Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 3559 City of Palo Alto (ID # 3559) City Council Staff Report Report Type: Informational Report Meeting Date: 3/4/2013 City of Palo Alto Page 1 Summary Title: Citywide Transportation Survey Title: Citywide Transportation Survey From: City Manager Lead Department: Planning and Community Environment Recommendation This is an informational report and no Council action is required at this time. Executive Summary The City of Palo Alto will be embarking upon the release of its first ever Transportation Survey this Spring. The survey represents the City’s effort to collect comprehensive travel mode data to better understand how people working in Palo Alto travel to here and how residents travel to their work destinations, both inside and outside of Palo Alto. The survey also attempts to collect information regarding use of electrical vehicles, bicycles, and transit. Information from the survey will be used to establish new baseline metrics to measure against as new transportation policy and projects are implemented. The survey will be made available primarily online through surveymonkey.com but hard copies will also be made available at public facilities (Attachment A) and distributed to local employers for distribution to their employees. Background Transportation Surveys are used primarily by transit agencies to identify and target service routes. Palo Alto’s issuance of a Transportation Survey to understand resident and commuter data is rare for local agencies within the San Francisco Bay Area. The survey would gather trip- related data such as mode of transportation, duration, distance and also geographic data for analysis purposes. The data collected through the Transportation Survey will assist the City in understanding the travel modes most used by residents and commuters. The data will also enable staff to assess City of Palo Alto Page 2 program initiatives, review programs and policies and study current mobility issues. This information will become the baseline data for future transportation programs and projects. The delivery of the Transportation Survey is consistent with the goals of Comprehensive Plan – Transportation Element development as it will use technology to help delivery smarter programs and projects for the community. Discussion As part of City’s commitment to sustainability, transportation is focused on encouraging transportation mode practices other than single-passenger automobiles. In an effort to help the City understand the travel patterns of residents and commuters within the community, staff has developed a Transportation Survey (Attachment A) that is focused around collecting information on the type of transportation mode that residents and commuters use regularly. The data will also be used to identify baseline greenhouse gas emissions generated by the City of Palo Alto. This survey was developed after researching several regional and national cities last summer. At a local level, staff studied the employer and employee travel behavior survey that was conducted in San Francisco in 1992 as a joint effort by San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, San Francisco County Transportation Authority and San Francisco Department of City Planning. Staff also reviewed a commute survey conducted by Stanford University and 511.org; a community Transportation survey conducted by the City of Davis and one by the City of Burbank, within California. All of the surveys researched were focused around transit use and operations. The Palo Alto Transportation Survey is designed for users to complete within five minutes by responding to about a dozen questions. Participants are asked to identify where they commute to and how they commute (single-person occupancy vehicle trips, transit, bike, walking, etc.), what types of vehicles they drive (combustion versus electric vehicles), and the type of transportation mode they use when travelling locally. This information will help the City establish baseline travel information and target the types of Transportation Demand Management (TDM) programs that may most effectively encourage people to reduce their vehicle use in favor of transit, bicycle and walking use. Planning and Transportation Commission Review Staff presented this survey to the Planning and Transportation Commission on September 12, 2012 at a study session. Based on the comments