Past Suggestions for a Topic or Activity

Build a glossary of transportation tech terms.

Great idea — blogged: http://transportationcamp.org/2011/01/transportation-tech-lexicon Bibiana from Trimet also wrote in with some links to existing lists.

Work on a standard spec / API for real-time information

To connect the two events, we could develop a draft real-time API at the first, and then test & develop against it at the second.

Convert the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) (available at http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/) to an open e-Book format – for use on any tablet or e-reader device.

Scrape the official rulings from the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) (available here http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/official_rul.htm) and make a map of all approved experimentations. Consider where safety data are available and make a mash-up to show whether demonstration projects result in increased safety.

Take the National Household Travel Survey (available here: http://nhts.ornl.gov/download.shtml) and go to town with insights into travel patterns.

Include a track that focuses on applications of Federal DOT data and includes it in any of the proposed applications. A good partial listing is found here: http://www.dot.gov/open/data/

I’m interested in exploring real-time vehicle arrival / CIS system user interfaces–so most (nearly all?) rely solely on time to arrival at a given stop, especially for a mobile/in-shelter sign interface. But many of these systems were designed pre-Google maps and pre-smartphone and definitely pre-DIY sign movement!

I’m interested in asking what other user experiences might be imagined, with or without time, that make better use of today’s richer media channels–google maps, iphones, etc. Especially given the significant technical and legal issues around providing time arrivals.

Maybe at transpo camp we can prototype some alternate user interfaces? Include other data “mashup” style to help riders make better transit decisions? Make a simple decision support tool that helps users make that “bus” / “no bus” decision when they leave their home? etc.

Does this sound interesting to anyone? Thoughts?

I want the “navigation” feature on my phone to work for Transit. eg Google’s android app has heads up/step by step interfaces for both driving and walking directions. It makes travel totally thoughtless (a good thing). Why not same for Transit? like:

in 50 feet, turn right
… walk 100 feet
… wait 2 minutes for the B63 bus heading to Cobble Hill
… board this bus
… ride this bus to Smith St and Atlantic Avenue
… alight in 2 stops at Smith St
… walk 50 feet to your destination
… you’re here

?

Using Transit Score to analyze equity of transit service delivery

Building an open source/open data ecosystem for low-cost provision of transit real-time arrival displays

Converting the SMART plan in Sonoma and Marin Counties into a true mutlimodal, full coordinated transit network from the current plans that place each mode into its own planning silo.

Using Google Earth/digital globes for right-of-way capital project planning estimating and visualization.

Making a smooth interface between GIS and CADD systems.

Work on vertical open source software/hardware solution to AVL

Everything from the GPS to passenger counting/tracking and video surveillance with a Microsoft Kinect [Primesense] to headsigns?

Perhaps use the OpenGeo interface [like TriMet] as a primary interface for dispatching, planning, and customer service?

Reason: Many medium to small transit agencies don’t have AVL, creating a low cost solution could revolutionize transit systems for the better by making inefficiencies more apparent and allowing data to be exploited for things like real-time arrival information.

I think an interface at a stop could be something like this assuming the data was available:

E-Ink or Mirasol Display embedded in a pylon
NFC interface & QR Code
LED lighting

Scrolls through the following:
- estimated arrival time for all routes
- timetables
- current load factor on buses within 10 minutes of the stop [so that riders can decide to wait for another bus]
- if there is space on the bike rack [I don't think there is a way right now to track this data, but it'd be quite useful to exploit such data]
- Time & Weather [maybe 2 day forecast for the region]
- System wide & localized rider alerts
- Stop ID / Trip Planning information

Optimizing school buses. -with better route optimization and figuring out a better use of the school bus surplus (the many hours a day when they are not used.)

Do you mean Computer Aided Design or Computer Aided Dispatch?
We have a huge need to integrate CAD drawings into GIS (plus vice versa) and just started using OpenGeo stack on top of Oracle (where you can store both). I am interested in other solutions/ideas/discussion.

This is an exciting idea – I very interested in the software side, perhaps encouraging community/open source development via open data, building on OpenGeo and TriMet’s pioneering efforts, perhaps using GTFS as a data source from/to for the schedule and stops. I think crucial here are what are interim steps towards this goal?

Explore ways to deliver transportation info. to people with limited technology access (e.g., those with “traditional” cell phones, not smart phones).

High-Speed Rail

Organize a speed-pitching session, where startups and others get to pitch their products and/or ideas. The best one wins a prize!

From the previous posts I see a lot of question marks regarding transit data integration and standardization.
I’ve done a lot of real-world work in the area of integrating TransXChange, NaPTAN, GTFS static data with the various real time feeds offered by TriMet, CTA, MBTA, BART, WMATA, and Traveline along with the various NextBus feeds, into a single, orthogonal and complete platform.
I never really trot it out in the public but I can give a presentation about it. Should hopefully answer some questions.

How about a session on how to increase financial literacy around transportation options?

At the intersection of HAZMAT transportation and safety, I have this email suggestion to share.

“I am a first responder. In Hazmat class we are trained to use the Emergency Response Guide or ERG. It’s essentially a mini-bible on all of the nasty things out there in buildings and on the road that can kill us. The process for knowing whether an amorphous cloud is steam or cyanide is to find a specially shaped placard with a code that we then have to look up in this guide to find out what it is and then find another page where it tells you toxicity and safe distances for emergency operations. Wouldn’t it be so much quicker if this guide was just an app and we could just enter the code in and get all of this info instantly? Wouldn’t it also be cool to be able to take a picture and immediately send that to Chemtrec, which is the nationwide ops center for these instances versus calling them on the phone saying there is a green mushroom cloud on the beltway? Anyways, in matters of public safety I could go proposae a hundred apps. Here is more on the ERG..it’s a joint DOT initiative: http://www.chemtrec.com/Chemtrec/Resources/ERG.htm“

Have a talk intended for students to outline a study, internship, and career path for the aspiring transportation techie.

Great idea for a low cost, virtual AVL solution. Would this involve positioning webcams/smartphones at key bus stops in order to get a visual fix on the headsigns?

That’s a really great idea.. it’s very difficult to figure out how to get from A to B in this field because people don’t seem to know a lot about it.

No no, the idea is more like.. creating a similar solution to what is offered by third-parties but cheaper because it’ll use open source hardware/software to achieve the same goals. Frankly it’d probably yield a lot more interesting results too. Often corporate software is ugly and hard to use, or my favorite, gives you information.. but of the useless kind.

For example, in Los Angeles many buses have automated stop announcements with an LED display which usually displays the date/time. However, when you signal to get off they scroll with “Stop Requested” .. over and over until the doors open… instead of giving you useful information like date/time & the stop the was requested. I think we can do a lot better than this.

Or maybe develop some alternatives to Transit Score — like a measure of regional accessibility by transit to employment. Some starting ideas here: http://www.humantransit.org/2011/01/beyond-transit-scores-an-exchange-with-matt-lerner.html

Perhaps, something as accessible as http://thistract.com/ but for the NHTS – with similar comparisons on trends, regional differences.

I think it would be a great to be able to compare the cost of driving your own car to work ( including expenses that are not so obvious such as car maintenance and congestion related costs) as opposed to carpooling, vanpooling, biking or using public transportation…

How to develop a network and social marketing campaign for small advocacy organizations with a very limited budget by using tools such as social media, blogging …

Some initial thoughts on panels/debates/topics:
* Non-motorized cities and towns: Do they exist? What are they like?
* Urban Planning Blogs: Best practices, finding engagement, the future
* Streetsblog: What does the future hold?
* Automobiles: Do they have a future in American cities?
* Street Priority: Should streets be prioritized for different modes of transport?
* BRT: Good or Bad?
* Transportation Anti-patterns
* Transportation as a Human Right
* Fantasy Transportation Map Contest
* NEVs: Do they have a place in our future transportation system?
* Jevons Paradox: Do we have to worry about it?
* High Speed Rail (HSR): How will we direct our efforts?
* Conventional Rail: Hopes and Prospects
* California Non-Motorized Transportation Annual Summit: A good idea?
* Place-making on the Cheap: Bike-Friendly Oak Cliff Complete Street Project
* When Cycling ‘Advocates’ Attack
* Cycling Advocacy Organization Types: What works best?
* Bike Jousting: Incredible, or Merely Awesome?

Hi Joachim

We are working on the same area. Can we see if we can do a joint presentation / discussion session please?

Cheers

David

Environmental justice: Assessing/discussing how level of access to transport impacts access to jobs, housing, services (eg healthcare, food), education, etc — and how those have ripple affects on family cohesion, potential for crime, and more.

I think Dan has a great idea! It would be relatively easy to do

Doesn’t it already do this, with a lesser level of detail?

How could introducing wifi in subway cars change the way info is conveyed? I’m thinking of “ExitStrategy” app-like crowd control that directs riders to the least crowded cars, navigation within stations, etc., as well as directing riders to the most efficient route.

Frequent Service Maps and other better visualization strategies.

Low-tech “NextBus” technology that can be implemented for little money.

[...] will be two 2-day events – in NYC on March 5-6 and in San Francisco on March 19-20. Both events are free but donations [...]

