"No single solution will save the day for transportation in this rapidly urbanizing and increasingly complex world, a groundswell of transportation innovation is arising worldwide. However these innovations are too rarely linked and optimized in a way that can provide a convenient, practical, affordable and sustainable door-to-door trip for the user."
Susan Zielinski, University of Michigan, Managing Director, SMART
Susan Zielinski, University of Michigan, Managing Director, SMART
Mobility Management & Public Transit Milestones in Tompkins County, NY since 1976
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2011/12 - ITNEverywhere Pilot Study: Tompkins County, GADABOUT, Local Steering Committee + ITNAmerica.
2011 - Rideshare: Tompkins Rideshare Coalition + Zimride + NYSERDA (See #1 below) (website) 2010 - Vanpool: TCAT & Cornell + VPSI, Inc. 2010/12 CityVan Pilot: Tompkins County, Coordinated Plan Committee & ITTC + Ithaca Dispatch, Inc. 2008 - Ithaca Carshare, Inc. began operating. (See below) 2008 - Way2Go:Tompkins County & ITTC + Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, Inc. (website) 2006 - County Mobility Management Program initiated at Dept. of Social Services. 2005 - Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit, Inc. (TCAT) reorganized as non-profit by Cornell University, City of Ithaca and Tompkins County. (TCAT website) |
1998 - Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit, Inc. (TCAT) formed as a governmental joint venture, pursuant to NY State Law, by Cornell University, City of Ithaca and Tompkins County, thereby consolidating three transit systems.
1992 - Ithaca-Tompkins County Transportation Council (ITCTC) is organized as the MPO for the Ithaca Urbanized Area. 1992 - Ithaca-Tompkins Transit Center built by Cornell University, City of Ithaca and Tompkins County + New York State and Federal Transit Adminstration. 1989/90 - Cornell University TDM Program launched. Cornell pays bus fares for its employees using City of Ithaca and Tompkins County buses with its OmniRide Program. 1982 - Tompkins County TOMTRAN rural bus system begins: County + Cornell + Tioga Transport 1981 - Tompkins County Transportation Project (TOMTRAN) (multi-modal suburban and rural public transportation plan) funded by Apalachian Regional Commission grant. 1981 - East Ithaca Transit begins: Tompkins County, Town of Ithaca, & Cornell 1981 - GADABOUT reorganized as a non-profit transportation corporation. 1980 - Ithaca Transit (City) service extended to Hospital: City of Ithaca, Town of Ithaca, County 1978 - Northeast Transit reorganized: City of Ithaca, Town of Ithaca, Villages of Lansing & Cayuga Heights, Cornell & County + Swarthout & Ferris (bus operator). 1976 - GADABOUT paratransit service organized under Tompkins County Chapter of the American Red Cross, Inc. by County & City departments and non-profit human service agencies to provide demand-responsive service to seniors and persons with disabilities, using volunteer drivers, in Tompkins County. |
Mobility Management in Tompkins County, NY
Mobility Management (MM) in Tompkins County, NY is characterized by pluralistic, collaborative efforts. Since the 1970's, local partnerships of municipalities, Cornell University, Ithaca College, Tompkins-Cortland Community College, non-profit agencies, public and private operators and others collaborated to plan, fund and implement public transit, paratransit, TDM, and other mobility services. Innovative new services continue to be developed by coalitions of the willing. Experimentation is valued. After proving themselves, successful projects are often integrated with other services. This cycle keeps repeating.
Ithaca-Tompkins County Transportation Council (ITCTC)
The hub of mobility management coordination is the Ithaca-Tompkins County Transportation Council (ITCTC). ITCTC was created in 1992 as the metropolitan planning organization for the Ithaca urbanized area. ITCTC's planning area includes all of Tompkins County. ITCTC staff is very involved in developing projects which need ITCTC action to secure federal and state funding.
ITCTC's 2030 Long Range Transportation Plan calls for mobility management strategies to reduce single occupant auto trips to preserve capacity and efficiency of the existing road and highway network, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to conserve energy and to enhance liveability of neighborhoods. The ITCTC plan supports mobility management to integrate services targetted primarily at commuters, and Coordinated Public Transit - Human Services Transportation planning to address longstanding service gaps faced by persons with disabilities, seniors, and low-income households, especially in auto-dependent rural areas.
Cornell University, the largest employer in the County, implemented an extensive and innovative transportation demand management (TDM) program beginning in the late 1980's. Cornell's commutershed draws employees from a multi-county (and multi-state) region beyond Tompkins County. Cornell invests in TDM strategies to reduce the number of cars driven to campus, and to reduce the adverse environmental and community impacts of single occupant auto traffic by subsidizing public transit, ridesharing and guaranteed ride program options. Cornell's TDM program has yielded considerable success by reducing the number of cars on campus by 2,600 below 1990 levels.
Two recent examples of mobility partnerships are the Tompkins Rideshare Consortium and Ithaca Carshare.
1. The Tompkins Rideshare Consortium formed in 2011 to implement a community rideshare program, with special emphasis on rideshare markets of Cornell University, Ithaca College and Tompkins-Cortland Community College (TC3). The Consortium members includes: ITCTC, Cornell University, Ithaca College, TC3, Tompkins County DSS, TCAT, and Way2Go. Ridesharing services are provided through ZimRide. The program is funded by a grant from the New York State Energy Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) and local in-kind contributions. The ITCTC manages the NYSERDA grant.
The Consortium partnered with Zimride (www.zimride.com/tompkins). Zimride is a social network for ridesharing providing a fun and easy service to find friends, colleagues and to split the cost of daily commutes and one-way rides. (See articles on ridesharing and vanpooling in Tompkins Weekly, Jan 24-30, 2011)
2. Ithaca Carshare. Another example of a successful partnership to create a new mobility service is Ithaca Carshare, Inc., a local non-profit carshare organization. Ithaca Carshare's Board includes: Cornell University, ITCTC, Way2Go, City of Ithaca, Ithaca College and local businesses. Ithaca Carshare was started with a NYSERDA grant and local contributions. Ithaca Carshare was incorporated in 2006 and began operations in 2008. At the start of 2012, Ithaca Carshare had 1,200+ members sharing a fleet of 15 vehicles.
In 1997, three public transit systems were combined into Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT), by Cornell University, City of Ithaca and Tompkins County. TCAT's initial consolidated service and fare plan was implemented in 1999. In 2005, Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit, Inc., (TCAT) was re-organized as a private not-for-profit transportation corporation. Also in 2005, TCAT's ridership surpassed 3 million passengers and has grown to 3.95 million by 2011. Further, TCAT implemented a Transit Development Plan, built new passenger facilities in Downtown Ithaca, locally developed a smart farecard fare system and contracts for vanpooling services with VPSI, Inc.
In 2006, the Tompkins County Department of Social Services began its direct involvement in public transportation planning, grant management and mobility management. The County's public transportation planning and grant manager operations were incorporated in the Department's Planning and Program Management unit. The Chief Transportation Planner is the County's grant manager of Federal and New York State public transportation programs, manages the Coordinated Public Transit - Human Service Transportation planning process with ITCTC, and oversees mobility management programs and new services funded with FTA JARC & New Freedom grants. One early product of the Coordinated Plan process was Way2Go, a community mobility education program created by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County. Way2Go includes mobility education for consumers, human service agency staff, and employers; coordinated community travel training; and a mobility services think tank called "Faster and Farther".
The Department's Mobility Program was initiated in 2007 by adding a Mobility Program Specialist position. The Mobility Program Specialist provides case management to address mobility needs of DSS clients and members of the general public, trains DSS staff on current mobility services and supports, delivers the Working Families Program, provides community outreach, and collaborates in developing mobility management projects.
In conclusion, the sum of the efforts by municipal governments, institutions of higher education, metropolitian planning, mobility operators, and community agencies is a historical legacy of collaboration, pluralism, and entrepreneurship to create new mobility services (and support programs).
The article, "The Continued Emergence of the Mobility Management Paradigm" by Robert Stanley, published by the Community Transportation Association of America in Dec 2010, includes a description of mobility management in Tompkins County.
A discussion of Coordinated Public Transit - Human Services Transportation Planning in Tompkins County is found here.
Dwight Mengel
Chief Transportation Planner
Tompkins County Dept of Social Services
320 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Street, Ithaca, NY 14850
[email protected] ,
telephone 607.274.5605
Ithaca-Tompkins County Transportation Council (ITCTC)
The hub of mobility management coordination is the Ithaca-Tompkins County Transportation Council (ITCTC). ITCTC was created in 1992 as the metropolitan planning organization for the Ithaca urbanized area. ITCTC's planning area includes all of Tompkins County. ITCTC staff is very involved in developing projects which need ITCTC action to secure federal and state funding.
