A Streetcar named Salina

"Streetcar Suburb" is a term I've come across a few different times over the years. The idea is as streetcars expanded outside of traditional downtown areas, dense business and residential areas sprouted up directly along the route. In older cities you still see remnants of these neighborhoods, usually in the form of local business districts where small cafes and restaurants still exist. They tend to be the most walkable parts of the immediate neighborhoods as well as their major thoroughfare. 

In Syracuse these areas are extremely prevalent, from James Street to South Ave. Out of all of the former streetcar routes, the length of North and South Salina Street help create what functions as Syracuse's Main St. This route stretches the length of the city, through the heart of Downtown, with businesses and dense residential neighborhoods the entire way.

When I started to search for a bit of Syracuse's streetcar history, I came across a blog post from 2011, calling for a reinvestment in and rebuilding of the Salina St. streetcar:

As I read through his arguments, I could only think of how much things have changed in the years since its writing. In 2011, Downtown was just starting to rebuild and businesses were only just starting to migrate back into the city. In the years since this growth has only quickened and we're now looking at ways to bring that growth into the areas immediately north and south of Downtown.

I've previously written about how and why OnTrack failed and ways in which we could improve the system along that route. This streetcar proposal solves many of those issues, the biggest one being stops in residential areas. OnTrack failed as a commuting option because it only stopped at destinations, and only a handful at that. This streetcar has the right mix of residential and commercial stops, allowing for commuters to take full advantage of it.

Proposed Syracuse Streetcar along Salina Street.

It would also benefit from many of the new developments occurring along its route. Hotel Syracuse is back up and running creating an anchor institution in the south end of Downtown, Red House Theatre has now moved just down the block from the Landmark Theatre creating a more centralized theatre district, a new food hall will be constructed starting next year, the old Post Standard building is being reinvented as a mixed use facility, and the continued growth of Destiny USA and the development at the Inner Harbor. All of these help create density and attractions that will require ease of access.

In order to make this work, the streetcar must be built in the right way. Tracks need a right of way that is separated by a barrier from auto traffic. Without this barrier the streetcar would be little better than our current bus system. They should also run directly down the middle of the street as they had in the past, with street center loading and unloading. By placing this system in the center of the road shows its priority and its permanence. 

The street, as is, holds 4 lanes of auto traffic along with street parking. With the streetcar we would remove the center two lanes of traffic for the tracks and barrier. We would also want to remove the street parking for the length of Salina and replace them with a protected bike path. This would certainly get pushback, but this would allow the street to truly be complete. Our main street should be built for people, not for cars. Focusing Salina on a streetcar with additional bike paths would allow it to be the most accessible street in the city. These improvements put the emphasis on people.

The city of Syracuse needs to take inspiration from the past when planning for the future. Our city was originally built in ways that promoted dense growth and as we look to grow again it should be along our deep streetcar roots. 

I won't reiterate all of the points made in the original post, as I feel its worth reading in its entirety, but I wanted to also draw attention to the placement of the train storage on the South Side. This is an incredible opportunity to create well paying maintenance and operation jobs in a neighborhood of the city in need of that sort of investment. With the available space and the need for jobs, it would be a boon for the community and the city as a whole. 

Overcoming the Shortcomings of Clinton Square

The heart of the City of Syracuse has always been Clinton Square. The Erie Canal brought life and industry to this small village and helped build it into a city. Its central point along the canal allowed the area to thrive, resulting in an absolutely beautiful downtown built on the edges of the water. In the winter, when the water froze over, ice skaters flocked downtown creating a festive environment that embraced the harsh weather.

In 1925 the city decided to fill in the canal and create a boulevard, deciding that the future was to be built around the automobile. This may have been one of the most shortsighted decisions in the city's history. The boulevard became a thoroughfare instead of a destination. Over the years the square lost its life, not only due to the boulevard cutting through it but also the bland, inward facing buildings built around it. The Atrium and the old Post Standard offices removed street facing businesses, closing off the sides of the square, robbing it of street activity. Parking lots were built in place of older buildings. Slowly pedestrians vanished, effectively killing the square.

Perhaps recognizing the mistakes of the past, the City of Syracuse decided to close off part of Erie Blvd. in 2001, building a reflecting pool in its place. The reflecting pool and fountain are meant to conjure up images of the Erie Canal and bring the square back to life. Although this change is in the right direction, the square often sits empty even today. The ice skating rink in the winter attracts patrons well enough, but the square only truly comes alive during the festivals planned during the summer months.

