Transcript Slide 1

Heather Strassberger, AICP
Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Human Services
Transportation Planner
Baltimore Metropolitan Council
We’ve all heard about
transportation & land use
Infrastructure
Investment
Travel Choices
Land Use
Decisions
We now consider
transportation
options and land
use impacts in most
planning…
Unfortunately, some of our most
vulnerable travelers have been left
behind by advances that have led
to renewed emphasis on bicycle
and pedestrian infrastructure,
higher quality transit, and land use
connections.
Small details can mean big
barriers.
Why is this important?
 Aging population
 Haywood & Henderson
Counties: > 20% 65+
 Rapid increases in use of ADA
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paratransit
Dwindling funding
Jobs dispersing
Low income population
suburbanizing
Changes in family dynamics,
lifestyle preferences
Siloed funding sources create
inefficiencies
What’s at stake?
 Livability/Quality of life:
 independence for seniors &
people with disablities
 Access to employment &
services for low income
 Economic costs:
 $40/trip for paratransit vs $34 for bus or rail (WMATA)
 750’ of accessible sidewalk
pays for itself if one customer
switches from paratransit to
fixed route for 1 year
Some Case Studies
MAHEC Biltmore Campus
 Healthy Aging center; health
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care for low income pregnant
women
Located in affluent area just
outside Asheville City Limits
Steep, nearly one mile driveway,
no sidewalk
Outside transit service area
Built facility, then approached
Transit Commission to request a
bus route extension to serve it
Represents trend of non-profits
building “campuses” instead of
facilities built into urban fabric
UCP of Central Maryland
 Consolidated two adult day
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programs in SW & E corners
of Baltimore County into new
facility in business park off I95
No public transit access
No commercial services
nearby
Requested 5310 Capital funds
for replacement vehicles due
to added wear & tear
LEED-Certified building
The League for People with
Disabilities
 Urban neighborhood location
 On transit line
 Provides travel training
 Worked with city to get
crosswalk re-striped, curb
ramp added so clients could
safely access bus line
Parkville Senior Center
 On bus line
 Recently received road diet,
traffic calming
 Senior center representatives
involved in streetscape
project
 Adaptive reuse of school as
senior center/rec center in
established neighborhood
 But – senior center entrance
on back of building presents
some problems
State/County DSS, Essex, MD
 Located on hybrid suburban
main street/state highway
 On 4 bus lines
 Improved bus stop, crossing,
some traffic calming
 In close proximity to a large
portion of county’s social
services clients
Arlington Estates Co-op
 Infill moderate income senior
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housing
Across from shopping center
~1/4 mile from Metro
Bus stop directly outside
BUT
 On high speed arterial
 No sidewalk
 No real crossing
improvements
What does this have to do with
MPOs?
Coordinated Human Services
Planning
 MPO develops Locally
Coordinated Public
Transportation – Human
Services Transportation Plan
 Guides how FTA Elderly &
Disabled, Job Access –
Reverse Commute, New
Freedom funds are spent
 Defines local needs, sets tone
for “coordination”
 Opportunity to guide policy,
spread innovative ideas
Project Selection
 TMAs have direct control over
•Make land use efficiency, pedestrian
access part of scoring for all HST grants!
JARC & New Freedom funds
 Part of 5310 Selection process
 Should incorporate aging,
disability, income issues into
selection process for all
transportation funding
 Specialized plans incorporated
into LRTP, TIP
Other things MPOs can do
 Use knowledge of providers gained
through HST planning to connect
transport agencies with human service
agencies
 Educate about innovative techniques,
emerging issues
 Direct outreach/TDM efforts with human
services clients
 Serve as convener for coordination
discussions between human service
agencies & other transportation providers
 Identify data needs; develop research and
reports on regional demographics
 Innovative, collaborative programs: ARC’s
Lifelong Communities initiative
Philosophical Questions
 Are human services funds used to enhance the public
transportation system for all with emphasis on special
needs or to create separate transport?
 Do we assume motorized travel or maximize choice?
 How do we account for the health impacts of
transportation on vulnerable populations in the
planning process?
 How do we reconcile the complicated relationships
between transportation and other funding streams?