Jan

24

Park Smart – A Forum to Raise the Bar on Good Parking Policy

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Wednesday, January 26 · 11:30am – 1:30pm

Seattle City Hall Bertha Knight Landes Room
600 4th Avenue
Seattle, WA

Bring a lunch to this FREE forum (no registration necessary) hosted by Seattle City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, chair of Seattle’s Transportation Committee; and moderated by Downtown Seattle Association President Kate Joncas.

FEATURED PANELISTS:
L. Dennis Burns, CAPP, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.
Dennis Burns is a senior practice builder and regional vice president for Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. Burns is a certified admi…nistrator of pubilc parking and has nearly 30 years of parking operations, management and consulting experience. His focus in recent years includes parking and transportation strategic planning, ’smart parking‘ system development and urban space management concepts. In 2010, Mr. Burns was the recipient of International Parking Institute’s ”Parking Professional of the Year,“ and was a featured speaker at the first-ever Green Gov Symposium in Washington, DC.

Rick Williams, BPM Development Company
Rick Williams is a transportation demand management expert from Portland, OR with more than 20 years of experience. From 1989-1994, he managed Portland’s 3,500-stall Smart Park system and its 208-block downtown business improvement district. In 1995, Mr. Williams helped establish the Lloyd Transportation Management Association, and currently works both as its executive director and as an independent transportation management consultant for clients throughout North America.

Joining the panel will be Seattle City Councilmember Tim Burgess, sponsor of variable price parking legislation, and Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs Senior Lecturer Daniel Carlson, who specializes in community and economic development, and transportation and land use in metropolitan areas. Seattle Department of Transportation Parking Operations and Traffic Permits Manager Mike Estey will also discuss the City’s new on-street parking policy.

Oct

26

Did we mention our affection for Donald Shoup?

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Well, the Los Angeles Times has a fantastic profile that ran on the front page in last Saturday’s paper:

Donald Shoup has a quick comeback when people introduce him, as they often do, as the “parking rock star.”

‘Parking rock star’ is an oxymoron, like ‘rap music,’” the UCLA urban planning professor quips, his green eyes twinkling. “Maybe I should change my name to Shoup Dogg.”

Add another moniker for a man who has been hailed as the “prophet of parking,” the ” Jane Jacobs of parking policy” and the inspiration for a Facebook group called “The Shoupistas.”

The last is a fitting term for disciples of the Yale-trained economist, whom many credit with fomenting a long-overdue revolution in parking. At a sprightly 72, he is invited to expound his theories at brown-bag seminars and transportation conferences all over the world, from San Francisco to Sydney, where he’ll speak in November.

Why parking — a mundane, eye-glazing, exasperating aspect of life? (Even Shoup, who finds the subject fascinating, says: “Nothing is more pedestrian than parking.”)

More here

Now excuse us while we go “like” the Shoupistas Facebook page

Jun

1

Capitol Hill Community Council’s Complete Streetcar Campaign

Filed Under Bicycling, Capitol Hill, Design, Environment, Gas prices, Parking, Pedestrians, SDOT, Seattle, Streets For People, Transit, Transportation, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Great City volunteers and sustainable transportation advocates on Capitol Hill have been conspiring and brainstorming together for years.  We’ve been thrilled to see the great traction our friends on the Capitol Hill Community Council (CHCC) are getting with their innovative “Complete Streetcar” concept.  Here’s an update from the CHCC’s Mike Kent:

On Tuesday, May 4th, more than 50 transit advocates and active community members joined the Capitol Hill Community Council’s Complete Streetcar Campaign at Capitol Hill’s Sole Repair lounge in celebrating the group’s recent successes.

Million Dollar Nile regaled Capitol Hill Complete Streetcar fans with the world premiere performance of "My Streetcar's on Broadway" -- a twist on the Sir Mix-a-Lot classic.

The day before, the Seattle City Council voted into law legislation that brought the proposed First Hill Streetcar closer to completion.

