Why Cities Are Eliminating Traditional Parking Requirements

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In North America, many municipalities have bylaws mandating the inclusion of parking facilities in new residential developments and commercial buildings. These policies, which date back to about the middle of the 20th century, once served important and practical purposes.

First, municipalities feared that a lack of adequate parking would put their businesses at a competitive disadvantage. This concern was especially prevalent in downtown areas of major metropolitan centers, which were economically threatened by the rapid rise of suburban development. Also, neighborhood residents tended to worry that they would have to compete with new neighbors for limited parking. As such, they were reluctant to support new high-density construction projects like apartment buildings and condominiums.

Parking requirements solved these issues, but they also supported over-reliance on privately owned vehicles. Thus, as cities continued to grow, traffic congestion and pollution continued to grow with them. They also contributed to urban sprawl, as the amount of space occupied by surface parking lots adds up quickly when aggregated across an entire metropolitan area.

In 2017, Buffalo became the first major city in the United States to repeal its municipal parking requirements. Many other cities, including San Francisco and Minneapolis, have since followed suit. In examining this trend, we are left with three interesting questions:

Why now?

Reduced reliance on private vehicle ownership is a major driver of the shift away from parking requirements. Cities are becoming acutely aware of the many negative impacts of traffic congestion, and many have responded with policies designed to make alternatives to solo driving more accessible and user-friendly. This is having a positive impact by making people less reliant on cars, which in turn makes parking requirements less feasible than they were in the past. As some observers have pointed out, parking requirements enabled urban addictions to cars, and getting rid of them will help cities break free.

In addition, developers lamented the financial and intangible costs associated with parking requirements, which not only take up precious space but also cost hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars to fulfill. Eliminating these requirements reduces construction costs, which in turn allows more housing to be built. Getting rid of mandated parking also makes it easier for cities to embrace smart, high-density urban growth models by ensuring that prime real estate is not occupied by something so inessential as a parking lot.

How will eliminating parking requirements benefit cities?

The most obvious benefits will come in the form of increased residential density, reduced vehicle usage, and accompanying reductions in pollution and traffic congestion. However, there are also many other advantages:

  • Lower rent rates. Because eliminating parking requirements increases available housing by reducing construction costs, housing becomes more affordable because supply levels rise. According to a 2016 study, parking requirements add an average of $1,700 a year in rental costs. Eliminating them could lead to big savings, especially for lower-income individuals.
  • Developmental diversity. Meeting parking requirements puts limits on the types of buildings that can be constructed, as they necessitate certain architectural and functional characteristics. Getting rid of them allows developers to be more creative. For a few interesting examples, look to downtown Sandpoint, Idaho.
  • Historical building preservation. In Buffalo, and many other cities, parking requirements led to the demolition of numerous historic buildings since they could not be redeveloped while meeting municipal zoning bylaws. Scrapping the requirements will make it easier to preserve and repurpose buildings that were constructed before parking requirement laws existed.

How will the changes impact residents?

The urban living landscape will begin to change as more and more cities rethink their parking requirement bylaws. Demand for smart solutions like carpooling, carsharing, and emerging mobility models like shared bikes and scooters will continue to grow. People will make more regular use of public transit, and cities will become more walkable as growth densities rise and updated building codes facilitate the creation of innovative mixed-use spaces.

Just as municipalities will need to respond by continuing to support the proliferation of alternative modes of transportation, employers will see an increased need to create effective commuter programs. Statistics show that long and difficult commutes frequently lead people to quit their jobs, and businesses will need to offer solutions that support recruitment and employee retention efforts.

RideAmigos can be a big help in these areas. Our innovative, comprehensive software platform provides an exhaustive list of administrative and management tools municipalities and businesses can use to make transportation alternatives more accessible. To learn more, get started with a demo or a free analysis of your existing commuter management strategy.

Reflecting on CommuteCon 2019

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As we looked forward to CommuteCon 2019, we were excited by the growth and evolution taking place in the mobility ecosystem. We’ve been inspired by developments in dockless solutions, fresh takes on parking requirements, investments in transit and mobility on demand, data and technology partnerships, and the successful launch of so many great programs.

A survey of developments in transportation

CommuteCon 2019 was an opportunity for us to pause and hear from people working on the front lines of this evolution. Presenters from local government, business, transportation technology, sustainability, and research joined us from diverse regions and around the world to share their insights and experience.

