Date: Mon, Mar 12, 2018 at 1:33 PM
Subject: Trips Generated Beyond Commute trips should not be ignored.
To: "City of Cupertino Planning Dept." <planning@cupertino.org>, City Council <citycouncil@cupertino.org>
Subject: Trips Generated Beyond Commute trips should not be ignored.
To: "City of Cupertino Planning Dept." <planning@cupertino.org>, City Council <citycouncil@cupertino.org>
RE: Vallco Shopping District Specific Plan (NOT Vallco Special Area, which doesn't exist in the General Plan)
Dear Vallco Planners,
Traffic generated does not all come from commute trips.
http://traveltrends.transporta
The EIR should take into account the other 80% trips taken by people.
Housing near jobs have not been proven to reduce traffic. If the EIR or any traffic management system want to make such a claim, please provide actual case study from a city with similar transit services and similar demographics.
In fact, recent reports from LA have shown that housing near transit in fact reduce transit ridership because of ineffective transit services there.
Less 10% people live within walking distance to work. Even if they move closer to work initially, they change job or the company change location to expand and their spouse work too. If any claim is made about housing closer to jobs will reduce commute trips, please back it up with data to show the realistic reduction over time.
LA Times reporters did some investiation and found that many people living in transit-rich development still drive to work.
Since
80% of all trips are not used for commuting, your traffic analysis
should take those into account too. Besides 20% trips for commuting,
there are 20% for work-related trips (but not commute, so not during
commute
hours), 20% for personal errands, 20% for social/recreation and the
other 20% for other purposes.
If Vallco Shopping District is developed into an area with substantial retail components, it will fulfill the trips taken by Cupertino area residents for personal errands for shopping, social and recreation. Not only it will generate more sales tax for the City of Cupertino, it will also reduce the trips taken to go to other shopping malls, such as Great Mall, Stanford Mall, Westridge Mall or Valley Fair.
For each residential unit, there are at most one trip per person going out and one trip coming back in the morning. Even if the residential unit is closer to work, it will only reduce the length of two trips per person daily. However, a substantial retail components with vibrant shops and entertainment or gathering space will get visited by thousands of customers or visitors daily. When the retail component is closeby, thousands of trips will be shortened because Vallco will serve these local residents who otherwise have to travel 10 or 20 miles away to get their shopping, retail, entertainment needs met.
Please consider the trip reduction as a result of a substantial retail component at Vallco.
The Retail Strategy Report done for 2014 GPA has a Leakage analysis which showed that a lot of retail dollars went to other cities. These dollars also come with trips to other cities that could be saved or reduced if we have a vibrant shopping mall in Cupertino. (The city has moved the location of the Retail Strategy Report from 2014, so I don't have a current link. Please get a copy from the city to help you analyze the trips that might be reduced from local retail locations.)
Regards,
Liang C
Cupertino Resident
Dear Vallco Planners,
Traffic generated does not all come from commute trips.
http://traveltrends.transporta
The above report is based on data from 2009, but people's needs to take trips for their daily needs do not change much.
It shows that commuting contribute to less than 20% of all trips traveled, which means buses which provide "frequent" services only during rush hours do not serve the need for the other 80% trips needed by residents in TOD with only bus services. When there is no bus or any other alternative, people drive.
When there is not enough parking space, they park on neighborhood streets. This can be seen in any metropolitan area. Taking away people's parking spaces won't reduce their needs to travel by car when no other reliable and efficient option available.
The
other purposes that take up about 20% of all trips are 20% for
work-related trips (but not commute, so not during commute hours), 20%
for personal errands, 20% for social/recreation and the other 20% for
other purposes.It shows that commuting contribute to less than 20% of all trips traveled, which means buses which provide "frequent" services only during rush hours do not serve the need for the other 80% trips needed by residents in TOD with only bus services. When there is no bus or any other alternative, people drive.
When there is not enough parking space, they park on neighborhood streets. This can be seen in any metropolitan area. Taking away people's parking spaces won't reduce their needs to travel by car when no other reliable and efficient option available.
Housing near jobs have not been proven to reduce traffic. If the EIR or any traffic management system want to make such a claim, please provide actual case study from a city with similar transit services and similar demographics.
In fact, recent reports from LA have shown that housing near transit in fact reduce transit ridership because of ineffective transit services there.
