Yesterday was the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce’s annual State of the City event.  There were a number of interesting initiatives that both the City and the Chamber are attempting that I hadn’t heard about before.  I’ll post more about these once I have a chance to do a bit more research, but from the event yesterday, here is a short list of developments that were of interest:

• The Chamber is trying to form an Enterprise Zone in Anaheim.  They didn’t mention where in the city the Enterprise Zone would be, but I would expect that The Canyon would be the most likely place.
• The Mayor announced an initiative that he is trying to get adopted by the City Council to refund one half of the City’s part of the sales tax on all large purchases of $20,000 or more.  He wants this program to run from February until June, in order to help spur the local economy and encourage large purchases from local businesses.
• The Anaheim Fixed-Guideway Transit Corridor has been renamed Anaheim Rapid Connection (ARC).  Additionally, Anaheim has launched a new website and branding campaign for all of the City’s transportation related projects called A Connext.  This is especially exciting because it shows the City’s understanding that all of our transportation amenities form an interdependent network for people to move around the city.
• Finally, Mayor Pringle talked about the successes of AC-NET over the past year and also mentioned that the City received a $5.8 million grant to help create a smart grid for the City and encouraging the creation of renewable energy for Anaheim.  This is particularly timely for Anaheim 2060 because there is a post on renewable energy scheduled to be posted later today.

Along with the bonds approved by voters in November 2008, Governor Schwarzenegger applied for additional Federal funding made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Proposition 1A made $9 billion available to build the core of the HSR line between Anaheim and San Francisco, via Los Angeles Union Station and Fresno. Prop 1A also made $950 million available for upgrades to other rail lines that will feed the HSR system. The ARRA application is for $4.7 billion, primarily for train facilities at Union Station, Norwalk and ARTIC, as well as right-of-way acquisition and grade separations along the entire length of the track. The ARRA application also include funds for a deep bore tunnel between ARTIC and Fullerton.

Since the approval of Prop 1A, the California High Speed Rail Authority has been conducting the required environmental studies. These studies not only show the impact on nature, but also our communities and the people who live there. Part of these studies includes an examination of multiple alternatives and a cost-benefit analysis of each. The goal of the High Speed Rail Authority is to complete these environmental studies by the end of 2011 and begin construction in 2012.

There were four alternatives for the section of rail line between ARTIC and the Fullerton station. Two of the alternatives have already been rejected. Those two alternatives were to not build this section of rail or to build it on an elevated line. The two alternatives that are still being considered are a deep bore tunnel under the existing right-of-way or to expand the right-of-way that runs just south of East St through The Colony.

While this is not the most contested section of HSR track, it has generated quite a bit of controversy. Cynthia Ward, along with the Anaheim Historical Society, has raised concerns over some of the historic buildings and neighborhoods that will be disrupted by the at-grade proposal. At the same time, the High Speed Rail Blog entirely dismisses their concerns, stating that digging a tunnel will be too costly. The figure they give is that a tunnel is six times more expensive per mile than at-grade construction. While that might be the case when it comes to building the tracks themselves, it does not take into account the cost of land acquisition for the expanded right-of-way or the seven grade crossings that will need to be built between ARTIC and Fullerton.

Unfortunately, the alternatives study does not take the true cost of at-grade construction into account. This is not the only place the alternative studies are lacking. For the section of tracks running up the Central Valley, they are either going to go up the east side or the west side of the Valley. One side has much more valuable farm land than the other, but since it’s all farm land, the alternatives study views the land as being the same cost.

Along with the cost advantages to a tunnel, there are also advantages for both the schedule and the community to digging a tunnel.  It’s possible that many of the properties that would need to be acquired to build the tracks at grade would need to be acquired through eminent domain, which can be a long, slow process. Cynthia Ward has compiled a thorough list of properties that would have to be acquired, although there is obviously no indication of whether the current property owners would be willing sellers or not. Not only would the right-of-way need to be made wider, the biggest impact would likely be to build the grade separations at each of the seven road crossings. High speed trains cannot cross roads the way normal rail roads do.

While the tunnel sounds like a good way forward, there are some challenges to getting it adopted as the prime choice. As has already been discussed, the alternatives study is, at a minimum, incomplete. Secondly, residents on the San Francisco peninsula want a tunnel through Palo Alto and San Jose. However, the situation there is quite a bit different than in Anaheim since the HSR line can be built mostly within existing right-of-ways on the peninsula. To complicate this matter, the Chair of the California High Speed Rail Board is our own Mayor, Curt Pringle. While there are legitimate reasons why a tunnel is an appropriate choice in Anaheim but not on the peninsula, it will be difficult for Mayor Pringle to avoid appearing to play favorites.

Unfortunately, the above ground option was rejected before the public could have a say in the matter. This is exactly the type of issue where it is important to have residents involved early enough in the process where they can make a difference.

