Different Communities, Different Transportation Options and Marketing

Back from EXPO and your eyes are wandering from the your computer screen? Watch a job-related video or two.

Now, nothing works like quality, whether in public transit, vanpooling or a good pedestrian-friendly street network, but promoting those quality services is also important.

Idaho is promoting transit and transportation options beyond the single occupancy vehicle. With its i-way video, Idaho is showing its residents alternatives that work for people who are transportation challenged as well as those who would like to get out of their cars.

Boulder, Colo., voted high for livability and farmers markets, has a nice little film about coordination, advocacy, and volunteer work that over 20 years has produced a bike-able (and walkable)small city. This film is about collective priorities and how to achieve results as much as it is about transforming into a bike-oriented community.

So, relax, take out the popcorn, and be productive.

APTA Points to 10 Reasons People Use Public Transportation

APTA's recent edition of its newsletter, Public Transport, linked to a Montreal Gazette article that listed the top 10 reasons why people in the City of Windsor, right across the border from Detroit, take public transit.

No surprise that cost considerations topped the list and that the desire to be good environmental citizens appeared, but other reasons included my grandfather's favorite, napping on the bus or train, time to catch up on reading, and chore and errand preparation (writing up shopping lists are safely done on the bus). For me the surprises showed that public transit can attract everyone on the economic ladder, from the transportation-challenged to the folks with a Porsche parked in the driveway. Above environmental concerns were comfort and convenience, less stress than driving, and, ranking somewhat lower, the rare opportunity to do absolutely nothing.

Last on the list and therefore squeaking into the top 10? Exercise to and from the stop or station.

In that vein, I will make this a little longer post by promoting the Fast Company post about designing bus stops that are attractive and useful, with route and waiting information clearly posted.

Google Transit Pilot in Northern California

Reconnecting America posts a blog entry about the recent launch of Google Transit's pilot project in a multi-county rural area of Northern California. Discussed are the kinks in applying Google Transit to rural places where assumptions about transit and walking to transit may be misplaced. Also mentioned is the federal coordination mandate. The counties used in the pilot are relatively transit rich. "Eight public transit operators serve these counties, with four providing inter-county service."

A New Route for Technical Assistance

The National Resource Center for Humans Service Transportation Coordination (NRC), housed at the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA), is shifting from a newsletter into the blogosphere. The NRC Technical Assistance News will be the venue for TA resources, innovations and interesting news.

Next week is our annual EXPO conference in sunny Long Beach, Calif. Be sure to look for my sessions on Transportation's Role in Livable Communities, and
Gimmick or Workable Strategy? Zero Fare Systems and Strategies. Also on the agenda are workshops about mobility management and one-call services. Join the Partnership for Mobility Management as it captures stories of customer-focused transportation at its Picturing Mobility booth on the trade show floor.

Plus, EXPO is full of wonderful people.