This may seem obvious; of course people come when you schedule a big event like Taste of Syracuse or the Irish Fest. But its important to look at what those events bring to the square that attract so many people - they bring food and shopping back to the street. Pop up shops and restaurants during these festivals help pack the streets, creating tight paths with visually interesting changes every few feet. This is what a walkable, welcoming destination requires. You can look even just a block away at Hanover Square to see this same principal at work all year round.

Hanover Square in Syracuse, NY

The much smaller square is what planners will refer to as "human size." The idea is that people feel more comfortable in places that feel protected. Wide open spaces like the current Clinton Square are off-putting. There isn't enough visual interest to keep you occupied and too much space between destinations to make it welcoming. In contrast, Hanover Square benefits from having much of its original architecture, tight streets, and a small park, allowing for congregating in various settings. 

Clinton Square has the potential to create those same feelings and is already working to create them. Two major changes are already underway along the edges of the square; the newly finished addition to the Amos building and the ongoing renovation of the old Post Standard. The addition on the Amos not only brings new residents to the square, but also creates retail space facing the square, drawing in pedestrians and helps close in an open space. The Post Standard renovation will not have the same benefit of retail space on the ground floor, at least not at the outset, but with the plan to add a couple floors of residential development not only brings in people but also helps create that "human size" comfort. The added height will allow the space to feel more enclosed, creating a more intimate experience.

These are good first steps, but I believe there's more the city and property owners around the square can do to create a constantly thriving environment. One simple improvement would be to create congregation spots. As people we have a natural inclination to cluster together. You might notice this when you're walking down the street or through the mall and you find yourself funneling through a few different groups of people close together. Often times these clusters appear close to benches and trash cans, but the trick is to create combinations of objects that attract people. You can do that easily in Clinton Square; rearrange benches and trash cans, add planters with small trees and flowers along with evergreen trees to maintain color in winter. Adding one of two small pavilions would also add anchor points for social interactions. These pavilions could be tiny cafes selling coffee and hot chocolate, or sweet treats. These are natural focal points that take up minimal space but provide additional life to the area.

Addition of a coffee kiosk to create a gathering space

Another easy addition to the square would be artistic bike racks and an extension to the Cuse Cycle network. The bike racks would add architectural interest to the plaza while serving as a congregation point. With Cuse Cycle you give Syracuse's only bike share program a real shot at being a commuting service. With its limited reach along the Onondaga Lake Parkway it acts as little more than a leisure option. If we work with the network to add a rack in Clinton Square, along with racks along the Creek Walk, it will give people a new option when it comes to commuting to downtown. The hope would be to make Clinton Square an alternative transit hub with bike lanes reaching out from it in every direction.

A final step to truly reworking the square would be to completely close off the side street/parking area next to the Atrium. This space deadens the area and adds to the over openness of the square. Instead the city should allow the Atrium to add onto its facade, possibly creating a cafe that can open itself up during nicer weather. 

An added restaurant space to bring interest to the square, along with a large bike lane and bike rack to encourage a more active use of space.

Many of these ideas are easy and inexpensive to act upon but require people to rethink how our open spaces should function. If we work with the neighboring properties we can find ways to break up the dead space while funneling people cluster points. There's no reason this square has to live and die by festivals. It should be able to thrive on its own on your average weekday, while being enhanced during festivals.

Keeping the Snow Belt Moving

Stuck in a snow bank while driving home from the gym, my thoughts immediately went to an idea that I've been bouncing around for quite some time; there has to be a better way to get around during the winter.

Waking up extra early to shovel and clean off cars, hoping the plows have come by but at the same time hoping the end of the driveway isn't covered in the heavy snow they leave behind. Why do we see driving as such a convenience in this weather? This has been a question I've asked myself for years and have yet to come up with a satisfying answer. I routinely come back around to the solution: We need to invest more in public transit.

This may be counter intuitive to most people. Why would I want to add time to my commute when I can just drive myself? Why would you want to wait for a bus in the cold and snow? Public transit doesn't bring me to my exact destination, why would I take it?  These are valid questions to ask and there are answers to each of them:

• Invest in bus rapid transit (BRT) to improve service times and cut down on time between buses (10-15 minutes max), helping compete with commuting individually.

• Create transit maps that are easy to understand, color coding lines.

• Institute monthly transit passes, encouraging riders to use the system often without worry of paying more.

• Bus shelters with heating systems can help make the wait easier, along with digital countdowns to the next bus.

• Partner with autonomous vehicle companies in creating a micro-transit system between bus lines to deliver passengers to their final destinations.

I have previously written about using the I-81 decision in Syracuse as a chance to reevaluate our public transit systems, and that must start with a blank slate. Centro should take a fresh look at population and job centers throughout the city and come up with a plan that serves the most amount of people in the most efficient manner. This should lead to simplifying routes and focusing on providing excellent service along those corridors. The current wheel and spoke service style radiating out of Downtown is insufficient. A more grid-like structure may serve the community better as it would provide more transfer points, cutting down commute times.