The most likely reason the above ground option was rejected is that some people think that elevated rail lines are ugly. While that’s often the case, there are plenty of well designed elevated railways that fit in with the community. One factor that lends itself to an elevated rail in Anaheim is that the existing right-of-way already provides a break between neighborhoods, so the new elevated line wouldn’t be bisecting existing neighborhoods.

Here are some photos from the California High Speed Rail Blog showing well designed, elevated railways:

Thankfully there is a public meeting on January 20th from 5-7pm in the Anaheim Council Chambers. The address is 200 S. Anaheim Blvd. This meeting is set up as an open house, so come by any time you can. However, there will be a brief presentation at 5:30 by the High Speed Rail Authority staff.

Anaheim, and California as a whole, needs to see this High Speed Rail built. It will create jobs and speed the flow of people around the state. Having the station at ARTIC will make it easier for resident from around California enjoy Anaheim’s many tourist attractions.

There are many types of public transit, each type serves a different purpose. Rail, subways and monorails, and buses each serve a different role in the transportation landscape. The different types of transit form something of a chain, where each link connects to the others and, to use a a tired cliche, the entire system is only as strong as its weakest link.

Trains connect metropolitan areas, such as Los Angeles to San Francisco. Subways and monorails link different parts of a metro area, such as Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco. Buses are limited to providing transportation within a neighborhood.

Of course, walkable streets are an important part of public transit as well. Buses cannot drop riders off on the doorstep of their destination. Commuters need to be able to safely walk from a bus stop to their final destination.

Orange County has faced a number of challenges when it comes to public transit. By far, the largest challenge is that buses are inadequate for a large area like Orange County. Instead of focusing on transportation within a neighborhood, as buses should, Orange County’s bus lines are stretched across the county. In effect, Orange County’s buses are filling a dual role of connecting the various parts of the County and providing transit within our neighborhoods. This results in poor service in both roles.

The poor service that OCTA provides results in some accurate criticisms about our transit system. The two prime complaints are that buses don’t go everywhere people want to go and that it takes too long to get those places the buses do go. Because OCTA has developed the wrong type of transit system to serve the County’s needs, many Orange County residents don’t see the utility of spending additional money on our system to improve it. This has lead to a self-reinforcing loop where the system is never upgraded so it doesn’t work well, which leads to residents not wanting to upgrade the system.

Thankfully, we here in Orange County, and Anaheim in particular, have an opportunity to greatly improve our transit system. With the coming of HSR and ARTIC, we’re going to need to build up our supporting transit amenities to fully take advantage of this great investment the state and federal government is making in our community.  For the HSR terminus to be truly useful in Anaheim, we need to have a better bus system and we need to start working on a rail system, such as the monorail that Anaheim is currently studying, to provide efficient connections between the different parts of the county.

The City of Anaheim has been studying whether it should build a transit link between ARTIC and the Anaheim Resort.  The city has commissioned the Anaheim Fixed-Guideway Transit Corridor Study and is well under way with gathering public input.

As the Anaheim Resort continues to grow and expand, it will become necessary to accommodate more visitors into the area.  Over the past few years, the resort has added a number of new destinations, most notably the GardenWalk. Disney is currently renovating Disney’s California Adventure, with the hopeful result being increased park attendance.  The convention Center has been contemplating expansion plans. As the Platinum Triangle develops, more residents will be living in the area. Once ARTIC is built, it will be easier for visitors to get to Anaheim without a car.  These visitors will need a method of transit within the city once they get to the city. With all of this recent and planned expansion of the Resort and Platinum Triangle, it is important for the City to look ahead at its future needs and make its own plans to ensure those needs are met.

Even without these added destinations within the resort, it is already difficult to move around the area without a car. It is not convenient or pleasant to stay at the resort, attend a show at the convention center, have dinner at GardenWalk and then enjoy the Disneyland fireworks. Everything is too spread out, connected by busy streets that are not pedestrian friendly. For the Anaheim Resort to meet its full potential there must be a better way to get around the resort. This Fixed-Guideway Corridor Study intends to find the best way to meet these needs.

The study is currently looking at three different proposals: First, the study looks at a baseline scenario where the city continues its current course.  The second proposal is a low cost alternative that enhances the current transit system and encourages car pooling. The final proposal is the fixed-guideway itself and has a number of alternatives.

The two primary alternatives are between a bus rapid transit system and a monorail or people mover type system. The bus rapid transit system would use exclusive lanes along existing roadways so the buses wouldn’t have to contend with traffic.  This might even include a light priority system so the buses would not have to stop at stoplights.  The monorail system would be just as it sounds, an elevated monorail track that will (mostly) run along existing streets.

There are three different routes the city is looking at for the monorail alternatives.  The first alternative is to run from ARTIC, west along Gene Autry Way, north along Haster Street to Disney Way with a stop between the Pumba parking lot and GardenWalk.  From there it heads south on Harbor Boulevard and terminating either at the convention center or where Disney’s recently approved new parking lot will be (or at Disneyland’s long rumored third gate, if it ever gets built.)

