The cost to society of traffic crashes is over three times that of congestion, according to a new report from AAA. The report makes a clear case for the importance of traffic safety projects – road, bike, and sidewalk improvements that typically cost less than road widenings sold to the public as congestion relievers (but [...]]]>

The cost to society of traffic crashes is over three times that of congestion, according to a new report from AAA. The report makes a clear case for the importance of traffic safety projects – road, bike, and sidewalk improvements that typically cost less than road widenings sold to the public as congestion relievers (but which tend to increase driving and congestion in the long run).

According to the report, in 2009, fatal and non-fatal traffic crashes in urbanized areas had costs more than three times greater than the costs of congestion in those same areas. Costs associated with crashes — including property damage, lost household production, medical costs, and rehabilitation– were estimated to be $299.5 billion in 2009, while congestion costs for 2009 came in at $97.7 billion.

The report finds the highest per person crash costs are in smaller metropolitan areas, but in each metro area, the costs of crashes are higher than the costs of congestion. The total cost of crashes in the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island metro area was $29.5 billion ($1,548 per person) – more than 2.6 times the cost of congestion for the region ($10.9 billion, or $580 per person).

Researchers used data from the Federal Highway Administration on the costs of crashes, and the Texas Transportation Institute’s estimates of congestion costs. Though costs associated with crashes have increased since the AAA’s previous study (released in 2008, using data from 2005), the pattern of crashes costing more than congestion has held from the previous iteration of the study.

The report offers a number of broad recommendations such as increasing “collaboration between disciplines” and funds for data collection. Its boldest have to do with national leadership. The study argues that the US should “make zero fatalities a national goal” and make safety a national priority.

Graph: TSTC using data from AAA report.

New Jerseyans strongly support statewide planning and livable communities.

Calling Summit, NJ “almost a poster for what a Transit Village is,”  the Summit planning board recently approved a motion to recommend the City Council apply to NJDOT for Transit Village designation. Clearly, municipalities still see the benefit transit-oriented development can bring. But given the defunding of the [...]]]>

Downtown Summit, NJ, near the NJ Transit station.

Calling Summit, NJ “almost a poster for what a Transit Village is,”  the Summit planning board recently approved a motion to recommend the City Council apply to NJDOT for Transit Village designation. Clearly, municipalities still see the benefit transit-oriented development can bring. But given the defunding of the Transit Village program in the state’s fiscal year 2012 budget, it’s not clear if the town will get any benefit from applying.

As it exists right now, Summit would not have to change the zoning in any way to conform to the NJDOT requirements, according to Planning Board Chairperson Jeffrey Wagenbach.  What the designation does do is help Summit “maintain and support the existing character of the downtown,”  according to planning and development consultant Edward Snieckus.

As TSTC has previously reported, both Commissioner Simpson and Governor Christie have acknowledged the benefits of transit oriented development and the Transit Village program. Continued interest from municipalities only further illustrates the need to restore Transit Village program funding next year and in future years.

Photo: Daniel Case/Wikimedia Commons.

This summer, the MTA/Metro-North put out its first ever Request for Proposals for transit-oriented development (TOD). Branded “It’s Happening in Harrison,” this project involves transforming 3.28 acres of surface parking adjacent to Westchester County’s Harrison train station [...]]]>

A rendering of what the development could look like, from the Harrison Station Conceptual Master Plan.

This summer, the MTA/Metro-North put out its first ever Request for Proposals for transit-oriented development (TOD). Branded “It’s Happening in Harrison,” this project involves transforming 3.28 acres of surface parking adjacent to Westchester County’s Harrison train station into a mixed-use development with the goal of  revitalizing the community.

Harrison’s downtown is right next to Metro-North’s New Haven Line. Ridership at the station is the second highest of any station on the NY section of the line, with 2,300 daily trips and a one-seat ride to Manhattan that takes 35 minutes. The Town and Village are served by the Bee-Line bus, and are also cross-hatched by the major auto arterials of Westchester—interstates 95, 287, 684 as well as the Hutchinson River Parkway are all within 2 ½ miles of the station—so with the right conditions, it may be possible to lure more riders onto transit via intermodal connections.

The exact dimensions of the development have yet to be finalized, since the Town Board needs to first approve new transit-oriented development zoning regulations. But for several years, the Harrison community and MTA/Metro-North have laid the groundwork for community consensus by collaborating on and developing a draft TOD zoning law, design guidelines, and a pre-development agreement, all designed to encourage street-level retail and restaurants, upper-level residential units, and good multi-modal connections. The draft regulations allow for buildings up to 5 stories and require bike parking and the placement of any surface parking behind a building’s frontage. They also encourage shared parking lots and allow residential developers to build additional housing units if their buildings include workforce housing or meet the LEED Silver green building guidelines.

For long-term public-private projects like this to succeed, buy-in from all involved parties is crucial. As Metro-North President Howard Permut stated at the pre-bid meeting held in July, “politicians can win or lose elections if there is disagreement on the development,” and thus jeopardize developers’ willingness to commit dollars and time.  Mayor Joan Walsh emphasized that the project has strong bipartisan support, as well as support from the NYS Department of State, which awarded the project a Smart Growth Grant last year.

