It’s an annual right of passage with George Mason University professor Laurie Schintler’s capstone transportation class: Examine a problem for a client, develop a solution, present the findings and make the world a better place.
This is a real-world exercise—not a theoretical classroom discussion—that might conceivably create changes in how people move from one place to another. The nonprofit Mobility Lab and Arlington County, Virginia, were the clients for this semester’s Transportation Policy, Operations and Logistics Practicum Team.
The assignment: Make recommendations that would turn Arlington, into an “8-80 City,” that is, an urban area that successfully addresses the mobility needs of the youngest to the oldest residents. The idea, according to the Canadian nonprofit that devised the concept, is if a region accommodates the youngest and the oldest, it will also accommodate everyone in between.
“As a resident of Arlington County for over nine years, I have been able to see just how fast the county has grown,” says Brian Baney, one of about a dozen graduate students on the project majoring in transportation policy, operations and logistics. “One thing that has always been apparent was Arlington’s focus on improving livability and transportation options despite this growth. I was very excited to hear about the scope of our work because I saw it as an opportunity to improve on the transportation demand management strategies Arlington already implements so well.”
In the end, the Arlington Campus-based class—which included two distance-learning students (both employees of the Virginia Department of Transportation)—delivered a detailed 80-page book, with 11 key recommendations for the county that reduce automobile traffic and increase use of other modes of transportation. The students, besides possibly contributing to a better-flowing Arlington, gained experience in research, teamwork and presentation skills.
“For me, the biggest challenge was limiting our recommendations to something both monetarily feasible and acceptable to the residents of Arlington,” says Mason graduate student Arno Wichers, a retired Air Force pilot who would like to continue in the transportation field. As for the recommendations, he says, “Many dollars need to be found and many conflicting opinions need to be heard.”
“If any of our recommendations were used on the street I would feel that Arlington County will have a safer and more efficient transportation system that encourages more people to try alternative transportation methods,” says graduate student Nicholas Scherer, who also would like to work in the industry. “This experience will benefit my career because it has expanded my view of the various transportation needs of two very different, yet similar, age demographics.”
The strategies the team offered Mobility Lab and Arlington included new methodologies of biking and walking to school; development of mobility opportunities in concentrations of seniors; expansion of rental bicycles to include tricycles and electric-assisted bikes; and creative use of gaming to promote biking and walking but also in identifying safe routes, connecting to peers, and presenting notices to crossing guards and awards to game players.
Other suggestions included digital signage of nearby transportation options, subsidized private taxis and grocery delivery vouchers.
“If ‘Open Streets’ were to become a reality in any successful degree that would be great,” says Wichers, noting his favorite strategy. “The concept blocks traffic in both directions to create a promenade of pedestrian- and bike-friendly roadways, particularly suited for locations with numerous shops and restaurants.
“I think Arlington is set up perfectly for ‘Open Streets’ with its various urban centers around each of the Metro stations,” agrees Baney. “It can be done without any infrastructure costs. This has been done before in Arlington and people seem to really embrace the idea. I think people enjoy being able to walk around without a concern for traffic and I believe vendors and restaurants could benefit from the additional foot-traffic.”
“I would like to see more transportation-specific digital signage around senior centers, and in public places,” says Scherer. “Public digital signs help those without Internet-connected devices receive information on different transportation options and schedules. We found a large part of our senior survey respondents did not have Internet-connected devices or, sometimes, access to the Internet.”
Of course, if any of the recommendations by the transportation class were adopted, the team members would be thrilled.
“I think it would be great if Arlington took even one of our recommendations and found a way to make it a reality,” says Baney. “Even if Arlington does not, I hope that we were able to make people think differently about how they approach mobility challenges.”
In that case, there’s good news: “I believe these recommendations have great merit and warrant serious consideration by Arlington County,” says Tom Fairchild, director of Mobility Lab. He points out the George Mason report begins by reminding the county of goals listed in its adopted master transportation plan “to establish equity by ensuring that mobility and accessibility needs of residents are met, regardless of their income, age or abilities.”
“Mobility Lab and Arlington County must take seriously this independent assessment of strategies to better serve these populations,” says Fairchild.
And even if none of the suggestions become reality, the students benefited from the work.
“The program was the perfect nexus for my policy background and my desire to enter the transportation and logistics industry, especially on a global level,” says Baney. “I hope the program will serve as the foundation for a long-term career path in these industries.”