SPRING 2017 Quarterly newsletter of the Wilmington Area Planning Council TRANSPORTER WILMAPCO Partners with Local Bicycle Nonprofits icycle collectives, cooperatives, students to nature, Band community bike shops are and expose them to often not-for-profit organizations bicycle riding for that provide a venue for people to transportation and learn about bicycling while building recreation. Students community around promoting learn about bicycle sustainable transportation. Our region safety and refurbish is home to two such organizations: used bikes, which they Urban Bike Project of Wilmington, keep upon graduating founded in 2006, and Newark Bike from the program. Older Project, founded in 2011. students get to go on a Urban Bike Project (UBP) bicycle ride the last day of supports Wilmington communities class, while younger students by providing access to bicycling enjoy a bicycle rodeo. as a healthy, affordable, and The Newark Bike Project (NBP) practical means of transportation serves the greater Newark and is open to children ages 10 to and recreation. With its East Side University of Delaware areas. Each 14. The youth learn about bike neighborhood location, UBP month, volunteers repurpose more safety/maintenance and engage in provides a safe venue for community than 50 donated bikes and assist with community service and leadership youth to gather while learning approximately 100 walk-in repairs. training. Bicycle rides throughout bicycle safety and maintenance, and NBP graduates a dozen or so new the community are another highlight earning their own bicycles. mechanics from its training program and promote physical activity and WILMAPCO provides funding each season. They also give away free health. support to the UBP Earn-A-Bike bicycles, including a lock, helmet, Program. The program began in and lights, based upon referrals from Learn more about UBP at 2010 and has served hundreds of a social service agency. NBP also www.urbanbikeproject.com and youth. It gives a hands-on learning hosts regular music and performing NBP at newarkbikeproject.org. opportunity for youth, with a focus arts events, a youth program, and on the 19801 zip code. UBP also discussion groups. partners with schools and youth Like at UBP, WILMAPCO also organizations to teach bicycle supports a youth program at NBP . mechanics and safe riding, connect The Youth Empowerment Program WILMAPCO’s 2016 Our Town: The Future of Transportation igist Zegeye, WILMAPCO She said, “DelDOT is moving most preparing to update our Long TExecutive Director, welcomed of its services online, and we are Range Transportation Plan, which 80 elected of¿cials, public agency constantly working on expanding is updated every four years, DVRPC staff, planners, engineers, and the our app that provides real-time hosted a meeting of experts on public at the 2016 WILMAPCO traf¿c information, mapping layers, “Future Forces.” Our Town forum, “The Future of the status of road construction, and During that meeting, we identi¿ed Transportation.” The event, held snowstorm-tracking information.” ¿ve future forces that impact at Wilmington’s Chase Center on She added, “It is a very exciting transportation, including “enduring September 2, featured panel time to be part of transportation, and urbanism,” which means we need discussions to help attendees think the possibilities are endless.” to invest in more complete streets differently about transportation, The emcee, Edward O’Donnell, and transit service; a “free agent including such topics as self-driving Senior Fellow and Instructor, economy,” as a result of people vehicles, vehicle-to-vehicle University of Delaware, said, working at multiple jobs; a “U.S. communications, UBER and Lyft “The future of transportation energy boom,” due to the abundance (car-lending systems), unmanned promises to change our landscape of domestically produced energy aerial systems (drones), and other and our travel behavior.” As an that keeps costs low; “severe climate technical advancements. example, he discussed the ¿rst-ever changes,” creating a need to improve During her opening remarks, commercial self-driving shipment emergency preparedness; and Nicole Majeski, Deputy Secretary, by UBER of 50,000 cans of “transportation-on-demand,” such as DelDOT, said, “‘The Future of Budweiser beer, which traveled 120 smart phones, apps, and real-time Transportation’ is a ¿tting theme, miles in a truck named Otto, from information. Boyer said, “Trends in with all of the innovations we are Fort Collins, Colorado, to Colorado digital transportation are more about seeing today in transportation and Springs. accessibility than mobility where how people are traveling.” As a Panel member Michael Boyer, information is the key.” result, DelDOT created a Division Associate