Update on Exit 140 Park-and-Ride
From Roanoke County’s Community Developments Newsletter:
Beginning on Monday, November 2, 2009, VDOT will improve the unpaved portion of the Park and Ride lot at Interstate 81’s exit 140 (Salem). The 13,000 square foot expansion will convert the grassy area on the northern end of the commuter lot into a hard-surface parking area, creating approximately 30 new parking spaces.
Improvements will also be made to the unpaved portion of the commuter lot including grading, stabilizing the soil, updating the drainage ditches, placing stone, applying surface treatment and painting lines.
During construction, 7 of the 59 existing parking spaces in the paved portion of the lot will be unavailable for several days between Monday, November 2 and Friday, November 6, so that the work can be performed. In addition, drivers will be unable to park on the grassy area while it is being upgraded. VDOT plans to complete the improvements by November 6; however, weather may require adjustments to the work schedule.
Additionally, increased enforcement of no parking areas at the facility will begin November 1, 2009. It is important that commuters do not park in the designated no parking areas as the longer Smart Way buses may have difficulty turning the corners in the parking lot.
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Tags: park and ride, roanoke county
RIDE Solutions has registered the following new rideshare opportunities in the Roanoke and New River Valleys. To see if you are a potential match, register online and we will send you a match letter with contact information for all potential carpool partners. You can also view of map of all current carpool origins in the Carpool section of the RIDE Solutions website.
- Blacksburg to Pulaski from 8:45am to 5pm.
- Roanoke (24018) to Downtown Roanoke from 8:30am to 1pm.
RIDE Solutions offer free carpool matching and Guaranteed Ride Home benefits for everyone who carpools, bikes, walks, takes the bus or telecommutes to work instead of driving alone. We are a free public service of the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission and the New River Valley Planning District Commission.
By providing transportation alternatives in the Roanoke area, RIDE Solutions improves regional air quality, reduces traffic congestion, and helps create a sustainable transportation infrastructure.
Want instant updates? Follow us on Twitter or become a Facebook fan.
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Tags: downtown roanoke, roanoke
Yesterday saw two interesting developments for downtown Roanoke. The first was the welcome announcement that Ed Walker, father of the Cotton Mill Lofts and the Hancock Building, had purchased the redoubtable Patrick Henry Hotel. Though the future is still a bit fuzzy for the redevelopment of the building, Walker made clear in his morning press conference that we could count on at least 100 new apartments being at the core of the project. Downtown Roanoke continues to add to its residential offerings at a pleasing and exciting rate.
Second, The Roanoke Times offered a piece on upcoming construction in downtown’s core: the Market Building, Farmer’s Market and Center in the Square. The piece paints a grim picture of how the three massive construction projects could hurt the businesses that rely on them, even as they work to improve the buildings they are housed in. Valley Business Front’s Dan Smith addressed this in a recent blog post, pointing out how the construction will result in “vanishing parking spaces in a place that is often a parking challenge.”
There are a few issues worth discussing in the context of these developments, and most of them have to do with parking. The first is that, with downtown residential booming, attention must be paid to potential parking conflicts with existing commuters and shoppers. I’m sure Walker has a sense of where those 100 apartment dwellers are going to put their cars, and it probably doesn’t involve building a new lot – maybe leasing space at the lot across the street or at Community Hospital. Either way, it’s going to displace commuters. The same thing happened a few years ago with the top level of the Market Square lot.
One way to address this is to make sure those 100 new apartment dwellers don’t need a car. Downtown Roanoke is already one of the largest, if not the largest, trip generator in the region, particularly if you include Carilion Roanoke Memorial and the research complex/medical school. Investments in express transit and bike connections could reinforce the idea that you’re supposed to get into and out of downtown in something other than your car. In terms of development, attracting basic amenities like a grocery story and pharmacy would reduce the need for urban dwellers to have to drive to Towers or Crystal Spring or anywhere else to do their shopping, further encouraging them to ditch the car altogether. If that were compounded with the introduction of carsharing – through Zipcar or some local start-up – that would seal the deal. Not only would downtown residents be able to do without a car, but downtown employees would have access to a Zipcar for meetings and other day trips, allowing them to ride the bus, carpool, bike or walk to work.