ITCTC's 2030 Long Range Transportation Plan calls for mobility management strategies to reduce single occupant auto trips to preserve capacity and efficiency of the existing road and highway network, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to conserve energy and to enhance liveability of neighborhoods. The ITCTC plan supports mobility management to integrate services targetted primarily at commuters, and Coordinated Public Transit - Human Services Transportation planning to address longstanding service gaps faced by persons with disabilities, seniors, and low-income households, especially in auto-dependent rural areas.
Cornell University, the largest employer in the County, implemented an extensive and innovative transportation demand management (TDM) program beginning in the late 1980's. Cornell's commutershed draws employees from a multi-county (and multi-state) region beyond Tompkins County. Cornell invests in TDM strategies to reduce the number of cars driven to campus, and to reduce the adverse environmental and community impacts of single occupant auto traffic by subsidizing public transit, ridesharing and guaranteed ride program options. Cornell's TDM program has yielded considerable success by reducing the number of cars on campus by 2,600 below 1990 levels.
Two recent examples of mobility partnerships are the Tompkins Rideshare Consortium and Ithaca Carshare.
1. The Tompkins Rideshare Consortium formed in 2011 to implement a community rideshare program, with special emphasis on rideshare markets of Cornell University, Ithaca College and Tompkins-Cortland Community College (TC3). The Consortium members includes: ITCTC, Cornell University, Ithaca College, TC3, Tompkins County DSS, TCAT, and Way2Go. Ridesharing services are provided through ZimRide. The program is funded by a grant from the New York State Energy Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) and local in-kind contributions. The ITCTC manages the NYSERDA grant.
The Consortium partnered with Zimride (www.zimride.com/tompkins). Zimride is a social network for ridesharing providing a fun and easy service to find friends, colleagues and to split the cost of daily commutes and one-way rides. (See articles on ridesharing and vanpooling in Tompkins Weekly, Jan 24-30, 2011)
2. Ithaca Carshare. Another example of a successful partnership to create a new mobility service is Ithaca Carshare, Inc., a local non-profit carshare organization. Ithaca Carshare's Board includes: Cornell University, ITCTC, Way2Go, City of Ithaca, Ithaca College and local businesses. Ithaca Carshare was started with a NYSERDA grant and local contributions. Ithaca Carshare was incorporated in 2006 and began operations in 2008. At the start of 2012, Ithaca Carshare had 1,200+ members sharing a fleet of 15 vehicles.
In 1997, three public transit systems were combined into Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT), by Cornell University, City of Ithaca and Tompkins County. TCAT's initial consolidated service and fare plan was implemented in 1999. In 2005, Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit, Inc., (TCAT) was re-organized as a private not-for-profit transportation corporation. Also in 2005, TCAT's ridership surpassed 3 million passengers and has grown to 3.95 million by 2011. Further, TCAT implemented a Transit Development Plan, built new passenger facilities in Downtown Ithaca, locally developed a smart farecard fare system and contracts for vanpooling services with VPSI, Inc.
In 2006, the Tompkins County Department of Social Services began its direct involvement in public transportation planning, grant management and mobility management. The County's public transportation planning and grant manager operations were incorporated in the Department's Planning and Program Management unit. The Chief Transportation Planner is the County's grant manager of Federal and New York State public transportation programs, manages the Coordinated Public Transit - Human Service Transportation planning process with ITCTC, and oversees mobility management programs and new services funded with FTA JARC & New Freedom grants. One early product of the Coordinated Plan process was Way2Go, a community mobility education program created by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County. Way2Go includes mobility education for consumers, human service agency staff, and employers; coordinated community travel training; and a mobility services think tank called "Faster and Farther".
The Department's Mobility Program was initiated in 2007 by adding a Mobility Program Specialist position. The Mobility Program Specialist provides case management to address mobility needs of DSS clients and members of the general public, trains DSS staff on current mobility services and supports, delivers the Working Families Program, provides community outreach, and collaborates in developing mobility management projects.
In conclusion, the sum of the efforts by municipal governments, institutions of higher education, metropolitian planning, mobility operators, and community agencies is a historical legacy of collaboration, pluralism, and entrepreneurship to create new mobility services (and support programs).
The article, "The Continued Emergence of the Mobility Management Paradigm" by Robert Stanley, published by the Community Transportation Association of America in Dec 2010, includes a description of mobility management in Tompkins County.
A discussion of Coordinated Public Transit - Human Services Transportation Planning in Tompkins County is found here.
Dwight Mengel
Chief Transportation Planner
Tompkins County Dept of Social Services
320 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Street, Ithaca, NY 14850
[email protected] ,
telephone 607.274.5605