[...] will be two 2-day events – in NYC on March 5-6 and in San Francisco on March 19-20. Both events are free but donations [...]

I would like to collaborate on a Introduction to using R with transportation data sets. I am currently enrollled in Stats class at Stanford with John Chambers and can provide some intro, but would welcome any R heads out there to collaborate.
R is an open source platform for data and statistical analysis gaining a lot of attention lately.

Car Free Tourism… Apps, booking sites, state agency partnerships, European examples, bicycle tourism combined with rail/ferry tours etc…

Yield-to-bus enforcement with on-board cameras:
- how could it work? (technically and administratively)
- what legislative changes would be necessary?
…and to justify the effort:
- how much could it help buses be on time?
- how much money could it save taxpayers through more efficient operation?
- how much revenue could it generate to support more transit service?

How could Shweeb* be adapted for transit appliations?

Shweeb (http://shweeb.com/) is a system proposed for highly-efficient personal transit in self-powered pods suspended from a monorail beam. A demo track is currently deployed at an adventure park in New Zealand, and Google has awarded $1 million to help develop it further for transit applications.

At the Transportation Research Board Visualization Committee, a member of one of the cross-cutting groups asked this question: “How can we visualize transportation policy?”

Sounds similar to the feature on Google Transit which compares the transit fare to the cost of driving:
http://maps.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=81106&hl=en
Note that they only use the per-mile driving cost model used by the IRS, which does not take into account negative externalities of driving (road wear, congestion, pollution, etc). Also, it does not account for the value of one’s time; that is, slower modes effectively cost more to people whose time is more valuable (though, on the other hand, some of the time on transit can be re-claimed, i.e., by spending the time reading, etc).

A related observation: articulated buses used by transit agencies are highly ineffective in the snow. Perhaps if snow causes school to be cancelled, transit agencies could borrow school buses to take the place of the snow-impeded articulated buses.

How to organize a transit riders union.

Your experience should hopefully inform efforts toward common real-time APIs around transit data. If someone can provide background which is succinct enough to produce and useful discussion, this would be a really fun session. Otherwise, a presentation would be nice.

Would love to see a transit app that incorporates more real-time information, i.e. if the shortest route is under construction, or if one of the options has a lot of walking and it is hailing, it would provide alternatives.

An excellent idea and, sorry for the shameless self-promotion here, also one OpenPlans is working on under the name “OneBusAway”. In fact, our pilot deployment with the MTA launches tomorrow morning, so keep an eye peeled for it! We’re excited! http://bustime.mta.info

As an aside, and *not* in response to you Amanda, is something I’d like to open up for broader discussion: the way in which vendors such as NextBus and Clever Devices (under their name for this, “BusTime”) insert trademarked product names for these products and concepts into the public discourse around realtime arrival info–I fully admit that the technical name for this type of thing, “AVL” or “CIS” or what have you is pretty cumbersome at best, but we as a community should come up with a compelling name that is either trademarked and held in public trust, or is something less cumbersome than the three letter acronym soup often used to describe this–something where one particular vendor doesn’t necessarily get to define the possibilities by virtue of using their product name, if that makes sense.

My worry in continuing to use the trademarked names for this type of technology is that it shifts the discussion from what is possible to what the vendors provide–a similar thread about ESRI was here: http://postgis.refractions.net/pipermail/postgis-users/2006-November/013890.html

Maybe a session topic? Any one else interested?

What is the state of the practice in data visualization for transportation? How far can go? How can data driven decision making be enhanced through visualization? How can visualization and other innovative data presentations help inform transportation policy and planning decisions?

GPS equipped, station-less bikeshare unlocked via mobile app

I’d like to discuss this as well. Weeels.org is currently building a smart-dispatching application for safe-rides and access-a-ride dispatchers. This would be another obvious use for this software.

I’d like to discuss networked for-hire vehicle transportation (like smart-paratransit: http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/08/25/smart-para-transit-a-new-vision-for-urban-transportation/) and it’s potential to displace the need for private vehicle ownership in urban areas.

I’d like this to be both a theoretical and an action-oriented discussion. I think there will be enough tech & policy muscle at tranpsortationcamp to build a team that can make smart-paratransit a reality by 2012.

Is transportation the new theater?

Parking. How much public space is dedicated to parking? How much public space should be dedicated to parking? What should urban parking policy look like in the next five years? How can we begin enabling this policy?

How do we mobilize community support to convert freeways into boulevards?

Using social media and data visualization to crowd source public support and private partnership funding for active transportation planning and implementation.

I’d like to see a discussion of transit service areas, outside of the usual 1/2 mile birds eye buffers. ESRI has this function (network analyst), but its expensive and rather clunky. Opensource is the way to go.

How do these new technology products help government inform planning and policy decisions?
How to tell the story of data (beyond data vis) to policy and planning crowd?

What is the potential for open source technology in electronic payment systems? Known as the Clipper Card in the Bay Area but by many different names throughout the country, these systems are hampered by proprietary technologies, making it difficult to change fare structures and experiment in ways that could promote transit use.

For example, we could implement a periodic pass program where the user never pays more for transit in a period than it would cost if the user had bought a pass. That is, if a weekly pass costs $21, once a user spends $21 on single trips, every subsequent trip that week is free. It would work the same over a day or a month. It eliminates the need for people to buy passes ahead of time, while still providing the incentive that a pass provides.

Or, we could easily offer special promotions, giving spontaneous free transportation to celebrate certain events or encourage transit on bad pollution days, or something.

Currently, all of these changes require months of lead time and possibly millions of dollars in programming fees. That should change.

Take a Look at the Barriers presented by outdated rules and regulations, state and federal that prevent implementation of the most innovative transit developments. IE the FRA requiring all trains to be built like a turn of the last century locomotive, as if no advancements have been made in materials or crash safety technology the world over.
The same goes for pollution regulations as related to cars. I am happy California has such tight regulations on emissions, but do Europe and Japan have rules (Euro 5 etc) that are significantly laxer? Much money and wasted effort could be saved if there was an international set of standards with a series of tiers so one could compare apples to apples and perhaps get some fuel efficient cars and trucks here in the land of highways. In the UK you can get a VW Golf with one of 11 engines, here you get 3, the smallest of which is a massive 2.5l.

Even more complex calculators than the Google feature like those who allow you to consider actual gas prices and car’s mpg do not include costs such as car maintenance or/and parking & tolls.
And, since my focus is urban transportation alternatives, one important cost that is specific to urban areas is totally ignored: congestion. Yes you may travel only six miles to work but you spend $808/ year on average due to congestion according to the 2010 Urban Mobility Report / TTI.

Btw, how does one read and drive?

Changing Transportation Behaviors

A “how to” guide based on social marketing strategies for community outreach. Focus on tools, technology, best practices, funding and funding resources. And examples:

How did your organization manage to reach out to local communities and make an impact on transportation behaviors? Was it a rideshare initiative? Or was it an incentive based program for transit users? Or….Like, for example : http://bit.ly/g4uCf5

Open Policy Discussion on “Mobility vs Accessibility”

Format: perhaps a panel of 4 or 5 people making 5 minute presentations and then open up the floor.
Or, maybe there is a better “unconference” format we can think of: like a moderated open floor discussion.

Accessibility has certainly become a big buzzword in transportation policy discussions. And it has often been pitted as a trade-off with mobility. Recent example. http://www.humantransit.org/2011/01/transits-product-mobility-or-access.html

I think a lot of people’s ideas and thoughts could contribute and get a platform under this type of umbrella. I think this type of policy discussion can also be very useful to IT-oriented minds and in development of new apps (and improving on apps) as well as with respect to types of data for the future.

The point is for real-world discussion of trade-offs and goals in what good transportation is trying to accomplish.

So I suggest a moderated open floor (and/or panel format) to discuss “Mobility vs Accessibility”. I might even add a third variable “Experience” (the ride itself).

Look forward to any thoughts. You can also please email me at mb@3gmobility.ws. Thanks, Marcus

A discussion of leveraging technology and crowd sourcing to provide real time service data. For example my service for Caltrain ( http://cow.org/c/ ) on Twitter (@caltrain and @bikecar).

We just had an exchange of tweets in Pittsburgh abt. unplanned road closures and transit detours decided in the spur-of-the-moment. These are road closures that are communicated to late to the Port Authority and consequently the detours never make it on the website. And this might be a solution…

Portland State University and the City of Portland host a course for neighborhood leaders. http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/index.cfm?c=35727 It is primarily for neighborhood leaders that could benefit from this sort of information.

I would be interested to know if anyone’s subway system, or any transit system with significant tunnels, has resolved the problem of signal loss underground. Everything from dumbphones to wifi is rendered useless or nearly so when encased in 50 feet of rock or concrete. Useful to know: Technologies used, costs, lead time to install, who pays to install it, who pays to operate it, is it restricted to one carrier, are there bailiwick issues (union fiefdoms, for instance). Most importantly, how well does it work? Probably many other questions. But not having it detracts from transit’s viability and desirability.

