Breakout Session. The Mobility Challenges of Our Growing & Sprawling Upstate

Transcription

1 Breakout Session The Mobility Challenges of Our Growing & Sprawling Upstate

2 The Mobility Challenges of Our Growing & Sprawling Upstate Why is our suburban and sprawling development pattern a challenge to mobility? Can we build our way to convenient auto access? How have we addressed this challenge in the Upstate? What are the costs of this pattern and who suffers? What other transportation options exist for the Upstate?

3 Why is our suburban and sprawling development pattern a challenge to mobility? Separation of homes, work, schools and shopping make us car dependent Street and land use patterns that frustrate walking, cycling, and transit Increases traffic congestion

4 Can we build our way to convenient auto access? Interstate work dominates local spending currently. As these projects are completed the percentage on interstates will be reduced The lead time from project identification to completion is 10 years minimum As an example Upstate Transportation Spending $314 MM Total for FY2017 Local Roads 22% Transit 11% Interstates 67% Sidewallks, Trails 0%

5 How have we addressed this challenge in the Upstate? 95 % commute by car We continue to invest in widening our interstates and seem to dismiss the concept of induced demand Projects to add a grid system like Woodruff Road parallel roads are years away from reality Some developers see the wisdom of new mixed use walkable communities in the suburbs

6 What are the costs of this pattern and who suffers? The 95 % who commute by car will continue to see more congestion as the Upstate adds population SC is consistently has the nation s most dangerous rural roads There is a long term mismatch between roadway & bridge funding and repair needs Low income households will continue to lack mobility options Public transportation riders will continue to have poor service Greenlink study recently concluded that lack of density outside the center core means only hourly service can be provided

7 Piedmont Health Foundation Mobility Study Lack of Transportation is a primary barrier to economic success Quality of life for older adults & the disabled is significantly impacted by lack of mobility Car ownership does not equate to mobility How often are you unable to drive because you can t afford it? Cost of Deficient Roads Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson Metro Annual Cost per Driver: Vehicle Operating Costs: $492 Safety: $378 Congestion: $509 Total Annual Cost for SC Drivers: $5.4 Billion SC Traffic Fatalities 15,289 Killed between Killed in 2017 (as of 10/13)

8 What other transportation options exist for the Upstate? Walking, Biking, and Transit mode shares are 2.1% of commuting in the upstate We need other options than driving alone Carpools Park and ride Usable transit Evolving options The Sharing Economy Self driving cars Smart cities Changing development patterns

9 Our development model separates schools from adjacent homesno sidewalks all come by car Only 10 of 52 Greenville County elementary schools are walkable

10 Only 3 % of people in Greenville County live in a walkable community

11 Two Opposing Views of Self Driving Cars (AVs) and the Shared Economy Robin Chase Founder of Zip Car says Will only need 10% of current cars in our cities People avoid cost of owning a car ($9K) and get shared AV ride for the cost of a metro ticket Eliminates need for all our parking making room in our cities for better land use Turn the former parking garages to affordable housing Jeff Speck Urban Planner disagrees Believes Americans will not give up car ownership and private AVs and they will clog our cities Will lead to more sprawl as commuters can be productive in long rides in AVs

12 Jeff Speck says, Greenville needs a network of protected bike lanes and by so doing our city will prosper.

13 Long Term Land Use Solutions Start building interconnected street systems and mixed land use patterns with high levels of interconnection. The building block is the well structured neighborhood about ½ mile in diameter, with a web or grid of streets. Connect neighborhoods with streetcar corridors, boulevards, and avenues. Keep walking distance to transit stops short. Transit oriented development nodes at intervals. Sprawl retrofit is very difficult. It is easier to build walkable urbanism at the front end than trying to repair it later.

14 Summary of Mobility Challenges for the Upstate The upstate is a car dependent region Our development pattern continues to make us more car dependent Some mixed use development is underway Building more roads is not a realistic solution Inadequate funding Long lead times Induced demand Realistically walking, biking, and transit will remain a small mode share The sharing economy and AVs may present an opportunity Connecting our Future will help us find a path forward