The RFP does emphasize the parking as a key component of the project. According to Mayor Walsh, commuters start filing into the parking lots at about 5 am, and the existing 254 spaces are filled by 8:10. The RFP calls for increasing capacity to 600 spots in a garage of up to five stories, with 500 spaces dedicated to commuters. MTA/Metro-North, which owns the two contiguous parcels under consideration, would use the proceeds from selling the land to build the parking garage first, via debt financing. It’s unclear how this additional parking will impact local traffic congestion and livability around the station.

According to the timeline, proposals from qualified developers are due on October 7, a developer will be chosen by early 2012.

Image: Harrison.

Built up in the 1970s and ‘80s, Westchester County’s “Platinum Mile” is a cluster of corporate office parks along the I-287 corridor that once brought good jobs and tax dollars to the county. In recent years, however, big-name [...]]]>

Westchester County's "Platinum Mile" of office parks has been hit hard by the economic downturn.

Built up in the 1970s and ‘80s, Westchester County’s “Platinum Mile” is a cluster of corporate office parks along the I-287 corridor that once brought good jobs and tax dollars to the county. In recent years, however, big-name companies have been packing up their offices and heading back to the Big Apple. Others, like Starwood Hotels, are off to Stamford, CT. For those left behind, the question is: Why? And can something be done to stop the bleeding?

Across the country, the suburban “Corporate Campus”—typified by modern buildings, manicured lawns and lots of parking lots—was a product of a certain era of corporate culture that strove to consolidate operations, build teamwork and improve efficiency. Suburban job sprawl changed landscapes and economies across the nation, fueled by local tax incentives, lower real estate prices, transportation and land-use policies, as well as demographic shifts, such as “white flight.” Today, the corporate campus is being labeled a dated model and “bright flight“ is the new term being floated to capture a demographic shift of bodies and brains back to the center.

“It’s a switch back to ‘I don’t want to be isolated in an office park, I want the vibrancy of a downtown, public transportation and the ability to shop and walk around,’ ” Gerard Hallock of Colliers International told the Wall Street Journal earlier this month. As personal computers and mobile phones transform the relationship between employees and their desks, corporations are now leaning towards a model where employees are out in the field, and urban corporate offices offer easy, centralized access for both clients and workers.

Unfortunately for Westchester, bodies and businesses can move and adapt faster than buildings and communities. The county now has 6 million square feet of vacant office space—a 17.9% vacancy rate compared to New York City’s 10.7% rate—and jobs are down a whopping 25%, from 2005 to 2008.

If, as some believe, this is a structural shift in business culture that won’t be turned around with the economy, major interventions will be needed. One business group has concluded that the answer is one of marketing—adding amenities like health clubs and day cares, and advertising the community’s strengths, like lower rents. Westchester County Association president William Mooney recently said, ”Frankly, we’re a better deal than New York City.”  But the old model of cheap rents and tax incentives doesn’t seem to have worked.

A more successful strategy could be to bring transit to the I-287 corridor, such as the bus rapid transit system envisioned in the state’s long-running study of replacing the Tappan Zee Bridge. A Brookings Institution study reconfirms that one way to compensate for recent demographic shifts is to improve the links between city and suburban transit. However, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino recently suggested that the Tappan Zee be replaced without the addition of new transit on opening day.

Mooney has also suggested that the county’s economic development efforts shift primarily to its cities, such as White Plains, Yonkers, New Rochelle and Mount Vernon. This would fit with the state’s commitment to concentrate infrastructure dollars on downtowns, as embodied by last year’s Public Infrastructure Policy Act.

Other areas of the country are facing the issue of aging corporate campuses, and many are coming to the same conclusions. “Your transportation investments ought to be driven by your desire to grow the economy, not to spread investment across the state as if it were peanut butter,” Frank Beal of economic development group Metropolis Strategies told Chicago Business.  ”The global economy is changing in ways that demand higher densities that can only be serviced with transit.”

Photo: Westchester Magazine.

Over the years, and multiple administrations, the Village of Farmingdale has moved steadily towards remaking itself into a more transit-oriented, walkable and vibrant place. The goals of the Long Island village’s efforts have [...]]]>

Farmingdale aims to revitalize its downtown through the addition of new office, retail, and residential development. (Click to view larger.)

Over the years, and multiple administrations, the Village of Farmingdale has moved steadily towards remaking itself into a more transit-oriented, walkable and vibrant place. The goals of the Long Island village’s efforts have been to reduce its downtown vacancy rate and attract and keep its young people.  Unfortunately, these laudable goals may be in jeopardy after a meeting found opposition among some residents to downtown apartments for fear of increased congestion.

Luckily for these residents, there’s nothing to worry about.

NJDOT has found that smart growth leads to less traffic than conventional suburban sprawl developments.