It seems that the vision of Downtown Roanoke as a bustling, vital, and thriving urban center is not going to come to fruition unless we anticipate the transportation impacts and avoid the pitfalls of traffic and parking congestion that go with them. I’d hate to see Walker or other developers have to turn grand old buildings into unproductive parking decks. To be clear, I don’t think Ed Walker would do that, but at some point, if we’re not smart about this, someone else might.
Downtown employers and city government have a responsibility in this, too. A careful review of parking regulations and rates need to be made. We need to decide if the current structure of rates is incentivizing the right behavior – are we retaining our parking space for visitors, shoppers, and tourists? Are we dedicating it to commuters who leave their cars sitting idle for most of the day? The city – the regional in general, really – needs to expand those options. Would putting more money into express transit routes or shorter headways on Valley Metro buses be more effective use of public dollars than dealing with traffic congestion, road maintenance, parking maintenance and construction, or the loss of tax revenue that could have been generated from commercial or real estate property that would instead need to be used as parking?
Employers need to advocate and fund transportation options as well. Carilion Clinic and Jefferson College have set the bar with their support of the Star Line Trolley, which has been wildly successful. More employers could get in that game. Or, they could simply look at existing incentives – implementing the pre-tax Commuter Choice transit benefit could be an easy way to encourage ridership that would essentially “fund” the growth in regional transit service by increasing fairebox revenues rather than by subsidizing free services. Offering the pre-tax Commuter Choice parking benefit to carpoolers and vanpoolers could incentivize intelligent use of parking. There’s even a new bicycle commuter benefit that works much the same way.
These are some ideas – not necessarily the right ones, but worth discussing, I think. As the Roanoke Times article points out, the next two to three years are going to see some big disruptions in our urban core. How we come out of that may be determined, to some extent, by how easy we make it for commuters and shoppers to get into and stay in downtown.
I’m interested in what you think – what’s your vision for a sustainable, vibrant Downtown Roanoke? Where do you think parking and transportation fit into the redevelopment and renovation mix? I invite you to share your ideas here, but if you’re on Facebook I’d also suggest becoming part of The Heart of Roanoke group, where there’s a Transportation forum available for this very topic.
Filed under: RIDE Solutions | 12 Comments
Tags: bike, carless, carshare, downtown, downtown roanoke, parking, roanoke
A Strong Criticism
From Diana Christopulos at the Roanoke Valley Cool Cities Coalition:
Hollins University and the Darci Ellis Godhard Fund for Social Justice present “The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of the Oil Age, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century” with urban planning expert, social critic, author, and journalist James Howard Kunstler
- WHEN: Wednesday, November 11, 2009, 7 p.m.
- WHERE: Niederer Auditorium, Wetherill Visual Arts Center
- COST: Free Admission
With a critical eye and a provocative, entertaining voice, Kunstler explores the sweeping economic, political, and social changes that will result from the end of access to cheap fossil fuels.
“Kunstler, like George Orwell, understands that being honest about the past and present is the only way to prepare ourselves for an uncertain future.” —Professor David Ehrenfeld, Rutgers University
I’ll be there. Kunstler has been an outspoken and harsh critic of urban sprawl and progressive design of public space, as illustrated by this presentation (warning: Some of Kunstler’s language is as strong as his criticism, so be forewarned).
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Tags: kunstler, sprawl, suburbia, urban space
Get to the Vote
Star City Harbinger, Fork in the Alley and Fork in the City, and RIDE Solutions are teaming up to encourage you to get out and vote this upcoming election day: Tuesday, November 3rd. Arrive at either Fork in the Alley or Fork in the City with your “I Voted!” sticker and get 10% off your meal purchase. Just show the sticker to your server or attach it to your tab.
