Kansas City Officials, consultants, and neighbors look over concepts for streetcar stations

The lead consultants on the streetcar project, HDR inc., said the station designs will be guided by several overarching goals to ensure their success. These included: saftey, comfort, distinct look, seemless integration with the surrounding environment, durability, and sustainability. The team is also looking for a “Kit of Parts” style station, one where parts may be mixed and match, and somewhat customized. 

The designs presented were split roughly into two grounps; the creative kind, and the conventional kind. The former included modular stations, with potentially different colors (pictured right). The latter, “Conventional” stations included solid panes, large overhangs, and generally resembled KCATA MAX stations.

Although there was no general concenus as to which station design would work best (or even that one design could work in all three of the major districts), residents were sure they did not want the oversized stations blocking sidewalks, paths, and flower beds. Groups were almost completely in concensus on the “seemless integration” guideline set forth by the project team.  

A sample of a “Conventional” streetcar station

To facilitate this goal, the project team illustrated what the various station designs would look like in the context of each district. Stations were implanted at 5th & Walnut, 12th & Main, and 18th & Main to help residents and property owners imagine the possibilities (pictured right).

All in all, the streetcar stations will bring a new force into downtown Kansa City, and will help direct and spur economic development; regardless of their design. What seemed to be most important to residents and property owners was that the stations work with, and blend into, the current themes and landscaping of each distinct district. There is also the possibility of selecting more than one station design. As well, each design has various sizes as to accomodate for estimated ridership. All these factors, and most importantly, public input, will help shape streetcar stations in downtown Kansas City.

The Kansas City Streetcar Authority Board Marketing Committee will hear about regional efforts tomorrow, May 10, at the Mid-American Regional Council. Tasked with branding the starter line, the committee will have to think ahead, keeping in mind that the streetcar will be the center of a regional transit system. Today was the first step towards designing a rail transit system in Kansas City; very exciting! Stay tuned for more progress on the streetcar project and other transit initiatives in Jackson County!

Earlier today, the Kansas City Streetcar Authority Board met at the offices of the Port Authority of Kansas City. Although under the loom of a still-to-be-determined lawsuit, the board went about business as usual. Mokhtee Ahmad, Regional Administrator for the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) region 7 was present to discuss the role the FTA would play in the downtown streetcar project. Since the City of Kansas City, Missouri will be recieving a significant level of FTA funds ($17.1 million) for the construction of the streetcar, Mr. Ahmad said, “We are in the game”.

The Streetcar Authority Board has planned to fully comply with all Federal regulations.

The Board soon thereafter took up the topic of streetcar operations. A contract between the KCSA Board and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) has recently been finalized. This contract now solidifies the KCATA’s role as consultant to the KCSA Board in the selection of an operator for the downtown streetcar line. The Board’s following discussion, led by David Johnson, began to probe into the hours of operation, weekday v. weekend service, and special event service. David Johnson, technical lead for the Board, and Tom Trabon, Chair, both noted that any final operator contract would allow the Board flexibility in operating hours. This would allow the streetcar to operate in the most efficient and cost effective manner.

The Board has pushed back its selection of an operator to the end of the year; a decision it had hoped to make by this October.

To get a more accurate idea of what service needs are in the downtown area, the Board charged the Marketing Committee with the development of two surveys asking employers and employees how service hours would affect them. Originally charged with the development of a brand for the downtown streetcar, the Marketing Committee reported that they are looking into the potential for regional branding. Teri Rogers, head of the committee, said the committee will be learning about regional services and initiatives next Friday, May 10, at the Mid-America Regional Council.

The Board decided to discuss streetscaping primarily at its June 6th meeting. The technical team still has to develop a seating arrangement, bike policy, color design, and exact (to the tee) station locations.

An ambitious 25 year, $50 billion transportation plan is being implemented in the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area. The Big Move, as its called, is a transformative project, slated to construct dozens of new miles of bus rapid transit and light rail, a rail connection to the regional airport, and over 200 other projects. Such a system will undoubtedly have a tremendous impact on the lives of millions of residents. But why invest such a tremendous amount of resources in a transportation plan when there are plenty of roads?

“…Investing in transit is a way to make living costs more affordable by providing transportation choices that allow households to reduce the amount of income spent on transportation.

