Road diets flatten the curve

Pedestrians and cyclists on Beach Drive in DC's Rock Creek Park during the covid-19 crisis. Sections of the road are car-free on the weekends, giving people an opportunity to move around outdoors while practicing social distancing. (Photo by me)

Covid-19 has spread empty roads, buses, and trains across the globe. 

In the midst of the deserted asphalt, however, people and person-sized vehicles have tested positive for resiliency. Biking, walking, running, and scootering have become go-to options for a variety of trip types, providing a socially-distant way to access work or the grocery store, or to simply get some fresh outdoor air.

In New York City, where Mayor Bill de Blasio encouraged people to bike more, CitiBike use rose 70 percent and cyclist numbers on major bridges rose 50 percent as the pandemic bore down. Anecdotally, the trails crisscrossing DC and its Maryland and Virginia suburbs have been busier than I’ve ever seen them during the past week, with a fascinating mix of experimental commuters, people just out enjoying themselves, and the spandex-clad who blow past everyone.

Here’s how we can inject safety and resiliency into the infrastructure for active mobility that’s getting society through this emergency, flattening lethal curves in not just the battle against covid-19, but also the wars on traffic violence and inequality.

Right-size our roads

When transit ridership fluctuates, as has happened during the covid-19 crisis, we’re told that headways and capacity need to be “right-sized” to compensate. Treating our highways and arterials the same way will ensure our public infrastructure better meets society’s needs.

Traffic violence costs the U.S. health care system more than $24 billion annually. And akin to coronavirus’s exponential spread, the risk of death or serious injury in a car crash doubles for every 5 km/h (3.1 mph) speed increase above 60 km/h (37 mph).

Thus, nudging driver speeds even just slightly down not only saves countless lives directly, but also frees up essential hospital capacity needed to treat people afflicted with coronavirus.  

Firstly, traffic planners should eliminate commute-oriented road capacity expansions that covid-19 has de-induced demand for.

For example, DC deserves kudos for suspending operation of the reversable traffic lanes on Connecticut Avenue. I live within steps of this pedestrian-quarantining arterial and have witnessed how wider roads – including temporarily wider ones – encourage speeding and other dangerous driving habits. Hard evidence backs up my observations – the Institute of Transportation Engineers found that Connecticut has three times as many crashes as Massachusetts Ave, a comparable DC arterial that doesn’t have reversible lanes – so local leaders should consider also suspending operation of similarly unneeded lanes on streets including Independence Ave, Canal Road, and Rock Creek Parkway.

Officials also should slash aspects of streets and intersections that endanger pedestrians or make them walk far out of their way. The aforementioned crash lethality curve is sharpest for people outside vehicles; the U.K.'s Transport Research Laboratory found that a person struck by a 30 mph driver has about a 90 percent chance of surviving, but the odds drop to less than 10 percent if the driver is moving at 50 mph.

More mid-block High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk signals, Barnes Dance Intersections that allow diagonal pedestrian crossings, and Leading Pedestrian Intervals that give people a head start; along with fewer right turns on red, slip lanes, and unprotected left turns across crosswalks, would reduce hazardous conflicts and flatten this curve.

Make usable urban space more abundant

Pilot repurposing of underused road space for people and person-sized vehicles would give people safer, more plentiful six-foot radii to enjoy. We can start by simply keeping spots that occasionally give pedestrians a little extra room, like Georgetown’s M Street or Rock Creek Park’s Beach Drive in DC, that way for the duration of the crisis.

Cities have spent a lot of time building networks of protected bike lanes on paper, but in this situation, the public needs those lanes to be reality.

DC’s decision to suspend the Connecticut Ave reversible car lanes, for example, gives the city a chance to try out the proposed cycletrack on that street that would fill a major gap in its network. Protected lane projects on 20^th and 21^st street also can proceed without worry because the Phillips Collection art museum, a prominent opponent of those lanes, is closed due to covid-19.

