Transpo Tech Conference 2015

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JBLM Growth Plan – Transportation Recommendations presented at RAMP

The goal of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) Growth Plan is to promote mutually beneficial relationships between JBLM and surrounding communities, while carefully planning and coordinating facilities and infrastructure to best serve the base and benefit local communities. The final draft of the Plan was released in mid-December and can be downloaded here: http://www.jblm-growth.com/

Dan Penrose from the City of Lakewood and Jon Pascal, a consultant for the Transpo Group presented the transportation-related recommendations in the Growth Plan to RAMP this morning. The recommendations were identified by an expert panel of community members and serve to prioritize transportation-related investments on and around JBLM.

 High priority transportation recommendations include:
1. Improve regional mobility through I-5 improvements

2. Improve regional mobility through HOV and transit improvements

3. Reduce traffic congestion through transportation demand management policies and strategies

4. Reduce military –related impacts on I-5 flow through JBLM gate and on-post transportation improvements, including completing the Joint Base connector

5. Complete the Cross-Base Highway

The News Tribune reported on the plan in late December. You can view it here:
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/12/24/1477246/managing-armys-growing-pains.html

Puget Sound Traffic Getting Better, but Worst in Nation, Studies Find

Two reports released this week suggest that traffic congestion in the Puget Sound region is getting better, but it’s still the worst congestion in the country.

According to the Washington State Department of Transportation’s 2009 Annual Congestion Report (pdf, 1.7 mb ), in 2008 drivers in Washington state experienced (per capita) one hour less congestion compared to 2006. The report credits high gas prices, the economic downturn, and successful congestion fighting strategies with the decreases. While the news is good in the short-term, WSDOT predicts congestion will return as the economy improves. A summary of the findings is available on the WSDOT website.

Although congestion is down, that doesn’t mean commutes are good. A study by TomTom, a global positioning company found that Seattle has the worst traffic congestion of the 30 largest US cities, with 43 percent of the city’s roads having “heavy delays,” the Puget Sound Business Journal reports.. The company ranked cities as most to least congested according to how fast cars could travel on the street network. Traffic was defined as congested if drivers could travel at only 70 percent or less of the posted speed limit, and an average hour-long commute included 20 minutes or more of significant delays, according to TomTom.

Going With the Flow

Transportation fluidity was the topic of today’s roundtable at the National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA) Puget Sound Chapter meeting.

The overall theme was how will we keep freight moving. These viewpoints dominated the conversation:

1. that the driver workforce is becoming the biggest challenge for the trucking industry,
2. that technological and operational responses to the challenges of freight movement will also change the local industry, and
3. that our regional infrastructure has the potential to meet the needs of the future.

Moderated by Lt. Col. Lydia Reeves, Commander, 833d Transportation Battalion, Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC), observed in conversation that the commercial and military freight share the same ground. She added that national responses to priority objectives can result in hardships to either of these sectors. And, that it is relevant for the military to be involved in regional transportation issues.

The panelists themselves provided much of the insight into the challenges of moving freight, as they were charged to do. Dennis Hedlund, General Freight Services, representing transportation services, Dan Gatchet, Washington Trucking Assn. representing the trucking firms and Eric Nowak, Performance Team, for warehousing and distribution centers.

Gatchet early on identified the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) requirement by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) as precipitating a crisis in qualified, certified drivers. In the LA area, many drivers are eastern Europeans, using English as a second language. Along with other criteria for the TWIC, as many as 15-20% of all LA's drivers are forecast to fail to qualify. This result will itself put upward pressure on wages as companies strive to attract, qualify and train drivers.

Also, Gatchet spoke to the clean air initiatives being implemented in the LA basin. The recently imposed container tax will drive up costs. The application of the revenues from the container tax back to the industry is being encouraged to mitigate fleet requirements imposed on these independent drivers and rigs. The goal is to have all or newer 2007 engines by 2012.

Together these impacts may have the unintended consequences of shifting freight to the Pacific Northwest. However, the size of the local LA market will command the large volume of containers be delivered there.

Speakers expressed concerns that the PNW can handle any freight shift. In round numbers, the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma throughput 4 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) each year. Concern was expressed that the physical limits of port gates and operational standards would allow an increase of 1 million TEUs. Those operational standards reflect the hours of operation; warehouses are open 24x7 and ports are daylight operations only, they said.

The forecast was made for operational changes that will have workforce impacts. As companies respond to incentives to move freight during off-peak hours, as is being done in LA now, workers must be found to work those hours and supportive industries must also shift to accommodate the new routine. Already mini-economies are developing in LA as independents will rent their trucks to drivers during their off hours.

When asked what logistics innovations are proving good, speakers replied:

1. TWIC cards will prove beneficial in the long run because it will lead to operational efficiencies.
2. The usefulness of GPS, to know where loads and equipment are, even down to the location in the yard will become a big improvement.

