Crews working for the Architect of the Capitol have winter precipitation removal down to a science.

WASHINGTON As work continued across the U.S. Capitol to negotiate a critical coronavirus relief deal and prepare for a presidential inauguration 35 days away, crews mobilized to clear 14 miles of sidewalks throughout the Capitol complex a mission to keep the area functioning during a week of breakneck work.

The Architect of the Capitol is the federal agency charged with maintaining the grounds through all weather conditions. Its crews are responsible for snow and ice removal across the equivalent of 400 football fields.

A thin coat of snow Wednesday covered the walkways leading to the nearly completed inauguration platform on the West Front of the Capitol, but it was freezing rain and ice that removed much of the small accumulation of powder by nightfall.

Ted Bechtol, Superintendent of U.S. Capitol Grounds, said in a prior interview with WUSA9 that the agency has 500 tons of rock salt at its disposal. The salt is used for road surfaces, while 20 tons of deicer are used for sidewalks and steps.

It generally takes two hours to prepare all equipment for a full snow event, Bechtol said.

There is, in fact, an area of the Capitol that is up to three degrees colder than the rest a patch of ground which may warrant extra attention during inclement winter weather.

The agency identified First Street and Constitution Avenue, N.E. as the coldest spot on the Capitol grounds. Relatively high building heights and mature trees cast the area in shadow for most of the day, decreasing its temperature.

Read more here:
Here's what it takes to clear snow from the U.S. Capitol grounds and inauguration area - WUSA9.com

With the first big snowstorm of the season in the forecast for Central Pennsylvania later this week, U.S. Postal Service officials are reminding residents to keep their mailboxes, steps, and sidewalks clear so letter carriers can deliver their mail safely.

The Postal Service is asking customers to help keep their letter carrier safe this winter through the following actions:

Residents who receive delivery to roadside mailboxes also must keep the approach to, and exit from, the mailbox clear of snow or any other obstacles, like trash cans and other vehicles, the USPS said. The carrier needs to get in, and then out, without leaving the vehicle or backing up.

Customers with questions or comments about their mail service can call toll-free 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777).

Read this article:
As winter storm approaches, USPS reminds residents to keep their mailboxes, sidewalks and steps clear of snow - FOX43.com

Now that winter is starting to bite and New Years resolutions have us thinking about changing behaviors, perhaps youve considered living in a more watershed-friendly (environmentally conscious) way. Great idea! Keep in mind, changing behaviors requires a some refocusing and a little extra effort, but the results can be big!

Something as seemingly simple as how you de-ice your walkways can make a positive impact on water quality. Road salt (typically rock salt) used during winter storms is the major non-point source pollutant found in the streams flowing through Great Swamp and into the Passaic River. Our water quality testing data year-over-year shows that, although exclusively applied in winter, salts impact on waterways lingers throughout the rest of the year. Every rainstorm flushes salt from road edges into streams.

Why is salt such an issue?

Sign Up for Nutley Newsletter

Our newsletter delivers the local news that you can trust.

You have successfully signed up for the TAPinto Nutley Newsletter.

Road salt doesnt easily go away! It melts snow and ice which is what we hope to accomplish. But it then dissolves and soaks into the ground. It moves through the water table and into streams. Snowmeltrunoffcan actually contain more than 10,000 mg of chloride per liter. Thats like putting two teaspoons of salt into a small container the size of an orange juice carton. Whod want to drink that?!

Unless salts are washed down below root level, soil salinity can stunt plant growth, brown leaves, weaken and even kill off all but the hardiest plants, including some of New Jerseys most beautiful native wildflowers. As a result, invasive, salt-resistant species are likelier to grow in their place.

Road salt can also be highly toxic for aquatic life. As saltconcentrationsincrease in freshwater streams, sensitive species cannot survive the waves of salty runoff. Animals are also affected. Salt treated roads often attract animals. Mammals such as deer lick at road salt, presenting a road hazard. Seed-eating birds may or may not be able to distinguish between salt crystals and seed particles.

For a relatively small state, New Jersey uses a lot of road salt. According to New Jerseys Department of Transportationwebsite, more than 280,000 gallons of salt were applied for winter 2018 2019 along with 600,000 plus gallons of liquid calcium chloride and almost 2 million gallons of brine.

What can a thoughtful homeowner do to reduce salts impact while keeping paths slip free?

If you are able, get out there with an ice chopper and a shovel. And get the family in on the act. Youll burn some calories using physical instead of chemical removal methods. For increased traction, scatter kitty litter, wood ashes or sand. The darker colors also absorb heat and help to melt snow and ice.

Pet-friendly Solutions

Rock salt (aka ice melt) can burn our pets paws causing them extreme pain. Plus, we all know how much dogs love to lick salt. Consuming rock salt can lead to serious internal injuries including burning of the mouth and digestive tract, and seizures. It can also cause severe dehydration, liver failure, and pancreatitis. It can even be fatal.Some foods and household items are environmentally safealternativesfor melting ice, and are often more pet-friendly than rock salt and chemicals. Here are a few:

Whitevinegar and deicer Mix 3 cups white vinegar with 1 cup window deicer in a spray bottle to help deice windshields.

Brine its not just for turkeys anymore! Brine is a valuable rock salt alternative because it uses only one-tenth the amount of sodium chloride. Its a treatment applied before the snow begins. Spreading a thin layer of this salty liquid on the surface prevents ice from forming or snow from sticking. Brine can be applied up to three days in advance. Make your own brine solution by creating a 10% solution of regular table salt, dissolved in warm water and then placed in a sprayer- a small hand sprayer for steps and sidewalks will suffice. Note, it can be ineffective if it is too cold outside.

Potato juice, a byproduct of vodka distillation, is effective when mixed with traditional salt brine.

Store-bought Solutions

Calcium Chloridecan harm plants in high concentrations and is three times more expensive than rock salt, though it only requires one-third the application rate.

Magnesium Chlorideis less toxic than rock salt. It contains less chloride than rock salt or calcium chloride and is therefore safer for plants and animals. It can be tricky to locate in stores and does not store well over New Jerseys humid summers. Store it wisely!

Calcium Magnesium Acetate (CMA)is the best overall choice for melting ice safely. It is less toxic than deicers with chloride and is pet friendly; however, it is the most expensive alternative.

So, when the forecast calls for wintry weather, you can now be prepared to take on that snow and ice while protecting your pets and the water quality in and around the Passaic River.

