CHS Consulting Group welcomes Gary Hsueh to the team as Director of Mobility Programs. Gary will lead CHS projects in emerging mobility, TDM, campus planning, and transit. Most recently, he was Director of Mobility Programs at non-profit ProspectSV, where he developed and implemented mobility demonstration projects, convened industry technology working groups, and established industry-civic-academic partnerships. Key projects he managed recently include the Santa Clara VTA Accessible Automated Vehicle Demonstration Project, FTA Mobility on Demand Sandbox Palo Alto Fair Value Commuting Demonstration, and Fremont Automated Driving System Testing Permit Program.
Gary’s experience spans nearly 20 years across a wide range of projects encompassing transportation infrastructure, transit-oriented development, campus master planning, Transportation Demand Management and commute pilot programs, traveler information systems, and feasibility and implementation of new transportation modes including active mobility and road- and guideway-based automated systems. Previous to ProspectSV, Gary managed dozens of transportation projects at Arup; some of his key projects included the San Jose Automated Transit Network Feasibility Study, Hills at Vallco Mixed-Use Development Plan, corporate TDM pilots and multimodal plans, Access BART system study, and Concord Community Reuse Project. Gary is also deeply engaged with the Transportation Research Board and serves on the Standing Committee on Innovative Public Transportation Services and Technologies (AP020). He also has organized breakout sessions focused on public transit and shared mobility at the TRB-sponsored Automated Vehicles Symposium.
Bay Area Shared Streets and Outdoor Commerce During COVID-19
As
transportation patterns have shifted due to COVID-19, programs and pilots
reclaiming right of way (ROW) are being rolled out to adapt to various
community needs both to rebalance transportation access and reallocate ROW to
meet new public health requirements.
While
many Bay Area communities already had permit programs for street closures,
sidewalk commerce and parklets – a new concerted effort has been launched by
cities to streamline the regulatory process and reduce and eliminate fees to
make way for programs that have essentially become a lifeline for businesses
that need on-street and outdoor commerce to survive.
These
initiatives have taken on a greater focus and urgency with the extent of
pandemic and the limitations and restrictions that most communities continue to
have with indoor dining. Several formal and ad-hoc programs have been
adopted throughout the Bay Area including:
SFMTA’s
Shared Spaces
Shared
Spaces is a multiagency program of San Francisco’s Economic Recovery Task
Force. The SFMTA requires permit applications for businesses that do not
already have them for outdoor seating or that need to use the parking lane or
have a street closure. The following Figure provided by the SFMTA
illustrates the total permits issued for public spaces/ROW from the program
since its inception. A complete list of current and concluded shared street
projects can be found on the shared spaces website: https://www.sfmta.com/projects/shared-spaces
Oakland
Flex Streets Initiative
OakDOT
launched the Flex Streets Initiative in June to streamline the permitting
process for sidewalk, parking lane, and roadway encroachments. The goal
was to support economic recovery by making it easier for local businesses to
use larger portions of the sidewalk, parking lanes and streets. There are
four new Flex Streets locations:
13thStreet, between
Broadway and Franklin Street (13th Street Commons)
Washington Street, between 8th and
9th streets in Old Oakland
Telegraph Avenue, between 16th and
17th streets (Van Kleef Way)
Webster Street, between West Grand
Avenue and 22nd Street
The
Temescal Telegraph Business Improvement District is organizing a “picnic on
Telegraph” on October 25th where the neighborhood businesses temporarily close down a
portion of Telegraph Avenue from 39th to 51st Streets (11AM-8PM) for dining, shopping and other activities.
San
Jose Al-Fresco Dining
The
City of San Jose launched the Al Fresco Dining program in June and has made
some adjustments including later hours of operation and extending the program
through December 31st. The Al Fresco program accepts permit applications
for the use of public and private parking lots, parks and plazas, sidewalks,
and street closures. The application is free for customer service,
retail, education, and other business functions.
Redwood
City – Eat Sip & Be in RWC
Redwood
City established the Eat Sip & Be in RWC established an open-air dining
experience for restaurants to open their businesses to the street as
illustrated on the program website: https://visitrwc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/eat-sip-be-map-v2.pdf. The dates for the program are every day from June 26
– December 31, 2020.
Palo
Alto Uplift Local – Temporary Street Closures
The
Palo Alto uplift local program is a city council supported effort that has
evolved from the original summer streets program and is now extended through
December 31, 2020. The purpose is to enable outdoor dining and commerce
at Palo Alto’s various commercial districts: California Avenue,
University Avenue and Ramona Streets.
Additional
Ad-Hoc Weekend Street Closures
Both
the City of Pleasanton and Town of Danville have approved partial street
closures for weekends in the effort to support economic recovery. The
size/extent of the closures have been adjusted over the summer with feedback
from local businesses.
Conclusion
Outdoor
space, sidewalks, and public right of way continue to be a lifeline for our
communities as we struggle through this epidemic. Whether our communities
have a formal or ad hoc/adjustable approach, its clear that these shared street
programs are essential in assisting our businesses find a way to tap into the
community by safely following the county health code guidelines and enabling
them to keep their doors open.