We are too dependent on our cars. Our current system of depending on them for even short distances is not maximizing social benefits and often provides a financial burden on people, according to Todd Litman, executive director of the Victoria
We are too dependent on our cars. Our current system of depending on them for even short distances is not maximizing social benefits and often provides a financial burden on people, according to Todd Litman, executive director of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute.
Litman was the presenter at the Win-Win Transportation Solutions for a Sustainable Kaua‘i workshop in August, sponsored by Kaua‘i Planning & Action Alliance, the County’s Transportation Agency and Get Fit Kaua‘i Coalition. He told the audience that communities designed to promote walkability and access to public transportation offer the opportunity to improve health, reduce traffic, increase social interaction and keep money in the local economy.
What does it take to get people out of their cars? According to Litman, ease of use, incentives, timeliness and comfort all contribute to increased use of public transportation. He also noted that current trends of an aging population, rising fuel prices, increased traffic congestion, rising roadway costs, and environmental and health concerns all support “multi-modalism” — providing modes other than cars to get around. This includes walking, bicycles and public transit options.
Litman suggests that relatively modest investments in public transportation “luxuries” — like adding comfortable seats with coffee cup holders, WiFi, signs that alert waiting commuters when the bus is coming, and locating waiting areas near coffee shops — along with great service, contribute toward significant increases in ridership.
In many urban areas, there is a growing trend to create a series of small commercial centers that are walkable from nearby residences. These are “urban villages” where people can easily walk to everything. These centers become social hubs with outdoor cafes, restaurants, shops and services. Centers also include mixed uses, with commercial activity on the street level and professional offices and residences above. This concept is similar to the design proposed for some streets in the proposed Lihu‘e Town Core Plan. The commercial centers are linked by public transit so there is no need to use a car. This type of community design decreases the need for parking spaces. According to Marie Williams, long-range planner with the County Planning Department, Kaua‘i has 17 potential urban villages.
These ideas are just some of the principles of smart growth, which, in additional to urban villages, incorporates more compact design, infill development, mixed land use, increased connectivity, improved walkability, increased transportation diversity, better parking management, an improved public realm, more traffic calming and speed control.
But how does this impact the economy? According to Litman, reducing transportation costs to businesses (congestion, parking, property taxes) increases productivity and competitiveness. When community planning is based on the automobile, it creates a variety of market distortions, such as: roadway costs are not borne directly by motorists; parking is usually free or underpriced; there are fixed vehicle insurance and registration fees; there is a lack of congestion pricing; environmental damaged are uncompensated; tax policies favor car use; and land policies favor low-density auto-oriented development.
The question is how do we start making the shift from the car to other modes? At a community level we need comprehensive planning for win-win transportation solutions that also help solve other problems facing society, such as healthier lifestyles, the need for affordable housing, and safer streets.
At the County’s Transportation Agency, Kaua‘i work will begin soon on a multi-modal transportation plan. Two development plans — for Lihu‘e and Koloa-Po‘ipu – will get underway in the next year. All three offer a fabulous opportunity to start addressing the multiple benefits that can emerge from increasing our transportation options and changing how we design our communities.
Litman suggests the following as a sustainable transportation hierarchy: #1 walking, followed by cycling, public transit, service and freight deliveries, taxi, carpools and ridesharing, and last at #7 the private automobile. He suggests that a more diverse transportation system helps achieve equity objectives, such as a fair share of public resources for non-drivers, financial savings for lower-income people and increased opportunity to people who are physically, socially or economically disadvantaged.
We have already made a great start at some transportation solutions. The upside of last year’s jump in gasoline prices was the dramatic increase in Kaua‘i Bus ridership. A survey in March 2009 conducted for KPAA indicated that many people who normally drive to work would be willing to take the bus (47 percent) or carpool (34 percent) if it was convenient and practical.
In the not-too-distant future, the bike and pedestrian path will link the coastline from Anahola to Lihu‘e, offering another transportation solution.
Employers can encourage staff to form carpools or arrange van pools, giving preferential parking spots or other incentives. Car sharing is an option used in many cities where one car is shared by several people who don’t need it every day. Both options offer significant cost savings.
On an individual level, we can start by analyzing the trips we take by car and thinking about the trips that are most amenable to alternatives. Do we have to take the car to get to the store on the other side of the shopping center? Wouldn’t walking be just as easy and healthier? Could we carpool or take the bus to work a few days a week?
According to Litman, it all boils down to making different choices. We need to change the way we think about and solve transportation problems. We need to think holistically and seek transportation and land use plans and policies that reduce traffic, increase community cohesion and promote healthier lifestyles. It may require major paradigm shifts, such as:
When’s the last time you took the bus?
• Diane Zachary is president and CEO of the Kaua‘i Planning & Action Alliance and can be reached at dzachary@kauainetwork.org.
