an integral part of
your planning process
and should be used to help guide the design of your systems."

-- 
**********************
Martin Engel
1621 Stone Pine Lane
Menlo Park, CA 94025
650:323-1670
martinengel@earthlink.net
**********************