Pittsburgh has had several of these over the years, with differing levels of officialdom, different aims, and different levels of success. I personally have been involved with three of these, and can offer considerable insight.

on its way to NYC, in theory: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-30/new-york-city-subway-stations-to-get-mobile-phone-service-in-revived-pact.html

How’s this for a visualization? Assume a parking census is done, including GPS coordinates of capacity, and (hopefully accurate) estimates of utilization. Compare this visually to the number of {actual | potential} riders arriving by transit. A natural extension of this would be to estimate travel time from the areas served by various routes, a) By car, b) by transit.

When I studied this problem, I ran into two issues. First is the physical inability to walk through walls; i.e., you have to walk *around* a building, not diagonally through it. That bird’s eye 1/2 mile is substantially longer when sticking to the sidewalks. Second is the sidewalks, or rather the absence of them. A half mile on sidewalks is altogether different from 1/2 mile on a 40 mph suburban road with no shoulders or lighting. This data layer is essentially missing for most areas. Not having this prevents us from being able to answer the question, If we obtain $1 million for building sidewalks, where do we most need them?

I would like to see some discussion of multi-modal commuting, namely bicycle-to-bus and/or bike-bus-bike. How well equipped are other systems for bike racks on buses? Any good bike racks on light rail? How about locking bikes to racks at suburban bus stops? I think much of the ineffectiveness of transit in suburban sprawl is solved by biking to a trunk line. What is anyone else’s experience? How can tech help?

I think I can give a short presentation on market research for these three variables: mobility, accessibility, experience for transit (a very hands on approach in fact). Especially since nobody else seems interested in a more general approach to social marketing.
After all what good transportation is trying to achieve, transit included, is the one that its users define.

I am curious to know what programming technologies are already in use, or should be put to use, in furthering transit tech in the short-term future. Maybe another way of saying this is, if transit tech is what I want to do for a living, what should I know, or study? This would be on several levels: fundamental programming languages like C++ & Java; GIS packages like ESRI & Quantum; Web design; delivery to mobile devices; etc. If you already have a good answer to this, please comment!

I would be interested in a discussion on how technology enables new (or at least newly successful) forms of transportation, such as car sharing and bike sharing. What other forms of infrastructure could be shared through technology to enable better cities?

Would like to know the potential costs of real-time bus info at the various levels of complexity. How cheap could an agency do it? What is lost/gained at the various price levels?

[...] suggestions for over twenty possible topics, ranging from realtime information to legal issues. Add your ideas here. You can follow TransportationCamp on Twitter as [...]

Primer (with lots of fun graphics) on how subway signaling works, how train tracking systems are built on top of signaling, and how that turns into real-time customer info.

like

Pedestrians are a transportation mode too. How to get users of other modes to remember that and not think of people as only slalom course obstacles?

A discussion on how wireless sensor networks are transforming transportation management – from adaptive intersection control, integrated corridor management, real-time travel time, congestion pricing, and parking initiatives.

There’s been some fascinating work going on with real-time ride-sharing lately. (Avego, ZimRide, an MIT research group…) It would be interesting to learn more about this emerging field and how it can be leveraged by transport professionals!

a bike ride with Bike and Roll NYC

At the NYC camp, it would be neat to have a presentation from the Social Bicycle (http://socialbicycles.com/) people since they’re piloting in New York right now I believe.
Also a session on simple, low-level, tech gadgets/apps/etc. that those of us in the blogging world can help bring to our cities I think would be immensely helpful. How do we bring more information about more transit choices to readers and citizens without having to be professional API programmers?

Licenses–how and why? Attorneys might view them as necessary, but it’s odd to license something which has no underlying copyright. What’s the best way to get attention of non-attorneys at agencies to help raise visibility that with restrictive terms, developer involvement will be limited

cognitive meltdown–perception often trumps reality. How to account for the perception of transfer penalties with (say) wait time, complicated transfers, cold weather, local v express…I’ve read a few papers about this but would enjoy talking about them

This is important, and IMHO one of the central points we need to explore at TranspoCamp. “I am at Point X. Routes A and B both get me where I need to go. Route A goes past 0.1 mile away to the West every 60 minutes. Route B goes past 0.5 miles away to the East every 30 minutes. Which direction should I walk? Oh screw it, I can’t be bothered figuring it out, I’ll just drive.” <–That's a technology problem. Get the "cognitive meltdown" factor out of it. Make it dead simple how to use transit.

you’re conflating the two. assigning penalties is your example–walking reluctance etc…my question is if you are waiting on a platform for express train and you feel like you are waiting for too long, you might say “screw it” and jump on the local because you see it coming. we perceive time differently standing on a platform v. on rolling stock in motion. you can talk about penalties, i’ll talk about cognition!

Here’s an idea: How would publicly and easily accessible ability to run traffic simulations (e.g., to see how changes to traffic flows effect capacity) effect public involvement in traffic planning?

I’m thinking here of Jane McGonigal’s work using gaming as a process for fixing problems in the real world.

Idea for topic — Discuss: What are the pitfalls of making decisions regarding road use ENTIRELY based on data, as opposed to based on policy and politics?

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/08/google-mobile-maps-to-crowd-source-traffic-data/

[...] Tomorrow we’ll have special guest Nick Grossman, of OpenPlans.org, to discuss the upcoming Transportation Camps – in NYC on March 5-6 and in SF on March 19-20. There is a ton of buzz about these events and some very interesting topics being thrown out for discussion. [...]

Using Passive Mobile Phone sensing to map the location, in realtime of any mass transit vehicle. The cost per vehicle is near zero dollars.
example for NYC subways, http://www.alexmorganbell.com/SubwayArrival/
Would like to discuss methods for finding and configuring the trigger or event used to signify an event.

How about walking? What are the next generations of WalkScore-like apps? How do we count walkers and map walks? Who’s doing cool stuff on trip chaining? How about comparing walking to driving with a “calories burned” vs “carbon burned” calculator? (…or just “money burned” — e.g., earlier comments on driving-vs-transit calculators — would love to hear about those)

I can help lead this if you want.

It’s intriguing after perusing the comments of ideas that nobody — other than Ana Bayne Tun suggested a session around social media. Search her name and you can see her in a few places, saying the same thing.

I was going to suggest the same, wearing dual hats as a new media consultant and an elected city councilor.

So, I propose this session be focused on highlighting best practices and identifying case studies of transportation organizations (from subway authorities to pedicab companies to planning agencies) and showing what, how, and why they use the social web to crowdsource, improve upon, and manipulate data to become a better organization.

For instance, what’s good and bad about the Massachusetts Department of Transportation on Twitter @MassDOT, and how based on their tweetstream and questions asked on their blog should things change for them and for others?

I would be interesting hearing that presentation.

You can also ask a passerby for directions. Don’t forget, many people prefer mass transit because of the opportunity for social mixing, even in such simple circumstances as finding out where the bus stop is.

People who are stuck in cars really miss the interaction–or they don’t even realize how powerful yet ordinary it is. It can be a major selling point once suburbanites (I was raised as one) get past their blindness.

I realize this conference is tech-oriented–but it’s also people-oriented, right? As a non-techie I hope the human element gets equal billing; otherwise I’ll be outclassed.

For an upcoming trip to SoCal, I was surprised (and pleased) to learn that my family booked a trip through “Car-Free Santa Barbara,” which offers discounts for just that. http://www.santabarbaracarfree.org/default.htm

I am sure there are many more examples in the US–but I was impressed by how extensive the SB site is, and that even older folks can feasibly travel this way. If they can, perhaps they will, in greater numbers.

“Don’t forget, many people prefer mass transit because of the opportunity for social mixing”

I had some social mixing this morning. Either end of my subway car was inhabited by a far, far too ripe homeless person. At that moment I thought, “yeah, those car drivers don’t have a clue what they’re missing.”

Topic suggestion: “Portable tasers for removing the offensive from subway cars and buses: A great idea? Or, the greatest idea ever?”

LIke I said, it’s a powerful experience. And on snowy 25-degree days like today, it can keep people from freezing to death on the streets. Now that’s a multipurpose facility.

BTW, Jesse, if you want to shill for Tasers, try the NYPD–less politics than in pitching the MTA and a more favorable policy. (But pssst, Tasers are already portable.)

To reprise my earlier question: Is this topic page (and unconference) supposed to be a think tank or a trade show? Are ordinary transit users going to be welcome here? Or should I give up my spot to a friend who sells tech equipment?

a significant challenge to open data in the case of transit has been that the agencies sometimes cannot share their own data with third-parties/the public because of restrictions from proprietary software systems used within the agencies. I propose a session on “data lock-in” or “who owns the data?” to explore this question further.

How ’bout BART. Find the four major carriers, and WiFi, between Civic Center and Embarcadero stations, and beyond.
The way this works is to run what’s called leaky coax cable through the tube and combine the carriers’ base stations into it. Equipment, materials are super costly and cable installation is a pain. Life expectancy is some 15 to 20 years.

this hits on my earlier topic re: licenses. the idea of data lock in is (fortunately) going way as agencies have stood up to Trapeze et al by saying data isn’t software, mine not yours. i’m happy to discuss my lawsuits, encouraging and disappointing conversations with agencies

Currently Google Bike directions provide a certain time estimate based on a certain speed.

1) What is that speed?

2) Does it account for obeying laws like red lights? Could it provide better route options for cyclists longing for law abiding?

