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Transportation
Information Service
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December 2002 ~ Vol. 6 No. 11 |
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The purpose of the TIS Update is to inform, update, and educate members of the University North
Transportation Initiative and the public on local mobility issues,
projects and developments.
University
North
Employers Receive
Clean Air Awards
Representatives from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Tampa Bay Clean Air
Partnership (CAP) were on hand at Bay Area Commuter Services’ (BACS)
12th Annual Meeting to present the first round of Clean
Air Awards to area employers that have met CAP standards.
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The Center for Urban
Transportation Research (CUTR), received the EPA’s Commuter
Choice Leadership Initiative Standard of Excellence Award
for obtaining an average vehicle ridership of 1.31 (EPA requires at
least 1.12). CUTR
employees achieved this by either carpooling, taking transit, or
biking to work, or by avoiding commute trips altogether in favor of
telecommuting or working a compressed work schedule.
Supporting programs, such as BACS’ ridematching system, the
regional Guaranteed Ride Home Program, USF’s shuttle system, and
the USF-HARTline UPASS program, made it easier for CUTR employees to
choose an alternative. |
| The University of South Florida received
two awards. The Green Fleet Award was
given to the
Parking
& Transportation Services department for operating
an entire shuttle fleet on bio-diesel fuel.
The Silver Commute Options Award
was given to the University for promoting commute
options to students and new employees, for providing
alternatives to driving alone (such as the UPASS program and
an on and off-campus shuttle system), and for having at least
5% of its workforce commuting to work via an
alternative. Parking
& Transportation Services Director Greg Sylvester accepted
both awards. |
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| Tom Locke accepted a Gold Commute Options Award
for the University
Mall, which boasted a participation rate of 36%
of total mall staff
utilizing a commute option to get to work.
The mall also supports the ongoing operation of the UNTI-operated
University North Commuter Center, where information on
commute options is available for mall employees, businesses, and
shoppers. |
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The
Florida Department of Transportation received a Silver
Commute Options Award for having greater than 5% employee
participation in commute options, for offering alternative work
schedules, and for providing preferential parking to those who
carpool.
Busch
Gardens, the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital, and USAA each accepted a
Bronze Commute Options Award.
These employers provide their employees with information on
commute options and offer at least one of the following commuter
support services: no-cost shuttle rides from park-and-ride
locations, bike facilities, and subsidized vanpools.
As with all University North commuters, employees at these
locations have access to regional ridematching and the Guaranteed
Ride Home Program.
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| Nita Decavitch accepts the Bronze
Commute Options Award for USAA. |
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Raymond Siedlarz accepts the Bronze
Commute Options Award for the Veterans' Hospital. |
Employers
seeking to join other University North employers in becoming Clean
Air Partners can contact UNTI at 974-9799 for program
information.
What
is ITS?
ITS refers to Intelligent Transportation Systems that apply
advanced technologies in communications, control, electronics, and
computer hardware and software to improve surface transportation
system performance.
ITS
technologies provide information on traffic flow, weather, and
travel conditions to traffic managers and travelers.
Up-to-the-minute information enables traffic managers to inform
travelers of conditions via roadside signs, radio broadcasts, and
other resources. Metropolitan ITS infrastructure components include:
| Regional multi-modal traveler information, which have
the capability to combine data from various sources and
provide the information to users through different
distribution channels, such as telephone voice and data
services, radio and TV broadcasts, kiosks, and computer-based
(e.g., Internet) services. |
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| Electronic fare payment devices, which provide a single medium for paying travel-related fares and parking
fees, reducing the need for travelers and public agencies to handle
cash transfers of money. |
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| Incident management, which aids in the rapid response of personnel and equipment to
incidents where they can aid crash victims and clear the roadway in
a timely manner. |
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| Railroad
grade crossings,
which support real-time information on train positions and estimated time
of arrival at highway-rail intersections.
They also provide real-time roadway traffic conditions,
pro-active train control, and interactive coordination between
roadway traffic management and trains. |
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| Electronic toll collection, which occurs as a
vehicle passes a toll station at a safe speed, thereby decreasing
delays and improving system productivity. |
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| Emergency response, which equips emergency response vehicles with automated vehicle location
devices. Emergency vehicles can be more efficiently managed when
dispatchers know their locations.
As a result, emergency response teams are able to arrive at
an emergency more quickly. |
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| Freeway management systems, which monitor
actual conditions on the highways. Traffic specialists then provide
travelers with immediate information about vehicle crashes, traffic
jams, or other incidents affecting travel conditions. |
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| Traffic signal control, which monitors traffic and
alters the timing of traffic signals to ease congestion. Traffic
signal control centers can control signals to help police and fire
vehicles respond quickly to an emergency. |
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| Transit management centers, which control the
movement of buses, subways and other transit vehicles, to keep them
on time and to give travelers schedule information |
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These components
exchange data (talk to each other) so that coordinated, informed,
and timely decisions can be made across jurisdictions. |
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Pedestrians
Take Caution:
Tampa
Bay metropolitan area a dangerous place to walk
According to the Mean Streets 2002 Pedestrian Safety,
Health and Federal Transportation Spending report recently
published by the Surface Transportation Policy Project, the Tampa
metropolitan area was the second-most dangerous place for
walking in 2000/2001. The
report ranks metropolitan areas by their pedestrian danger index (PDI),
which is calculated by looking at the rate of pedestrian deaths,
relative to the amount of people that walk in a community.
The Tampa metropolitan area was second only to Orlando, and
was followed by West Palm Beach, Memphis, Miami, Jacksonville,
Houston, Phoenix, Dallas-Ft. Worth, and Nashville.
According to Mean Streets 2002, the most dangerous
metropolitan areas are defined by newer, low-density developments,
with wide high-speed arterial roads offering few or no sidewalks,
crosswalks, or other accommodations for pedestrians.
The Mean Streets 2002 report also examined data
(available for 37 percent of deaths) on the racial and ethnic
background of pedestrian deaths.
It found that minorities are over-represented in pedestrian
deaths.
Pedestrian Safety Facts:
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Only about 5% of all trips are made on foot, but about 12%
of all traffic
deaths involve pedestrians.
ü A
total of 4,955 people died in
2001 while walking down United States streets, the first increase in
deaths since 1995.
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An estimated 78,000
pedestrians were injured in traffic crashes during 2000/2001.
As
communities become more dangerous for pedestrians, more Americans
are using other forms of transportation.
According to transportation and health surveys, the portion
of Americans who walk to work has fallen 26% in the last ten
years, while the portion of overweight Americans has risen by 60%. This increase
in obesity, as well as obesity-related diseases, could be combated,
in part, by building more walkable and bikeable communities that
encourage activity.
To reduce the number of pedestrian deaths and increase the
physical activity of Americans, Mean Streets 2002 calls for
greater spending on pedestrian safety, funding for a new national
Safe Routes to School program, designing for safer streets, and
collection of better pedestrian travel data.
Vanpool
Riders Wanted:
Decrease commute
costs, improve use of travel time
A vanpool traveling from Sarasota/Bradenton to the USF Area,
including the VA Hospital and Telecom Parkway is seeking riders. Work hours are from 7:00am - 4:30 pm. Call 813-282-8200 for more information.
UNTI
Seeking Comments on Commute
Experiences
UNTI
is interested in hearing about your commute!
Simply send an email to sobush@cutr.usf.edu
or fill out the commute
comments form at www.commuterservices.com/unti
to tell us about your daily commute and any ways you have found to
make the trip more bearable.
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