We need to encourage all efforts for getting people out of their car, including finishing the City’s bicycle master plan, making the bus a more attractive option with comfortable convenient bus stops, and shorter more timely trips through rapid buses. Transportation Demand Management (TDM) are programs to decrease trips in single occupancy vehicles.
The Coronado Transportation Management Association (CTMA) was incorporated in August 1993 as a non-public benefit corporation. The planned imposition of a trip reduction regulation provided impetus for its formation to administer cost-effective rideshare programs for employers. From 1994 to 1999, the CTMA increased Coronado vanpools from 3 to 50. After CTMA was disbanded the program was turned over to SANDAG and now has 88 Coronado vanpools. That number has earned Naval Base Coronado recognition yearly for its TDM efforts.
SANDAG contributes $400 a month per vanpool and the federal government contributes up to $230 a month per federal employee, which means each 7 person van pool can get up to $2,010 a month toward commuting expenses (e.g., gas, van rental, insurance). For 88 van pools that comes to $2,122,560 a year (not including staff and administrative cost for these programs) to take 528 cars off the bridge and area freeways or $4,020 a year for each car removed.
The Navy announced last week, a pilot program to test rapid buses from Murphy Canyon Military housing to Naval Base San Diego. Coronado service members were surveyed for the program, but given the shorter distance to 32nd street, San Diego was chosen for the pilot study. If such a program were implemented for Coronado bound service members, it would only accommodate 206 people. The yearly tax payer cost would be $246,900.
Park and Rides and “slugging” (strangers carpooling for the use of HOV lanes) has been touted as a solution. Slugging works if there is 1) an HOV incentive to get out of personal vehicles, 2) a perceived safe place to leave your car, 3) a safe way to get back to your car, and 4) commuters going to the same employment centers with coordinated work hours willing to drive/ride with strangers. It works in DC because of a) the number of 3 passenger HOV lanes b) limited parking at the Pentagon and c) the 100,000+ people that work at the Pentagon and surrounding defense contractors. To cut bridge traffic in half we would need a Park and Ride lot (or lots) to accommodate over 20,000 vehicles, more than the Qualcomm Stadium parking lot and enough people willing to drive with strangers.
We need to encourage people to get out of their cars, but there is a cost, e.g., we pay $2,122,560 a year to remove 528 vanpool commuter cars from Coronado. We need to encourage rapid buses, carpooling, van pools, etc. but also recognize the costs for each method. We need to make capital and infrastructure investments: more bike racks, nicer bus stops, etc. It is all about changing behavior. Let’s finish the SR 75/282 study and also compare the costs for a tunnel, overpass, TDM programs and other options to reduce congestion. We need information to make choices. What are you willing to do to decrease traffic? Vote Yes on Prop H to give yourself more choices.