Bus connectivity remains essential to those onboard, so leaders should test out their similarly extensive networks of currently paper-imprisoned bus lanes. DC’s now-permanent lanes on H and I streets, people-oriented conversion of major thoroughfares in New York and San Francisco, and streamlined federal regulations on lane re-painting demonstrate how simple it can be to roll out these networks.

Even smaller improvements, like all-door boarding, signal prioritization, and queue jump lanes at intersections, can substantially reduce travel times for bus riders. Montgomery County, MD’s Ride On bus system, for example, was the DC region’s first to suspend fares and mandate rear-door boarding in its efforts to combat covid-19, and a number of the region’s other transit providers have followed suit.

And if our leaders are feeling really bold, they could give urban gems like New York’s East River waterfront, California’s Old Sacramento, or aforementioned Rock Creek Park back to people for a while, giving their constituents space to unwind and release some of the stress and adversity this virus has brought us. They could even create regional networks of open streets, akin to those Mexico City and other metropolises enjoy every weekend. Such additional space would address overcrowding issues that have arisen on high-demand routes like Dallas's Katy Trail, where the nonprofit organization that manages the path had to tell people to stay away due to concerns about covid-19 spread.   

When the pandemic is brought under control, those in charge could choose to either embrace these various types of people-oriented spaces or to return them to drivers. Even if they opt for the latter, officials will have collected troves of data that they and their staff can use to bolster our transit and active transportation networks in the future.

Provide people easy, affordable, and equitable access to person-sized vehicles

Many U.S. bike- and scooter-share systems operate without taxpayer subsidies, a testament to how high demand for sustainable, spatially-efficient personal mobility is.

However, some operators of these systems, particularly ride-hailing companies, have taken actions – such as suddenly hiking fares, neglecting low-income neighborhoods, or even ditching entire regions with little warning – that don’t align with the public’s need for connectivity. These actions block some people from accessing the systems; for others, they are just plain annoying.

To ensure we get everything we can out of our shared bikes and scooters during the fight against covid-19, we should publicly fund them for the duration of the crisis. Such funding would allow operators to set fare structures mirroring those of the transit systems they complement, appropriate given that people can use them for a similar array of trip types while practicing social distancing, and eliminate arbitrary barriers such as the two minute delay New York CitiBike riders are currently required to endure between docking and re-renting a bike.

To the extent feasible, operators should equip bike- and scooter-share systems to accept contactless smartcards and other transit fare media; this way, people could consistently access all person-sized vehicles in a given city instead of fiddling with a fleet of apps and payment methods. They also should coordinate their system rebalancing efforts to ensure regions have thorough and equitable access.

After things return to normal, operators and local leaders could assess whether to sustain a unified, publicly managed approach to shared bikes and scooters or return to a more siloed private-sector model. As with the re-purposed bike lanes, transit lanes, and public spaces described earlier, data gathered during the emergency would help them make a more informed decision.

***

While humanity has its flaws, our ability to adapt amidst crisis has led to some of our greatest advancements and accomplishments.

Against covid-19, basic re-purposing of our urban space – including how we interact with and move through it – may be not only our key to short-term resiliency in our efforts to flatten the curve and fight this disease, but also a way to make places more livable and connected for decades to come.    

Transit and coronavirus: a policy primer, and some suggestions for riders

On April 6, Yolobus and Sacramento Regional Transit's jointly-operated Causeway Connection bus route will start serving UC Davis Medical Center, where medical workers are treating the first person to catch the Coronavirus through suspected community transmission in the U.S. (Photo courtesy of UC Davis)

The covid-19 outbreak has struck Italy and South Korea, two places that mean a lot to me, with full force. The two hard-hit countries have made groundbreaking strides in mobility – Seoul’s rail and bus networks made me a transit advocate; while Italy, the land of my ancestry, pioneered a balanced mix of public and private sector high-speed rail operation, a model that France and the U.S. are set to emulate.

The coronavirus is now bearing down on Northern California, where I grew up. As the region organizes to control the epidemic, its expanding transit system must show the world how to best employ mobility as a life-saving tool against the outbreak.  