The incredible dynamism of the transportation space at this time was illustrated by the story of our keynote presenter, Ryan Rzepecki, founder of JUMP. Ryan has witnessed and driven a major shift in the way people move around urban environments from the advent of the early dockless bikeshare to the ubiquity of bikes and scooters on corners and at transit stops in some cities today.

Paul Hendricks, Environmental Responsibility Manager at Patagonia, inspired us with his discussion of the company’s mission and how employees’ commitment to sustainability permeates even the way they get to work. The session led by Tamar Fuhrer, Associate Director, Transportation and Commuter Services at Kite Pharma in Santa Monica also focused on employee commutes. Tamar discussed how the value Kite Pharma places on its incredible talent is reflected in their commuter programs.

But the private sector wasn’t the only source of innovation. Phillip Kobernick of Alameda County announced a new parking program for county employees that will leverage the principles of behavioral science to shift drive-alone habits by offering them a choice.

For those thinking mode-shift is only achievable in cities with robust transit and short distances – not so fast. Katherine Auge, Program Coordinator at Missoula in Motion, shared insights and strategies from a successful program to promote ridesharing and other sustainable modes in the not-as-dense region in Montana. We think her enthusiasm and the results she shared will inspire you.

Speakers Shawn Chavira of USC and David Sorrell of UC Berkeley talked about cultivating an efficient and smart campus mobility ecosystem and inspiring students – the next generation of commuters – to adopt sustainable habits.

We also heard from leading researchers and practitioners like Jana Sochor, Adam Cohen, Gary Hsueh, and our own Corey Tucker about innovations and developments in the space that will drive all of our work in the next decade.

Purpose-driven work

Like the stellar lineup of presenters, CommuteCon attendees are motivated in their work by goals that will impact our planet and the people living here. Even before warnings about the impacts of climate change issued in the U.S. National Climate Assessment in November 2018, this community has been working hard to develop and encourage sustainable alternatives to drive alone habits that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

But together we are also working toward goals of improving access and equity, optimizing use of space, driving economic growth and making our cities work for everyone.

If you missed some of the sessions, don’t worry. Videos will be available soon. Be sure to visit commutecon.com to sign up for the CommuteCon mailing list so you can be among the first to know when we post new videos and slides. You can also check out videos and slides from previous conferences including 2018 here.

As always, CommuteCon is made possible by the support of Sponsors like Scoop, TransitScreen, and Waze Carpool, as well as  the Association for Commuter Transportation and the Coalition for Smarter Transportation.

Finally, if you have ideas, questions, or suggestions about CommuteCon, contact us at commutecon@rideamigos.com.

 

Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) Takes Commuter Rewards to the Next Level

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In December 2018, the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) launched a new commuter rewards program to the public. The CATS program allows commuters to earn points towards valuable rewards by logging smart commutes using approved alternatives to solo driving. CATS configured the system so that 10 round trips logged using approved modes could earn the commuter a $5 reward.

Just 10 days after launching, the CATS commuter rewards program attracted almost 200 new users, marking a 500% increase in registered users over the preceding three-month period. Over those 10 days, participants posted some pretty impressive stats: they logged 1,200 alternative trips totaling 14,900 miles, which saved 3.83 tons of CO2 emissions.

CATS program administrators used a few targeted approaches to generate interest in the program. First, they enticed new users by offering bonus points for joining, putting them within striking distance of a prize right off the bat. They also structured their program to include progressive reward tiers, giving participants added incentives for logging more trips and saving their points for a truly special prize. The resulting engagement and impact speaks for itself!

Learning from Programs that Work

The CATS program is powered by CommuteRewards, part of the RideAmigos cloud-based platform that automates the kinds of proven points programs that have worked for innovative employers like the City of Austin and regional agencies like Commute.org.

Key advantages of the CommuteRewards program:

  • Easy management. By taking advantage of automation, the program eliminated the need to worry about how many rewards to purchase from each vendor at any given time. Instead, they simply define a budget and set point values. Earning and redeeming points is self-service!
  • Tons of choice. Because more than 100 different rewards providers participate, there is no guessing which vendors commuters will like best. Everyone is different, so the program lets them choose their own rewards from a wide variety of retailers and restaurants.
  • Streamlined administration. The CommuteRewards store is configured for easy administration, so you don’t have to keep track of digital codes, leftover gift cards from previous events, or other similar management and reporting headaches.

Commuter rewards are generally a great way to motivate employees to make better and more frequent use of greener, smarter alternatives. A growing number of companies and organizations are turning to this strategy to complement their outreach and commuter challenges and promote sustained behavior change. If you’d like to learn more, we’d be happy to help!