Follow the Great Swamp Watershed Alliance@Greatswampnj on Twitter,@Greatswampnj on Instagram and@GreatSwamp on Facebook. Visit them online atgreatswamp.org.

See the original post:
Watershed Friendly Living Snow and Ice Removal - TAPinto.net

While some very positive steps have been taken over the past year in addressing the severe housing crisis that has plagued the San Diego region, the reality is we still have a long way to go.

Today, due largely to a decades-long backlog of new housing being built (our regional housing deficit is more than 50,000 homes) the median home price in San Diego County just set a new record: $650,000. Needless to say, its a number that moves steadily further and further away from the reach of working families. And for those who cant buy, renting continues to be a financial struggle, with rents rising to an average of $1,850 a month.

Thats the (very) bad news.

The good news is were finally, with policy changes and increased attention from residents, starting to address this shortage in meaningful ways.

On the table are many new housing projects throughout the region, as well as community plan updates that embrace more housing units, ensuring that development will happen where it makes the most sense and creating a viable opportunity for young families to stay in San Diego. Included among some proposed projects are three that would repurpose golf courses. All three are in the citys urbanized areas, close to public transit, meet the goals laid out in the city of San Diegos Climate Action Plan, and include attainably priced and low-income housing options.

In Mission Valley, the Riverwalk Golf course is slated to be transformed into a vibrant live-work-play village and features 97 acres of parks, open space and trails as well as a restored stretch of the San Diego River and expansion of the San Diego River Trail. Riverwalk San Diego, which was unanimously approved by the San Diego City Council in November, reimagines 200 acres of private land that has been planned for development since the 1980s. The village, which will be phased in over the next 15 to 20 years, will include up to 4,300 homes (approximately 430 of which will be set aside for low-income qualified residents), neighborhood-serving shops and restaurants, and 1 million square feet of office space. The village will also include a new light-rail station along the San Diego Trolleys green line to connect residents to job centers in downtown San Diego and other parts of Mission Valley, as well as UTC/Torrey Pines on the soon-to-be-completed Mid-Coast Trolley line.

On the former Carmel Mountain Ranch Golf Course, another 1,200 homes are being proposed, with nearly 70 percent of the property, over 100 acres, to remain as protected open space. Based on significant public input, the Trails, as the project is being called, will adaptively reuse the former golf cart path to create over six miles of public pedestrian walkways winding through the entire community. Nine acres of new neighborhood parks are proposed, preserving the greenery that was represented by the previous golf course. The project, which will include 120 deed-restricted affordable homes, is within walking distance to an area transit center where residents can catch the Rapid bus that goes along the I-15 connecting to downtown San Diego and other employment centers. There are also over 40,000 jobs within a three-mile radius of the Trails, which allows employees to live close to work and supports the Climate Action Plan. The Trails is expected to go before the San Diego City Council sometime next year.

In Rancho Peasquitos, on what was the Carmel Highland Golf Course, about 500 homes are being proposed exclusively for seniors 15 percent of which will be priced for those with low incomes. The Junipers, as it is known, will also feature a new public park, basketball and pickleball courts, a dog park and a mobility zone for improved pedestrian and bicycle circulation. The San Diego City Council is expected to consider the project early next year.

Repurposing out-of-use golf courses into desperately needed housing is a smart, appropriate move. Land and water are difficult to identify in areas that have close proximity to jobs and transit, and golf courses are generally located within communities that can readily accept more housing. Further, as we continue to recognize the impact of scarce resources, namely water, on our future community planning it only make sense that resource-heavy golf courses find a reimagined role in addressing our housing crisis.

As we are seeing in Mission Valley, Carmel Mountain Ranch, and Rancho Peasquitos, urban golf courses provide the perfect opportunity for San Diego to make progress toward reaching our housing goals in a responsible, transit- and environmentally friendly way.

Marissa Tucker-Borquez is president of YIMBY Democrats of San Diego County and is studying for a masters degree in urban planning at SDSU. Stefanie Benvenuto is vice president of public affairs for the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Read the original post:
Where Golf Has Run Its Course, Much-Needed Housing Is in the Works - Voice of San Diego

The look and feel of our city centres could be about to change significantly, after people took the opportunity this year to flock to the nature on their doorstep however scrubby it might be as never before.

The Covid-propelled flight into wildlife has accelerated a change in attitude to nature that was already occurring and could profoundly change the make-up of urban areas in the next decade.

Green Shoots: i's Guide to Helping the Planet in your Everyday Life

According to Craig Bennett, head of the Wildlife Trusts, the conservation movement is being radically reshaped as the century-old focus on honey pot sites of great natural beauty often in a far and distant land is switching to the more modest wildlife near our houses.

Only a decade ago, when Bennett was at Friends of the Earth, people thought that letting the grass grow long on roadside verges was madness, he recalls.

But in recent years, helped by campaigns and scientific research extolling the benefits of biodiversity for nature and our mental health, people are coming around strongly to the idea that messy is good.

This conversion has prompted a growing interest in rewilding essentially, letting nature take its course from the environmental fringes towards the mainstream.

While the first rewilding schemes took place in the depths of the countryside, milder forms are starting to crop up in urban areas.

More recently, Covid has hugely increased the publics appreciation of nature as they sought solace in green space when restrictions often left them with little else to do.

And because they couldnt travel easily, they focused on that park they may have overlooked for years even though it was just down the road.

The result is an increased interest in local, rewilded, nature, however low-key, according toBennett.

Thousands of UK households took part in No Mow May this year, letting their lawns grow wild, while the Royal Entomological Society reported record numbers of enquiries from people in the UK and overseas over the summer about insects they had spotted.

Meanwhile, in the US, 26 per cent of people visiting parks and natural areas in the early months of the pandemic had rarely and often never been in nature in the previous year, according to a study published in the journal Plos One last week.

Against this backdrop, it is perhaps not surprising that an ambitious proposal to rewild Nottingham city centre, made this month by the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, received a lot of attention and the city council is seriously considering it.

We have seen a real change in the zeitgeist in the British public in the past 10 years people are starting to understand now that messy is good. Its good for wildlife and it makes you feel more connected to nature, says Bennett.

There is a big reframing of the conservation movement from the way its been for the past 100 years. Nature is often talked about as though its distant and sometimes even foreign, such as rainforests, and as a result thousands of people charge to those kind of honey pot sites every year.

Now, people are getting excited about local nature, where they live or can walk or cycle to. People are starting to celebrate and understand, not perhaps the most spectacular nature, but the nature close to where they are. I think thats a definite shift, and that then leads to that massive interest in urban rewilding.