Complete Streetcar Campaign supporter Web Crowell created the animations which ran on a loop throughout the event on Sole Repair’s flatscreen monitors throughout the night


The party honored the group’s success in advocating for an alignment that would run in both directions along Broadway north of Union Street, instead of looping around Cal Anderson park.

The group’s next steps include calling for an extension of the proposed streetcar route beyond Denny Way to the northern end of Broadway near East Aloha Street, as was originally envisioned, and pushing for a streetscape plan that includes, among other things, a separated two-way cycle track.

If you are interested in becoming active with the Complete Streetcar Campaign, send an e-mail to chcc.streetcar@gmail.com.

Oct

26

SDOT Releases Draft Cap Hill Parking Plan

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Note: Our friends at SDOT have asked us to pass this along to the masses:

SDOT has recently released a DRAFT parking plan for the Capitol Hill study area. Residents, businesses, and property owners will be receiving a mailer with plan details within the next few days. In addition, you can find details of the plan on our Community Parking Program-Capitol Hill website, which is: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/parking/cp_caphill.htm.

Also on the website is a link to a web survey where you can review the plan and submit comments and give your feedback.

Sep

18

aLIVe: a Low Impact Vehicle experience

Filed Under Parking, Public Art, Transportation, Zoning | Leave a Comment

PARK(ing) Day 09.18.09

SAM Downtown
Hosted by Great City
Organized by Cheryl dos Remédios

Thanks to 4Culture, Cascade Bicycle, greenmuseum.org, Anne McDuffie, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, Seattle Parks & Recreation, Seattle Summer Streets, Perla Sitcov, SvR Design, Talking Box Media and all of our wonderful volunteers!

ABOUT aLIVe

A Low Impact Vehicle experience (aLIVe) rethinks our transportation system by focusing on the human body. Right now, we design our street grid around 40 ton trucks, but what if we designed around our bodies instead? A bicycle is a low impact vehicle. It’s designed around the human body and doesn’t take much space. The organizers of aLIVe are inviting artists, inventors, designers and community members to create everything from prototypes to poetry.

Artist Peter Reiquam designed and built the Walk and Roll. Inspired by a picture he remembers seeing of a modern dance troupe performing with large diameter bicycle wheels as part of their costumes, he tried to imagine how the devices might be used and how he could interpret this stage prop to create a low impact vehicle that would conserve energy and be fun to ride. The prototype he is displaying is entitled Walk and Roll. . . . Two large wheels, five and a half feet in diameter are linked by an axle. The rider stands between the wheels, the axle attached to a hoop that encircles the rider. When walking, the user pushes the vehicle around with one wheel on the rider’s left side and the other on the right. The rider can then bend his/her legs, sit in a sling-seat suspended from the central ring, pick up his/her feet and begin to roll. . . .

Artist Vaughn Bell’s Vehicles for Slowness is not an object but a series of instructions and actions. Ask for a copy of Vaughn’s instruction booklet at the aLIVe table.

The DIY LIV Table allows you to make your own LIV model! Imagine new types of vehicles and new ways to use our roadways.

JOIN US

Be a part of aLIVe by posting your ideas and comments. Visit my.greatcity.org and choose the aLIVe group. By joining the group, you can also receive updates about when and where aLIVe is happening next.

BACKGROUND

The multi-phase Low-Impact Vehicle experience (aLIVe) seeks to address the scale of our transportation system. Our built environment is increasingly defined by and designed around high-impact vehicles such as cars, trucks, semis, and even motorcycles. As the scale of our built environment has increased, so has its impact on our economic, environmental and cultural health. Vehicles must be designed to withstand high-speed collisions, which significantly increases their cost and the resources required to manufacture, operate and store them. They rely on fossil fuels, they pollute, and they require extensive transportation infrastructure and economic subsidies to be effective.

aLIVe is looking for new ways to reduce the impact of transportation on air and water quality, in terms of vehicular emissions and land use. Our hope is that by creating low-impact alternatives to existing modes of transportation, we can decrease our use of fossil fuels, reduce vehicular emissions, and prevent unchecked growth of the transportation network. In Seattle, for example, 40% of the city’s total land mass is used to move and store private vehicles on roadways and in parking lots, garages and alleys. Of that, 26% of Seattle’s land is in the public’s “right-of-way,” which is, with the exception of transit and freight, primarily given over to single occupancy vehicles. These paved surfaces contribute to climate change in several ways: they radiate heat; they eliminate portions of the tree canopy; and they increase storm water runoff, which is the largest source of pollutants flowing into Puget Sound, annually flushing 22,580 tons of oil and pollutants into its waters. A greater diversity of transportation options would allow us to re-examine land use both locally and nationally, which is key to improving air, climate and water quality.

