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Good morning, thank you for joining us today. My name is Stephen Newhouse, I am a

transportation planner for AC Transit located in Oakland, CA

Today I would like to talk about our evolving relationship with “Complete Streets” and how

we have borrowed a page from the bike and ped advocates’ playbook to benefit transit.

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Now, when I say “Complete Streets,” who has this reaction?

I’ll admit it—I certainly do.

I think we have this reaction because we feel left out of the process.

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And we feel that way for a couple of reasons…

First, complete streets projects seldom emphasize transit improvements as a goal or

objective. In fact, they may only offer a fleeting acknowledgement of existing transit

service on the corridor. We get upset about this, but I think it natural, because the projects

are usually initiated by bicycle and pedestrian advocates.

Second, the method of implementation is often a low-cost pilot project— something done

with paint and planters and bollards—which everyone assumes necessarily excludes transit

improvements.

The city may say, “We can’t change the signal timing… We’re only buying paint. We can’t

build the bulb-out… we’re only buying paint. We don’t want to jeopardize the project by

getting into a political fight about relocating bus stops… We’re only buying paint. You want

a transit lane?! No, no, you misunderstood, we’re only buying green paint!”

So how do we react? We get upset. We may oppose the project. But we can only be

effective at saying no for so long. And all the while, we are damaging our relationship with

the cities and advocates that we have no choice but to work with.

After a few spectacular experiences like this, AC Transit is ready to take a different

approach

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We are following the bike advocates’ model: We are actually trying to initiate complete

streets projects, but we have the audacity to ask that the projects improve transit. More

importantly, we are proposing to do it as a pilot project with low-cost, low-impact,

removable materials.

We are also focusing on low-risk, low-pressure locations so that we can make iterative

improvements, demonstrate success, build trust, and repair our relationships with the

cities, the advocates, and the community to prepare ourselves for tougher conversations

down the road.

We are using this approach with transit lanes and queue jumps, but today, I would like to

focus on the humble bus stop…

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What’s not to love? At its worst, it is an inhospitable—potentially dangerous place to stand

at night

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At its best, a patronizing reminder that if we had a car, we’d be at our destination by now.

But the bus stop deserves more attention, because it is our front door. In addition to being

inviting, it should complement efficient transit operations. How do we achieve this?

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Think about a typical streetscape project…

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We may ask to move to the farside of the intersection…

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…And extend the sidewalk. This has the benefits of minimizing delay and provide a larger

footprint for customer amenities.

The downside, of course, is that it is also very expensive. Even worse, it arouses opposition

from merchants and residents on that side of the intersection. They perceive the bus stop

as a parking loss and a negative impact to their business.

But there are examples of businesses asking the city—even PAYING the city—to take away

parking. Of course, as the title of my presentation suggests, I am talking about PARKLETS…

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I believe transit agencies can capitalize on the public enthusiasm for parklets to benefit

transit operations, customer experience…

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…Reduce capital and planning costs…

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…And turn community opposition into advocacy for transit improvements.

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What is a parklet? Very briefly, a parklet is an adaptive reuse of public parking spaces to

provide other public amenities, like seating, landscaping, bike racks, or public art.

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If using a parklet as a bus stop sounds farfetched, I would argue that it actually is not a

huge leap…

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We have parklets on major transit corridors…

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…And not just rail corridors…

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…Major bus corridors, too…

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And we have parklets with permeable boundaries, where people are expected to step off

of the parklet an into the travel lane. Much like people step off of a curb and onto a bus.

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We also have a precedent for partnering with private businesses and community groups to

improve our bus stops. Many agencies have “Adopt-a-Stop” programs.

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…But I wonder if we can go beyond picking up garbage…

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…And actually make our bus stops more loveable…

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…More fun…

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…More stimulating…

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…And better integrated into our communities?

We have been kicking this idea around for a while. I first proposed this idea to my boss in

2012. I still have the memo where he circled the word “parklet” and wrote in big red

letters, “NO!” But I eventually wore him down and he allowed me to apply for a Safe

Routes to Transit grant to study this concept and produce a demonstration.

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We have been patiently looking for a partnership that would benefit both transit and

business. Earlier this summer, a café and frozen yogurt shop in Albany requested

information about building a parklet.

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We knew about this café because they already had a pretty well-used and well-served bus

stop in front.

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Although this was not an opportunity to move to the farside or remove parking, it was an

opportunity to solve another operational problem. The curb was built for angled parking,

so we have a 13’ deep pull-out which makes it very difficult for our buses to access the bus

stop or re-enter traffic. As you can see, sometimes we don’t even pull into the bus stop.

The City of Albany put us in touch with the business owners and we quickly came to an

agreement to collaborate on a parklet that would also function as a bus stop.

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We are in the early stages of design, but here are a few renderings from the architect.

(NOTE: Drawing shown was a first draft. Some key design improvements were not yet

incorporated.)

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As you can see, this is already a more attractive area for our passengers…

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…Their customers…

…And the community at large…

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…And when they look outside their front window, they no longer see a red curb, but an

amenity for their business.

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Like I said, we are still in the early stages of design, but I want to point out that the

preliminary cost estimates are about $20 - $25,000. AC Transit’s contribution will be about

$10,000… That’s $10,000 for what is effectively a bus bulb. Compare that to the last bulb-

out you built. I’m building two in Berkeley for $70,000 a piece. When you compare those

costs, I think you quickly see the value of this treatment.

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Now, I’m not proposing that this is a solution for every bus stop. I certainly wouldn’t

recommend it for high-speed corridors and it probably doesn’t make sense for a

predominantly residential area.

But I do think it makes good sense on relatively slow speed commercial corridors. Places

with a constrained right of way where both parking and sidewalk seating are highly valued

commodities. By the way, this is also where you face the greatest delay from signals, re-

entry, and dwell time and also have the most difficult time getting transit improvements.

Keep in mind that this is an iterative process. The parklet simply allows you to win over

community support for quick, low-cost transit improvements like bus stop relocations and

bulb-outs so that you can get operations benefits now and prove that the bus will not

cause gridlock or put someone out of business. This helps you build the case for more

permanent fixtures in the future.

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If you do consider this approach, I want to share some design constraints and

considerations that we have encountered. Keep in mind that most of these are not related

to the transit-function of the parklet. These are inherent to parklets, themselves, and have

already been solved by city staff and designers.

The first is structural integrity. Like any other parklet—or bulb-out, for that matter—you

want to protect against incidental impact.

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This can be easily achieved by book-ending the parklet with parked vehicles. Of course,

unless your stop is mid-block, you probably need to consider additional reinforcements for

the exposed end of the parklet.

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One approach is to construct the frame or entire platform with concrete. In San Francisco,

many parklets are built by laying down a plastic tarp, placing wooden forms on top, filling

with concrete, removing the wooden forms, and caulking around the edge to water-proof

it. This is a simple, low-cost way to build a sturdy structure.

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Other common protections are bollards…

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…Wheel stops…

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…Or heavy-duty planters.

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You also want to construct the platform out of a durable material that will withstand daily

use and weather. I wouldn’t recommend wood, necessarily, but other natural materials like

concrete, brick, or metal may be suitable…

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…Modular materials may also work well.

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Speaking of weather, be aware of your climate. Create a stormwater channel between the

parklet and curb. Tie rain spouts directly to drain inlets…

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…You may want to use a raised platform so that stormwater can flow freely underneath the

parklet…

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…Put a grate at the mouth of the stormwater channel or provide an access panel to clean

out debris that may collect inside.

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The only transit-specific consideration is how to balance access and programming. You

must include an ADA-accessible area for front and middle doors. For our vehicles, we

typically use an 8’ x 24’ zone. Do not exceed the maximum slope for access by people in

wheelchairs and walkers.

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…As you build out into the roadway, you are building into the crown of the road, so your

curb will naturally be lower. You will have to deal with curb-height on a case-by-case basis.

There may be design solutions that allow you to maintain an accessible area and a

reasonable curb height.

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The previous design constraints have to do with geometry and physics. Is there enough

space? Are the materials strong enough? The following considerations concern mutual

understandings, ranging from informal agreements to legal contracts.

First is maintenance of the parklet. In most cases, maintenance will be the responsibility of

the parklet sponsor. This includes sweeping, trash pick-up, cleaning of the storm water

channel, and graffiti removal. A memorandum of understanding between the city, transit

agency, and parklet sponsor should be sufficient.

Next, is liability. This is probably an area of particular concern. Keep in mind that this has

been solved for dozens of parklets across the country and your parklet is no different.

Parklet sponsors typically required to carry insurance to protect themselves in the unlikely

event of an injury. Of course, we’re responsible for damage caused by a bus, but the same

would be true if we hit any parklet.

Finally, make sure the hours of use are clear. If the span of bus service extends beyond

business hours, the parklet should be available to transit customers. The city, parklet

sponsor, community members, and law enforcement should be aware of that fact.

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I believe that this is a true win-win-win proposition for transit agencies, communities, and

our customers.

Our customers benefit from a greater sense of place with a more comfortable and

stimulating waiting area. The parklet also provides a larger footprint for new amenities like

seating, wayfinding, and shelter.

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The community receives a context-sensitive addition, something that reflects the needs

and desires for that street or intersection. It is also better integrated into the

neighborhood--not a standard, government-issued shelter placed in the middle of the

sidewalk. And the elimination of a taper into or out of the bus stop allows you to

minimizes parking loss, or even add back parking in some cases.

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Finally, the transit agency benefits from the operations improvements that we want. At a

fraction of the cost. And with a streamlined process that minimizes both environmental

review and community opposition.

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To summarize very quickly,

TAKE THE LEAD

If we want complete streets projects to improve transit, we need to take the lead on these

projects, which means planning a multi-modal corridor that will receive support from other

advocacy groups.

FUND THE PROJECTS

Provide seed money for public-private partnerships to encourage projects that benefit

transit

WIN-WINS

Work with the community to find win-win opportunities.

DESIGN

Be mindful of design constraints and considerations, but…

DO NOT FEAR FAILURE

Do not fear failure. The design challenges are solvable problems.

ITERATIVE PROCESS

Remember that this is an iterative process… I’m not telling you to build a parklet that will

last 50 years and walk away. I’m telling you to build a temporary parklet NOW so that you

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can get your operations benefits THIS year and make the case for building a permanent bulb-

out NEXT year.

HAVE FUN

Finally, have fun! Make the process exciting. If you can get the community excited about the

parklets, you can turn the most ardent opposition into your strongest advocates.

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Because you want your next transit improvement project to look less like this…

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…and more like this.

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Thanks.

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