The Implementation of a Public-Use Bicycle Program in Philadelphia

Philadelphia has many worries: from a declining economy, to a population decrease, to severe gun violence. The city suffers from these worries as well as high taxes, poor transportation options and few jobs for many workers, all detrimental the quality of life of Philadelphia citizens. Severe congestion, high costs of car ownership as the mounting price of public have severely impeded personal mobility in the city. One answer to this detrimental problem can be found in Europe, through public-use bicycles (PUBs). In over 60 European cities, PUBs have made an enormous impact on personal mobility, allowing citizens to access the city through bicycles, used as a part of public transportation. Through user accountability and theft deterrents, PUB programs provide citizens with a highly efficient and reliable transportation option. Philadelphia could benefit greatly from such a program. Through a study of successful PUB programs throughout the world, Philadelphia can garner information regarding implementation, funding, operation, and infrastructure. All this information will be put forth in order to deliberate on the best practices of other models and see them replicated in Philadelphia. It is hoped that, in the future, Philadelphia will have a very successful large-scale public-use bicycle program, the first of its kind in North America

The Grizzly, September 6, 2007

The Car Share Revolution • Ursinus Initiates Film Fest • Facilities Makes Renovation Waves • Stopping the Stork: Emergency Contraception • A Look at The Rising Suns • Spotlight on Sustain UC • Book Review: What is What by Dave Eggers • Opinions: With Gonzales\u27 Resignation, Exodus Continues; Harry Potter and the Satanic Pre-Teens; Don\u27t Paint Over Our Freedom of Expression • Intramural Intervention • Field Hockey Flavor • Football Sets the Bar High with 28-0 Rout of LaSalle • Fight for the Tophttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1741/thumbnail.jp

The Automobile at Rest: Toward Better Parking Policies in the Delaware Valley

The Automobile at Rest: Toward Better Parking Policies in the Delaware Valley presents an overview of parking policies and requirements in the Delaware Valley region, along with strategies for managing and designing parking better. Each of the region's 353 municipalities set their own parking requirements within their municipal zoning ordinance, usually based on national standards from the Institute of Transportation Engineers and/or the Urban Land Institute. These requirements are detailed in a separately published Appendix titled Municipal Parking Standards Inventory. These standards often assume that all trips will be made by car and that destinations will be isolated and single use in character. The standards fail to recognize the different types of parking provisions that may be desirable or cost appropriate for different contexts, such as downtowns, suburban shopping districts, or rural areas. Municipal parking ordinances therefore often result in too much parking or requirements that are not flexible for mixed-use settings. These requirements have a strong influence on the built and natural environment and how the community grows or redevelops. The report also examines ways to reduce parking demand and improve parking supply where appropriate or necessary through parking management strategies, such as pricing, car-sharing, and shared parking, among others. Different types of parking are examined, from surface parking to underground parking to bicycle parking, along with innovative design treatments. The report also examines the environmental impacts of parking with a focus on the critical issue of stormwater. Lastly, the relationship between parking and transit is considered, particularly park-and-rides and transitoriented development. This report provides planners, local leadership, and citizens with information about best practices for designing, managing, and regulating parking

Is there room for shared cars in Italy? Considerations from some recent experiences

Car sharing is increasing its role worldwide as an alternative transport mode, that could contribute to a more sustainable urban mobility by reducing congestion and pollution. The paper focuses on the understanding of which are the main characteristics of this service starting from the literature on this topic both in terms of user profile and impact of the service; in the second part of the paper, the Italian context will be presented starting from the analysis of four Italian experiences with a particular focus on Milan’s car sharing. Summarizing the conclusion, it emerges that to date, the overall impact on transport is still quite low, in part due to a scarce integration and coordination with other transport modes and in part because car is still perceived primarily as a status symbol and a “good” rather than as a “service”. Therefore, car sharing can perform as a significant complementary and sustainable solution to mobility needs only in a context of cultural change and inside a transport policy aimed at changing transport behavior.car sharing; sustainable mobility; transport policy; urban mobility; peer to peer car sharing;

Area Cultural Groups Adjust to Changing Audience Patterns

Explores ways in which Philadelphia area libraries and other arts and cultural nonprofits are responding to growing competition for audiences, including building renovations, innovations in ticket subscriptions, and connecting people through a cause