Mr Bennett expects this new-found love of local, messy nature to transform the look of UK city centres and other urban spaces in the coming years.

There is a move towards having big areas of rewilding in the country, but also having rewilding around our towns and cities. There is a lot of excitement about what it could look like in 10 or 15 years we could fundamentally change what it looks like to travel round this country, he says.

People are very excited about this change. I think its the one that can surprise us over the next decade about just how much progress we can make on it.

Only 10 years ago, when campaigners talked about allowing roadside verges to grow a little bit wild or putting wildflowers into public spaces, people thought we were mad. It was absolutely normal at the time to see manicured lawns absolutely everywhere. These days, people get it when they see roadside verges that have been left to grow wild.

And wild areas in our towns and cities are incredibly popular among members of the public.

The publics personal love of nature notwithstanding, arguably an even more significant development in recent years concerns money.

It wasnt so long ago that it was environment versus economy, says Bennett. Youre not hearing that now.

Whats great about that Nottingham rewilding story is that local business, the council and the people are saying it will be good for their local economy the idea that we need to rewild parts of Nottingham city centre because we need good-qualitygreen space to make it an attractive place to live and work and for people to invest.

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust has challenged the city of Nottingham to rewild the site of Broadmarsh shopping centre once its demolition is completed.

It has reimagined the space transformed with wildlife habitats reflecting the sites history as a wetland alongside the ancient course of the River Leen and long-lostgardens.

The vision for the site includes accessible walkways based on a centuries-old city street plan to reconnect key parts of the city.

It hopes this could help to reconnect the city to Sherwood Forest and invoke the spirit of Robin Hood bringing wildlife to nature-poor city dwellers and the millions of visitors it attracts. The council is considering the proposal, along with others for the Broadmarsh site.

The River Sherbourne might run through Coventry, but it is mostly culverted and almost forgotten. Warwickshire Wildlife Trusts new project aims to reconnect people who live in the city with the river and restore it for wildlife. In the city centre, the lid will be taken off a section of the culverted river, which will also be brought to the surface in other ways, through virtual reality, listening posts, glass floors and a blue line marking the route it takes beneath the feet of passers-by.

Meanwhile, the Government will be guilty of speaking a lot of hot air on climate change if it fails to produce a detailed action plan to hit its emissions targets by the time it hosts the crucial COP26 global warming summit next December, Bennett warned.

The UK is on course to miss its various climate change targets and lacks the policies needed, he says.

Last month, the Government announced a 10-point green revolution plan. This included pledges to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol cars by 2030, to quadruple offshore wind power within a decade and to boost hydrogen production.

A 165-page White Paper published this week adds further proposals.

However, there is still no detailed analysis laying out the specific measures that need to be taken to meet our carbon goals and showing how much they add up to achieve them, Bennett says.

Meanwhile, an in-depth analysis of the White Paper by the Carbon Brief climate science and policy website concluded: Even with the wealth of additional detail in the White Paper, there remains a significant gap between proposed emissions cuts and those required under the UKs climate targets.

Mr Bennett said: If we were hosting the Olympics in 2030, youd expect us to have a clear plan of how wed deliver it, with Gantt charts, project plans and milestones through to delivery.

We need exactly the same way of delivering on these climate targets, and, despite all the good talk, at the moment we dont have that detailed plan.

We surely need that to be in place, adopted as policy by the Government and supported by Parliament, before we host COP26. Without it, those targets will prove to be a lot of hot air.

COP26 has been billed as a crucial summit for international leaders to agree how to limit global warming to the Paris Agreement target of1.5C.

A Government spokesman said: This is nonsense. Building on the Prime Ministers ambitious 10-point plan, the energy White Paper sets out specific steps we take to fully decarbonise our electricity system and slash emissions from industry, transport and buildings as we transition to net-zero [for electricity] by 2025.

This is part of a suite of bold plans across key sectors of the economy which the government will be publishing in the run up to COP26, culminating with a comprehensive Net Zero Strategy.

More:
Covid pandemic prompts a surge in appreciation for local nature and rewilding cities - iNews

Mumbais transportation scenario has traditionally been an intriguing jigsaw. The city has among the highest share of public transport usage in the world, with over 45% of commuters using the citys elaborate suburban rail network andBEST(Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport) buses (MCGM2016). At the same time, Mumbai is also recognised as one among the top congested cities in the world. A study calculated that vehicle drivers spent about 65% of their time stuck in congestion and the average traffic speed during peak hours was just 18.5 kilometres per hour (kmph) (TomTom.com 2019). The city also accounts for over 400 road fatalities each year (Natu 2020). These are often attributed to the capacity constraints of public transport and infrastructural deficiencies failing to adequately fulfil the mobility needs of over 20 crore residents of the metropolis (GoI2011). While these factors are often examined through numerous studies both in academic and policy spheres, there appears to be an acute under-examination of the first- and last-mile journeys of commuters using public transport, particularly the suburban rail network and its impact on the citys transportation woes and commuter experience.

The local railway network lives up to its moniker of being the citys lifeline by transporting over 7.5 million passengers daily under extreme resource constraints (ADB2019). However, unlike the metro, an integrated first/last mile connectivity (LMC)1plan with the network is conspicuously absent at the moment. The shutting of the network because of theCOVID-19 outbreak provided a rare opportunity for the citys suburban rail planners to consider integrating theLMCcomponent in its planning with a focus on promoting sustainable modes of urban transport and enhancing commuter experience.

With the rapid expansion of metro networks across the country,LMCis gaining due attention in the role it plays in consolidating advantages of public transport alongside promoting sustainable transportation goals. The Government of Indias (GoI) Metro Policy, 2017 clearly outlines its vision onLMCin the metro system. Even in Mumbai, the focus is firmly on integratingLMCin the metro corridors.

StructuredLMCplanning could play a helpful role in limiting congestion, improving safety conditions and thereby overall commuter experience. Various options can be utilised for promoting safe pedestrian movement, shared mobility, proliferation of electric vehicles and bike sharing.LMCcould play a vital role in the twin pursuits of retaining and augmenting the sustainability gains from public transport and improving commuter experience.

Therefore, this paper engages with the subject ofLMCby furnishing an overview of the current state ofLMCfor rail passengers with the help of a survey and further assessing the importance ofLMCto suburban rail networks. Based on the discussion we also propose a way forward in integratingLMCplanning with the rail network.