Transit investment is a way to transform neighborhoods into walk-able communities where people live, work, and play. By shifting travel from cars to public transit and active transportation we can live healthier, longer lives, and save on health care costs by reducing smog and emissions and providing more opportunities for walking to combat stress and obesity that can accompany sitting in traffic. Transit investment is also critical for attracting and retaining the talented people we need to grow our economy by better connecting people with jobs across the GTHA” (emphasis added)

So, the reply to the question of why to invest in transit is simple: why would you not invest in transit?

The Big Move plan doesn’t shy away from mentioning the big impacts it will have on the economy either. Here are just a few points to mention:

• By bringing down the amount of household income spent on transportation, housing costs can become more manageable
• While the cost of a years worth of unlimited transit passes can be in the range of $1,500 to $3,600, the annual cost to own and operate a car can be upwards of $8,000
• By improving the quality of place through making neighbourhoods more walkable and lowering barriers to work by reducing the cost of transportation, the region will be better able to attract and retain talented workers who grow our economy

Whether it’s lowering our transportation and housing costs, opening up job opportunities, increasing property values, or just getting more people to shops and restaurants, this shows time and again that all over the world transit is working for us!

Recently, the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals gave a presentation on the Economic Benefits of Walkable and Bike Friendly Communities. Todd Litman, Executive Director of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute and staff from the Green Lane Project and Economic Value of Active Transportation Project touched on why biking and walking are so important to our economy.

Presenters went through the various benefits granted to us through better places to bike and walk, but primarily hit on the impacts to our pocket books. It turns out, there are quite a few ways that more bikable and pedestrian friendly communities boost our economy. Let’s consider a few here:

• Save Money on Transportation Costs. When we have safe places to bike and walk, we are more likely to ditch the car for short trips. Making our region more bike friendly can help save families money on gas and car maintenance.
• Healthier People, Fewer Bills. Although biking and walking are not the only ways to get our recommended daily exercise, they provide convenient options to incorporate more activity into our lifestyles. A more active community can help cut healthcare costs.
• Savings on Parking. Most people don’t realize the true cost of parking. Even more so, most people don’t realize that the majority of parked cars are not worth as much as the spot they are parked in! Parking not only takes money out of the hands of folks who drive (when they have no other transit choice), but dampers our overall economy. With more compact, mixed-use development, retail can better flourish and our neighborhoods become more vibrant.
• Time Savings. When parents know their children have safe places to bike and walk, they are less likley to drive them for short trips. Time = money!
• Improved Safety. Places with fewer motorists tend to have less accidents. This saves on costs for drivers, responders, and lost productivity.
• More Travel = Less Productivity. Statistics show that as vehicle miles traveled increase, productivity declines. With more people biking and walking in more compact livable communities, our overall productivity can increase as we spend less time in traffic.

So when we talk about the benefits of places to bike and walk, let’s make sure to show how important trails and bike lanes are to our economy! Transit really does work for us in Jackson County and Kansas City.

The city will be purchasing four streetcar vehicles through a “Piggy Back” method. This entails negotiating prices with streetcar manufacturing companies based on previous agreements in other cities.

The vehicle picture above, is made by the Spanish company CAF, and is 100% low floor- an important specification for the downtown streetcar. This same vehicle will be running along streets in Cincinnati. It is assembled in America, and its purchase will help to create jobs.

The other vehicle being considered for operation in Kansas City is made by Siemens, a German company, with a plant in California. It has 70% low floor. These vehicles will be seen traversing streets in downtown Atlanta soon.

Siemens Streetcar Vehicle

Officials and members of the Streetcar Authority Board have put together a list of specifications any vehicle chosen for Kansas City must meet. Amongst these are:

• 100% ADA compliant
• Low-floor
• Has “Intelligent” features (Wifi capability, etc.)
• A minimum passenger capacity of 115
• Is compatible with the climate in Kansas City
• Works well with, and integrates into traffic
• Is light rail compatible (a rail width of 2.65 meters for those of you who were curious!)

With expansion on the minds of officials and advocates, the ability to run in a light rail fashion is vital to serving transit needs throughout the rest of the city. This type of service would travel at higher speeds, up to 55mph. When entering downtown, the vehicles would make more frequent stops, and travel at lower speeds.

With the vehicle selection narrowed down to two manufacturers, we should be getting a better picture of what the Kansas City streetcar will look like soon. Colors, emblems, signage, and many other things will still need to be worked on. The Kansas City Streetcar Authority marketing committe will likely hone in on these soon.

See what others are saying about the streetcar vehicle selection process.

Visit back for more updates!