Why More Businesses Are Investing in Employee Transportation in 2019

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It’s still early in the year, but employee transportation has already come into sharp focus as a key talent retention strategy in 2019. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that 2.4 percent of American workers quit their jobs in September 2018, with a further 2.3 percent saying goodbye to their bosses in October 2018. Those are enormous turnover rates, and forward-thinking companies are looking into new ways to position themselves as employers of choice and avoid the costs and competitive disadvantages that come with losing talent.

A recent CNBC article explained the results of a telling poll that queried 2,800 members of the American labor force in 28 major cities across the country. The survey, conducted by HR consulting firm Robert Half, found that 23% of American workers have quit a job they would otherwise have kept because the commute was unsustainable. Another key finding: more than one-third of employees in the 18 to 34 age range left a position because the commute was killing them.

The changing workforce

Members of the so-called millennial generation have entered the workforce in large numbers, and they’re having a major impact on talent retention and employee transportation policies. To become an employer of choice in this day and age, companies have to do more than offer competitive salary and benefits packages. They also need to implement policies that support a positive work-life balance, and employer rideshare and commuter programs do just that.

Millennials, and their younger counterparts in Generation Z, also prioritize working for organizations that have a meaningful mission and share their values. According to the Pew Research Center, these young workers now make up more than 40% of the labor force. They look for different kinds of benefits than the traditional offerings – and that is an important opportunity for employers.

More than a free parking space

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), a major human resources professional organization, emphasizes that employee transportation and parking benefits vastly increase worker engagement. This, in turn, leads to deeper levels of employee loyalty and boosts talent retention initiatives. Some particularly effective strategies include commuter rewards programs, along with company rideshare and carpooling networks, perks like subsidized transit passes, and guaranteed ride home programs for carpoolers and active commuters.

Leading companies are also making sustainability a key pillar of their employer brand. Businesses like Google and LinkedIn offer commuters a variety of options to get to and around their campuses, and they incentivize employees to use alternative modes. For many workers, the freedom to choose a sustainable commute and the ability to track their own positive impact take higher priority than free parking and routinely driving alone. Fortunately this can also mean a double win for your business when you cut parking costs and reduce the output of greenhouse gasses from cars.

Making commuter benefits work

Engaging commuters starts with understanding their preferences and offering the maximum number of options. If you’re looking for more employee transportation solutions to give your company an edge in talent recruitment and retention, we’re here to help. Talk to one of our experts to learn more.

2018: Millions of Single Occupancy Vehicle Trips Avoided

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As we prepare to welcome 2019, we’re pausing to reflect on the amazing positive impact RideAmigos partners have made on mobility, traffic, commuter wellness, and our planet.

We’re proud to be working with the leaders from Fortune 500 businesses, top research universities, and innovative government agencies engaging commuters to make a healthier, happier planet.

Here’s a look at some of what our partners have achieved this year:

RideAmigos users avoided millions of single occupancy vehicle trips in 2018.

Making a difference for employees and communities

Organizations partnering with RideAmigos are saving money, burning more calories, and reducing their greenhouse gas output by thousands of tons.

They’re doing it by offering better information and the incentives to make smart choices. Together, we’re changing the way people commute – creating a happier, healthier future for everyone.

We at RideAmigos are so grateful for the opportunity to support your success. Thanks for joining in our mission, using our tools, and leading the way for so many others. Thank you for helping us create a better world.

We look forward to continuing to empower transportation heroes in 2019 with cutting edge trip planning, ridematching, incentives management and gamification, and to share our collective wealth of knowledge and experience in the RideAmigos Academy.

To make RideAmigos part of your own 2019 success story, get started here today!

3 Hospital Commuter Solutions that Reduce Solo Car Commutes and Save Money

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Looking to reduce vehicle trips to and around your hospital? Transportation demand management (TDM) is a great way to improve access, reduce pollution, and ease the costs associated with increased parking. Implementing some simple but effective hospital commuter solutions can measurable reduce the number of solo drivers traveling to and from your facility each day.

Here are three winning strategies that healthcare administrators around the country are already using to great success:

Pay employees to leave their cars at home

Regardless of the type of workplace, employers have great success with a simple but effective program: incentivize employees not to drive to work. The most successful employers offer cash in exchange for taking an alternative mode and passing up on parking. From payroll incentives to gift cards, and even paid time off, the right incentives lead to significant numbers of employees choosing  smart alternatives to solo driving.