3) Could the directions be improved with some experimental GPS data from law abiders and non?

I’m only available on Saturday morn or Sunday.

Josef S
@josefs on Twitter

Thank you Ana and Social Guest for your comments. I think it will be helpful to have this type of session both as an important policy question yet also as a source of new ideas for data and technology developers.

[...] Topics [...]

Some possible topics (all public transit related):

Tools for notifying public transit passengers of last minute service changes (due to inclement weather or other factors) such as Twitter, Facebook, RSS, etc. This is at least tangential to suggested sessions on social media (http://transportationcamp.org/topics/#comment-152107223)

Cheap and reliable solutions for sending large quantities of individual SMS messages to public transit passengers with schedule times (via GTFS http://code.google.com/transit/spec/transit_feed_specification.html) or realtime (such as using MBTA’s feed spec http://www.eot.state.ma.us/developers/realtime/ or Avail’s XML spec). Related to the low-tech AVL bus tracker suggestions at http://transportationcamp.org/topics/#comment-135332887 and http://transportationcamp.org/topics/#comment-130171025

Solutions for cheap bus stop LED kiosks that display GTFS and real-time info. Related to http://transportationcamp.org/topics/#comment-130171025

Using GTFS for resources like OpenMBTA and OpenGTFS (mobile schedules). See http://openmbta.org/ and http://github.com/umasstransit/openmbta/

Open source software for small-medium public transit agencies (for dispatchers, route/ride planning, AVL public bus trackers, trip planners, etc). Related to http://transportationcamp.org/topics/#comment-130171025

From Legislation to Application:

A tale of one person’s efforts to enact state legislation requiring a transit agency to release schedule, fare and route information in an open format, and then to build a civic application for transit riders.

This proposed session will provide insights and takeaways for others who want to advocate for open transit data ordinances or legislation. It will also provide some findings and lessons learned from building an open source transit app targeted towards riders with limited access to technology.

Writing statutory code, or software code – open transit efforts can benefit from both.

How can mid-sized transit agencies unable to afford realtime data systems utilize offline data?

What role does archived transit data play in route planning and arrival time estimation?

Although we are meeting in NYC, I propose we think outside the NYC box about how to create 21st century mobility services in the dominate car environment.

My primary interest in mobility management is to integrate mobility service delivery and customer support into a mainstream consumer service for any given community.

I am working on a (non-profit) business strategy called Customer-Directed Mobility Management. CDMM proposes to assist customers to select and finance an annual mobility package to replace the need for a second car or reduce the use of a first car.

I would like to learn how apps can be used to: for an education program about mobility choices and to provide customer services to resolve mobility failures (e.g. emergency ride home).

How can transit agencies and nonprofits tap into informal alliances and volunteer networks to support innovative projects and counter entrenched interests–at little cost to their time resources or image of independence?

I’m interested in the persuasive role that ordinary transit users, bicyclists, community groups, and so on can play in public transit decisions by being informed and engaged in any manner.

The discussion would benefit from transit officials or organizers who could speak about what kinds of help they do, and don’t need; what functions would be most useful to outsource to a decentralized body; what they are unable to do on their own; and what if any room they have for public feedback or interaction. As a DIYer I have suggestions for cultivating grassroots supporters; this panel would consider various pros and cons. I’m willing to moderate if no one else steps up.

Social media tools for transit: a best practice guide based on examples – Social Media Tools a particular transit agency does make the best of and what do other transit agencies could learn from it. For example what can one learn from the Port Authority of Allegheny County (PAAC)’s tweep.

If Ari cannot make it, I hope that other participants with an interest in social media and/or transit will join me and perhaps we can figure out a brainstorming group. And if you are a social media expert and you would like to help me facilitate the event please DM me.

PS. I am no expert; I am just an apprentice …

I would like to discuss replacing school buses with community transportation service.

As transit agencies increasingly look to developer communities to develop what are sometimes the primary interfaces through which users interact with official agency CIS systems, what “markets” aren’t being served by developers? e.g. are there sufficient number of transit apps translated to Spanish or Chinese in NYC? If not, how can agencies encourage developers to serve these communities?

Discuss taking WalkScore and TransitScore to the next level

Anybody want to talk about parking? Big money moving into parking tech with lots of implications for sustainability and street use: SFPark, street sensors, pay by phone/SMS, parking Apps, NYC’s just released RFP to squeeze more out of curbside parking.

Sunday afternoon theres a session in the works on digital marketing, innovative technology, and trends in High Speed Rail. Please join us. The session will be open discussion format. Anyone is also welcome to make your own prepared, or unprepared, stump speech; prepare your own slides (anything HSR/technology/socialmarketing), whatever your style.
Reach out to me, or just show up and we can work you into the program. Minds still have to be won in HSR and thus the need to think about creative social media and digital marketing development as it fits within the framework of successful HSR policy and projects.

Social Bicycles founder Ryan Rzepecki will attend the transportation camp on Saturday and would be happy to make a presentation and participate in a session.

Has anyone ever thought of using subways to carry freight through cities?

How to make carpooling more attractive.
(http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/29/us/29carpool.html)

I would like to discuss parking. I am the CEO / Founder of PrimoSpot, Inc.

However, I am on the waitlist for registration, so I may not be able to attend.

I would like to hear about ways to improve communications during emergencies. How to better communicate with other agencies, first responders and how to get information out to the public.

Definitely! I think many people don’t understand signaling and schedules of the system.
Though I wouldn’t go as far as the track maps on “Tracks of NYC Subway”, it would be nice to figure out the trips, timing and GTs and to get even more accurate time.

Infrastructure, no matter the mode, doesn’t come cheap. Even many of the “softer,” operational improvements suggested here can’t happen without some sort of a funding base. How about an open discussion on transportation funding especially in the context of the federal transportation reauthorization bill?

This report could be used as a starting point: http://dc.streetsblog.org/2011/02/04/aashto-suggests-some-tools-for-getting-out-of-the-transpo-funding-mess/

[...] Topics [...]

Topic: Pain-Free Driving Pricing: goals + 2 policies

The four largest California MPOs (metropolitan planning organizations) have requested new “driving pricing” legislation to reduce driving to meet SB375 2020 and 2035 GHG reduction targets. The influential Moving Cooler Report suggests that a $5/gal gas tax increase will reduce driving by 28% – but there are more innovative “pain-free” driving pricing policies that create new jobs and large net economic gain.

Goal: develop innovative driving pricing solutions that:
* create new cleantech jobs. Sell more severs, routers, and smartphones.
* promote economic growth
* enable profitable/smart real-estate in-fill development
* save consumers money
* frugally reduce the need for expensive new transportation capacity expansion projects, operating existing infrastructure more efficiently
* reduce traffic congestion
* are socially just
* protect the climate. Policies should reduce more than 1M CO2 tons/year
* promote energy independence
* favor only policies that provide large net economic gain
* support an incremental approach that underscores the need for gradual behavioral and operational changes

Two promising policies:
* cheaper, safer, greener pay-as-you-drive auto insurance. This is a very tech-laden policy. “Strong flavor” pay-as-you-drive reduces driving by 6%.
http://www.cities21.org/cms/IntelliDrive_PHYD_PAYD.pdf

* “$2 Daily Workplace Parking Charge + $4 Commute Alternative Incentive: Cut SOV (single occupancy vehicle) commuting by 23%.” This is another tech-laden policy.
http://www.cities21.org/cms/index.php?page=parking-charges

Emeryville-Berkeley-Oakland Tram (EBOT) – Modern streetcar system for San Francisco East Bay communities

Topic: smartphone instant carpooling
For SF, I can always give a quick reprise of my January TRB “industry status presentation”
(see: http://www.cities21.org/cms/TRB_Cities21_iPooling_Small.pdf.)

There are 3 compelling new instant carpooling pilot projects:
• SR520 Seattle ==>
Microsoft Redmond (30K jobs)
$400K funding by WSDOT, most $ for incentives

• Santa Barbara: Isla Vista ==> SBCC (Santa Barbara City Colleege) – 6K students commute this way
$175K federal grant from “FHWA VPPP”

• 101 Sonoma ==>
Golden Gate
SF
$1.5M grant from MTC Climate Innovations program
3 counties won this grant: Sonoma, Marin and Contra Costa
Software RFP expected later this year

I’m interested in learning about people’s experience with crowdsourcing tools like FixCity (http://fixcity.org) and CycleTracks (http://www.sfcta.org/content/view/666/375). What actually happens to the data? Are agencies using it in a meaningful way, ie. have FixCity bike rack recommendations been considered and installed by NYCDOT? What other problems might crowdsourcing apps address? How do we make sure these efforts are efficient and impactful?

Just a heads up for anyone interested, the Transit Cooperative Research Program just initiated a synthesis of exactly this information. Maybe you should reach out to Susan Bregman to see what she’s up to and if she is going to Transportation Camp.

http://www.thetransitwire.com/2010/11/15/tcrp-study-of-social-media-want-to-take-part/

http://144.171.11.40/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2992

Wish I could go!