]]> http://www.transitworksforus.org/city-closer-to-decision-on-streetcar-vehicles/feed/ 0 http://www.transitworksforus.org/public-transit-and-public-health/ http://www.transitworksforus.org/public-transit-and-public-health/#comments Tue, 09 Apr 2013 20:15:39 +0000 KCRTA http://www.transitworksforus.org/?p=3380

“Note that ‘letting people get around without cars’ is not synonymous with ‘take people’s cars away.’ The goal is to have multiple transportation options available, so people can take different modes in different situations”

Can public transit be a solution for some of our nation’s public health issues? Lack of exercise, air quality, stress, and mobility all present problems for officials and agencies. Looking for innovative and efficient ways to address these issues is becoming of greater interest. So how do rail, bus, and trail services make an impact on public health?

Pump Handle, a public health blog, recently had a post on how intercity rail service, like Amtrak, provides big public health benefits. In our eyes, these benefits don’t apply to just intercity rail, but to regional rail, bus, and trails. Not only that, the list of benefits in the post is certainly not exhaustive. We’re pretty sure our usual readers could rattle off a few more health benefits from transit. Either way, here is some of the post, we hope you enjoy!

…Amtrak is also important as part of a system that lets people get around without cars.

Note that “letting people get around without cars” is not synonymous with “take people’s cars away.” The goal is to have multiple transportation options available, so people can take different modes in different situations. Maybe you take the bus to work, drive a car to the grocery store or day care, bike to a friend’s house, and hail a cab when you leave a restaurant at 10pm (or a party at 2am). Maybe you drive most of the time, but are glad that other options are there when your car breaks down. A system that allows people multiple choices about how to get around under different circumstances is good for public health in many ways:

• Exercise: Many people get far too little physical activity. Walking — even if only to the bus or train stop — and biking are good ways to get exercise while getting where you need to go.
• Air quality: Walking, biking, and riding public transportation mean less pollution per passenger mile traveled than solo driving.
• Safety: People who are too impaired to drive safely — due to alcohol, prescription medication, physical impairments, or an inability to put down a cell phone — are less likely to get behind the wheel and endanger themselves and the public if they have other options available.
• Equity: Car ownership is expensive, young teens can’t get licenses, and people need to stop driving when they get too old to do so safely. Safe sidewalks and good public transit allow people to get where they need to go, regardless of how young, old, or poor they are.

For cities that were planned with the assumption that single-occupancy vehicles would be the dominant form of transportation, it takes some work to allow for other modes. In the 13 years that I’ve lived in Washington, DC, the city has done a great job improving pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure and bus service, and several new subway stations have opened. Car-sharing programs make it easy to forgo car ownership, and that’s good both for individual households (who save on car-ownership expenses) and for the city (which experiences less pollution and congestion and probably fewer car crashes than it would if everyone were driving everywhere).

Forgoing car ownership is also easier if out-of-town destinations are accessible by something other than car. I appreciate being able to take Amtrak to Baltimore, Philly, and New York — and, judging by the ridership numbers on the Northeast Regional line, I’m far from alone. Amtrak is good for public health not only because it’s a lower-emission form of travel, but because it makes it feasible for people to live without a car.

Yesterday evening, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority held a public input session on downtown KCMO routes. The meeting was part of a several year-long process, known as a comprehensive service analysis. This analysis looks to find ways to improve and consolidate bus service, all while making it more intuitive for passengers. KCATA staff and consultants were looking to get ideas and opinions from riders, so potential alternatives could begin to be put together.

The meeting began with a presentation highlighting successful solutions implemented in sister cities. Transit centers, “Super Stations”, transit priority corrdiors, and transit malls were all referred to. The KCATA currently has two transit centers in the downtown area, one at 10th & Main Street, and another at 3rd & Grand Blvd. The other three options, super stations, priority corridors, and transit malls, are all new concepts for Kansas City however.

A transit mall in Portland, Oregon  

After introduction to some of the concepts potentially applicable in downtown Kansas City, participants took to work, discussing the ups and down of current service. There was widespread agreement that the number of stops and routes downtown made riding the bus a little confusing. Where does it go? When do I get off? Will it take me back here? Where is the closest stop for this route? These are all questions someone unfamiliar with the bus would ask. So how can downtown service be improved to make riding easier and more convenient?

The idea of a transit mall or transit priority corridor along 12th Street was popular in discussions. 11th and 10th streets were also considered for a similar service, but provided challanges with grades and tighter turns. A transit priority on any of these streets would provide much needed east/west connectivity for downtown. Grand Blvd was also considered for expanded service. Improved service along Broadway was mentioned as a top priority.