While evaluating routes, Centro should focus on creating BRT routes through the city. Past studies have identified two corridors that would benefit most from a BRT system (Eastwood to OCC, Destiny USA to the Syracuse University hill), but they may find a couple more that could be beneficial.

These BRT routes should have designated bus lanes, possibly separated by a median, allowing for buses to travel removed from traffic, along with censors controlling street lights. This would create a system more similar to light rail, providing efficient service for a fraction of the cost. To speed up loading and unloading, fares should be collected before entering a separate covered boarding area (much like subway systems work). All of these investments will allow BRT to create an efficient system.

The key to the success of these routes in winter will come down to policy. For this we can take cues from Copenhagen. During the winter months, the city prioritizes clearing bike paths and bus lanes first before they touch the rest of the city streets. They prioritize transportation methods that move the most amount of people most efficiently. In Syracuse this would mean plowing these newly created bus lanes before the rest of the streets.

All of this efficiency would be wasted if the system is not easy and comfortable to use, especially in winter. There are a few simple solutions to these problems. First is the importance of ease of use. Bus maps should make use of color coding, much like subway systems do. With the simplified bus lines, the map should be easy to identify transfer points. These maps should be posted at every bus stop, which should all have enclosures.

In the long run there should be fewer bus stops, but every bus stop should have an enclosure with a heating system. This would allow passengers to wait in the warmth away from dangerous winds. While going to school at the Rochester Institute of Technology, our main bus stops all had simple heating systems that could be turned on by any passenger waiting. It would last for about 5 minutes before turning off automatically. Such a system could be applied to bus stops throughout the city, especially along the BRT routes. 

At each of these stops, there should be countdown clocks for the next bus. The hardest part of waiting for any form of public transit is not knowing for sure when they are arriving. Without a countdown, even 5 minutes feels like an eternity. 

All of these work together to help make using public transit easier and more pleasant, but the last suggestion is the easiest to implement; monthly Centro cards. For one flat rate, passengers should be able to use the system as often as they wish. This would encourage people to use transit often because they would want to get the best deal they can. It allows people to budget their transit as well. With one flat rate, you can add that to your monthly finances just as you would rent or a mortgage, and have the peace of mind that you don't need to worry about having enough cash on you for a ride home at night.

If all of this is invested in and is successful, it still does not solve the problem of not delivering you from door-to-door. This is where some real innovation comes in. In recent weeks companies like Toyota have given us previews of autonomous minibuses with the idea that they could be used for ride hailing purposes. Instead, they should be incorporated into public transit systems to solve the door-to-door issue. 

The system could work like this: Using a newly created Centro app, you put in a destination much like you would on Uber and Lyft, but instead the autonomous minibus comes to pick you up. It is assigned to your nearest transit station, so anyone within that zone will be delivered along with you to the stop. You jump on BRT and travel most of the way to your destination. When you arrive, minibuses are waiting to deliver you and the other passengers to your final destination.

Now this last part may be a years away before its viable, but we should be planning for the future and how to incorporate these new technologies. Public transit should be taking cues from ride hailing apps and make itself easier to use and more appealing.

All of these solutions circle back to the original problem of how to make the winter easier to overcome. One issue that plows have in winter is attempting to avoid cars parked on the streets, narrowing their paths. At the same time, those cars get buried beneath the snow being plowed, making them harder to move in the end. Its a vicious cycle that results in streets not being cleared, cars getting stranded and making commutes more dangerous for everyone. That's one reason we see such an increase in accidents and injuries on the roadways during the winter, along with incidents with pedestrians who are forced into the streets. 

With an improved mass transit system that competes with private car ownership in convenience, and bests it in cost, you can begin to convince people to give up their cars. With fewer cars on the streets, they can be cleared much faster, while also allowing people to avoid the less than ideal task of clearing off cars and digging them out. It would keep people safer.

If we begin to plan and implement bold ideas on transit, businesses and workers will notice. The type of workers cities want to attract are pouring into cities that have invested in public transit and are forward thinking about development. Businesses want to locate in these cities because they see a commitment to their citizens and their needs. The economic corridors along the transit lines would attract investment as they see a stability in these centers, resulting in density and walkability.  This creates a positive cycle that leads to more investment.

Its time to plan big and overcome the frozen state of our city.

