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Volpe Center Highlights - March/April 2003Mobility and Economic GrowthDirector's Notes |
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Mobility and Economic Growth 
Developing the Lowell National Historical Park Historic Trolley Plan (LNHP)The Lowell National Historical Park (LNHP) commemorates the history of America's Industrial Revolution. This National Park Service (NPS) unit is located in Lowell, Massachusetts, once the largest industrial center in the United States and the site of the first planned industrial park. Since 1978, the LNHP has been one of many components of the city's well-planned revitalization, which is based on Lowell's architectural and cultural heritage. The park includes historic cotton textile mills, worker housing, and 5.6 miles of canals, as well as an historic light rail trolley (circa 1925) that transports visitors through the Park.
As part of the Volpe Center's support to LNHP, a Volpe team, led by Mr. Terry Sheehan of the Service and Operations Assessment Division, completed the LNHP Historic Trolley Planning Study. The Plan was developed to help the LNHP, the City of Lowell, and other partners assess opportunities for implementing a light rail system reminiscent of late 19th/early 20th Century trolley lines. The proposed system, which uses the LNHP's existing line as a backbone for the new service, is designed to improve mobility in downtown Lowell, where streets are narrow and automobile congestion is common. The system will connect sites operated by the LNHP and will provide access to Lowell's major activity centers, each of which has been influential in the city's economic turnaround: the Gallagher Intermodal Transportation Center, the Paul E. Tsongas Arena, LeLacheur Park, and the University of Massachusetts-Lowell campus. The plan goes beyond simply identifying potential routes -- it identifies how these routes coordinate with existing transit service, and what stop locations would best serve riders. The proposed system will re-create the historic trolley experience while providing regular transit service to work, shopping, and recreation. Approximately 28,000 people live within a quarter-mile of the proposed trolley route, which will include six streets that previously had trolley service. It is anticipated that annual ridership will range between 1 and 2 million riders, depending on fares and frequency of service. Benefits of the proposed service include:
An integral component of the plan is the construction of a combined operations and maintenance facility/National Street Car Museum in Lowell. The museum will house vehicles and artifacts from the Seashore Trolley Museum collection in Kennebunkport, Maine, and possibly transit artifacts from other streetcar museums nationwide. Lowell would benefit from having additional cars for their expansion program, and the Museum would benefit from increased public exposure, a possible new home for their extensive archives, and better access to federal funding to assist with overall institutional goals. The next steps in this process will include an Environmental Assessment and possibly an Alternatives Analysis. The Volpe Center expects to be at the forefront of these activities. For the complete Volpe Center study, visit http://www.heritagetrolley.org/existLowellStudy02.htm. Volpe Provides Quick-Response Analysis (DOT Transportation Policy Office)The recent announcement of plans to close or sell major portions of Coach USA, the largest bus operator in the United States, prompted concern about the economic impact of such an action. After significant losses in the past two years, the parent company of Coach USA, Stagecoach PLC of Perth, Scotland, announced plans to reduce exposure to charter and leisure-related businesses and to concentrate on large business units and predictable revenue streams, including commuter and contract services in the northeastern United States. In need of quick and accurate information, DOT's Transportation Policy Office within the Office of the Secretary contacted the Volpe Center. By mid-morning of the day of the announcement, Mr. Ed Ramsdell and Dr. Piyali Talukdar of the Economic and Industry Analysis Division had supplied a quick-response analysis of the potential impact on transit and long-distance bus transportation in the United States. This analysis is related to an ongoing project the Center is performing for the Transportation Policy Office -- a comprehensive study of the over-the-road-bus industry in the United States. Over-the-road buses (OTRB) are used in fixed-route, intercity, charter, or tour operations. OTRB intercity service is an especially important element of the nation's transportation system. A majority of intercity passengers are either rural or inner-city residents with low incomes and few if any other travel choices. Volpe Findings Presented as Part of DOT's Professional Capacity Building Program (FHWA)
The Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Office of Operations provides national leadership for the management and operation of the surface transportation system. To provide input to the Congressional reauthorization process, and to enhance its ongoing dialogue on improving highway operations, the Office asked the Volpe Center to study how local operations activities compete for funding in the existing transportation decision-making process. The Volpe team interviewed more than 260 individuals representing 140 municipal and county public works agencies, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), transit agencies, and state departments of transportation (DOTs). The purpose of the study was to identify the extent to which state and local transportation officials are using federal funds for operations activities. The study team, led by Mr. Allan DeBlasio of the Planning and Policy Analysis Division, found that, with some exceptions, local and state officials do not use federal funds for operations activities because traditional operations activities are considered a state or local function. When the officials did use federal funds, they usually used funds from congestion mitigation/air quality improvement programs. The Volpe team developed the following recommendations.
The findings of this study were presented to representatives of FHWA divisions and state DOTs from more than 15 states. Mr. David Jackson, also of the Planning and Policy Analysis Division, made the presentation as part of the DOT's Professional Capacity Building (PCB) Program, which provides training, education, technical assistance, and information resources to transportation professionals. The PCB Program is supported by a Volpe team led by Ms. Suzanne Sloan, also of the Division. The team's support includes conducting an ongoing nationwide needs assessment; supporting a Web site for "one-stop shopping" for training and education information about Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) (http://www.pcb.its.dot.gov); assessing the needs of future transportation professionals at universities and colleges; developing a program for evaluating the effectiveness of new ITS training courses; and assisting the ITS Joint Program Office in developing ITS curricula for transportation professionals to use as a guide to their own development. Mr. Jackson made his presentation via Technical Training by Telephone (T3), a new component of the PCB Distance Learning program. T3 sessions are interactive, audio teleconferences in which a subject-matter expert presents material supported by an accompanying slide presentation. Typically, the sessions last one hour and are followed by 30 minutes of question and answer. Students, regardless of their location, can access the slides on their own computers and follow along as they listen by phone. A quick, low-cost training option that combines familiar technologies, T3 has proven to be remarkably successful when used to address timely topics. |
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