Stop, Drop and Roll

06 December 2006 | Alameda City Council, Alameda Community Development Forum | John Knox White

Alameda Landing goes before the City Council tonight. The packet for the meeting is over 500 pages long and I could probably write 20 pages on some of my niggling concerns with the project.

In the interest of shorter posts, I stick to a couple of large concerns I have with the Alameda Landing agreement that is coming to the council tomorrow night.

It’s fantastic that the city is moving so aggressively into Transportation Demand Management (TDM) as a way of mitigating the growing traffic concerns in our city. TDM represents the one way Alameda can maintain its historic charm and accommodate the growth that is approaching. However, the Alameda Landing plan is an example of a plan that uses the terminology of TDM without guaranteeing any meaningful implementation of TDM that could result in the reduction of vehicle trips that cause congestion on our major roadways.

1. Set a reduction goal – A TDM plan won’t work without a defined goal for trip reduction. The EIR uses trip generation modeling that can easily be used as starting point for identifying the necessary reductions in trips to appropriately mitigate the traffic generated by the project.

2. Don’t cap the funding - The DDA caps the amount of spending on the TDM plan at approx. $435,000 without identifying the methods used to reduce vehicle trips. This would seem to be backwards. We first need to identify the appropriate solutions needed to attain the goal the city sets, then a discussion of financing can take place.

3. Don’t go piecemeal – Businesses and commercial areas will be tempted to create their own employee shuttles, or Alameda Landing specific shuttles. Don’t allow these programs to count towards the TDM program. Integrated services serve more than just the project area increasing the likelihood of reducing traffic. Two examples that highlight these needs:

a. Line 50 – AC Transit Line 50 offers 15-minute service to Bay Farm Island and Harbor Bay from Fruitvale BART/Coliseum BART. This is not based on BFI ridership, but instead on the fact that both ends of the line carry enough riders to justify 15-minute service, giving BFI residents and businesses better service and options.

b. Harbor Bay Shuttles – HB offers peak-hour shuttles that traverse the main island’s east end, however no east-end residents benefit from this transit option that are currently running in their neighborhood as the shuttles don’t stop between HB and Fruitvale. By integrating the shuttle, Alameda residents would benefit from the shuttles by receiving much higher-frequency service to BART.

4. Measure the effects – A reporting program that identifies the real reductions in vehicle trips is what’s needed. The DDA talks only about reporting on what actions were taken as a part of the TDM program. A poorly designed program that reduces 15 trips a day can look great on paper if it lists 15 different, completely ineffective TDM measures that ran for a year.

5. Require an approved TDM plan BEFORE any plans are approved. By allowing plans to be approved before a TDM program is set will lead to project design that cannot meet the goals of the TDM program.

This is a major development that needs to be done right the first time. Mistakes that are made today will be with us in 50 years.