Raise the cost of parking

Another straightforward, high-impact strategy for the hospital mobility ecosystem: make it more expensive for employees to park. For example, if you currently offer employees a discounted monthly parking pass, instead charge solo drivers regular daily parking rates.

This is a very effective strategy, but to avoid a mutiny, you need to pair this kind of initiative with hospital commuter solutions that make it less expensive for employees to use other modes. Rideshare matching paired with a guaranteed ride home programs is a great option, as is public transportation. To that end:

Your hospital commuter solutions should encourage public transit use

Hospitals are usually situated so they’re easily accessible via public transportation. Take advantage of this by offering to subsidize or fully fund monthly transit passes so your commuters can save money by taking the bus or subway to work instead of driving.

If local transit routes don’t serve your hospital particularly well, consider shuttle service as an option. Running private shuttles between the hospital and major public transportation hubs in the nearby area is a cost-effective and easy way to bridge service gaps.

For more tips on reducing solo car commuting, and for expert insights into your current lineup of hospital commuter solutions, talk to our experts to get started with RideAmigos today.

Congratulations to the 2018 ACT 40 Under 40!

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The faces of the 2018 ACT 40 under 40

RideAmigos congratulates the 2019 class of 40 leaders in transportation demand management (TDM) under the age of 40. The Association for Commuter Transportation recognized these emerging professionals at the TDM Forum in Nashville, Tennessee in November.

This group of honorees represent the present and future of practice and advocacy for smart commuter transportation.

We are especially proud of our own Corey Tucker, Director of Customer Success, and Grant Heger, Director of Technical Services for being recognized this year.

We are also honored to work with so many of these brilliant professionals. Learn more about the 40 under 40 and read more about the recipients at actweb.org/act-40-under-40/.

Commuter Engagement vs. Commuter Management

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As competition to recruit and retain top talent grows tougher, a growing number of companies and organizations are offering commuter programs as part of their benefits portfolio. Two common phrases you’re likely to encounter include “commuter engagement” and “commuter management.” Many people are under the impression that these two terms are interchangeable, but there are actually important differences between these cornerstone concepts.

What is commuter engagement?

Commuter engagement focuses on programs that make people feel good about adopting alternative modes. In addition to promoting short-term commuter events like Bike-to-Work Month or Rideshare Month, effective engagement strategies also aim to encourage long-term behavior change. When handled well, commuter engagement results in more people choosing to ditch the solo drive in favor of smart alternatives more often.

Essential commuter engagement strategies and concepts include things like:

  • Points programs that allow commuters to collect points they can later redeem for valuable rewards
  • Games, friendly competitions, challenges, and other incentive programs
  • Giving commuters financial incentives for leaving their cars at home, like those provided by parking cash-out programs
  • Targeted marketing campaigns that promote commuter programs to specific groups within your organization

What about commuter management?

Commuter management, on the other hand, simply seeks to provide commuters with the information and resources they need to make better use of smart mobility options. It covers things like:

RideAmigos empowers program leaders to successfully manage both commuter engagement and commuter management. Our unique, industry-leading platform includes the tools and programs that make it easy to drive higher levels of commuter engagement. Administrators also enjoy advanced commuter management features and that make managing and analyzing large and complex programs easy, efficient, and fun. To learn more about our solutions, get started with RideAmigos today!

Four Things To Watch for at the 2018 ACT TDM Forum in Nashville

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The 2018 ACT TDM Forum is happening on November 13 and 14 in Nashville, Tennessee, and we’ll be watching it closely. The Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT) holds several conferences and events throughout the year in addition to its annual International Conference in the summer. This forum on transportation demand management (TDM) is a key opportunity for anyone working on commuter mobility and transportation in the private or public sector.

Just like last year’s event in Las Vegas, this one has an agenda focused on preparing TDM professionals to keep up with the latest changes in technology, policy, and the evolving mobility ecosystem. Starting with the opening keynote from Gary Gaston, CEO of Nashville Civic Design Center, it promises to be an inspiring two days. And like the other events organized by ACT, what happens at the TDM Forum is a great indication of where the industry is heading.

Whether you’ll be attending in person or not, here are the important things we think you should watch for:

Breakout Sessions

An impressive agenda is taking shape and we’re excited about the topics and panelists that are showing up. From new dockless scooters to big data, we’ll be splitting up to make sure we don’t miss any of the breakout sessions featuring leaders in TDM.