RIDE Solutions will help you get to your polling place with or without a car by connecting you to your transportation options. Visit the Vote page on the RIDE Solutions website to find your polling place and the transportation options taking you there, including a pre-populated link to the Google Transit trip planning page for that location.
If you know of other services or options available, please leave them in the comments below. The more people who are aware of volunteer drivers, shuttle services, or other transportation providers, the more efficient those providers can be and more more empty seats we can fill!
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RIDE Solutions has registered the following new rideshare opportunities in the Roanoke and New River Valleys. To see if you are a potential match, register online and we will send you a match letter with contact information for all potential carpool partners. You can also view of map of all current carpool origins in the Carpool section of the RIDE Solutions website.
- Salem to Blacksburg from 8am to 5pm.
RIDE Solutions offer free carpool matching and Guaranteed Ride Home benefits for everyone who carpools, bikes, walks, takes the bus or telecommutes to work instead of driving alone. We are a free public service of the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission and the New River Valley Planning District Commission.
By providing transportation alternatives in the Roanoke area, RIDE Solutions improves regional air quality, reduces traffic congestion, and helps create a sustainable transportation infrastructure.
Want instant updates? Follow us on Twitter or become a Facebook fan.
Filed under: Carpool Opportunities | Leave a Comment
Tags: Blacksburg, roanoke
RIDE Solutions has registered the following new rideshare opportunities in the Roanoke and New River Valleys. To see if you are a potential match, register online and we will send you a match letter with contact information for all potential carpool partners. You can also view of map of all current carpool origins in the Carpool section of the RIDE Solutions website.
- Belspring to Downtown Roanoke from 8am to 5pm.
- Covington to Roanoke (24012) from 6am to 3:30pm.
- Within Roanoke (24012) from 2pm to 8pm.
- Rural Retreat to Blacksburg from 9am to 5pm.
RIDE Solutions offer free carpool matching and Guaranteed Ride Home benefits for everyone who carpools, bikes, walks, takes the bus or telecommutes to work instead of driving alone. We are a free public service of the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission and the New River Valley Planning District Commission.
By providing transportation alternatives in the Roanoke area, RIDE Solutions improves regional air quality, reduces traffic congestion, and helps create a sustainable transportation infrastructure.
Want instant updates? Follow us on Twitter or become a Facebook fan.
Filed under: Carpool Opportunities | Leave a Comment
Tags: belspring, Blacksburg, covington, downtown roanoke, roanoke, rural retreat
RIDE Solutions has registered the following new rideshare opportunities in the Roanoke and New River Valleys. To see if you are a potential match, register online and we will send you a match letter with contact information for all potential carpool partners. You can also view of map of all current carpool origins in the Carpool section of the RIDE Solutions website.
- Boones Mill to Roanoke (24012) frm 9am to 5pm.
- Roanoke (24017) to Roanoke (24012) from 10am to 9pm.
- Roanoke (24012) to Roanoke (24015) with variable schedule.
- Roanoke (24013) to Roanoke (24018) from 7am to 3pm.
RIDE Solutions offer free carpool matching and Guaranteed Ride Home benefits for everyone who carpools, bikes, walks, takes the bus or telecommutes to work instead of driving alone. We are a free public service of the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission and the New River Valley Planning District Commission.
By providing transportation alternatives in the Roanoke area, RIDE Solutions improves regional air quality, reduces traffic congestion, and helps create a sustainable transportation infrastructure.
Want instant updates? Follow us on Twitter or become a Facebook fan.
Filed under: Carpool Opportunities | Leave a Comment
Tags: boones mill, roanoke
Those of you using the Exit 140 Park-and-Ride in Hanging Rock have noticed the new “No Parking” signs placed around the perimeter. I’ve spoken with VDOT – these have been installed in anticipation of the new Smart Way buses that should begin running later this year. The new buses are significantly larger and will need more room to maneuver, so some of the creative parking that has been taking place needs to end to provide that additional room. VDOT assures me, however, that they do intend on paving the existing muddy area of the park-and-ride to provide better accommodations. Between the new buses and the striping of the newly paved area, the end effect will likely mean a reduction in overall parking capacity.