Modeling spatio-temporal diffusion of carsharing membership in Québec City

Abstract During the last few years, car sharing has undergone significant growth, both in Canada and around the world. In this type of service, users share access to a fleet of vehicles, thereby giving them most of the advantages of automobile use, such as its temporal and spatial flexibility, without many of the constraints of ownership. This study analyzes the geographical and socio-economic factors that favour membership of a carsharing service in Québec City. We combined Cervero’s and Kockelman’s 5D model (density, diversity, design, distance to transit, and destination accessibility) with Hägerstrand’s concept of innovation diffusion so as to analyze the evolution of potential car-sharing membership. Zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) regression was used to model the spatial diffusion of the number of car-sharing members in Québec City from 1996 (two years after its inauguration) to 2008 at the local scale, with an annual time step. Results indicate that the carsharing distribution did, indeed, follow Hägerstrand’s innovation diffusion model and that, even though some of the 5D model significantly influenced membership, it was socio-economic factors (education, non-motorization, and family structure) that most greatly affected the membership rate in the service area. The model is used to assess and discuss market coverage potential in Québec City. Keywords: carsharing, sustainable mobility, Hägerstrand’s innovation diffusion model, 5D model, spatiotemporal modelin

Personal vehicle sharing services in North America

Over the past three decades, carsharing has grown from a collection of local grassroots organizations into a worldwide industry. Traditional carsharing, though expanding, has a limited network of vehicles and locations. The next generation of shared-use vehicle services could overcome such expansion barriers as capital costs and land use by incorporating new concepts like personal vehicle sharing.Personal vehicle sharing provides short-term access to privately-owned vehicles. As of May 2012, there were 33 personal vehicle sharing operators worldwide, with 10 active or in pilot phase, three planned, and four defunct in North America. Due to operator non-disclosure, personal vehicle sharing member numbers are currently unknown. The authors investigated personal vehicle sharing in North America by conducting 34 expert interviews. This research explores the development of personal vehicle sharing including business models, market opportunities, and service barriers to assess its early viability as a sustainable transportation mode and to provide a foundation for future research on the topic. Personal vehicle sharing has the potential to impact the transportation sector by increasing the availability and interconnectivity among modes and providing greater alternatives to vehicle ownership in more geographic locations

Chapter 3 - Mobility on demand (MOD) and mobility as a service (MaaS): early understanding of shared mobility impacts and public transit partnerships

Technology is changing the way we move and reshaping cities and society. Shared and on-demand mobility represent notable transportation shifts in the 21st century. In recent years, mobility on demand (MOD)—where consumers access mobility, goods, and services on-demand by dispatching shared modes, courier services, public transport, and other innovative strategies—has grown rapidly due to technological advancements; changing consumer preferences; and a range of economic, environmental, and social factors. New attitudes toward sharing, MOD, and mobility as a service (MaaS) are changing traveler behavior and creating new opportunities and challenges for public transportation. This chapter discusses similarities and differences between the evolving concepts of MaaS and MOD. Next, it characterizes the range of existing public transit and MOD service models and enabling partnerships. The chapter also explores emerging trends impacting public transportation. While vehicle automation could result in greater public transit competition in the future, it could also foster new opportunities for transit enhancements (e.g., microtransit services, first- and last-mile connections, reduced operating costs). The chapter concludes with a discussion of how MOD/MaaS partnerships and automation could enable the public transit industry to reinvent itself, making it more attractive and competitive with private vehicle ownership and use

The Potential for Daimler’s Car2Go in Austin and at the University of Texas

textCarsharing, a service that allows individuals the use of a private vehicle without the burden of ownership, is expanding rapidly around the world. In the United States, for-profit and non-profit organizations are emerging and expanding at high rates. Daimler Auto Group is entering this market with its Car2Go, a carsharing organization with a fleet composed entirely of Smart Fortwo vehicles, beginning with a pilot program in Austin, Texas. This paper compared the Austin market with successful carshare markets in order to determine the likelihood of success for Car2Go. Using new surveys and analysis of previous literature, this research has found that the highly-educated and high-income populations found residing in downtown Austin and working or studying at the University of Texas are likely to be strong markets for future carsharing services.Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineerin