Some random notes from many of the sessions I attended. Feel free to add your thoughts.

- Rachel M. Murray

Problems:

• Multiplicity: multiple agencies, multiple committees, the 'right' staff person, overlaping jurisdictions
• Wayfinding: people can't find info, physical confusion
• The system: political process doesn't allow for organic discussion (from citizens)
• Service discrepancies: not always service in peak hours etc.
• Interdisciplinary: How do we get transit to reflect changes in housing (i.e. SRI has new people)? What data do we need re: schedule
• Availability of the system: Have way for Pacificans to get to Caltrain etc.
• Have way for Pacificans to get to Caltrain etc.
• Economics: economics of transit depends on riders, on the ability to get to transit itself (to stations and stops etc.)
• Context: it's not about finding out where people go now - it's also where people need to go if they could... is this being addressed?
• Goals: there are different goals here: more riders? more transit options? more information? What are the metrics? Need to determine goals and metrics for success.

Analysis:

• Problems are political not technical - a Google maps mashup is not going to address the political will question, and that to car-obsessed America, public transit is not always a priority
• Must remember who your end users are - how population is growing older etc.
• Should assign a dollar cost to everything we do - i.e. typical transit ride costs $40 - people would want to take their car rather than pay for transit
• Time, cost - two of the biggest issues we deal with, but not the only obstacles, sadly
• Issue is massive: Lots to learn at local level - but transit is a big issue, with a lot of political issues. Also transit overlaps with land use, housing.
• Does sharing data sets hurt 511.org? they ask for data stats back - part of their legal framework for operating. How can we facilitate this return of data? Are there data warehouse folks who could automate the process?
• Brad Templteton - open 511.org up to open development community (to help fix things) so that a thousand flowers bloom (!)
• Don't use stovetop approach -1) gather raw data; 2) allow trip planning, 3) UI that allows people to express queries. Need to do meta things like how airline industry - instead of the paradigm of 'I need to get here on x date', someone came along and said 'I need to get here for x amount'
• Biggest draw for density is jobs - drive transit by that jobs density - but it's important to not just put people into dense areas, becuase their quality of life decreases
• Chuck Purvis, MTC: Bay Area Socio-Economic & Transportation Trend
  • "density is destiny" ; SF Bay is 4th most dense area of the U.S.
  • Association of Bay Area Gov'ts org (need name)
  • Transit Share of Work Trips - 10.6% in 2025?!? This is more about land use, and where people live, not necessarily about access to transit
  • 58% of households have 2 cars. No wonder we don't have transit...
  • have to account for folks who *have* cars and don't use them and instead use transit
  • "can I have access to my own data set?"
  • Different agencies have different data set models

Solutions:

• Technical:
  • Existing:
    • TransitWiki.ca (gold standard!); also http://transitwiki.adventuresinurbanliving.net/Main_Page
    • Coalitions
  • Future we need:
    • Need Ride XML - data standard - i.e. need Microformats folks to see what standard they can build for data interoperability across agencies, and how a new microformat will play well with .CSV, which is the current standard for most agencies
    • Have your own data set (i.e. Terry Nagel having her own info in dealing with PG & E)
    • Have the transit agencies open the data sets so that citizens can figure things out
    • Have tools that have contexts (i.e. "I'm a parent that's looking for a route safe for my children").
• Organizations:
  • Existing:
    • Clean air
    • Coalition to expand transit service (11 menlo park counsellors)
    • http://www.transdef.org/
    • Bay Rail Alliances
    • Transit Coalition in SoCal (http://thetransitcoalition.us/) - note no representative, just found thru' google search
    • Pacifica group negotiated with Caltrain re: schedules

  • Future (we need theses):
    • ?

Results:

TBD... up to you...