Urban Transport in the Indian Context

India is undergoing rapid urbanisation and 60% of its population is expected to live in urban areas by 2050 (PTI2016). Transport is said to be the lifeblood of urban centres and thus demands futuristic planning. Under the Constitution, urban transport is included in urban development and finds a place in the state list as per the Seventh Schedule. The responsibility of urban transport planning is diffused through at least four ministries: housing and urban affairs; railways; road, transport and highways; and home affairs. As a result, the subject is often claimed to be an institutional orphan (IIHS2015).

The management and operation of urban transport also varies across Indian cities. For instance, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) which operates local buses in Bengaluru is a state government undertaking. In Mumbai, buses are operated by theBESTwhich is an autonomous body under the municipal corporation. The suburban rail services in select cities such as Mumbai are operated by different railway zones through their divisions. These zones are governed by the Ministry of Railways while the metro projects are under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Another serious problem is that limited authority is delegated at the local city level making the city administrations ill-equipped to undertake efficient planning (IIHS2015). Therefore, while the central government mandates the use of public transport, the state governments promote flyovers and bridges and the independent city development agency (wherever exists) functions without any proper policy planning (Vaidyanathan et al 2013).

Public Transport and LMC

Reports have indicated that an increase in the use of public transport could reduce growth of private vehicles and enhance road safety in general (Mohan and Tiwari 2016). A bus has a passenger car unit (PCU) of four, while a car has one. This means a bus occupies the same space of four cars when in traffic. However, a car can carry a maximum of five people, whereas buses on an average carry 50 people (Mardani et al 2015). Hence, with a four times increase in space, occupancy is increased by almost 15 times. In other words, 50 people can travel in a space occupied by only 20 people if travelling in a car, an increase of 150%. For the reduction to work, public transport has to be made an attractive option. Studies point out a few measures that can be undertaken to improve the adoption of public transport. Important among them are lowering the commuting distance in accessing public transport, making it accessible and comfortable to all sections of population such as the elderly, women, children and persons with disability, ensuring that it is affordable even to the lowest income group, and improving the quality of pedestrian and bicycle environments (Mohan and Tiwari 2016).

While experts rightly assert the importance of mass rapid transit systems (MRTS) and overall greater usage of public transport, the aspect of access and egress from public transport nodes is yet to receive the requisite attention (WRI2016; Mohan and Tiwari 2016). For instance, in the case of the Mumbai local, any further addition to this walking distance could be viewed unfavourably due to time consideration. Therefore, accessibility is seen as a key parameter to make public transport an attractive choice (Mohan and Tiwari 2016). Another dimension of accessibility is the distance to access rail or metro stations from residence or workplace. The relatively successful Delhi Metro has about 56% population living beyond one kilometre (km) from the station, while for Mumbais 11.4 km metro, this population is about 91% (Devulapalli and Howindialives2019).

Institutional Structure for LMC

Similar to the presence of multiple agencies in planning, theLMCservices are regulated by different agencies as well. Entities like taxis and rickshaws are typically governed by the state transport departments. Likewise, creating pathways for cycling and walking come under the municipal corporation, while lighting for the pathway is by the electricity service provider. A case in point is the Tansa cycle track project undertaken by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Despite the courts getting involved, the project is still in limbo and is facing multiple issues of encroachments (Thakkar 2019). Clearly, the issue of lack of coordination, with each institution forming its own rules and procedures, eventually hinders the execution of even well-intentioned policies (Vaidyanathan et al 2013).

Mumbai Scenario

Unlike most Indian cities, Mumbais urban mobility paradigm has been actively shaped since 2002 by the World Bankfunded Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP). As per the World Banks (2016) project performance assessment report, two phases of theMUTPhave been implemented with an expenditure of over`9,800, while the third phase is being implemented. These were primarily aimed at augmenting the carrying capacity of the citys suburban rail system during peak hours by financing eight and 12 car rakes and increasing the frequency of trips. However, despite modest improvements in the carrying capacity, the modal share of suburban rail has witnessed a continuous decrease in recent years. Between 2005 and 2014, the share of suburban rail in the total number of daily trips in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) decreased from 51.8% to 40.6%, while the share of private vehicles and paratransit have each doubled (MCGM2016). Lack of capacity and inefficiencies in public transport may be a significant cause, but the role of insufficient last- and first-mile connectivity needs greater examination in research and policy circles.

Improving connectivity to suburban rail networks also received insufficient attention under theMUTP. For instance, only two pedestrian-related projects were implemented under theMUTP-I, while others were dropped due to restructuring of loans (World Bank 2016). Similarly, theBMCallocated`50 crore for pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, whereas roads were allocated`1,600 crore, reflecting how planning for last mile commutes has evoked insufficient concern (Singh 2020).

Methodology

The objective of our study is to understand the last-mile commute patterns of suburban commuters in Mumbai, assess their preferences about less-patronised options and present a road map for comprehensiveLMCplanning for Mumbais railway stations.2Since the Ministry of Urban and Housing Affairs has mandated planning forLMCto be integrated with urban commuting, railways in Mumbai may also consider planning in this regard (GoI2017). Hence, this study focused on determining the current available options for railway commuters inLMCand their preferences that could potentially set up further in-depth study.

Many publicly available reports such as the Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Greater Mumbai present an overall modal share of trips (MCGM2016). According to this, 61.2% prefer public transport, 26.4% prefer private vehicles and 12.4% prefer intermediate public transport (IPT). However, most reports do not provideLMC-specific data points such as theLMCmode share or time and distance parameters in the last mile.

A study on non-motorised transport (NMT) for last mile-connectivity from Delhi Metro stations conducted by Chidambara (2016) focused on collecting information from the commuters themselves on the choice and preference of mode of transport to let the voice of commuters be known in a bottom-up approach. A similar method was ascertained to be a good fit for this study.

The other method evaluated was the case-study method. This would have entailed choosing certain stations and catchment areas surrounding it and conducting studies around that case. While this would have yielded insights on few chosen sites, it may not have fulfilled the objective of this study, namely, to explore and provide a case for railways to integrateLMCplanning (Chidambara 2019). Hence, the former survey option was preferred.