Downtown developments, as opposed to traditional suburban sprawl developments, tend to have the lowest impact on traffic congestion, particularly on local, collector and arterial roads. This is even more true when downtown development is coupled with transit, like the Farmingdale LIRR station and numerous (for the time being) LI Bus stops in the village.

An added factor that would likely mitigate congestion in a revitalized downtown Farmingdale is the proposed addition of greater pedestrian infrastructure. This would encourage local residents, and surrounding residents that wish to visit downtown, to walk instead of drive.

In addition, report after report indicate that the young people Farmingdale is trying to attract are looking for alternatives to automobile ownership and are less likely to drive then previous generations.

These factors, taken in sum, should alleviate the worries of many of Farmingdale’s residents.  However, more can always be done to encourage multiple transportation choices.  In the short term, Farmingdale should entice car share services like Zipcar to locate downtown, providing residents access to a car without needing to own one.  Over the long term, Farmingdale should work with NYSDOT to develop the bicycle infrastructure in the Village to support a bike-share program.  Unfortunately, the lack of existing bike infrastructure on Long Island creates a dangerous environment for those who do cycle, and it will need great improvement before many people will feel comfortable enough to do so.

The fears of unbridled congestion as a result of downtown redevelopment are unwarranted, especially in a place as transit-oriented and walkable as Farmingdale.  Moving forward with this plan could make Farmingdale a model for other Long Island municipalities looking to revitalize their downtowns, attract young people and enhance their economic competitiveness in the 21st century.

Images: Top – Village of Farmingdale; Right – TSTC using NJDOT data.

Who knew it was possible to make Xanadu uglier? Gov. Chris Christie announced last month that the state will provide $200 million in low-interest financing and forfeit a similar amount [...]]]>

Xanadu, the half-finished mall complex in the Meadowlands. Two developers have failed to complete the project; NJ is hoping the third time's the charm.

Who knew it was possible to make Xanadu uglier? Gov. Chris Christie announced last month that the state will provide $200 million in low-interest financing and forfeit a similar amount in future sales tax revenue to developer Triple Five (of Mall of America fame) to resurrect Xanadu, the Bermuda Triangle of development projects. If the project succeeds, expect even greater strains on the area’s stressed-out transportation infrastructure.

Renamed “American Dream @ Meadowlands,” this new and improved mega-mall is slated to open by 2013. However, the existing 2.4-million-square-foot retail and entertainment center is not big enough. Triple Five plans on expanding, adding a large indoor water park and a skating rink and keeping the 600-foot indoor ski slope. This would expand the complex to 3 million square feet — with another 4.5 million square feet of hotels and a convention center to be added later. The 7.5 million square-foot complex would be “the largest retail, entertainment, amusement, recreation and tourism project, under one roof, in the world,” according to Triple Five.

But mums the word about how people are going to get in and out of this pleasure garden. Triple Five is estimating more than 55 million visitors a year — or 150,000 a day. A comprehensive transportation plan has been long called for by Tri-State and other environmental groups and, given this new blueprint, the need for enhanced public transportation, bus and train, in and out of the Meadowlands via New York and New Jersey is ever more important. The Turnpike and other access roads leading into the facility will be even more congested than they already are once mall traffic is added to that caused by the sports events and other attractions that already go on at the Izod Center and New Meadowlands Stadium. Currently there is no access to the Meadowlands via public transportation absent a major event like a Giants or Jets game.

Triple Five should use some of its financial breaks to contribute to NJ Transit and maintenance of local roads, so NJ taxpayers are not saddled with more costs they can’t afford.  It would be a win-win situation: a win for New Jersey’s roads and public transportation and a win for the developer to ensure continued, easy access to the American Dream.

New Jersey seems to be betting on the maxim that “If you build it, they will come.”  Well, not if they can’t get there.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Millertime83.

The dormant parcel of West Side land known as the Hudson Yards is finally seeing some activity.  As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the site’s developer, Related Cos., has begun clearing the land in preparation for future construction.  It’s [...]]]>

Planned developments on the West Side, as described in the Wall Street Journal.

The dormant parcel of West Side land known as the Hudson Yards is finally seeing some activity.  As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the site’s developer, Related Cos., has begun clearing the land in preparation for future construction.  It’s been nearly a year since Related Cos. and the MTA signed a deal to develop the site with residential and commercial space, and little appeared to be happening in the Yard though big changes were happening all around it.

Planning ahead for the tens of thousands of new residents and jobs coming to the area, the city and MTA are working to expand transit options and improve street design for pedestrians and businesses along 34th Street.  Changes along 34th Street, such as a new Select Bus Service and new pedestrian space, as well as the No. 7 extension, are needed to accommodate and encourage this growth.

With the expected completion of the second phase of the immensely popular High Line park this spring, and the eventual completion of the portion that wraps around the Hudson Yards, thousands of tourists will also be flocking to the West Side as a destination. Today’s status quo of overcrowded 34th Street buses and sidewalks will have to change, and soon.

Graphic: Wall Street Journal.