The second proposed route again starts at ARTIC, but this time runs west along Katella Ave. through the center of the Platinum Triangle.  It then goes north along the 5 freeway and runs along the north side of the Pumba lot, at which point it again follows Harbor south to either the convention center of Disney’s new parking lot.

The final route alternative has been referred to as “The Claw” because it forks when it reaches Haster.  The Claw starts at ARTIC, runs west along Gene Autry Way, until Haster. At Haster, one branch goes north to Disney Way and terminates between the Pumba lot and GardenWalk. The other branch runs along the southern edge of the Disney property and terminates at Harbor.

All of these alternatives are still being studied, as well as how they will be funded.  This project is still in its initial phases of design and study, and therefore this is the best time for public input.  In the coming months, the city will be holding a number of meetings to solicit feedback and keep residents informed.

The Anaheim Fixed-Guideway will be a great addition to the city which will allow Anaheim’s primary tax generator to continue to grow. A monorail through the resort will be a large investment for the city, but it will be a better value than spending ever increasing amounts of tax revenue on roads that will produce marginal returns.  Not only that, a monorail will enhance visitors’ experience within the resort by easing their commute within the area and ensuring they can experience all the Anaheim Resort has to offer.

Finally, looking out even further to the long-term future of our city, this monorail will serve as a starting point for a transportation system throughout Anaheim and the County. This expanded transportation system will help us break our dependence on cars and allow our city to continue to grow and prosper without being further strangled by gridlock.

The primary challenge presented to the city because of this rapid growth at the height of the car culture is that Anaheim’s infrastructure is designed around the car. Anaheim is very spread out, without any centers for people to congregate or transit connections between different parts of the city. Many communities have been bisected by freeway construction and continue to be harassed by freeway expansion. There is not a single street or block throughout the city that has not been negatively affected by parking whether it’s a lack of parking caused by over crowding or the creation of sufficient parking that leads to great expanses of asphalt that negatively impacts our community in other ways. Anaheim needs to transition its infrastructure from being car dominated into one that is more walkable, transit oriented and sustainable. While it is easy for some cities to build new infrastructure that’s not completely designed around the car, since they’re not having to change their legacy systems, it will take decades for Anaheim to change and evolve

While these changes will be hard to imagine in a city like Anaheim, we must start our journey down this path if we are to see the city thrive in the decades to come.

A Well Rounded Transit Plan
The first step towards building a more sustainable and closer knit community within Anaheim is to build a multifaceted transit system. This system must provide for multi-modal transit including driving, walking, cycling, and mass transit. Currently, the only way to traverse Anaheim is via car, we need to expand resident’s options without removing the car as one of those options.

The City of Anaheim is already looking at starting this process with the Anaheim Fixed-Guideway Transit Corridor Study. This study looks at building a dedicated bus route or monorail between ARTIC and the Anaheim Resort Area. This is a good start, one that needs to be encouraged and followed through on. But the scope of this study must be expanded to reach other parts of Anaheim. In needs to stretch from the furthest reaches of West Anaheim all the way through The Anaheim Canyon.

In addition to reliable mass transit, the city needs to endeavor to create complete streets that serve to transport cars, pedestrians and cyclists with equal ease and safety. Over time, as the city repaves and reworks roads, new bike lanes need to be installed and these bike lanes need to connect to one another to create a transportation network that allows cyclists to move around the city in safety.

Our pedestrian thoroughfares are the most important part of the city’s transportation network. Today, they are sorely lacking and must be improved.  It is at the pedestrian level that social interaction happens and where communities are formed. In getting more residents walking throughout the city, health will improve, crime will be reduced and an air of sociability will arise in Anaheim. After all, we don’t get the chance to know our neighbors while stuck in traffic.

The Creation of City Centers
Cities and major commercial centers often spring up at transportation crossroads. The urban history of American’s West is largely defined by advances in transportation.

The first major outposts in the West were along the Oregon Trail and other routes west used by settlers in conestoga wagons. As the railways began to crisscross the country, new cities were founded and prospered. Then, as the automobile began to dominate the transportation landscape, we saw two waves of new cities come and go. The first was along the old Routes, such as Route 66. Today, many of the towns along the old routes only survive as tourist destinations catering to people looking for a throwback to an earlier time. The second wave continues to this day as new cities expand along the interstate system.

While this is true on the macro level for whole cities, it is equally true on the micro level within a city. City centers, those places where residents congregate to socialize and shop, occur at the intersections of transportation corridors. Currently, Anaheim has very few, if any, of these types of city centers. It is these types of centers that give cities their energy and economic vitality; and it is these types of centers that must be created within Anaheim.

Anaheim’s transportation infrastructure needs to be designed with these city centers in mind. By properly designing the transportation, city centers will grow organically without the Redevelopment Agency’s heavy hand interfering. As long as proper development incentives are in place, the city’s involvement in these centers should be minor.

Transportation is the foundation for these monumental changes we must see throughout the city if we are to prosper.  Transportation is like the skeleton that everything else will connect to and hang from.  If we can rebuild our transportation infrastructure, many of the other changes to our built environment will come naturally and organically, albeit slowly.