Accordingly, a survey questionnaire was designed to be administered randomly among rail commuters. However, theCOVID-19 pandemic lockdown meant that the survey had to be moved online. The survey was administered to likely rail commuters who were approached through the authors circles. Respondents were restricted to Central Railway commuters. Since the mode was online and needed to reach a large number, only basic demographic details were collected. Research has shown that with more numbers of survey fields, the response rate reduces. For instance, in surveys, a 22-field form elicits an average of 14% response rate (Byers 2016). With this in mind, the form was restricted to only 12 fields. Another factor affecting response rate could also be the reluctance in sharing personal details with unknown entities. Hence, only gender and age details were collected, thus keeping the data anonymous and focused on details related to functional aspects of the study.

Besides, mindful of the limitations of our approach, we focused on the study as an exploratory one, to understand the potential ofLMCplanning with railways. Therefore, a greater emphasis was laid on the aspects of data collection such as stations used for commute, mode, time and distance of last-mile commute, time and distance taken to reach the mode, and influencing factors behind commuters decision on mode of transport. These data points would provide useful insights on the case for planning.

Survey Findings

The survey contained 12 questions including demographic identifiers, rail station used in travel to destination, distance, time and cost of travel to destination from station, modes of transport used to reach their destination and possibility of adopting a newer sustainable mode of transport. Each question captured details of both the destinations. About 1,300 valid responses were received. Eighty-six percent of those surveyed indicated that they used the same mode ofLMCto the workplace and home, indicating a high degree of regularity inLMCusage and data validation. The results from the survey have been outlined below.

User characteristics:The users are typically commuters of the Central Railway. Either offices or residences or both are accessible by suburban rail. Among the users, the age break-up is as follows: 18% were 2130 years; 34.5% were 3140 years; 25.9% were 4150 years; and 20.8% were 5160 years. Of the respondents, 69.1% were male, 30.7% were female and 0.02% identified as third gender.

Station exit data:Due toCOVID-19, physical data collection as well as choosing railway stations to sample was not possible. However, with the online format, respondents were asked to fill in these details manually. Data was filtered to identify those stations that had a minimum of 20 mentions for both categories. Based on this, the common stations with high traffic share in both datasets could be potential sites to pilot any futureLMCmodes.

Station exit to workplace:A total of 17 stations were filtered out based on the above condition. Dadar (western and central lines), Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT), Kalyan and Thane carry the highest share of exits towards workplaces (>5%). Ambarnath, Badlapur, Nerul, Dombivli, Ghatkopar, Kurla, Mulund and Tilaknagar see the next highest share of exits (2.5%5%) (Figure 2, p 41).

Station exit to residence:Similarly, exits at stations to residence were filtered under the same condition as above and 16 stations satisfied this condition. Here, a clear winner in terms of share appears to be Kalyan station (~15%), indicating that a majority of respondents are residents who are connected to the suburban system through Kalyan station. Badlapur also sees a significant amount of exits to residences (8%). The rest form less than 5% (Figure 1, p 41).

Comparing both the data sets, it could be noted that 10 stations are common in both the lists. This indicates that these stations see high traffic in both directions (to the workplace and to residence).

Status of LMC at Local Stations

Operationally, the Mumbai suburban rail network and its over 110 suburban stations are managed by two different zones of Indian Railway, namely, Central Railway and Western Railway.

The modes utilised forLMCtravel at suburban stations could be categorised as: (i) non-motorised modes (NMTs) such as walking, cycling and bicycle rentals; (ii) intermediate public transport (IPTs) such as autorickshaws and taxis; (iii) shared-ride services (shared taxis, shared autorickshaws); (iv) app-based services (taxis, cabs, buses, scooters); and (iv) private vehicles (cars, two-wheelers).

According to our survey, the share of each of these modes among respondents in travelling to workplace and to residence is given in Table 1.

It is reported that about 60% of the public transport journeys necessarily start and end as walk trips (MCGM2016). Table 1 shows a similar trend with about 48% and 24.3% commuters of the railway network walking to their workplace and residence respectively after their egress from local train stations. However, most stations are marked by the absence of walkways and adequate passenger dispersal systems to handle the high volumes of people exiting the platforms. Further, a World Bank study pointed out that traffic congestion in most Indian cities including Mumbai is due to uncongested mobility, which refers to the speed that vehicles can reach after navigating pedestrians, stray dogs and cattle (Akbar et al 2018). Therefore, ironically pedestrians also contribute to the congestion, while also endangering their own lives.

Other popular forms such as autorickshaws, taxis and, increasingly, app-based cabs form a chunk of feeder services. Our survey also indicates that over 53% of those surveyed use autorickshaws and taxis heading to their residences. It is common knowledge that these journeys are often characterised by frequent haggling, illegal denying of service to passengers, overcharging and chaotic crowding near station exits. To obviate this, some stations have earmarked space for taxi unions in liaison with regional transport office (RTO) authorities but the experiences are no better.

ThoughBESTbuses are an affordable and sustainableLMCoption for suburban stations across Mumbai, only 38%BESTbuses are used to access the suburban stations (WRI2016). This is a significant fall since 1999, when this share was as high as 59% (Singh et al 2019). Our survey also points to a dismal share ofBESTbuses being used asLMCmodes from suburban rail stations. Only about 7% use it to reach their residences and 6% use it to reach the workplace. The reasons for this decline are attributed to the low frequency ofBESTbuses at many stations (Singh et al 2019). Also, as a result of congested roads around station exits, it can take up to 45 minutes for buses to enter and exit, leading to their low patronage (WRI2016).

Our survey also indicates sizeable usage of private vehicles with 12.3% and 17.8% of commuters using their two/four wheelers while heading to their workplaces and residences respectively. Private vehicles per 1,000 persons is growing at 6.46% compound annual growth rate (MCGM2016). This growth is reflective of the preference of the public to use such options in the existing scenarios. Both the Central and Western Railway have awarded licences to intermediaries for development of pay and park sites on railway land. Data from tenders issued shows such a facility is available at a total of 69 stations, allowing passengers to park their two wheelers and cars on hourly as well as monthly basis. The licence fee from such contracts is a closely monitored source of revenue as well.

Another interesting insight from the survey is with regard to the distance between the station exit and availability of at least one of theLMCoptions.

Table 2 indicates that around 50% of the commuters walk for around 1 km3 km from the station exit to take one of theLMCoptions while travelling to their residence. Similarly, around 24% walk around 1 km3 km while travelling to the workplace. Railway premises generally necessitate an average walk around 200300 metres in order to reach the exit gate from the point of alighting (WRI2016). Needing to cover more distance to access a mode of transport for the last mile may be a major inconvenience, especially for differently-abled and elderly commuters.