"
Passengers on Metropolitan Transportation Authority buses and trains took 397.5 million trips in 2017, a decline of 15% over five years. Metro's workhorse bus system, which carries about three-quarters of the system's passengers, has seen a drop of nearly 21%.
"
Less 10% people live within walking distance to work. Even if they move closer to work initially, they change job or the company change location to expand and their spouse work too. If any claim is made about housing closer to jobs will reduce commute trips, please back it up with data to show the realistic reduction over time.
LA Times reporters did some investiation and found that many people living in transit-rich development still drive to work.
"Near the rails but on the road"
- In Los Angeles alone, billions of public and private dollars have been lavished on transit-oriented projects such as Hollywood & Vine, with more than 20,000 residential units approved within a quarter mile of transit stations between 2001 and 2005.
- But there is little research to back up the rosy predictions. Among the few academic studies of the subject, one that looked at buildings in the Los Angeles area showed that transit-based development successfully weaned relatively few residents from their cars. It also found that, over time, no more people in the buildings studied were taking transit 10 years after a project opened than when it was first built.
If Vallco Shopping District is developed into an area with substantial retail components, it will fulfill the trips taken by Cupertino area residents for personal errands for shopping, social and recreation. Not only it will generate more sales tax for the City of Cupertino, it will also reduce the trips taken to go to other shopping malls, such as Great Mall, Stanford Mall, Westridge Mall or Valley Fair.
For each residential unit, there are at most one trip per person going out and one trip coming back in the morning. Even if the residential unit is closer to work, it will only reduce the length of two trips per person daily. However, a substantial retail components with vibrant shops and entertainment or gathering space will get visited by thousands of customers or visitors daily. When the retail component is closeby, thousands of trips will be shortened because Vallco will serve these local residents who otherwise have to travel 10 or 20 miles away to get their shopping, retail, entertainment needs met.
Please consider the trip reduction as a result of a substantial retail component at Vallco.
The Retail Strategy Report done for 2014 GPA has a Leakage analysis which showed that a lot of retail dollars went to other cities. These dollars also come with trips to other cities that could be saved or reduced if we have a vibrant shopping mall in Cupertino. (The city has moved the location of the Retail Strategy Report from 2014, so I don't have a current link. Please get a copy from the city to help you analyze the trips that might be reduced from local retail locations.)
Regards,
Liang C
Cupertino Resident
---------------------
From: Liang C
Date: Mon, Mar 12, 2018 at 3:19 PM
Subject: Re: Trips Generated Beyond Commute trips should not be ignored.
To: "City of Cupertino Planning Dept." <planning@cupertino.org>, City Council <citycouncil@cupertino.org>
As
you estimate the trips generated for shopping, please also distinguish
the trip patterns between retail in mixed use projects with token retail
space and the trip patterns to a major shopping area with a critical
mass of a variety of shopping, restaurants, and entertainment
experiences.
For example, people tend to spend more time for a trip
to a shopping mall with substantial components, you shop, dine, watch a
movie, everyone in the family purchase something or browse something by visiting multiple stores.
Yet,
if these shops are scattered in token retail in mixed use, a family would have to make multiple trips to individual stores in
multiple locations. Thus, more trips will be generated.
If the family goes to a shopping mall 10 miles away or 20 miles away, more miles traveled.
When
there is not a sufficient concentration of retail shops, families often
have to make multiple trips to find the proper apparel for their family
members or gifts for friends and relatives.
So,
a larger shopping mall with substantial retail component to provide
vibrant and worthwhile experience saves multiple trips traveled. Much
better for the environment and reduce greenhouse gas emission.
Especially in this area where there is literally no transit as an
option.
Commuter trips can be serviced by corporate
buses or car pools due to the regularity of such trips. However, family
errands, trips to visit customers, trips for social and entertainment
purposes are usually more individualized and cannot be serviced by
commuter buses or car pools.
Therefore, for better
environment, we need to place a substantial component with retail,
dining, entertainment, fitness and community gathering at Vallco
Shopping District to be at least 1.2 million square feet to serve the
growing population of Cupertino, Sunnyvale, west San Jose, and Santa
Clara areas. The reduction in miles traveled for such substantial
components comes from not only the reduced distance, but also combined
trips since one trip can serve multiple purposes.
Please take this into consideration in your EIR analysis.
Liang C
Cupertino Resident
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