I have two different topics that I would like to discuss at the Transpo Camp:

1) How to make a successful system map. To be successful, the map not only has to be simple, but also show enough information for a rider or potential rider to make informed decisions. For example, using different lineweights/route labels based on service days would help users know which routes run on the weekend. Also, there should be ways to hierarchically show major trunk lines by a different color or lineweight. In cities with fixed guideways (which would include bus rapid transit), there would be a need to show them distinctly. Finally, having basic information on service hours and frequency would be a plus to include on the map. The ideal is to offer a map with a printed book of schedules of the entire system (instead of individual timetables). I created a system map on my website due to a lack of one in my area http://www.publictransitguide.info/. It includes a service hour/frequency diagram that has not yet been integrated with the map.

2) Transit service design. I would like to have a conversation on best practices in transit system design. Here is a starter list of what should be discussed. I would add more to the list as I think of more items that can be discussed. I tentatively would plan on bringing up examples of systems that are familiar to me.

* Traditional trip generators: jobsites, residential neighborhoods, and other Transit nodes
* Availability or future installation of pedestrian and cycling paths as feeders to the transit system
* Fixed guideways: existing or new
* Topography: Service may need to operate more densely than typical in some hilly areas
* Redundancies: Given limited funds, redundancies may or may not be desirable depending on the ridership levels and/or types of service offered
* What factors should be considered when determining whether to offer limited stops express service vs. a local route
* How to provide late night/weekend service efficiently while adequately serving the ridership with non-traditional working hours or for leisure trips
* Transfer facilities: Providing safe, accessible locations for transfers would increase riders willingness to transfer.
* Route structure: Consider the street network, major trip generators, and cost to determine where transfers should occur, route geometry (radial, grid, circular,Figure-8, etc.). Ensure the system is not confusing for the user. Hierarchical route structures can prove to be beneficial. (Local, Limited, Express, Fixed Guideway, etc.)
* Naming conventions: How to number/letter routes to reflect the above route structure
* Fare policy: Make is easy for the rider to understand and pay fares while making sure fares meet appropriate performance measure
* Performance Measures: Review the following for the entire system and at the route level: Fare revenues, Ridership per Vehicle Hour, Revenue Vehicle hours/Total Vehicle Hours, Cost per hour of service, etc.
* Any other items that may be added that are applicable to this discussion

What about a discussion and brainstorming session of how to make the best use of the data that will be released under Intro 370-A? This law will go into effect this summer and will require the NYPD to publish traffic safety data monthly. The police will have to post on their website moving violation summons data broken out by type and crash data broken out by people and vehicles involved, injuries and fatalities and contributing factors. The summons data will be searchable by borough and precinct. Crash data will be searchable by borough, precinct and intersection.

Read the legislation here http://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=777871&GUID=FBD36CFB-B9F6-4693-A1BC-C39F3794C941&Options=&Search

How about a data-techie/policy-advocate session where you can brainstorm how data can be used to make the streets better? Match the technical know-how with the knowledge about what the data can tell us about our streets

I think this would be interesting. Data may only tell us one side of the story…and it depends on what data is collected, how it is collected, how it is applied, etc etc. Still several steps away from actually talking to people and finding out what they want.

Definitely! In addition to exploring viable funding sources, it would be great to talk about the practical side of revenue capture – the point at which dollars are transacted. This is where there could be some technology solutions since the user interface and back-end become extremely important for establishing trust in the system. Ease of use becomes imperative if any alternative system can be adopted.

I’d like to see a discussion around licenses / terms-of-use as well.

One alternative to expensive realtime data systems is our service, Roadify. It allows users to report locations of transit which we can turn into real-time ETA’s for others. We’d love to talk more about this!

Chicago used to do this. The tunnels still exist but are in terrible shape. The city owns the subway freight tunnels.

CONNECTING THE DOTS or, GROWING THE OPEN SOURCE TRANSPORTATION GRID Technologies to link modes and services to provide a seamless multi-modal door to door trip. Could include: integrated pda based way finding (door to door), or integrated electronic fare payment, or cloud based multimodal traffic and information management. We tend to do really well with single modes or technologies but how do we provide a customizable portfolio to serve the user, a bit like our IT portfolio that connects laptop to desktop to pda to google to camera to printer to phone to fridge? And how do we connect the physical mult-modal grid with the virutal one?

NEW SYSTEM-FRIENDLY BUSINESS MODELS. How do we make the whole better than the sum of the parts from a business model point of view? Right now each new innovation has a business model that exists in isolation from the next. How to we envision and implement business models that are flexible enough to both support the individual innovator and at the same time serve the system such that the user benefits (i.e. the user has an easy, hassle free, integrated or at least open source way of paying for a range of modes and services door to door)?

MAKING IT SEXY. What story are we telling about the evolution of next generation transportation? That we’ll have to make a huge sacrifice by standing on a crowded smelly bus instead of driving our comfy car with the stereo on, for the sake of Bambi and the planet? Or another story? That OWNING one or several cars is so last millenium? That the next generation of transportation is so cool because it has SO MANY MORE CHOICES and they’re CONNECTED SEAMLESSLY so you have the unfettered world at your doorstep, the total freedom of using the best mode for the purpose (including cars) with your pda as excalibur, telling you whats up and paying your way… Maybe Philip K Dick didn’t predict the future. Maybe he shaped it. This post is about a workshop that explores how we shape the (exciting) story of what’s next.

How about a cap & trade on vehicle registrations, with planned shrinkage of the pool over time to augment these policies (cap-shrink and trade). Auction for registration rights transfer with funds going to support alternatives. Baseline protections for essential needs w/o growing the pool.

Great idea; here are some topics for scoping the discussion:

A study was being conducted of the potential to run freight on the BART system in SF. In general freight/PT combinations are discouraged as inherently different markets/modalities today but there is precedent and good reason to consider this. (In England, cargo loads were taken on board passenger rail but there were minor skirmishes over balancing the economics which I’m told ended it needlessly. At the same time we see priority for cargo impacting rail travel here in the US today, but that’s just one situation with its own constraints.)

The potential for benefits of scale exists and today’s technology makes it even more viable to integrate cargo into PT than ever before, and vice versa.

At the Carfree Cities conference last year in York, England a session on freight brought together folks running large freight companies (e.g., DHL) and folks running bicycle-based urban cargo delivery. There was enthusiasm and seemingly consensus support that it would be more economically viable and more time efficient too switch from trucks/vans in city centers to bicycle and other small/light vehicle and human powered delivery, opening a tremendous potential for “lorry free” and truck free centers. This would go a long way for human safety as trucks are so deadly.

One can conceive of Truck Rapid Transit routes as well, perhaps shared with Bus Rapid Transit, although some serious problems need to be addressed first.

Most importantly, for long distance road-based mass transport (people and goods movement both), the potential for electrification of the diesel fleet (e.g. by overhead wires or other direct connection to the grid, the most cost, health, and environmentally effective means) becomes more viable as the cost of the basic infrastructure amortizes so well with increased use, so you really want all to share.

A last thought, taking a transoceanic cruise may be much worse per person environmentally than flying, while hitching on a freighter may be much better, certainly from a GHG emissions standpoint.

Would be great to see a discussion of new mechanisms for decentralized implementation of traffic calming and public space beautification. For instance, building on the example of Portland’s City Repair law but with more teeth: allowing structural changes to the streetscape and right of way.

From previous experience, top-down traffic calming planning takes more time and money, and local opposition to perceived outsider intervention becomes a bottleneck. At the same time there’s tremendous latent demand for traffic calming in so many residential areas, and lack of tools and levers leaves people frustrated and feeling helplessly isolated.

Turn the model on its head and ignite the public to take matters more into their own hands, providing mechanisms for expedited approval of community-based and community-built projects (whether or not a contractor must be employed). Such projects can be much cheaper and invite local residents to raise their own funds and/or give the labor to construct it themselves.

Research supports that traffic safety must be implemented system-wide, yet what municipality is on track to do that? Let a thousand calmed streets bloom through empowerment to collective action.

[...] Topics [...]

I could talk about the policy side of parking for days. If someone else covers tech, we have a session.

Yikes! Ok, sign me up.
Marcus

Michael, great post. I’m interested in both, especially maps.
When it comes to maps/routes, especially with buses, the problem needs to involve re-naming lines. Bus 4A and 4H does absolutely nothing for me. Maybe an app or method like yours can just work in re-naming some of the bus routes, if the agencies aren’t going to do it themselves. To me, thats step 1 in getting people to understand routes and use them more.
Eventually, I would think a navigation program could be developed on phones that would talk to people and say “Get off at the next stop” “Transfer to the Yellow Line in the direction of ____” etc, just like it works in a car.
Anyway.

A great topic. When it is all said and done, it all comes down to where, when and how we find the money to execute the ideas. Financing is definitely a critical element in the process of identifying/implementing solutions for the many transportation challenges we face in today’s world. I’d be delighted to partake in this discussion.

Look up PEDSAFE and BIKESAFE in a google search. These are manuals used to evaluate pedestrian and bicycle accidents in a systematic fashion, and have a process for selecting and applying “countermeasures.” It should be a systematic process in every jurisdiction, but for the most part isn’t.

Yes, Yes, Yes!