In recent times, small but significant strides are being made in the direction of expandingLMCoptions. In a bid to promote shared mobility and ease commuter experience, many stations have allotted space to app-based aggregators. There is also a growing focus on providing sustainable modes of transport. For instance, the Bengaluru Railway Division partnered with a dock-less scooter company to deploy around 698 scooters at 13 railway stations (Lalitha 2019). Similarly, data from tenders issued shows that the Mumbai division of the Central Railway also awarded a tender to an app-based bus aggregator to provide last-mile connectivity from two of its prime stations, namely Kurla and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). Space has also been earmarked for deployment of electric three wheelers at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT).

While these are all steps in the right direction,LMCplanning at stations should be proactive in anticipating the demand, as well as broad based by linking with other public transport such as metros and buses.

Last-mile connectivity is particularly critical in the Indian context because of the way our urban centres have grown. Most of our major cities are a case of transit adjacent development (TAD) instead of transit oriented development (TOD) (Rangwala et al 2014).3,4As a result, public transport hubs and residences/workplace are often distant and lack connectivity. This aspect was brought out in our survey as well.

We found that 67% and 54% of surveys participants have their residence and workplace located beyond a 2 km distance from the station respectively (Table 3). Timewise, we found that 42.1% take more than 20 minutes to travel from residence to station which again points to the criticality of access to stations and its prospective role in choice of mode of transport (Table 4).

Another reason why public transport should actively plan forLMCoptions available from their premises is that the use of pollutingLMCmodes is likely to offset the environmental and congestion related gains of the public transport system (Mohan and Tiwari 2016). While the ridership on public transport is around 10 million each day, the lack ofLMCresults in millions opting for polluting modes of transport, which is also reflected, in part, in the increased usage ofIPTand private vehicles (MCGM2016).

Lack of end-to-end connectivity disproportionately impacts the most vulnerable users of public transport such as thedifferently-abled, elderly, women, and those with debilitating medical conditions. This restriction in mobility may adversely impact their participation in economic, social and cultural arenas. It is estimated that about one-third commuters are women and a study points out that women tend to rely on walking more than men and are often subjected to some form of harassment (Bhide et al 2016).

Finally, the growing notion of mobility as a service necessitates that public transport systems promote multi-modal integration to provide a seamless transit for commuters and lack ofLMCadversely affects the overall experience.

Way Forward

It is clear that there is a strong case for railway authorities to undertake proactive and comprehensiveLMCplanning for Mumbais suburban stations. A wide network of easily accessibleLMCoptions will also help in decongesting station premises by promoting smooth and speedy transit of passengers.

Railway must look to promote sustainable and futuristic options forLMC. The presence of over 100 suburban stations across the length of Mumbai will help it emerge as a springboard for sustainable urban transport for the entire city. A broad principle may be to prioritise non-motorised as well as shared-mobility options, especially electric and public transport (BESTand metro), over personal vehicles and conventional autos and taxis.

LMCplanning must be premised on the comprehensive examination of travel patterns at individual stations and commuters preferences. For instance, there is a huge disparity in theLMCchoices for workplaces and residences as reflected in our survey result (Table 1). Further, with change in travel behaviour anticipated in postCOVID-19 times,NMToptions such as walking and cycling are expected to gain traction, making it an opportune time to promote awareness of these modes through various nudging strategies. StructuringLMCoptions in tune with the commuter needs at stations will help in easing adoption of desiredLMCoptions.

Walking:To promote walking as a safe option forLMC, weather-protected pedestrian facilities within and outside railway premises need to be expediently ramped up in close coordination with the civic authorities. Pedestrians should be able to transit to the metro station orBESTbus stop easily and safely. As over 60% commuters walk for their last-mile commute, identifying the key destinations/sources and facilitating clear walkways will also ensure the safety of pedestrians (MCGM2016). Many countries across the world have used proliferation of pedestrian infrastructure to promote walkable linkages to public transport hubs. For instance, in Hong Kong, pedestrian corridors provide direct access to stations from the surrounding buildings to millions of residents, who can commute hassle free often even amidst heavy rainstorms and typhoons (Leong 2016).

In Mumbai, an attempt was made to work on this aspect in 2008. The state government and municipal agencies took up the project to construct skywalks from stations to the main arterial roads and to reduce the station congestion. Certain stations such as Bandra and Santa Cruz were chosen as sites for this project. Bandra was chosen to connect the station to the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and Santa Cruz to connect to the Western Express Highway. However, issues such as lack of exits, inadequate security, encroachment by hawkers and wrong alignments have been cited as reasons for extreme underutilisation of these skywalks (Koppikar 2016).

Cycling:Our survey shows that about 60% of people using suburban rail have their workplace or residence within a 5 km radius and travel for about 20 minutes from the station (Tables 3 and 4). Given this, local stations are ideally positioned for aggressive promotion of bicycles or battery-operated bikes for last-mile journeys. Over the years, there has been growing evidence on the role of cycling in alleviating environmental challenges, decongesting cities and the significant health benefits associated with it (WRI2016;IIHS2015; Mohan and Tiwari 2016). TheCOVID-19 pandemic has further reaffirmed these advantages and has prodded governments across the world to promote cycling in an unprecedented manner (Bhagat 2020).

Despite the significant decline over years, aTERI(2014) study points out that cyclists account for 13%21% of the modal share in medium and small cities and 7%15% of the modal share in big cities. However, most of these are often referred to as captive cyclists as they have no choice but to cycle. Todays cyclists increasingly come from the most socially and economically disadvantaged sections of society. Further, as Joshi and Joseph (2015) point out, cyclists in India are also invisible as the policy landscape has conventionally focused on promoting motorisation through easy availability of loans and supportive infrastructure. Most major cities across the world have undertaken varying degrees of efforts to improve ease of cycling. The abandonedBKCcycling track experiment, the neglected cycle stand outside Mahim station and the inscrutable Tansa Project are clear indications that Mumbai is yet to make any significant strides in this direction (Chacko 2018; Thakkar 2017;Times of India2020).

Systematically promoting cycling as a viable option for last-mile journeys from suburban stations may be a good starting point. Creation of shaded bicycle tracks and public conveniences supported by adequate traffic-calming measures such as painted cycle lanes will require a paradigmatic shift in planning and fund allocation. A common misconception on cycling is that it is not suitable for Indian weather conditions. Here, it is pertinent to recall that theMoUD, in a 2016 report, rightly argued that the high use of motorbikes in India suggests that a large number of people already ride in the open. Incidentally, the share of two wheelers in daily trips in Mumbai has increased from 3.8% to 14.8% between2005 and 2014(MCGM2016). This is a strong cue for Mumbai to eschew traditional objections to cycling and facilitate its adoption by enabling policies and infrastructure.