The circuitousness of the Main and Troost MAX lines in downtown also prompted serious discussion. A suggestion to straighten out these lines came up, making the 12th Street east/west connector an even bigger component. Interest was also shown in a transit center for the East Village. All of the discussion kept the streetcar on Main Street in mind, noting how it would be a de facto transit corridor.

All in all, a lot of good input was given at last night’s event. KCATA and consultants plan on coming back to the public with some potential alternatives later in the year. It will be exciting to see how transit service will shape downtown Kansas City!

The Missouri Department of Transportation has been holding listening sessions throughout the state to hear what citizens would want to invest a new, state-wide sales tax in. A recent report prompted the process, indentifying concerns with the condition of many roads and brides. But now, with transit at the forefront of many transportation discussions, the recent listening sessions in Kansas City dealt with much more than roads and bridges. The message was loud and clear, “transportation is multimodal!”

Members from various organizations were present at the listening sessions in KC to promote transportation choices. The Kansas City Regional Transit Alliance, Transit Action Network, BikeWalkKC, and others all had members present to voice their concerns for better transit in Missouri. Eric Rogers, Executive Director of BikeWalkKC posted about one of the listening sessions he and fellow advocates attended:

“Audiences expressed strong support for increasing state funding public transit, passenger rail, bicycling, and walking. And it wasn’t just a desire for more choices. There was also a significant discussion about limiting highway construction. MoDOT often talks about how they have one of the largest state highway systems in the country, and participants wisely started questioning the need for new or expanded highways. More than one person used the phrase ‘no new lane miles’.

It was very encouraging to hear such a strong public consensus that it was time for Missouri to slow down highway building and start making meaningful investments in transit, rail, walking, and biking.”

Source: BikeWalkKC.org

Despite disagreements on a location for a downtown regional rail station, much work on planning and refining a regional transit system moves forward. Jackson County, the Mid-America Regional Council, the KCATA, consultants, and transit advocates met yesterday to keep progress rolling on a bus improvement plan. This component of the regional transit plan looks to bolster current services and create new options for Jackson County citizens. Commuter, urban, interurban, and paratransit services were explored and discussed.

The partnership team has previously identified the goals of these services are to expand regional transportation, support existing routes, and improve public transit access for seniors, the disabed, and our veterans. Exactly how this is to be done was discussed yesterday.

Transit advocates from the Kansas City Regional Transit Alliance and the Transit Action Network were present to lend their insider comments and suggestions for plans to improve bus service regionally. Staff from the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority were also present to help guide discussions and share their expertise.

All in all, much work was accomplished during yesterday’s work group; bus plans continue to move forward and become more detailed. We look forward to bringing you more news and developments occur!

“The real estate mantra of ‘location, location, location’ is more important than ever. Moving beyond the traditional arguments that good schools and neighborhood amenities impact housing prices, emerging research has indicated that urban form and transportation options have played a key role in the ability of residential properties to maintain their value since the onset of the recession.” – The New Real Estate Mantra

Investing in public transit has a vairety of effects on our economy. It creates jobs, spurs development, provides job access, and reduces environmental costs. It does much more than just that however. Demographics are changing, and the freedom of the car is no longer as highly valued as the convenience and urban atmosphere that go hand in hand with alternative transportation. So, just like any property in proximity to valued ameities, the value of properties near public transit rise.

“….investing in public transportation is a boon to revitalizing our economy.” – Michael Melaniphy, APTA President

The American Public Transportation Association and National Association of Realtors® recently commissioned a study looking at transit-oriented properties throughout the recent recession. The study examined properties in five regions: Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Phoenix. By comparing properties in proximity to transit to the respective regional averages, they concluded that the transit-oriented properties held 40% higher values. Some developments, especially those close to heavy rail, light rail, and streetcar services, did over 60% better then the regions as a whole.

The report doesn’t stop there though. Neighborhoods with convenient access to public transportation often have many more jobs. The number of jobs in transit “sheds” often doubled, and sometimes tripled that of the regional average. For example, in the Pheonix region there is an average of 32,290 jobs per square mile. In the transit shed however, there are 88,241 jobs. This trend is consistent, and even amplified, in the other regions studied.

Beyond the elevated and stable prices of properties near public transit, the overall transportation costs in these sheds are lower than regional averages. Having access to public transit can ease the burden on many families, especially because transportation takes up a dispropportionate amount many citizen’s earnings.