received from the Commissioners, staff removed demographics questions from the survey; this data can be obtained from the US census data. Staff also incorporated definitions of terms such as motorized vehicles, bicycles and carpool; and some other changes to the survey after receiving feedback at the Planning and City of Palo Alto Page 3 Transportation Commission. The Palo Alto Bicycle Advisory Committee also reviewed the survey at its September 4, 2012 meeting. Palo Alto Climate Protection Plan According to the Climate Protection Plan approved by City Council on December 3, 2007, the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions from community transportation results from non- commute road transportation within the City limits and non-Palo Alto residents commuting to the City. The Transportation Survey will assist staff and officials in assessing preferences in commuting options and changes in commuting patterns over time, thus facilitating the City’s effort to reduce carbon emissions. The results from the 2013 survey would offer insights to the composition of the City’s current carbon footprint and would strengthen the City’s approach toward becoming a leader in transportation sustainability. Distribution of Survey The Palo Alto Transportation Survey represents a simple, yet powerful and innovative tool to help the City develop and promote a more sustainable transportation infrastructure. The City plans to release this primarily as an online tool through surveymonkey.com to help the City in analyzing data, but will also make available copies in hard copy format for interested participants not connected online. The survey will be advertised via local and online advertisements and will also target employees of local businesses with the assistance of the City’s Economic Development Division. The survey will be available for response from March 11th until May 5th. Resource Impact There are no resource impacts since the capital funding and staff resources in the Planning and Transportation Division are available to compile the results of this survey and to incorporate results in the division’s work program in the coming years. Transportation staff is utilizing the City’s Survey Monkey account under the “Select Plan.” The City is billed $204 annually by Survey Monkey for this account and various departments within the City use this account throughout the year. Policy Implications The proposed Transportation Survey addresses the following goals of Palo Alto’s Comprehensive Plan: T-1: Less Reliance on Single-Occupant Vehicles T-2: A Convenient, Efficient, Public Transit System that Provides a Viable Alternative to City of Palo Alto Page 4 Driving T-3: Facilities, Services, and Programs that Encourage and Promote Walking and Bicycling. T-8: Attractive, Convenient Public and Private Parking Facilities Environmental Review No environmental review is required since the survey is not a project or plan, and can be seen to have no physical effects on the environment. Attachments:  Attachment A: Transportation Survey (PDF) 1 Which neighborhood in Palo Alto do you live in? Please refer to the map at right for identifying zones. Zone 1 Zone 6 Zone 2 Zone 7 Zone 3 Zone 8 Zone 4 Zone 9 Zone 5 2 Do you live within 1 mile of a Caltrain station? Yes No 3 How many motorized vehicles are in your household? (includes automobiles, motorcycles and trucks). If the answer is 0, skip to question 5. 0 1 2 3 4+ Transportation SurveyResident 4 How many of your vehicles are: 1 2 3 4+ Hybrid Electric Compressed Natural Gas 5 How many bicycles are in your household? (including adult’s and children’s bikes) 0 1 2 3 4+ 6 Where do you commute to work? ,IWKHDQVZHULV³'RQRWFRPPXWH´³:RUNIURPDKRPHEDVHGRI¿FH³RU³'RQ¶WZRUN´VNLSWRTXHVWLRQ Within Palo Alto/Stanford Out of Palo Alto (Please indicate Zip Code ) Do not commute :RUNIURPKRPHEDVHGRI¿FH Don’t work 7 What time do you typically leave for work during a regular work week? Before 7 AM 7 AM – 8 AM 8 AM – 9 AM 9 AM – 10 AM After 10 AM 8 What time do you typically leave for home during a regular work week? Before 4 PM 4 PM – 5 PM 5 PM - 6 PM 6 PM - 7 PM After 7 PM SA N A N T O N I O R D LOS ROBLE S EL CAMINO REAL E MEADOW DR SAN ANTONIO OREGON EXPWY EMBARCADERO RD SAND HILL RD ARASTRADERO RD PAGE MILL R D UNIVERSITY AVE EL CAMINO REAL ALM A ST JUNIPERO SERRA BLVD FOOTHILL EXPWYARASTRADERO PAGE MILL STANFO R D AVE ZONE1 ZONE5 ZONE3 