Week 10/14

The 10 tools/strategies I liked best are:

1. Steering development to sites where public transit can be utilized.

2. Integrating local and regional transit modes.

3. Paying attention to the speed, comfort, and enjoyability of public transportation.

4. Exclusive lanes for trams and buses.

5. Giving buses and trams green lights at intersections.

6. Using a centralized computer system to control traffic lights to manage congestion.

7. Allowing buses to stop not at designated stops for night service (to enhance safety).

8. Using hybrid electric buses.

9. Car-free developments.

10. Car sharing.

How they can inform a 10 year plan for Ithaca:

Some of these tools and strategies are more relevant to Ithaca than others, but implementing many strategies at once over a number of years is a good way to ensure gradual improvement in transportation. One very creative idea is the use of traffic lights to manage congestion and public transportation. A unified traffic control system that works with traffic rather than against it (which is what seems the case in Ithaca) would greatly reduce congestion on the residential and commercial streets downtown, which would in turn reduce pollution from idling cars. Creating a system where buses always have green lights would improve the speed with which public transportation serves Ithaca, thereby improving its desirability. Public transportation use at night might also be increased by allowing the buses to stop at an individual's house rather than a designated stop. This increases nighttime safety and convenience, a big factor in using public transportation. While Ithaca already uses hybrid electric buses, their use could be increased, and the ability to switch to purely electric power while downtown or idling at stops would improve the environment and air quality around public transportation hubs.

For land use policy, Ithaca may be able to exert more control over where new development takes place in order to locate it where it could be served by the existing public transportation network. Ithaca could also promote car-free developments by offering developers incentives for such products. The use of car sharing could be promoted by reducing the number of parking spaces allowed for new developments, and providing spaces specifically for cars that are part of the car sharing network. If there is a concerted effort to reduce the availability of parking, there will be more people willing to use the car share service simply because they would be guaranteed a parking spot at their destination.