Kicking off the sessions on Tuesday morning, RideAmigos Director of Customer Success, Corey Tucker, will be moderating an important discussion of how organizations can leverage mobility data to make better operational decisions.

We’re also looking forward to hearing from Lucy Tice and Jessica Sanborn from Google talk about what drives commuter choices. While you’re counting down to Nashville, check out this Coffee Talk in which Lucy shared how Google incentivized employees to bike to work.

More sessions are still being added, so check out the full agenda here.

40 under 40

The ACT 40 Under 40 Awards recognize emerging leaders in TDM. According to ACT, “the awards provide recognition for ambitious leaders who are working to find creative TDM solutions to improve the quality of life of commuters and the livability of communities.”

Each year, the 40 under 40 represent agencies, companies, and academic institutions that are leading change. In 2017, five RideAmigos clients, including Peter Williamson, were among the honorees when awards were presented in Las Vegas. RideAmigos co-founder Jeffrey Chernick is also a past honoree.

We always keep an eye on this list of 40 industry trailblazers and the organizations they represent to learn from their success and see what they’ll do next.

Who Shows Up

If you were at the 2018 ACT International Conference in Anaheim, you probably noticed something: IT. IS. GROWING.

From innovative mobility providers and technology vendors to an ever-increasing number of organizations prioritizing commuter transportation programs, the new faces at each ACT event are signaling that TDM is starting to take center stage. Whether you have been working to solve commuter mobility challenges for decades or are new to the industry, you should see the growth of this amazing community as a really positive sign.

Don’t miss this and other opportunities during the year to hear from and network with industry thought leaders, commuter management professionals from around the world, and new mobility providers.

RideAmigos Updates

We recently released major updates to the RideAmigos mobile apps and commuter engagement platform. But we have lots more in store. Our team will be on hand in Nashville with some exciting things to show you. If you’re already a RideAmigos customer, you can also get early previews through Academy Office Hours webinar series.

If you’ll be coming to the ACT TDM Forum and you’d like to meet with our team, email act@rideamigos.com. If you can’t make it, you can contact us for a demo and consultation. Either way, we’d love to meet you to learn about your challenges and share some of what we’re excited about this Fall.

UCLA Expands its Bikeshare Network to Help Solve the “Last Mile” Dilemma

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In October 2017, the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) launched a bikeshare network known as Bruin Bike Share. The program was created to help the school’s large commuter base take advantage of an expanded range of healthy, environmentally friendly transportation options. Bruin Bike Share is part of UCLA’s ongoing efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, and is fully available to all students, staff, and faculty members.

When UCLA first introduced the Bruin Bike Share program, it included a total of 130 bikes stationed at 18 hubs on or near the campus in west Los Angeles.

The program was launched in two phases with the first focusing on encouraging members to explore UCLA and Westwood by bike and the second addressing how members can seamlessly use bikes from nearby systems to commute in an integrated network. The latter helped shift the focus on one of the most common problems commuters face when using alternative modes of transportation: the so-called “last mile dilemma.”

The last mile dilemma refers to the challenges commuters face when using public transportation to travel to destinations that are underserved by the local transit network. Los Angeles has been working to improve its public transportation system, but the city is still notoriously difficult to navigate without a car, and as such, it’s a city where the “last mile dilemma” persists as a major impediment to the increased adoption of smart commuting alternatives.

Fast-forward to April 2018, when UCLA announced it was partnering with CycleHop to create a cooperative program that gives campus community members access to the expansive, GPS-connected Bike Share Connect network. The network covers an area of 35 square miles from the coastal suburb of Venice Beach to the famous central-city intersection of Hollywood & Highland, and integrates municipal bikeshare programs in Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, and West Hollywood, among others.

“With the expanded network, people living in the system area now have more choices for getting around town, or even commuting to and from campus,” said Dave Karwaski, UCLA Transportation’s senior associate director for planning, policy and traffic systems.

UCLA-affiliated users can take advantage of multiple payment options, including smartphone-based access, to get advantageous rates of $7 per month or $72 per year. These rates give commuters 90 minutes of daily access to all bikes that are part of the Bike Share Connect program, along with a simplified bike return scheme meant to further boost participation rates.

The new initiative is an excellent example of how community-oriented partnerships and cooperative thinking can generate creative and dynamic solutions to persistent commuting-related problems. RideAmigos is proud to be working with UCLA to manage and gamify campus transportation programs, and we’re here to help organizations of all kinds implement similarly smart commuter solutions.