RIDE Solutions is working with Valley Metro to identify and secure alternative parking arrangements for carpoolers at a nearby lot – most likely at the Food Lion in west Salem, near Exit 137, and/or a location on 419. I am more than happy to take suggestions for locations from existing park and ride users – this may be a good opportunity to find a park-and-ride within the metro area rather than making carpoolers drive all the way out to I-81 before meeting. I have identified the excess parking at the GE site at the intersection of Boulevard/Electric Rd. as one possibility, for example. You can post suggestions in this thread or send them directly to me at jholmes@rvarc.org.
Filed under: RIDE Solutions | 3 Comments
Tags: exit 140, park and ride, salem, smart way bus, valley metro
Primacy and Alternatives
There is an exciting conversation happening in the comments section of this recent post defending World Carfree Day and sustainable transportation advocacy in general against criticism by the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Over the course of the discussion, the term “alternative transportation” was used to describe what it is that RIDE Solutions promotes. I want to take a moment to look at term and explore whether it really describes what we do.
RIDE Solutions is a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) program. Our “product” has generally been called, internally and externally, “alternative transportation,” as has been done across the entire industry. This is a term we have really struggled with and sought alternatives to, for two primary reasons.
First, it sets up driving alone as the primary mode, and everything else as an alternative. It cedes primacy to the automobile. This, I think, is undeserved. There are trips for which the automobile should be considered the alternative. For example, a three block trip to the neighborhood store should be a bike or walking trip, with the car an alternative for rainy weather or when one is in an extreme hurry. Describing all non-automobile modes as “alternatives” implies a rank or value to each mode that doesn’t or shouldn’t exist. Now, as a practical matter, it may very well be true that the automobile is, effectively, the primary mode and everything else secondary, but the language of advocates and enthusiasts, if used correctly, can go a long way to challenging this.
Second, in defense of car drivers, the term “alternative transportation” creates a binary: there is driving, and there is everything else, and the implication is that RIDE Solutions is for everything else and against driving. This isn’t at all true – we are not anti-car, I own a car and I like it – and I wonder if this isn’t the root cause of some of the contentious arguments that crop up around these discussions. I can see that someone who, out of necessity or choice, has a long commute and drives by themselves might get defensive. As “alternative transportation” can cede primacy to the automobile, so too can it imply the moral superiority of other modes. You see this in the description of bicyclists as “smug” or “self righteous” (and, yes, sometimes they are, but no more so than some Hummer drivers, just for difference reasons). The term itself, then, ignores the fact that most people will need access to a wide variety of modes to meet their needs. The word “alternative,” being fraught with so much political connotations these days, might also make otherwise innocuous programs seem a bit more radical than they really are.
What we are arguing for is mode choice, of which driving by oneself is one perfectly valid option, but not necessarily the best option for every person or every situation. We are also arguing for a transportation system that is sustainable; that is, one whose maintenance and related expenses are manageable, and which is based on an energy source or mix of energy sources that are consistent and affordable, and which improves the quality of a community. I think it’s fair to say that the transportation system we’ve created to this point is neither of these things, particularly in the Roanoke region. This is not an attack on drivers to point this out, but a recognition of the plight in which we currently find ourselves, and the basis of how we should plan the future of our transportation network.
However, the TDM industry has yet to find a descriptive term that rolls off the tongue as well as “alternative transortation” does. I have played around with “sustainable transportation,” “commuter assitance,” “commute options, ” “transportation choice,” and related terms. What do you think? Does “alternative transportation” really have the baggage with which I’ve saddled it, or is my English Major background coming back to haunt me by analyzing the term a little too deeply?
Filed under: RIDE Solutions | 11 Comments
Tags: alternative transportation, alternatives, language, TDM
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