Commentators such as Anjaria (2017) have also pointed that Mumbais urban form has the makings of a great cycling city due to what he refers to as the spontaneous ballet of the street. Comparing Mumbais development stage with the state of the Dutch cities in 1970 could serve as a guide for adopting cycling in Mumbai.

However, in order to widely proliferate these options, a clear and futuristic policy framework needs to be developed for allotment of space at stations for players of micro-mobility options such as fully-automated bicycle sharing schemes, dockless bike-renting options, small electric vehicles with two seats, skateboards, and mini-scooters.

Shared mobility options:Our survey indicates 53% of people use autorickshaws, taxis and personal vehicle forLMC(Table 1). There is an urgent need to effect modal shift for this segment through the promotion of shared mobility options like buses and taxi aggregators, carpooling services and electric shared mobility options. Helsinki has set an ambitious target of making private vehicles obsolete by 2025 (Greenfield 2014).

India is uniquely positioned to leapfrog personal vehicle ownership through promotion of shared mobility, as personal vehicle ownership per 1,000 people in India is presently as low as 32 as compared to 797 in the United States (NITIAayog et al 2018).

Bike taxis are a great option to augment accessibility for vulnerable groups who may not be able to operate the options on their own. The low running cost and therefore comparable prices with other options could make it an attractive option. This is a very widely-used option in many South Asian countries. Since 2004, the central government has allowed motorcycles to be used as transport vehicles for carrying one passenger riding pillion. However, Maharashtra is not among the eight states in India that have allowed bikes as public service vehicles. This option needs to be scrutinised by concerned authorities (Singh 2019).

The present focus on earmarking parking spaces at suburban stations must be gradually reassessed as it abets growth and usage of private vehicles. Shared mobility options could be given greater preference. However, shared mobility services may get pushed out for a few months because of theCOVID-19 pandemic which has created a greater preference for individual trips. However, the value proposition of shared mobility is very strong in the context of urban transport and must receive due focus (Soni 2020).

BEST as feeder buses:Streamlining access toBESTfeeder buses must also be undertaken through bus priority lanes and proper signage. Providing efficient bays and circulating areas to reduce cycle time will require prudent management of hawking activities and removal of encroachments around station exits. In close coordination withBESTauthorities, emerging solution providers such as bus aggregators could also be roped in as their sophisticated use of data analytics and consumer behaviour insights could benefit the public transport networks at large. Therefore, a strategy to earmark space for such services around stations may be developed.

Socio-economic Factors

A note of caution here would be with regard to the livelihoods dependent onIPTs. We are mindful thatIPTproviders often constitute the socially and economically vulnerable section of society. Suitable measures like making them partners in shared mobility and e-rickshaws could be worked out to involve these sections and ensure that their livelihoods are secured.

Promoting electric two-wheelers and electric shared mobility options forLMCholds promise as it will help stations emerge as electric vehicle-ready transit hubs. Railways must utilise their vast spatial presence and strategically located land across the city for facilitating an expansive charging infrastructure. This may greatly support the ongoing efforts for greater electric vehicle adoption and the railways own focus on electrification.

ATERIsurvey observed that only 29% of the women feel bike taxis are a safe mode of transport (Thakur et al 2020). This indicates how travel patterns and preferences are generally gendered andLMCinterventions should also be calibrated to remain inclusive. ATISSstudy also points to the need for a gender-sensitive approach as connecting peripheral urban areas through public transport opens up new opportunities for women to access work and education (Bhide et al 2016).

LMCplanning must also bear cognisance of the decisive influence of larger processes of suburbanisation and gentrification. For instance, the famed mills of Lower Parel areas have been actively utilised for commercial and residential purposes over the last few decades (Harris 2008). This socio-spatial transformation has made stations like Parel amenable to introduction of non-motorised options.Similarly, most stations of the Mumbaisuburban rail network have multiple exits with divergent surrounding areas and thus different sections of society accessing thestation from each direction. There are large slum establishments inclose vicinity of the west side of stations like Govandi, Chembur, Mankhurd which require streamlining pedestrian movement as lack of it also cause many trespassing deaths. The east side of these stations leading to residential complexes may be amenable for introduction of shared bike options. Therefore, planning should be done to address the specific requirements and awareness must be created among passengers through proper signage, announcements and promotional campaigns.

In adopting any of these modes, ensuring safety will be a key enabler as the Road Accidents in India report points out that 36.5% of all road mortalities in India are on two-wheelers (GoI2018). Even our survey points out that 40% of respondents give safety as the first preference while choosing a transport option, while saving time and easy availability of options at the stations are second and third in priority for commuters.

Conclusions

From the above discussion, we have attempted to show the potential of an integratedLMCplanning with railways and its importance to the citys urban transport at large. We fully recognise the inherent polycentricity in transportation and that the railways is just one stakeholder. Cooperation with other agencies will be critical for the success of most of these suggestions such as development of bus bays, pedestrian walkways and cycling infrastructure. Well-researched solutions are available to these issues, some of which have been published in this very publication (Vaidyanathan and Rathi 2018).

The Avoid-Shift-Improve (A-S-I) framework could be a useful tool for the various agencies from civic administration to transport unions which are involved in mobility planning (Bongardt et al 2019). The avoid aspect must lay focus on minimising the use of motorised transport in the last-mile commute. As pointed above, there should be concerted efforts to facilitate a shift to buses or metros, non-motorised and shared mobility options for journeys from stations. Finally, the existing under-equipped facilities for pedestrians and bus or metro users must improve through structured interventions.

It must be stated that many of these interventions will require radical change in widely-held perceptions about urban transport in India and the behavioural patterns of commuters. There is a pressing need for a shift, from seeing streets as spaces to operate cars to viewing them as spaces for people; a revaluation of cycling from a mode of transportation to a better alternative to walking; and a rethinking of the bicycle as a vehicle for exercise or fitness to one that is a mobility device (Joshi and Joseph 2015).

Many emerging mobility options discussed above will also require the Indian Railways to frame suitable policies. In September 2019, the Ministry of Railways came out with a comprehensive policy for promoting plastic bottle crushing machines at railway stations which points to how the railways are rightfully donning a more expansive and responsible mantle in recent times (NIE2019). With structured policies, we believe that railways can add immense value in encouraging sustainable modes by promoting non-motorised transport and shared mobility forLMC. Its vast station network across the city could be utilised to provide infrastructure for overall sustainable urban mobility. This could potentially result in nudging people to adopt sustainable modes.

