< Back to the Community Page

Excerpt From Transportation Strategy section of: Superbia

Suggestion 24. Establish an Environmentally Friendly Transportation Strategy

Norwood-Quince neighborhood, Boulder, Colorado; Adobe Systems, Fremont, Washington; Beddington Zero Energy Development, UK

The Way it Works

Neighborhood leader Graham Hill from Boulder, Colorado refers to cars and trucks as an "alternative form of transportation," because there are a variety of other options that are routinely used by people living in his neighborhood. Out of 210 households in his neighborhood, for instance, 130 have Eco-passes for the well-managed bus system. The City provides discounts for neighborhoods that participate cooperatively.

The neighbors also have excellent pedestrian access to a shopping area, open space in a nearby park, several bike-pedestrian walkways, and even a solar-lighted walkway paid for by a neighborhood mini grant from the City. "We observed that many neighbors weren’t walking to the Boulder Market at night, because the street was too dark, and seemed unsafe," explains Hill. "So we applied for a grant to install solar-powered lights that have battery storage. More than a hundred neighbors benefit from the lights."

Forty people in the neighborhood are members in a car-share club – essentially car rental by the hour – and more than fifty have become members in an electric bike-share operation. The electric bikes are powered by solar cells incorporated into a bike locker. This project was also funded by a small grant from the city.

The neighbors are now looking into creating better access by linking several existing pathways with easements through private yards. To demonstrate the efficiencies of muscle-power versus fossil fuel power, Hill and his colleagues staged a race between the mayor, who rode a bicycle, and the County Commissioner, who drove a hybrid car. They had to run several errands, and the bike-riding mayor won.

Other communities are also fostering more environmentally friendly forms of transportation. At the Beddington Zero Energy Development, for example, workspaces were developed right in the neighborhood, so many residents could work very close to home, a measure that cuts down on transportation. Many amenities like shops and a doctor’s office are situated nearby. The developers of this 82-home complex also included an Internet shopping link with a local supermarket so residents can order groceries without leaving home. The store makes regular deliveries.

But that’s not all. The developers of this facility also purposefully limited parking spaces to discourage car ownership and use and encourage the use of nearby trains, buses, and a Tramlink. Residents of the "estate" will also be served by a pool of electric cars powered by on-site generators. During planning of the community, plenty of space was left for storing bicycles, and roads were laid out to be as pedestrian-friendly as possible.

How to Get Started

Any comprehensive strategy begins with a single step. Analyze the number of trips you and your neighbors make, and work on ways to reduce each kind of trip -- for example, by carpooling. Become active in your workplace, too, helping devise ways to transport more people in fewer cars. A great example of a comprehensive strategy at work is Adobe Systems of Fremont, Washington. It provides bike racks, showers and lockers for those who bike, walk or run to work, and FlexPasses which subsidize 100 percent of transit and vanpool fares. Seventy five percent of the 500 employees avoid the one-car, one-driver mode, with its many negative spin-offs.
Tom McIntire, a systems analyst, carpools to work every day in his electric Volkswagen Beetle. "I've had it about four and a half years now," he says. Since the car recharges in the company garage, nobody has to chip in for gas." Systems analyst Joe Cornicello incorporates exercise and fun into his daily commute – he kayaks to work!