As the situation develops, the Sacramento area’s Regional Transit and Yolobus are preparing to launch the jointly operated Causeway Connection, an electrified, limited-stop bus line linking the UC Davis campus with the university’s East Sacramento medical center, on April 6. While not perfect – the buses will fight U.S. 50 and Interstate 80 traffic congestion – the new line will fill some key gaps in the region’s transit system:

• The new Connection, which replaces a private shuttle that was only open to university affiliates, will provide the first one-seat public transit ride between the campus – the origin or destination of 90 percent of trips on Davis’s local Unitrans bus system – and the bustling medical center.
• As for general Davis-Sacramento connectivity, the only two existing all-day, bi-directional transit routes are Yolobus’s hourly Route 42, which makes closely spaced stops and time-consuming deviations, and Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor train, which charges fares four times that of the bus.   

The hospital’s prominence in Northern California healthcare makes it a good location for a transit terminal. However, that prominence also has delivered the first person in the U.S. to catch the coronavirus through suspected community transmission to the facility.

As UC Davis doctors strive to treat the seriously ill patient, we can consider two perspectives on the role of the Causeway Connection’s in the Sacramento region’s efforts to fight the virus:

• During a potential pandemic situation, transit links to medical facilities are particularly important. Such links give people from all walks of life access to care while also making sure health workers can reliably get to the facilities and treat their patients.
• However, some may fear that improved bus connectivity to the hospital will cause Sacramento’s transit system to hasten coronavirus’s spread, potentially encouraging some individuals to advocate not just against the new route, but for larger-scale regional cuts to service.

***

Mobility has been an integral component of coronavirus’s story, starting with its rapid spread at the Huanan Seafood Market situated less than a mile from Wuhan, China’s train station. During the virus’s subsequent international spread, we’ve seen authorities adhere to a mix of the two potential Sacramento perspectives described above.

And thus far, the mobility-oriented approach appears to be more effective in combating the virus.  

China both cut off access to and shut down local transit within Wuhan and surrounding Hubei Province, Japan quarantined the Diamond Princess cruise ship, and Italy locked down a number of small towns that saw a sudden spike in known coronavirus cases. However, cases continued skyrocketing within the isolated areas, uncertainty arose around reported infection rates, and medical experts questioned the strategy’s effectiveness. Officials of places like New York City, where municipal leaders have floated virus mitigation strategies intended to “limit or stagger” public transit ridership, should consider these sobering results before taking any drastic action.

In contrast, jurisdictions including South Korea, Milan (the nearest big city to the aforementioned small Italian towns), and Japan (the Diamond Princess ship notwithstanding) have sustained mobility and access for citizens. These places have combated the coronavirus through other means, such as diligent disinfecting of transit vehicles and public spaces, curtailing of large public gatherings, and aggressive testing of people who may have been exposed. This approach has helped people needing diagnoses or care obtain it without upending daily routines or causing panic and flight resembling the frantic final hours before the Wuhan lockdown.

Workers disinfect a subway station in Seoul. (Photo courtesy of  Yonhap/AFP, via Rappler)

The economic fallout of coronavirus’s spread, however, poses a threat to that sustained access that could continue long after the outbreak eases up.

Transit systems in the most significantly affected areas are already experiencing stunted farebox recovery. Seoul’s subway, for example, saw a 15 percent year-over-year ridership decline in late January and early February (even before the Shincheonji Church outbreak in Daegu came to light) – worse than what DC’s Metro experienced during its 2016-17 SafeTrack maintenance blitz that led to severe service disruptions – while Milan’s trams and subways have operated noticeably emptier than usual.      

In addition to this immediate fiscal challenge, should markets’ now-weeklong crash continue transit providers – especially U.S. agencies with their notoriously constrained budgets – will become susceptible to a repeat of what they faced during the 2008 recession: state and local funds drying up as consumers penny-pinch and revenue from taxes falls. Should transit agencies have to turn to service cuts to address such a funding crisis, as they did in the late-2000s, the usual bad actors could stoke peoples’ virus fears to exacerbate the extent of those cuts. It would take decades for systems and their riders to recover.

