First last mile to transit
We're going to go over definitions and origins
Now, first, a quick definition
It's the movement of people and goods from a hub to a final
destination, quick and easy
Right
So how did this get started?
Well, first last mile is actually a concept that was used
first for actually delivering electricity to houses
It's easy to transmit electricity along long lines.
But for electric companies, that difficult last mile to get
the individual houses
Same thing applies to someone like FedEx, where it's easy
to move big packages along highways.
But really, their most complex part of the system of delivering
a package is to your doorstep
This also applies to transit riders
Here in this screen, we look at some of the origins of First
Last mile.
And this is from Arlington County, Virginia, along their
Orange Line corridor
It started back in the 60s, when a lot of the community leaders
wanted to really focus economic development around the transit
station. So the highest density would be right above the
station area.
And then the density would taper down to the neighborhoods
and not really extend more than a quarter of a mile.
So as you can see from these little circles, this is what
last mile looks like when you're only looking at a quarter
mile fast forward.
Now, today we look at access sheds for walking and for biking.
And here you see for walking.
We look at 1 mile radius and for biking.
It's a three.
And this is actually recognized by the Federal Transit Administration.
Now, at the top, you can see these are measurements as the
Crow flies.
But unfortunately, commuters don't fly.
So now we're taking an even deeper look at really, what matters
for those access sheds and how we can make the walk even
more convenient.
That first mile and that last mile.
Why now?
Well, there's greater attention to a user's journey.
So maybe in the past we would construct these different transit
stations and transit schedules according to what was good
for the transit agency, what was easy to deliver in a bus
system. But when you flip that and look at the user, it becomes
a whole different series of planning steps where you look
at how they leave their house, figure out the schedule, get
to the station.
And it's not just a mode.
It's basically the infrastructure on which they travel.
Is it in good repair, doesn't directly go where they need
to go to reach the station.
Then once they've arrived at their destination, how do they
get to their final place of work or shopping?
And what does that mode look like?
And what does that infrastructure look like?
And that is basically at the core of first last mile.
Another way, we've talked a lot about walking and biking,
but we are in an exciting new time where there are a lot
of different ways to even roll to transit.
And so you can see Segways scooters bicycles.
And now we've got even more technology come into bear that
maybe even extends that excess shed more than 3 miles.
So Uber and Lyft, if someone knows they can get a shared
ride, maybe on a rainy day, or when their schedule doesn't
permit that full allotment of time.
We've got on demand transit or micro transit, where you've
got these little electric shuttle buses that are almost like
dial a ride to come get you in a concentrated area, these
beginning resorts that are coming to neighborhoods around
the country now.
And of course, electric bikes even further expand that 3
miles. Then we've also got e commerce starting to come about
at different station areas.
So you might have pickup lockers, you'll have bike delivery,
you'll have pickup at the grocery store, and maybe even on
demand delivery.
And so now what you're seeing is the convergence of people
and goods movement.
Just because when we start making investments in transit
for one specific use, it benefits all.
And that's one of the things I want you to take away from
this course, because as ecommerce grows, our jobs will begin
to have to look at this a much more detailed level.
And then finally, why now are we looking at first last mile?
A lot of it is the benefits of place making where we talk
about bringing more of the attributes of transit oriented
development to more areas.
But we're also looking at using existing assets better.
How can we design our streets better and add more uses?
I also want to show you this statistic because it's rather
stunning. In Portland State University, they looked at access
and really what that did for housing values with protected
bike lanes and advanced bike facilities.
And if there was increased access within a quarter of a mile,
it added around $686 to the value of a home.
But here's where the real magic begins by not just adding
one facility but deliberately thinking of a network of protected
lanes that ended up adding $4,000.
So it's not just access to one facility but an extensive
network. And we're going to use the word network a lot in
this presentation.
So chapter two, what's the recap?
Number one.
First, last mile, we're looking at increasing ridership with
convenience and safety and accessibility.
Second, we're going to do that by reducing the travel times
and making them more comfortable and more legible.
We're going to provide multiple options and economic development.
And then finally, the goods and passengers movement is beginning
to converge.
So with planners, we need to think ahead.