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What makes a community a joyful place for all people to travel and live?

We recently attended the Association for Commuter Transportation forum, which was hosted right here in Charlotte this year! Experts from around the country gathered to discuss current trends, challenges, and opportunities to help all people get where they need to go safely and efficiently. 

Here are 5 key takeaways from the forum:

  • Land is a finite resource. We must be smarter about how we create land value. Keynote speaker Mitchell Silver (Principal, McAdams) spoke about the need to recognize that land is a valuable commodity and use it accordingly.

Building in a way that maximizes the use of resources (think: existing street space, sewer & water infrastructure, street lighting, etc.) and reduces sprawl helps to create more value per acre. This is typically true both in terms of tax revenue generated and productivity. And areas that are densely developed with good urban design principles are usually a lot more inviting and interesting than sprawling low-density development! 

An example of how land value per acre as generated by tax revenues varies widely, with dense walkable downtowns providing the most value (image: Urban3)

  • Bike share (including electric bikes) can be a valuable commuting option for shift workers. Ideally, public transportation would take people where they need to go 24 hours a day. But often there aren’t enough riders per hour to justify the cost of running service at the same frequency at 2:00 a.m. as 5:30 p.m. As we continue to advocate for more transit funding overall to expand hours and frequency of service, we’re keeping our eye on the growing trend of electric bikes as a commuting option for people who work a schedule outside of the “standard” weekday 9-5. 

By providing an electric assist, e-bikes make commuting by bicycle more feasible for people of different ability and fitness levels. They can also extend the distance that a person can comfortably ride. However, many areas of Charlotte still do not have safe routes for bicycling. In order to reap the benefits of bike share and e-bikes in all parts of our city, we need all areas to be connected by a safe network of bike lanes, greenways, low traffic streets, and protected street and intersection crossings. 

Joy Rides

Charlotte Joy Rides will cease operations at the end of this year. It is important that residents have access to bike share to get where they need to go, so we look forward to a solution. (image: CharlotteJoyRides)

  • When you say no to something, you are saying yes to something else. The purpose of planning is to manage growth and change, deal with risk and uncertainty about the future, and protect the public interest. It’s important to plan for the needs of both present and future generations. 

For example, a street cannot be all things to all people. If speed and free flow of vehicles are prioritized, that street will not be safe or inviting for people. However, if planners say “no” to optimizing for speed on urban streets, we can all enjoy the benefits of streets that are equitable for all who use them. Even highly walkable streets can still accommodate car travel, parking,  and freight delivery if they are designed well. 

  • We need to plan for the “Graying of America”. By 2030, 1 in 5 Americans will be over age 65. 1 in 5 Americans today has a disability.  As life expectancy increases, the number of Americans over age 85 will triple from 5.4 to 19 million people.  600,000 people over age 70 in the U.S. stop driving every year, so we need to change the ways we plan and invest in land use and transportation.

Most older adults wish to be able to age in place in the homes and neighborhoods they love. But this is often impossible if a neighborhood only has large single family homes, or if the neighborhood is too sprawling to accommodate frequent public transportation. Too many neighborhoods have been built without consideration for the different needs of people as they age, which often results in a lack of basic facilities like sidewalks, signalized crosswalks & intersections, and protected bike lanes. 

  • Charlotte is making some great strides in mobility! At the final session of the forum, Sustain Charlotte’s Meg Fencil and Charlotte Center City Partners’ Marguerite Aronberg spoke on a panel about balancing the needs of stakeholders in public transit and micro-mobility. From an “insider” perspective of advocating for our city’s mobility and development needs since 2010, Sustain Charlotte often reminds our followers that the pace of investments and policy change hasn’t kept pace with the needs of our rapidly growing population. And yet, a lot of progress has been made. 

Much work remains to be done, but the panel presentation was a joyous opportunity to reflect on improvements like the Rail Trail, the Uptown CycleLink on 5th & 6th St, the growth of our countywide greenway network, expansion of safer pedestrian crossings and intersection improvements through the City’s Vision Zero program, and more. 

Thanks for reading!

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