As for Canadian port competition, speakers believe they are very close to becoming competitive and are now mainly bargaining chips in negotiations involving U.S. ports. However, as the needed infrastructure is built-out and Canadian regulatory initiatives gain more value, they will be competitive.

Finally, for an observation about the PNW surface network, speakers offered:

Eric Nowak: The potential is there. There is a need for industry attention to interface with the community to solve or avoid issues like in LA.

Dennis Hedlund: We need to maximize the physical infrastructure and the technology that is available.

Dan Gatchet: The trucking industry needs to engage with the community and embrace training for its drivers.

For those who wish to learn more about NDTA and its Puget Sound Chapter, contact Susan Pearson

Commission Reports $225B Needed for Federal Highways

The National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, created by Congress in 2005 under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act—A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), released its final report on Tuesday. The report suggests an annual investment of at least $225 billion for the next 50 years to upgrade to an advanced surface transportation system.

The bipartisan Commission's 12 members representing federal/state/local governments, metropolitan planning organizations, transportation-related industries, and associations has been tasked to examine not only the current condition and future needs of the nation's surface transportation system, but also to consider short and long-term alternatives to replace or supplement fuel tax as the principal revenue source for highway improvements.

At the heart of the Commission's recommendations is a plan to replace more than 100 current programs with 10 outcome-based initiatives with oversight from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The Commission also recommends an array of new revenue sources, including:

• An increase in the federal gas tax by 5-8 cents per gallon per year for a five-year period (25-40 cents total);
• A vehicle miles traveled fee;
• New tolls;
• Peak-hour "congestion pricing" on federal-aid highways in major metropolitan areas;
• A new freight fee for freight projects; and
• Ticket taxes for passenger rail improvements.

Demand Management to Get New Push in 2008

In order to address growing congestion across the region, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has established a triad of key congestion management objectives:

• Managing demand (i.e., building HOV lanes, supporting Commute Trip Reduction efforts, and using technology to offer more real-time information);
• Operating efficiently (i.e., installing ramp meters, synchronizing traffic signals, and deploying incident response units);
• Adding capacity (i.e., completing capital projects).

Managing demand will get renewed emphasis in Pierce County in 2008, as City of Tacoma and transit officials are planning to launch a new push to get workers out of their solo drives and into commute alternatives. Local business leaders are also coming to the table with a new program--Destination Downtown Door-to-Door (DDDD or "D to the fourth")--which takes its name both from Tacoma’s current urban center plan (“Destination Downtown”) and from the observation by City Manager Eric Anderson that an effective transportation demand program will provide downtown stakeholders with a variety of travel choices “from door to door.”

Both public and private transportation leaders are keen to implement successful strategies to manage transportation demand already tested in Portland and Seattle. Funding for these new programs is derived from WSDOT's Trip Reduction Performance Program (TRPP).

Does Parking Need to Be the 'Ugly Stepsister' of Transportation?

Parking--the endpoint for any vehicle trip--tends to be the "ugly stepsister" of the transportation world. New technology and a new paradigm for how that service is delivered is changing parking systems across America.

Typically, cities use parking regulations as a weapon to discourage people from parking downtown, as an incentive to use mass transportation, as a means to raise municipal revenue, or all three. New devices offer ways to increase customer choice, transforming that paradigm.

Portland Transport, the Rose City's version of On RAMP, recently posted a piece that reveals the experience of cities that have moved away from the old pay-for-space approach to a smarter parking system. New devices allow customers to buy parking anywhere they can within a specific district for the exact time they choose, and drivers also have payment options: cash, credit or even a prepaid gift card.

Boulder has recently deployed a Downtown Gift Card that can be used to pay for shopping, movies, and dining as well as municipal parking. Such cards are a way to make parking an integral part of the whole experience of visiting downtown.

Seattle Leads the Way

Submitted by Paul Ellis

The Downtown Seattle Association, City of Seattle and King County Metro have combined forces to kick off a transportation coalition led by 249 Puget Sound-area employers, patterned after Portland's successful Lloyd Center Transportation Management Association (profiled here last week).

According to the Puget Sound Regional Council, Seattle's city center is projected to add 48,000 new jobs by 2015. To achieve this level of growth, the Urban Mobility Group is working toward a targeted 6 percent decrease in the number of drive alone commuters. As a first step, the coalition has coordinated a widespread distribution of bus passes and free ferry rides, and wants such benefits to become as common as health insurance and 401(k) accounts.

This effort is part of an ongoing delivery of services through which trip planners employed through the coalition will help employees find their best commute options--whether by bus, train, carpool, vanpool, or bike--and provide incentives to help get them started. Reducing the number of drive alone commuters will help Seattle prepare for continued growth and make way for customers and clients.

As a result of the coalition's efforts, 249 Puget Sound-area employers were named best workplaces for commuters this week by an alliance led by the Environmental Protection Agency, local non-profits and transit organizations.

Paul Ellis is lead staff for RAMP; an employee of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber, Ellis led the Pierce County Transportation Advisory Committee (PCTAC), the community’s largest transportation planning effort.