Transportation Work Group Notes - January 30th Work Group Kickoff Meeting and earlier

 

Transportation Work Group Report Back Form

(Please use the back of these pages for notes.)

 

What is the over-arching goal for the Transportation Work Group? (The over-arching goal should include the concerns from the first Transportation Work Group: reduction of emissions from traffic, transportation concerns of the elderly and most vulnerable, and transportation concerns related to hurricanes.) 

A transportation system that includes reduction of emissions from traffic in ways that support a better quality of life by: reducing vehicular traffic, reducing emissions from traffic, meets the needs of the most vulnerable, addresses community concerns related to hurricanes.

What is the short term goal (within 1 yr)? (This might involve education, partner identification and recruiting, obtaining resources, identifying existing public transportation services, identifying interested residents, training people, etc.) 

Meet with: 

• LYNX communications officer about: 

 

• Orange County & City of Orlando Resilience Officers about:

 

 

• County Expressway Authority or FDOT about the Turnpike about:

 

 

What is the intermediate term goal (within 2 years)

Resolve the emergency problems documented in our Hurricane Dorian After Action Report. Speak with Manny Soto (City of Orlando EMS) & Orange Co EMS

 

What is the longterm goal (more than 2 years)?

 

Who attended this Work Group tonight?

Name          Organization or Community

Martha HartgeringUUJF/First Unitarian Church of Orlando  

John Hartgering First Unitarian Church of Orlando

Eric BrownParramore/Callahan     

Jan Booher  UUJF       

 

 

 

Possible dates for Work Group Meetings (specify if on Zoom, in person or a combination):

In February:     a Tue or Thu

 

In March:  ___________________________________

 

In April:    ___________________________________

 

Next Steps

• Martha will contact Resilience Offices in Orange Co and City of Orlando

• Jan will try to find out if a declared disaster changes the communications source for toll roads & buses

• Jan will look for a map identifying clearly federal, state, county & city roads and their standards for roadside vegetation

 

Who reported back for this Work Group?  Eric Brown

 

 

Transportation Work Group Notes - November 26, 2020

The concept reported back was that this Work Group will examine reduction of emissions from traffic, transportation concerns of the elderly and most vulnerable, and transportation concerns related to hurricanes.

 

Notes

• Finding more transportation options that have low emissions

• Obtain large Sprinter vans to transport (But who will drive?)

• People to reach out to:

• County Communications/City Communications

• FDOT (Florida Department of Transportation)

• US Transportation (Communications Division)

• Edward Johnson

 

Resource Needs: 

• Bus schedules: Which buses run in the minority communities?

• More availability to move elderly/disabled to shelters (pets/homeless)

 

People in the Work Group:

Eric Brown

Aretha Simons

 

Person Reporting Back:

Eric Brown

 

 

Transportation Gap and Solution Discussion 

 

 

Actions Taken Since Roundtable 1

 

• Analysis of Survey Results

• Research transportation planning and transportation advocates

 

 

 

Community Leader Comments: 

Public transportation: bus routes that avoid the hub and spoke delays & go directly to grocery stores for people living in food deserts, get solar panels into the hands of the poor; education is needed

 

Retrofits for older homes, especially those owned by senior citizens; Address air quality from diesel truck traffic; Replace ecosystems services from deforestation (ie. investigate solar powered air scrubbers)

 

Retrofits for homes, urban community solar power initiative, regenerative measures to address environmental health issues, vertical gardens, bus shelters w living walls, solar recharging centers for electronic devices when power is out, rooftop gardens

 

Reducing asthma and respiratory issues by reducing emissions, living walls, more green spaces, solar panels at the Community Center, figuring out how to make solar energy affordable in a very low income environment, find out and educate about solar options, more electric cars and buses.

 

Community Meeting Notes:

Downtown Orlando

Transportation

• Half of the group doesn’t have a car

• Residents say they can’t count on public transportation

• Magnolia Towers has private transportation for medical appointments

• The nearest Publix is not in the city. A private bus service takes people to

• Walmart

• Publix

• Target

• TJ Max

• Dollar Tree

• 250

• The bus goes to Mighigan St

• There is a Monday 10am - 1pm drop off

• Westminster on different days than to Colonial

• You have to go away from downtown for many needs. Public Transportation can take you to 

• the shopping strip on Michigan St 

• Social Security Office near the airport

 

• Bus #13 goes straight to the airport, and to the VA

• Bus #3 can be used for shopping

• Bus #15 and #7 are used by Magnolia Towers residents

• Magnolia Towers residents can walk to the movie theater

• There aren’t electric buses yet

 

Parramore/Holden Heights

Traffic Issues

• An example of a building that has greenery that can help with air quality is the New Medical facility on Highland & Orange

• Special events have terrible traffic conjestion with cars idling

The New enter (408 at the ramp toward Tampa)

The downtown campus has student car traffic. They are not bike riders.

• Orange County is growing 1,500 people every 2 weeks. Traffic volume will be increasing.

 

Traffic Emissions Solution: Trees

• Find out the best species for filtering/absorbing/sequestering pollutants

• Near the bus station terminal there is brick with pavement and no greenery and there are a lot of emissions from traffic there

• The community needs more trees. The setbacks are not wide enough for trees on residential lots. For example, on Benson there is only 5 ft of grass from the curb. Trees would block site lines.

• More trees in parks and community centers

• Recreational areas could use more trees to help filter the air. 

• Trees around the lakes: Lake Dot up by Colonial, Carver, and Cherokee

• Identify where more trees can be placed at recreation centers

• Young trees can sequester 13lb of carbon dioxide/yr

• Arbor Day event with free trees of the species with the best air quality improvement

Traffic Emissions Solution: Living Walls

• Under highways on the pillars

• Modular living walls with plants that improve air quality

• See China Green City example in Lizhou

• Government LEED Bronze buildings upgraded to a higher standard incorporating green walls and air filtering plants in their design. New buildings to be LEED Gold or Platinum

 

Mercy Drive 

Traffic Safety and Diesel Emissions: Semi-truck and dump truck traffic, especially at Ferguson and WD Judge is a safety concern, and an emissions and air quality concern. There are 700 truck trips/day associated with the new industrial park.

 

Preliminary Transportation Survey Results

 

What would encourage you to use public transportation?

 

What would encourage you to ride a bike more often?

 

 

 

Transportation Planning and Advocacy Group

 

METROPLAN ORLANDO 

https://metroplanorlando.org/about-us/

• The transportation system affects the experiences of every resident, visitor, and business in Central Florida. Planning done years ago touches us today, and likewise, the planning we do today shapes tomorrow.

• MetroPlan Orlando leads transportation planning efforts in Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties. We coordinate closely with elected officials, industry experts, and the community to shape a future system that offers travel options. As the metropolitan planning organization for Central Florida, we also set priorities and determine how federal and state transportation dollars are spent in the region.

Brochure in English https://metroplanorlando.org/wp-content/uploads/About-MetroPlan-Orlando-Brochure-English.pdf

 

Brochure in Spanish

https://metroplanorlando.org/wp-content/uploads/About-MetroPlan-Orlando-Brochure-Spanish.pdf

 

 

 

Transportation Gaps and Solutions from Hurricane Dorian After Action Report

 

Gaps and potential solutions were discussed on the 9/3/2019 Zoom call and at a post action meeting at Christ the King Episcopal Church on  9/9/2019. A Summary of the Gaps and Solutions appears below.

 

GAPPROPOSED SOLUTION