City
Washington State Transportation: A Tale of Three Studies
Two new think-tank studies show that Washington State is a leader in transportation nationwide, with some of the best access to transit and most "cost-effective transportation policies" in the US. A separate survey, though unrelated, shows that the state's investment in smart transportation may be paying off in the form of fewer crashes and traffic fatalities, particularly pedestrian and cyclist deaths.
The Brookings Institution analyzed 371 transit providers in the nation's 100 largest markets and found that in the Seattle Metro area, 85 percent of residents lived near a transit stop, with a median wait time for mass transit of 8.8 minutes. (Interactive maps at link). Nationwide, 69 percent of residents lived near a transit stop, with a median wait time of 10.1 minutes. Nationally, 30 percent of people have access to work by transit; in the Seattle metro area, 33 percent of people do.
In general, according to the study,
Honolulu ranked best in terms of transit access; the area around Poughkeepsie, NY ranked worst.
In a separate study, the Pew Foundation found that Washington State ranked 13th in the nation in making cost-effective transportation funding and policy decisions.
"Between 2007 and 2009, Washington reduced the estimated statewide cost of traffic delay by 21 percent. In the early 2000s, the state began scoring potential transportation projects according to projected impact per dollar spent. This approach may have contributed to the legislature’s willingness to allow the state to sell gas tax-backed bonds in 2003 and 2005," the report concludes.
The only areas where Washington State had only "mixed results" were mobility (assessed using measures like congestion, transit reliability, traffic delays, and travel times) and access (a measure that includes the availability of various travel modes, including transit and bike access).
Finally, in its annual survey of traffic deaths, the Washington Traffic Safety Commission found that there were fewer traffic fatalities in 2010 than in any of the previous four years---and that traffic deaths have been declining steadily, from 633 in 2006 to 392 in 2010. Moreover, deaths declined for every type of road user, including so-called "vulnerable roadway users" such as cyclists (down from seven in 2006 to five in 2010), pedestrians (down from 72 to 41) and motorcyclists (down from 80 to 64).
Google Earth has an interactive map of all fatal crashes through 2009 here.
The Brookings Institution analyzed 371 transit providers in the nation's 100 largest markets and found that in the Seattle Metro area, 85 percent of residents lived near a transit stop, with a median wait time for mass transit of 8.8 minutes. (Interactive maps at link). Nationwide, 69 percent of residents lived near a transit stop, with a median wait time of 10.1 minutes. Nationally, 30 percent of people have access to work by transit; in the Seattle metro area, 33 percent of people do.
In general, according to the study,
Nearly 70 percent of large metropolitan residents live in neighborhoods with access to transit service of some kind. Transit coverage is highest in Western metro areas such as Honolulu and Los Angeles, and lowest in Southern metro areas such as Chattanooga and Greenville. Regardless of region, residents of cities and lower-income neighborhoods have better access to transit than residents of suburbs and middle/higher-income neighborhoods.
Honolulu ranked best in terms of transit access; the area around Poughkeepsie, NY ranked worst.
In a separate study, the Pew Foundation found that Washington State ranked 13th in the nation in making cost-effective transportation funding and policy decisions.
"Between 2007 and 2009, Washington reduced the estimated statewide cost of traffic delay by 21 percent. In the early 2000s, the state began scoring potential transportation projects according to projected impact per dollar spent. This approach may have contributed to the legislature’s willingness to allow the state to sell gas tax-backed bonds in 2003 and 2005," the report concludes.
The only areas where Washington State had only "mixed results" were mobility (assessed using measures like congestion, transit reliability, traffic delays, and travel times) and access (a measure that includes the availability of various travel modes, including transit and bike access).
Finally, in its annual survey of traffic deaths, the Washington Traffic Safety Commission found that there were fewer traffic fatalities in 2010 than in any of the previous four years---and that traffic deaths have been declining steadily, from 633 in 2006 to 392 in 2010. Moreover, deaths declined for every type of road user, including so-called "vulnerable roadway users" such as cyclists (down from seven in 2006 to five in 2010), pedestrians (down from 72 to 41) and motorcyclists (down from 80 to 64).
Google Earth has an interactive map of all fatal crashes through 2009 here.