How do we define a low-impact vehicle (LIV)? The simplest example of a LIV is a bicycle. Bicycles are designed to be easily propelled by the rider. They offer a low-cost alternative to cars, and they require fewer resources to manufacture, operate and store. They contribute minimally to pollution. For safety, a cyclist relies on specially designed protective gear, which also requires fewer resources to manufacture and purchase, and offers greater flexibility than features built into the vehicle itself. Bike-only or bike-friendly routes are typically also pedestrian-friendly, and do not adversely affect the air quality, tree canopy, or sensitive habitat areas.

In general, a LIV:

  • is designed around the human bodyhas minimal impact in case of collision.
  • has a standard operating speed of 20 mph or less.
  • has a small carbon footprint to manufacture and operate.
  • has a small land-use footprint—it does not take up much space to drive or store.
  • promotes the use of mass transit by providing an effective way to complete trips (In Seattle, for example, Sound Transit light rail stations are being placed 2½ miles apart on a north/south grid—the perfect setup for a commuter solution that involves LIVs.)

What do we mean when we talk about designing LIVs around the human body? Research shows that humans are designed to travel at a top sprinting speed of 20 miles per hour. After that, the risk of fatality increases exponentially, which is why designing cars, trucks, semis and motorcycles to be on the road together consumes so many resources. Designing vehicles to run at lower speeds and creating specialized gear for user protection allows LIVs to have smaller footprints and to be lighter and easier to propel. A LIV could even be collapsible. Ultimately, aLIVe proposes we repurpose portions of the existing street grid for LIVs so they can be used safely. This will also reduce the amount of pavement needed, allowing us to reduce carbon emissions, reclaim space for the tree canopy, and preserve watersheds.
LIVs may encourage the use of alternative energies for propulsion and offer more human-powered options, for significant environmental and public health benefits. LIVs may also dovetail with the goals of green business development. aLIVe aims to foster the design of production systems that can be replicated across regions to stimulate the economy through locally sourced materials and the creation of local green jobs.

Right now, a bike is the only LIV that is permitted on our roadways. Not everyone can ride a bicycle, and most people can’t use a bike as their only form of transportation. We need more LIV options to make low-impact mobility available to all.

aLIVe focuses on new thinking about LIVs—what is possible when we design around the human body? We’re asking artists, inventors and designers to create their vision of LIVable vehicles and LIVable communities that will enthrall, amaze, amuse and inspire.

As much as our transportation system is a physical reality, it’s also a metaphor for our way of life. As a culture, we’ve internalized the myth of freedom on our freeways and failed to recognize the economic burden and environmental damage incurred. We fail to see the inherent paradox of a “faster, safer” vehicle. Worse, subsidizing our vast transportation networks shifts resources away from the things most central to preserving our culture and way of life, such as education, health care and the arts.

To paraphrase the essayist Rebecca Solnit, as we risk losing our natural world to pavement, we also risk losing the world of our imagination. In Greek, “metaphor” means to travel, and as humans, we need to travel outside our immediate experience and out into the natural world to free our imaginations. If we only experience manmade environments, we begin to lose touch with our cultural language.

aLIVe aims to repurpose existing resources and redefine the basic unit by which we design our communities. aLIVe is a chance to begin establishing a vision for systemic change. Imagine LIVs driving down LIVable streets, where the right-of-way extends to children playing beneath a LIVing infrastructure of shade trees. With LIV’s the opportunities for LIVable communities truly come aLIVe.

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