ZONE2ZONE6 ZONE7 ZONE4 ZONE8 ZONE9 ,I\RXOLYHLQ3DOR$OWRRU6WDQIRUGSOHDVH¿OORXWWKLVVXUYH\EHIRUH0D\ EL CAMINO REA L SAN ANTO NIO OREGON EXPWYEMBARCADERO RD PAG E M I L L R D UNIVERSITY AVE ALM A S T SAND HILL RD CHARLESTON RD MIDDL E FIELD RD CharlestonCenter Midtown DowntownStanford Town &Country CaliforniaAvenue Please indicate the percentage of each travel mode 9 Please indicate the percentage of your commute travel mode. (Check all that apply) Less than 25% 25%-50%50%-75%75%-100% Drive alone (including motor-driven cycles) Caltrain Bicycle Walk VTA transit Carpool (two or more people in one car) Vanpool City Shuttle Other: 10 If you have school-aged children in your household, how do they get to school on a regular basis? (Check all that apply) Less than 25% 25%-50%50%-75%75%-100% Drive Carpool (two or more students) Bicycle Walk VTA Bus Embarcadero City Shuttle Crosstown City Shuttle Other: 11 Within Palo Alto, which shopping district do you visit regularly? Please refer to the map at right for identifying shopping districts. Downtown Town and Country Village Stanford California Avenue Midtown Charleston Center None Other: 12 How do you usually travel to these shopping districts? Drive Bicycle Caltrain VTA transit Walk City Shuttle Other: 13 What can the City of Palo Alto do to help encourage you to use an alternate transportation mode more regularly? 14 Would you like to receive the results of this survey? No Yes Email Thank you for completing this survey. Please return it by May 5 to: Planning & Transportation Division, PO Box 10250, Palo Alto, CA 94303 or use the provided envelope or drop box. 1 What is your home zip code? 2 What time do you typically arrive for work in Palo Alto during a regular work week? Before 7 AM 7 AM – 8 AM 8 AM – 9 AM 9 AM – 10 AM After 10 AM 3 What time do you typically leave Palo Alto to go home during a regular work week? Before 4 PM 4 PM – 5 PM 5 PM – 6 PM 6 PM - 7 PM After 7 PM 4 Where in Palo Alto do you work? Downtown Stanford Research Park Stanford: Shopping or Medical Center California Avenue Baylands Business Center Town & Country Village Midtown South Palo Alto Other: 5 Please indicate the percentage of your commute travel mode. (Check all that apply) Less than 25%25%-50%50%-75%75%-100% Drive alone (including motor-driven cycles) Caltrain Bicycle Walk VTA transit Carpool (2 or more people in one car) Vanpool City Shuttle Other: ,I\RXZRUNZLWKLQWKH3DOR$OWRFLW\OLPLWVRU6WDQIRUGEXWOLYHHOVHZKHUHSOHDVH¿OORXWWKLVVXUYH\EHIRUH0D\ Transportation SurveyEmployee EL CA M INO REAL EL C AMINO REAL SAN ANTO NIO OREGON EXPWYEMBARCADERO RD PAGE MILL RD UNIVERSITY AVE ALM A S T SAND HILL RD CHARLESTON RD MIDD LEFIE L D RD MATAD ERO AVE E ME A D O W DR FA BIAN WY Midtown SouthPaloAlto DowntownStanford Shoppingor Medical Town &Country CaliforniaAvenue BaylandsBusinessCenter StanfordResearchPark 6 What are your main reasons for driving alone, if you do so more than 50% of your commute? (Please check all that apply) Need my car at work for personal business Need to transport children No reasonable transit option Transit costs too much Safety concerns Transit/shuttle connections don’t work Need to leave quickly in an emergency Don’t have anyone to ride with Don’t like to depend on others Irregular work schedule Anything else takes too much time Poor bicycle and pedestrian access Poor bicycle and pedestrian facilities (parking, lockers, showers) Other 7 When you drive to work, where do you typically park your motorized vehicle? Employer has on-site parking Permit parking in Downtown Business District Permit parking in California Avenue Business District On street 8 Does your employer offer any of the following alternate commute incentives for you? Alternate work schedule Telecommute Van pool Private shuttles Passes/discounts for transit Carpool matching None 9 Would any of the following facilities help you in your commute to Palo Alto? More electric charging stations  =LSFDURUVLPLODUSHUVRQDOYHKLFOHÀHHWSURJUDP More bike racks More bike lockers Bike share program Showers/changing facilities 10 What can the City of Palo Alto do to help encourage you to use an alternate transportation mode more regularly? 11 Would you like to receive the results of this survey? No Yes Email Thank you for completing this survey. Please return it by May 5 to: Planning & Transportation Division, PO Box 10250, Palo Alto, CA 94303 or use the provided envelope or drop box.