Thus, it’s more important than ever for both federal and local leaders to ensure plans to protect and expand our transit service are in place. Nationally, Congress must use this year’s surface transportation reauthorization to increase transit-dedicated federal funding and allow transit providers to use some of that funding to operate service. Localities, meanwhile, should take steps such as encouraging transit-oriented land use and restructuring transit agencies’ boards to better represent riders.       

  

A passenger wears a medical mask on a Milan tram. (Photo courtesy of BNN Bloomberg)

While Seoul Metro's ridership decline is attributable largely to people simply not going out as much, especially for non-work purposes, Yonhap News reported that some citizens who normally ride the subway have switched to taxis or private cars due to fears that they’ll contract the virus on a train.

But car-based transportation, though it renders people irrational, will not protect people from coronavirus.

For example, the virus spread at a party for taxi drivers in Tokyo, while at least 240 Mexico City Uber customers (why would anyone take Uber in Mexico City?) faced possible exposure after riding with drivers who had transported an infected person. Furthermore, anyone in an automobile is exposed to the century-long pandemic of traffic violence; perpetuates a sedentary, stressful habit associated with dangerous underlying health conditions that can make coronavirus more lethal; and contributes to air pollution that exacerbates those underlying conditions not just for themselves, but for everyone.

That said, while people can contract coronavirus anywhere (my only bout of pneumonia to date, for example, was part of a viral outbreak at my auto-dependent elementary school), shared transportation vehicles and stations are one place disease transmission can occur. Thus, riders should take steps to minimize their chances of contracting or spreading illness during their transit trips.

Unwanted germs can accumulate on handholds; while I think holding on is still the safest choice for standing bus riders, if no seats are available on a train I’ve found that standing facing the side of the railcar – feet a little more than shoulder width apart – is a comfortable and safe way to travel hands-free. Do keep a handhold in sight in case the train slows or speeds up suddenly, and be particularly vigilant when arriving at a station because train operators sometimes need to adjust to align with the platform, leading to an unexpected lurch. (Speaking of which, this would be as good a time as any for the DC area's WMATA to re-introduce Automatic Train Operation.)

People who aren’t feeling well should get treatment for their illnesses and should be welcome to use transit to access that treatment. However, they should strive to take care of themselves without spreading any diseases by donning medical masks properly, coughing into their elbows and, if possible, choosing a seat that’s not right next to another rider.

For people who want their own space, active options like walking and biking are also a good bet. Not only do these options reduce the possibility of close contact with others, but pedestrians and cyclists also enjoy a healthy lifestyle that make them more resilient to coronavirus or any other disease out there.

And should misguided authorities decide to lock down the area you’re in, these active options may become the only way to get around – and, if necessary, out of – a quarantine zone.

***

Even as coronavirus spreads through the places that shaped me, the illness has yet to substantially affect my current life.

DC’s trains and buses teem with riders, almost all of them mask-free, while the region’s leaders debate both increases to late-night rail service (good) and cuts to bus service (bad). And as I write this piece, I’m on Amtrak’s Palmetto from Savannah, GA back to the nation’s capital; we left an hour late because a new locomotive had to be added to the train, people donning Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders gear ride together, and despite Acela-riding Joe Biden’s win yesterday I can’t get a café car Stone IPA in South Carolina due to the theocratic state's Sunday blue laws. This is after I missed the last Chatham Area Transit bus from Savannah’s warehouse-surrounded station into town on Friday evening by 15 minutes, thanks to CSX freight traffic.

But I’m prepared for virus-caused changes that would render these situations trivial. Transit agencies, and the elected officials responsible for their funding and governance, need to be prepared too.

Yolobus and Sacramento RT, in launching and operating the Causeway Connection, have an opportunity to lead the way.