What if all the relevant metrics for a trip chain, including:
-energy expended or consumed
-emissions (toxics, CO2)
-expected duration
-number and type (bike, bus, walk, carshare, carpool, etc) of transfers
-elevation change for each piece of the trip
-cost (tolls, fuel, rental, etc)

were stored in the cloud and downloaded to a mobile device for each trip or trip-chain you were interested in making? ‘Perfect’ information displayed over a GoogleMap type interface in order that you can compare various modes across a set of metrics in order to make your decision.

Perfect information to inform decisions about transport mode selection is an intriguing idea, but does not merit a double post!

I’m in!

Is anyone interested in talking about paratransit services?

These are extremely costly (and necessary) components of public transit systems but it seems like little has been done to try and innovate the business model. There are a lot of liability issues that restrict how innovative we can be in deploying specialty transit service for elderly and people with disabilities. This conversation could fold into a broader discussion on Mobility/Accessibility Policy…

I’d be happy to be part of a discussion about it if there’s interest this weekend. I think there’s actually a lot going on as it relates to other types of transportation (like Medicaid transportation), not just ADA paratransit.

Yep, exactly! Do you know the book “Don’t think of an elephant” by George Lakoff? I want to figure out the language that will get people’s attention. The environment, your health, saving money are very tired motivators. I’m sick of telling people to “eat their vegetables.” More importantly, let’s design our transpo infrastructure so it’s comfortable, time-efficient, safe and logical to ride a bike, walk, share a ride or take transit (make the vegetables yummy)…

I’d be interested in learning more about what’s required on the legislative end if this topic is still open.

On a general and non-specific level, what are the legal costs and impact of new transportation ideas. Beyond creating policy and legislation to help implement plans, (whether statutory or administrative), what role does litigation play in all of this? From suits dealing with civil rights/liberties, to constitutional challenges to legislation… What innovative ideas are likely to be subject to litigation? How, and why?

As we develop transportation models for the future, are there strategies for confronting legal challenges, from advocating for more robust “transportation rights” of all urban citizens, to thoughtful, inclusive framing of legislation, to providing alternative forums for dispute resolution, such as mediation and arbitration?

A recent communication experiment at Yale employed GIS (and Python script) to create personalized transit information and interactive maps for parkers based on their proximity to a transit stop (within 1/4 mile from a bus stop; 2 miles of a train station). We used a database of people who pay to park at Yale & the geocoded bus and train stops throughout the New Haven region. Despite a very cool map interface with personalized cost (of driving and parking vs transit; & cost to NE forest trees in carbon sequestration!) comparison and detailed transit information, we didn’t receive a lot of feedback from the 2,000+ recipients. How could we turn this project from a “push” to the potentially uninterested to a “pull” from the motivated? Is there a way to adapt this project to allow would-be transit riders to enter their home address into a map interface and plan their transit trip? All of our local transit providers will soon be live in Google Transit, and the Yale Shuttle’s real-time location data will be available through an open API in May. How do we weave this digital data together so people can plan transit trips across modes or transit providers? Happy to share this projects’ code and background documentation to anyone interested!

Here’s an actual map example: http://www.yale.edu/transportationoptions/gis-mapping/directions.html?hx=-73.0559888689&hy=41.2255072977&wx=-72.922675275&wy=41.3103719817&bid=5250.0&tx=-73.0573466137&ty=41.2234833574&tid=18

One Problem and One Solution on different parts of the Transpo Puzzle.
1. The Problem: People change jobs and homes and old jobs end and new jobs appear, all of this without any rhyme or, predictable, reasons. So What?
If we knew where everyone lived and worked and at what time they needed to be at work, optimum bus routes, with an optimum size bus, could be designed -in principle. Gotcha?
Now, imagine every worker had access to someone that could send a email, say where they work, at their library, or wherever. They could change their pick up and return data as often as they wanted.
With all the info, a “real” computer could optimize the number of vans needed and provide drivers with a map and “real-time driving directions” to pick up the group of workers with a minimum travel time and distance.
Would this put an end to bus lines as we know them? No! Many more will want to go shopping or visiting or whatever, whenever they feel like it. They will keep the core bus service working. Would fares be too high? Probably, a subsidy will be required but only up to a point. The routes that cannot be justified, will need to be changed or ended.
The assumption will be that most will have a cell phone, or access to one, to keep up with changes.
What do you think? How would you improve this, obviously rudimentary, concept?
Thanks!
Oh, yes, and how to pay for running costs? How about a tax on gasoline and let all those that chose to avoid the bus network, pay for costs above $2 per passenger. Adjusted for inflation.

We have BART in the Bay Area which shuts down at midnight and starts in the morning, I see no reason they couldn’t deliver goods in the same route to specific sites with a lock. The owners would come during working hours and retrieve their own goods.
The cargo could be required to fit specific size boxes or crates to be easily portable.
The cargo stops could be different from the passenger stops.
Imagine all the trucks that will not have to drive in the city and block traffic everywhere.

I would love to talk about parking. Part of our project at Weeels is to decrease the need for parking by increasing the efficiency and reliability of for hire vehicle systems. It seems to me that parking is a root problem of automobile ownership, and that the negative externalities associated with parking can be addressed by emphasizing the automobile’s role as a transit vehicle.

I would love to talk about parking. Part of our project at Weeels is to decrease the need for parking by increasing the efficiency and reliability of for hire vehicle systems. It seems to me that parking is a root problem of automobile ownership, and that the negative externalities associated with parking can be addressed by treating the automobile as a vehicle for social transit – as opposed to private – transit.

Look at the supply chain potential of barge & rail into Manhattan, to freight trike and Low Speed Light Electric Vehicle to the end user – all keyed into a smaller “shipping container” that is tuned into last-mile transport in cities. Review pros, cons, barriers, opportunities.

LA METRO WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY AHEAD OF THE MTA

Has everyone seen what LA Metro just released – Real-Time Passenger Information – something called Nextrip – has all of the bells and whistles -texting, integration to the 511 system alerts, an ADA website. Wow – and it covers their entire system of 3500 buses. I think the bustime thing in NY only covers one route .Here’s a link to the LA Metro Nextrip site – go ahead and try using it. http://www.metro.net/service/nextrip/

And here’s a blog posting about it at The Source : http://thesource.metro.net/2011/03/02/metro-begins-testing-real-time-bus-arrival-system/ Read all the comments too – apparently even though it hasn’t been promoted yet it’s being widely used.

And if you want to try the 511 integration – I got the back in number we can dial into from NYC – 877-224-6511. One of the better IVR/511 systems I’ve used.

I think the same company did Nextrip – Nexbus – as did Boston, San Francisco, Washington, Toronto and I think even MIT and UCLA – in fact I think they did Roosevelt Island and the Downtown Connection in NYC – http://www.nextbus.com/predictor/prediction.shtml?a=da&r=dtconn&d=bpc&s=watwhit&ts=battgree

Why can’t we have it in NY????
WHOOPEE! I just found it – Nextbus did the same route as the bstime – but it has all of the bells and whistles and they work – and check out the maps What gives? is the MTA finally moving on this??

http://www.nextbus.com/predictor/prediction.shtml?a=brooklyn&r=B63&d=B63_B630002v0_1&s=308217&ts=305423

and I just found the GPS enabled Smartphone site that shows the closest stops and time and maps!!!
http://www.metro.net/service/nextrip/

LA METRO WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY AHEAD OF THE MTA

Has everyone seen what LA Metro just released – Real-Time Passenger Information – something called Nextrip – has all of the bells and whistles -texting, integration to the 511 system alerts, an ADA website. Wow – and it covers their entire system of 3500 buses. I think the bustime thing in NY only covers one route .Here’s a link to the LA Metro Nextrip site – go ahead and try using it. http://www.metro.net/service/n...

And here’s a blog posting about it at The Source : http://thesource.metro.net/201... Read all the comments too – apparently even though it hasn’t been promoted yet it’s being widely used.

And if you want to try the 511 integration – I got the back in number we can dial into from NYC – 877-224-6511. One of the better IVR/511 systems I’ve used.

I think the same company did Nextrip – Nexbus – as did Boston, San Francisco, Washington, Toronto and I think even MIT and UCLA – in fact I think they did Roosevelt Island and the Downtown Connection in NYC – http://www.nextbus.com/predict...

Why can’t we have it in NY????
WHOOPEE! I just found it – Nextbus did the same route as the bstime – but it has all of the bells and whistles and they work – and check out the maps What gives? is the MTA finally moving on this??

http://www.nextbus.com/predict...

and I just found the GPS enabled Smartphone site that shows the closest stops and time and maps!!!
http://www.metro.net/service/n...

I thought NextBus already launched what they call – generically – real-time passenger information for the NYCT?? Here’s a link – http://www.nextbus.com/predictor/prediction.shtml?a=brooklyn&r=B63&d=B63_B630002v0_1&s=308217&ts=305423

And I read in the Board Item approved by the LA Metro Board that they did the entire City of Los Angeles with 3500 buses for $1.6-million.Repeat, Amanda – $1.6-million to set it up an operate it for 5 years!! Seems pretty inexpensive. I thought I read that OpenPlans was paid over $200,000 to do just what route in Brooklyn? Is that an accurate number??