I-81: A Chance to Change Our Relationship with Transportation

Personal vehicles have effectively consumed our thoughts when it comes to transportation; how can we fit more vehicles on the road? How can we move those vehicles as fast as possible from one place to the other? Where can we put these vehicles when their owners are not using them? This is how our society has structured our planning and development for over 60 years. It is also why the conversations in Syracuse, NY about what to do with I-81 are too narrow. They revolve solely around the impact on personal vehicles without seeing the broader opportunity of the moment.

As I-81 has reached the end of its useful life, the New York State DOT is considering whether to rebuild the viaduct that cuts through the heart of Syracuse (at a cost of $1.7 billion) or reconfigure the city's grid of streets to handle increased traffic (around $1.3 billion). While the community grid option allows for neighborhoods to reconnect and develop together creating economic opportunities, it is still putting preference towards those who can afford a personal vehicle. 

This narrow view of transportation not only reflects our economic bias towards those who can afford car ownership, but this view has in fact hurt the economy as a whole. As development expands outward instead of inward, municipalities must spend more and more money on maintaining roads and other basic infrastructure. This maintenance drains tax money that could be used in other, more productive ways, such as investing in innovative technology centers and research. This also requires workers to spend more money on maintaining their vehicles and purchasing gas, instead of patronizing local shops, or even investing in their own small business. The Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium performed a study that showed people who bike or walk as a means of transportation spend more over the course of a month at businesses than those who drive. This can come from many factors, but one is simply that by passing a small business on foot gives you time to see more, or smell the food from inside, attracting you in. This is vital for small businesses to thrive.

Beyond the economic issues involved in development centered around personal vehicles is the environmental and health impacts. According to a 2009 report by the Duke University Center on Globalization, Governance and Competitiveness, personal vehicles emitted .89 pounds of CO2 per passenger mile, compared to .87 pounds for a mostly empty bus. When that bus nears full capacity that drops down to .24 pounds per passenger mile, and even further down to .14 pounds in a full bus. You can also look at the health issues associated with private vehicle ownership. Beyond the pollution entering the air due to exhaust, commuting in your vehicle is also associated with higher stress levels, higher weight and blood pressure, and lower fitness levels due to inactivity during commutes and traffic. These are all strong predictors of heart disease, diabetes and some types of cancers. Meanwhile, taking public transit sees an increase in physical activity among users, helping lower these same risks.

With a budget $400 million less than rebuilding the viaduct, there is an opportunity to truly rework our transportation network. If we invest a large portion of what would've been spent on the viaduct on developing bus rapid transit (BRT) for CENTRO and revitalizing OnTrack, we can provide a level of service that will not only provide a much needed service for those without vehicles, but may also begin to attract those who would usually use personal vehicles.

The RTC-SU Corridor mimics the former path of OnTrack.

In order to make a transit system work you need buy-in from all classes of people and for it not to be seen as as a system for the have-nots. Reports have already been developed on where BRT would be most effective through the city of Syracuse, one line of which mimics the former path of OnTrack, a failed light rail system that has been defunct for over a decade. Instead of creating a BRT path, I recommend reinvesting in and expanding OnTrack north and south of the city for the simple reason that people have an attraction to rail systems that buses cannot compete with. Light rail has a perception of being more efficient and cleaner than buses, even if that efficiency isn't always the case. In order to attract new users to public transit, though, it may be valuable to play upon this perception. 

We must also learn from the mistakes that OnTrack made right from the start. With its limited service and infrequent run times, the network never had a viable chance at being a commuting option. It is important to ensure that the trains run at a high frequency (every 10-15 minutes) during rush hour periods, from 6:30am-9:30am and 3pm-6pm, as well as late night hours on the weekends. Investment in permanent stations in northern and southern neighborhoods, as well as extensions further north to the Syracuse airport, are imperative to creating a system that will attract riders. The original track did not emphasize neighborhood use and instead only connected limited destinations, which further restricted use as a commuter train.

For this proposal to have the most success the investments must be made before any work on I-81 begins. By having the infrastructure in place, with having park and ride spots identified for commuters and increased service ready to go before the highway comes down, we have a chance to attract commuters with a promise of easing the transition. If we can change the travel habits of commuters, there will be a chance to identify economic corridors where investments can be most fruitful. Businesses will respond to the financial commitment along these lines and will be able to see the benefits of foot traffic, not just vehicles passing by. This is a once in a generation chance to reshape not only our transportation network, but also allow for a more inclusive economic development for the region.

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Economic Impact of Non-Driving Commutes: https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2012/12/cyclists-and-pedestrians-can-end-spending-more-each-month-drivers/4066/

Environmental Differences Between Buses and Private Vehicles: https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2012/11/can-we-please-stop-pretending-cars-are-greener-transit/3960/

Health Issues Related to Driving: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/healthandwellness/536203/stress-pollution-fatigue-how-traffic-jams-affect-your-health/story/