Director for Planning, Another panel member, Morgan of Technology and Innovation to Delaware Valley Regional Ellis, DNREC, said the national look at ways to take advantage of Planning Commission (DVRPC) Coalition on Clean Cities is focused advancements and innovations. in Pennsylvania, said that while on reducing the use of foreign Page 2 petroleum products, which includes (ITMS), using technology to use the car,” Ms. Haberkam said. deploying alternative-fuel vehicles. communicate with other vehicles.” In addition, garage designs could Delaware’s Coalition on Clean Vehicle to Infrastructure alter dramatically and be built to Cities’ efforts are primarily focused Interaction (V2I) and fully 17 or 18 feet for repurposing. There on deploying these vehicles. One connected interactive travelers could also be 30–50% less need for major fuel used in Delaware is are the next wave of the future. parking spaces, and the cost of urban propane, which is a by-product of The general dates for these construction could drop by 10–20%. natural gas. It is used for school advancements are: early automated Other effects of digitization could buses, vans, and mid-sized vehicles. (2016); limited V2V (2016–2020); reduce car, energy, petroleum, and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is self-driving (2020–2035); and full auto parts manufacturing and reduce another option available to À eets. It V2V (2018–2030). In addition, the need for insurance, hotels, public consists predominantly of methane DelDOT’s Unmanned Aerial parking lots, public transportation, and is considered a domestic fuel. Vehicles, or drones, which require airlines, and mobility drivers. It works well for heavy-duty trucks, the users to have À ight training and A brief question-and-answer passenger cars, school buses, waste- certi¿ cation, have multiple uses, session followed the panel management trucks, and DNREC including infrastructure inspection discussion. One attendee asked if trucks. of bridges, utilities, communication self-driving cars and AVs would Delaware’s Clean Vehicle towers, pipelines, land¿ lls, open work well in Southern New Rebate Program features rebates mines and quarries, and raw material Jersey, which is mostly rural and of $3,500 for electric vehicles, stockpiles . is economically depressed. Ms. $1,500 for plug-in hybrids, $1,500 Renata Haberkam, Director Haberkam responded, “In the for dedicated propane vehicles, of Business Development, The future, individuals would not be and $1,500 for dedicated natural Traffic Group, Baltimore, said, purchasing self-driving vehicles gas vehicles. Additional rebate “The adoption of self-driving and because economically it would be programs provide incentive amounts Autonomous Vehicles (AV) may better to order one from a À eet that that go toward the purchase of an cause major changes to land use. The would run constantly everywhere.” electric-vehicle charging station, disruption and transformation of including at the workplace, up to cities could be enormous, including For more information regarding $5,000; commercial, up to $2,500; substantial reduction in revenue WILMAPCO’s Our Town event and to view the speakers’ presentations, please and residential, up to $500. The U.S. for municipalities.” The demand visit www.wilmapco.org/ourtown. now has 37,000 charging stations. for Transit Oriented Development Delaware has 61 charging stations (TOD) may be reduced, suburban at 26 locations. residences could increase, and Gene Donaldson, DelDOT there may be better uses for roads Transportation Management Center without needing to widen them. (TMC) Operations Coordinator, Long commutes could emphasized the statewide electronic become easier in rural monitoring network, which uses areas, and there may be video monitoring, a Roadway substantial reductions Weather Information System, in pedestrian and auto and signal system loop detectors. accidents. Traveler information is available A À eet of AVs through the WTMC-1380 AM radio could provide access station, the DelDOT website, Twitter to jobs, schools, and Facebook, in a smartphone app, and shopping at a on interactive maps, through live fraction of the cost traf¿ c cameras, and on electronic of owning a car. changeable message signs. He said, “Today, cars sit 95% “Connected and automated vehicles of the time; however, it are the next phase of the Integrated would be cheaper to pay Technology Management System for the time you actually Page 3 More Than $2 Billion Proposed for Transportation Improvement Program ore than $2.1 billion in road, ride lot(s) in southern Mtransit, rail, multimodal, New Castle County, bicycle, and pedestrian projects likely near the future were proposed in WILMAPCO’s interchanges of the new Transportation Improvement Program U.S. 301. (TIP).