Jmaki – can you tell us what the cost of setting up bustime was? I assume it’s public knowledge.

AngryRider,

NextBus uses data and hardware from the project we at OpenPlans just finished with the MTA. The pilot project very successfully demonstrated that real time vehicle arrival information can be provided to the public for much less than even vendors like NextBus can, which is important given the MTA’s budget crisis.

And this is all 100% open for the MTA to use as they please–no IP or data ownership issues.

I don’t have a link to the public document with the exact price, but this link has some more info: http://openplans.org/civichacker/2011/02/01/openplans-puts-mta-bus-locations-online/

So what the hell is a SMART STREET?
Everyone talks about it but what does it actually mean?

Realtime info in the public realm? Is it IPhone Apps? Doing what? Street Design? Lighting? Safety?

Can local businesses benefit/contribute? How does a Smart Street make a place worth going to?

[...] unconference organizers posted the discussion topics online before Transportation Camp kicked off, so virtual onlookers and on-site participants alike [...]

I have posted my notes prepared for the session at:

http://www.chateaudubois.com/editorial.html

(Doesn’t reflect what was discussed at the session, but here they are in case someone finds them useful.)

Thanks, Jeff – my understanding from public documents is that the OpenPlans project cost more than DOUBLE the Nexbus bid – but was selected because of the open source requirement. So the “much less” comment is just wrong. The key here to efficiency for the public and transit systems isn’t open source, but the Cloud – and being able to leverage upgrades/improvements and maintenance across a large number of systems. Even companies that use Linux buy a specific stable version and then buy maintenance for it – from companies like Red Hat who’s sponsoring this conference. Real time info isn’t brain surgery but close – riders expect perfection – would you want the MRI machine you’re being slid into to use open source software. I’m also pretty sure that LA Metro and others like Boston own the data produced by real-time vendors.

AngryRider: Not sure where you’re getting your information from but the OpenPlans deployment costs considerably less than the NextBus system. I’ve heard low-level rumblings that NextBus is not happy that the MTA didn’t sign its contract, but the truth is that their pricing wasn’t competitive enough.

Hello AngryRider,

Thanks for your thoughts–I’m not sure what you’re including in your calculation of price and what you’re not, so I can’t really debate the pricing issue with you via this channel.

But as to your comment on OpenSource and MRI machines, it’s a well-known fact that many (closed source) medical devices have software defects that the manufacturers have known about for YEARS, that unfortunately hurt many people before being fixed.

See:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/01/health/01radiation.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1

or:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/health/06radiation.html

…for two examples. In an OpenSource model, these defects can be fixed/checked/tested and deployed much faster, which is even ignoring the fact that under the peer-review model of OpenSource, the defects would perhaps not even have been deployed to the field in the first place. So actually I would use an OpenSource MRI, if there was one.

Closed source does not mean higher quality–that’s an important point. Similarly, OpenSource does not mean “free for all”–code is rigorously checked, verified and committed only when it meets the maintainers’ standards. And that maintainer may even be a person who works on MRIs at his day job–OpenSource does not necessarily mean amateur, either.

And, to add a little nuance to the debate, we believe it’s healthy for any market to have competition–real time bus information included. We think it’s great that NextBus is also in the market, and we feel we at OpenPlans offer a viable alternative to NextBus. If there was no competition in the marketplace, NextBus would be free to raise its rates to anything it chooses in the future, hurting agencies and riders alike. It’s loosely akin to the separation of powers/checks-and-balances model we have here in America. Which is also similar to the value of (bio)diversity–if one vendor gets “sick”, there are others to fill in the gaps that are still healthy.

We’re not looking to corner any markets–just make sure riders are best served in a way where products compete on their merits and not on artificial means of control such as vendor lock-in–that’s an important part of our mission as a non-profit.

Thanks for raising these important issues,

-Jeff

GAMIFICATION – We need to personalize the struggle for sustainability. While most folks know that driving less helps the environment, it’s hard to see how their individual choice adds up to a significant contribution to global health and environmental problems. I’d like to explore ways to bring together mobile technology, new transit payment systems like Clipper and game design principles to create an effective platform for motivating individuals to choose more sustainable transportation options and collect data demonstrating the value of investing in active transportation and transit to transportation agencies.

GAMIFICATION – We need to personalize the struggle for sustainability. While most folks know that driving less helps the environment, it’s hard to see how their individual choice adds up to a significant contribution to global health and environmental problems. I’d like to explore ways to bring together mobile technology, new transit payment systems like Clipper and game design principles to create an effective platform for motivating individuals to choose more sustainable transportation options and collect data demonstrating the value of investing in active transportation and transit to transportation agencies.

Address the social and economic issues inherent when discussing public transit – especially in places away from the hubs of NY and SF, where public transit is much more iconic and an acceptable way to get around across many class, ethnic, and economic boundaries. I’m thinking about a few things here.
1. Access to technology (especially smartphone or GPS enabled devices) to access route maps, realtime bus/train info – is going to be much less accessible for the urban and suburban poor. This is sometimes overlooked when discussing these topics with a large group of people with similar access to technology/training/similar interests.
2. The more people in an area drive versus take public transit, the more non-car transit is stigmatized (whether that be walking, cycling or the bus). This spills over into real life problems where transit is stigmatized: no pedestrian crossings over 8 lanes of traffic, poor lighting, no sidewalks (though you can often see the “trails” people have created near the underbrush of a busy road), bus stops without shelter from weather without any update on the time or route, refusal of other residents to take the bus or bike in these type of areas because is stigmatized as “dangerous”, “dirty” or “not for people like me” – which leads to a further cycle of underfunding.
3. While improving bus and rail transit is important in these situations, it is also important to consider the cost for riders. I am a longtime bicycle commuter and often see people riding bikes in the aforementioned urban/suburban neighborhoods even though it’s not safe. The onetime cost and minimal upkeep of many bicycles is actually a HUGE savings over time – even more than the cost savings of transit over car/gas/parking. For example, in Washington DC I would have spent about $100 a month on bus fares to and from work, and here in SF, if I were to commute to Berkeley or Oakland every day, it would be upwards of $200 or more. If you do bike everywhere, including all the non-work trips, it can really add up for those of us for whom $100-200 is actually a hardship. Additionally, if you don’t have a license, can’t drive, are underage, live somewhere you can’t own a car or simply can’t afford it, a bike can offer a type of personal mobility that taking a bus cannot – it simply needs to be much, much safer and more acceptable in almost all neighborhoods.

I’m interested in this topic as well… not just the back end of how to make it sexy but also the marketing side of making people think about transit and other alternative transportation as sexy.

If there is interest in a seamless basemap to support multi-modal routing for transit applications, I can discuss our Open Street Map (OSM) improvement project and how it can be applied in other regions. With college interns and partnerships with the local OSM community and local jurisdictions, we are using regional data and aerial imagery as reference to improve OSM in the four-county Portland area. It will support inter-modal travel planning for transit, biking, walking, and driving for applications such as The Intertwine, and the Open Trip Planner.

If there is interest in a seamless basemap to support multi-modal routing for transit applications, I can discuss our Open Street Map (OSM) improvement project and how it can be applied in other regions. With college interns and partnerships with the local OSM community and local jurisdictions, we are using regional data and aerial imagery as reference to improve OSM in the four-county Portland area. It will support inter-modal travel planning for transit, biking, walking, and driving for applications such as The Intertwine, and the Open Trip Planner.

If there is interest in a seamless basemap to support multi-modal routing for transit applications, I can discuss our Open Street Map (OSM) improvement project and how it can be applied in other regions. With college interns and partnerships with the local OSM community and local jurisdictions, we are using regional data and aerial imagery as reference to improve OSM in the four-county Portland area. It will support inter-modal travel planning for transit, biking, walking, and driving for applications such as The Intertwine, and the Open Trip Planner.

Dynamic/Real-time Ridesharing: We’re part of a team in Sonoma, Marin and Contra Costa counties piloting a dynamic ridesharing system over the next 2 years. This involves several other topics discussed here such as, (1) Social networking – using online trust-building networks to build trust in offline relations such as ridesharing; (2) Shared Economy – increasing capacity of passenger vehicles, which also includes traditional carsharing and peer-to-peer carsharing (very exciting if combined with dynamic ridesharing).

I would love to host or attend sessions on inclusionary affordable housing options (Section 8 home buyers program and live/work lofts) at TODs around light rail stations, as well as microenterprise development and shared workspaces like “The Hub” and Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center at TODs. It would be awesome to see a Brower Center project @ BART or Muni Station in an underserved community

SLOCOG is interested in creating similar web based GIS linked tools (perhaps with GeoExt) to gather community feedback at where to focus funds for bike lanes, streetscapes, bus stops, etc. We would love to hear results from existing projects and get tips for designing our own.

Love this, and I’ve read some of your position papers before. How about making the parking charge voluntary to soften the blow? In essence, it would be like buying carbon offsets for your commute.

I might be able to provide some insights on this… Check out http://gateway.path.berkeley.edu/topl/index.html

I used R several years ago. I’m not current on it but I’m curious what what you’re doing with it.

The rebirth of employer-based transportation demand management. What Genentech, Google and others have been able to accomplish with their corporate transportation programs shows that there is hope. As part of SB 375 implementation, why not reinstate rules on employers above a certain size, similar to those that existed as part of clean air legislation back in the 90′s?

Now say employers are required to share the approximate residential locations of its employees with the local MPO. Aggregate the data in a way that guarantees anonymity and create a dynamic commute heat map: you click on a point on the map, and it shows you where the people commuting to anywhere within 1/4 of mile come from. Then overlay carpooling / vanpooling / shuttle hubs…

How about roadway electrification and automation? http://www.electricroadway.com/

Imagine taking your electric vehicle to a fast lane where you can just take your hands off the wheel and get power directly from the road through inductive charging…

I’d like to discuss whether the ‘internet of things’ concept has legs in the transportation management world. Interoperability is a huge problem with traffic systems. Google pulled it off with the GTFS, so can something similar be cooked up for traffic signal controllers, traffic detectors, changeable message signs -and even cars, assuming they all get connected sooner or later…?

For sure! Think of an app were you type in your destination(s), and how many people are going and it tells you the fastest, cheapest, quietest, Most calorie burning or best scenery mode to get there. In a nice dense city this might include bike share, taxi, Bus, train, private car, Ride share, car share, walking, pedicab, etc. With access to the right information the system would know traffic conditions, parking expense, inclines, weather, location of car/bike share etc. Think of it as Google maps on steroids.

1) ask for directions between two points of known distance with flat straight ground between them
2) I imagine it uses intersection penalties in a similar way to driving directions
3) if you want to experiment with bike directions I suggest playing with an open source solution such as graphserver
[I have worked on Google Maps but represent myself, not my employer]

As far as I know the hardest part of this problem (other than getting good data in the first place) is connecting maps that are independently maintained. In your case you have the OSM walking map and TriMet transit stops + schedules. http://code.google.com/p/gtfs-osm-sync/ to the rescue?

Aggregating to guarantee anonymity can be a hard hard problem. What do you have in mind?
Van pools seem like a good way for employees to get started and demonstrate the viability of a route.

I’d love to get together with folks working in the paratransit/community-based transit realm. Very interested in OSS for many aspects of operations: reporting, smartphone-enabled scheduling, dispatch & routing.

What do the staff currently representing transit agencies say about making it SEXY? I suggested that to a local suburban small bus transit operator in Contra Costa and the sr. planner replied, “It doesn’t matter what the bus looks like. If it isn’t on time no one will ride.” I suppose the transit dependent population may feel that way, but here in the burbs where the car is king and getting there on transit takes half the day…SEXY might sell.

DEMAND BASED ROUTES, BUILT ON THE FLY. All I’m saying is why not treat the transportation network like any other network? Don’t send empty packets to places where they’re not needed. Find ways to reduce latency, and create the most efficient routes you can. Rather than using real-time data to find out when the bus is coming, use it create the routing. Here is the conversation you want to have with your bus:
“Hey, I need to go to Chestnut and Steiner, and I’m at 24th and Valencia, can you come pick me up?”
“Yeah, I can be there in 10 minutes, and it should take about 25 minutes to get to the Marina. You wanna ride?”
“Great, see you in 10!”

What does this look like from the passenger’s point of view (signalling)?
What does this look like from the driver’s point of view (unstable routes)?
How does the bus itself need to change?
What systems/technologies do you need to make this work?
What applications is it particularly good/bad at?
What to do if it fails?

Considering the news (about Japan and Bahrain for starters), some session on emergency preparedness makes sense – the communications between agencies and first responders might be one session, and general public facing communications could be a separate session.

Is anyone discussing transportation data sharing? I am thinking in terms of how data providers can make it easier for developers and researchers. I would like to share and learn on this topic.

An excellent question that isn’t asked very often. The common case seems to be data users begging for any data under any conditions. :-/

Given the audience you may want to be more specific when proposing a session. If you are the same Nisar at 511 certainly say that and I expect data consumers will show up to meet you. Ian White suggested a session about licenses which is very relevant. Real-time and static schedules are often treated as separate beasts.

I don’t have any particular expertise in the area besides an anecdote about my dad, but transportation and disaster response is a timely issue.

@Nisar Ahmed – Look up “open data” to see what’s being done already.

@Streetcars4us – Bring back the Key System!

The planner is copping out. There’s no reason to sacrifice performance for an appealing message.

Yes, I am the one from Bay Area 511. I want share what 511 is doing to share data and would like to know what else we could be doing.

I`m in! We shouldn`t consider one without the other, and lets not forget about the transition points and last mile experience.

Topic Suggestion: Making it Real, Working Together I
What motivates a police department to work with the city planning department? How can different agencies work towards common goals? What makes it compelling?

We will explore real world examples and identify together the elements for successful collaboration.

Topic Suggestion: Making it Real, Working Together II

How do we get apps and information into the hands of the public? Beyond putting the information out, how can we educate, various public constituencies, to use this new technology?

What strategies work, given diverse population’s, in multiple settings, young and old? We will explore the principles of social marketing, look at examples of interesting practices and explore the application in today’s environment.

#transpo Why can’t #MUNI #SFMTA #BART fix the #Clipper negative values bug? Why is it that major public transportation matters are outsourced to these incompetent contractors… at astronomical budgets that errors can’t be fixed in hindsight due to a depleted budget?

Will you be in SF tomorrow or Sunday?
Iris

Why is the user experience for Clipper cards so broken in general? It takes about 10x as long and 1-2 more calls to customer support, on average, to load my Clipper card compared to my Starbucks card.

Please join the discussion for the San Francisco Transit Rider’s Union Sunday at 1:15 PM!

[...] weekend-long unconference.  What is an unconference?  In short, it means that the attendees can recommend ideas for camp sessions and then lead those sessions.  This format allows participants to actively shape the outcome of the camp and, inevitably, leads [...]

[...] leading up to the event.  See past topic suggestions for TransportationCamp East and West here. /* WDCEP's DoingBusiness 2.0 : Business Taxes Jan 11, 2012 | Washington, DCNVTC: Small [...]

Some must see ideas here

http://www.itoworld.com/static/data_visualisations.html

There is a humungous dictionary of terms at as part of the CEN Transmodel European standard at http://www.transmodel.org/en/cadre1.html.    Note that one of the problems with transportation terms is that in colloqial use the same words get overloaded with many different meanings (journey, route, stop etc),  so one needs to define the concepts, and then show which terms are used used in both everyday use and in  different standards for them. Transmodel tries to use a separate term (sometimeses quiet an artifical one) for each concept.

GTFS has done a really great job in establishing a simple common representation of the basic data needed for Trip Planning, but there are relevant aspects of transit data it doesn’t cover or where its model is quite simplistic; complex interchanges, fare products, and compound train journeys are just three examples. There are also issues arising when data from many different areas or stakeholders need to be managed and integrated on a repeated basis through many different workflows – while at the same time data rights and responsibilities need to be recognized and tracked.
 In Europe CEN, the European standards body, with the participation of the UIC and the European Rail Authority, has been developing a new XML based exchange format designed for peer to peer exchange of a wide variety of PT data. The NeTEx content model is fully interoperable with the GTFS content model but can also cover many additional aspects of Transit data needed to operate systems, and it has mechanisms to facilitate the distributed management of data. Is anyone interested in a session on how to improve open data exchange formats for transit data – What features (either as to content, metadata or protocols) are missing? What are the priorities for improvement?

[...] an opportunity for every attendee to be a participant. Attendees can help organize the event by suggesting session topics and activities leading up to the [...]

Here are a few session ideas I’m pondering:

1) Innovative solutions to provide mobility for seniors who have recently given up their drivers license. (round-table discussion)
2) How driverless cars will transform public and commercial paratransit (discussion)
3) How can smartphones and social media be used to improve mobility for transportation disadvantaged populations?

The future of driverless cars – will there be driverless transit?  shared cabs that show up to your gps location when you order them on smart phones?  who needs a car when there’s always a taxi waiting to pick you up any time of day or night.

public transit to get people to open space/state parks

Creating Age-Friendly Transit

As our population ages, cities and transit will need to adapt to the needs of seniors. What are the best practices for an age-friendly city? How can transit improve seniors’ lives and promote social inclusion? How will these efforts affect other transit users? Engagement with seniors and removing barriers to independent and active living are key to creating age-friendly transit.

What about a session on climate change? Hurrican Sandy should have been a wakeup call for anyone living on either coast. The way things are going now any transportation facility within 10 m of sea level should be considered at risk in the future.

Open standard for government publishing and crowdsourcing traffic data and events. Is there room for an Open511 initiative? A kind of mix of GTFS and open311 for road travelers (and potentially cyclists and pedestrians)

I’d like to discuss with you … ping me at ryanp@telenav.com.  I have a traffic tech we where we are offering free GPS probe aggregated feed (about same quality as commercial vendors we collect from our massive # of mobile users) and published in an OSM standard for traffic we built – so doesn’t require a TMC license. Ping me. I’ll be at conf.

SharkTank: What’s the big idea to change the world around you and how to make it happen?Innovations to make your travel safer, faster, more affordable, efficient and reliable. 

Transportation Data: Where? Share, here!