Overall, the existing scenario provides a definitive opportunity for stations to emerge truly as nodes of connectivity. Its spin-off effects may include improved safety, less congestion, and introduction of sustainable modes of transport across the city. However, we are conscious of the infrastructural constraints that could dampen this effort. These could be explored further to understand the various aspects and provide solutions therein. While these are the major takeaways of our survey, we hope that this work inspires future studies along this line of inquiry. Increased solution-focused research directed to policymakers can help in faster adoption and execution. Adopting futuristic urban mobility options and according primacy to commuter needs in addressing the existingLMCvacuum is bound to give a new lease of life to the 170-year-old lifeline of Mumbai.

Notes

1 The origin and history of the term last-mile lack adequate documentation. However, it has seen diverse usages over the course of time. In a namesake Broadway play and movie of the 1930s, it denoted final tribulations of an incarcerated person on death row. The Last Long Mile is a famous World War I poem about exceptional hardships endured by the US soldiers.

In more recent times, the term has been extensively used in the telecommunication industry to denote the final leg of the networks that deliver services to customers. In logistics, last-mile connectivity refers to the final step of the delivery process from a distribution centre or facility to the end-user.

Similarly, in the public transit parlance, last-mile or first and last-mile connection is used to describe the beginning or end of an individual trip made primarily by public transportation.

2 A map of the Mumbai suburban rail system is included in the Annexure Figure 1 (p 46).

3 Transit oriented development (TOD) is the creation of compact, walkable, pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use communities centred around high quality train systems. This makes it possible to live a lower-stress life without complete dependence on a car for mobility and survival (http://www.tod.org/).

4 When TOD is not implemented effectively, a community can experience what is referred to as transit adjacent development (TAD). This kind of development typically has several attributes of TOD, but also has been compromised in key ways. For instance, a common TAD trait is when a station area is designed with some dense components, but the station area is dominated by a commuter parking lot adjacent to the station. This sort of configuration favours the automobile commuter over the transit user resulting in a very low level of activity or interest in the station area throughout the day (Stantec 2013).

References

Akbar, P A, V Couture, G Duranton, E Ghani and A Storeygard (2018): Mobility and Congestion in Urban India, Policy Research Working Paper No 8546, World Bank Group, Washington, viewed on 3 June 2020,http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/811261533850020988/pdf/WPS8546.pdf.

Anjaria, Jonathan (2017): Mumbai Has the Makings of a Great Cycling CityBut It Needs to Set the Wheels in Motion, Scroll.in, 16 September, viewed on 2 August 2020,https://scroll.in/article/844975/why-mumbai-has-the-makings-of-a-great-cycling-city.

ADB (2019): Moving Millions with the Mumbai Metro, Brief No 114, Asian Development Bank, Manila, viewed on 3 June 2020,https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/525821/adb-brief-114-moving-millions-mumbai-metro.pdf.

Bongardt, D, L Stiller, A Swart and A Wagner (2019): Sustainable Urban Transport: Avoid-Shift-Improve (A-S-I), Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, viewed on 5 June 2020, https://www.transformative-mobility.org/assets/publications/ASI_TUMI_SUTP_iNUA_No-9_April-2019.pdf.

Bhagat, Mallika (2020): World Bicycle Day: Pedalling Towards a Better Future Post Covid-19? Hindustan Times, 3 June, viewed on 30 November 2020, https://www.hindustantimes.com/more-lifestyle/world-bicycle-day-pedallin....

Bhide, A, R Kundu and P Tiwari (2016): Engendering Mumbais Suburban Railway System, a Study by the Centre for Urban Policy and Governance, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, viewed on 30 November 2020,http://urk.tiss.edu/attachments/article/181/Engendering%20Mumbais%20Suburban%20Railway%20System.pdf.

Byers, C (2016): The Science of Online Forms and the Brand Experience: An Essential Guide,Entrepreneur.com,14 June, viewed on 1 August 2020,https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/276040.

Chacko, B (2018): Mumbai: A Year Later, Mahim Cycle Stand Waits for Takers,Indian Express, 23 Februrary, viewed on 2 August 2020,https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/mumbai-mahim-cycle-stand-5074782/.

Chidambara, C (2016): NMT as Green Mobility Solution for First/Last Mile Connectivity to Mass Transit Stations for Delhi,InternationalJournal of Built Environment and Sustainability, Vol 3, No 3.

Read the rest here:
The Invisible Last Mile of Mumbai's Lifeline - Economic and Political Weekly

You are solely responsible for your comments and by using TribLive.com you agree to ourTerms of Service.

We moderate comments. Our goal is to provide substantive commentary for a general readership. By screening submissions, we provide a space where readers can share intelligent and informed commentary that enhances the quality of our news and information.

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderating decisions are subjective. We will make them as carefully and consistently as we can. Because of the volume of reader comments, we cannot review individual moderation decisions with readers.

We value thoughtful comments representing a range of views that make their point quickly and politely. We make an effort to protect discussions from repeated comments either by the same reader or different readers

We follow the same standards for taste as the daily newspaper. A few things we won't tolerate: personal attacks, obscenity, vulgarity, profanity (including expletives and letters followed by dashes), commercial promotion, impersonations, incoherence, proselytizing and SHOUTING. Don't include URLs to Web sites.

We do not edit comments. They are either approved or deleted. We reserve the right to edit a comment that is quoted or excerpted in an article. In this case, we may fix spelling and punctuation.

We welcome strong opinions and criticism of our work, but we don't want comments to become bogged down with discussions of our policies and we will moderate accordingly.

We appreciate it when readers and people quoted in articles or blog posts point out errors of fact or emphasis and will investigate all assertions. But these suggestions should be sentvia e-mail. To avoid distracting other readers, we won't publish comments that suggest a correction. Instead, corrections will be made in a blog post or in an article.

Original post:
Hempfield residents asked to give input on 2 proposed township parks - TribLIVE

As the mirror delights in telling me every morning, Im not getting any younger.

But at least I have plenty of company.

By 2034, according to Danielle Arigoni, AARPs director of livable communities (and a 1991 University of Oregon grad), there will be more people 65 and over than there are 18 and under for the first time in U.S. history.

Which is why aging in place and how best to do it is such a major issue now, one that will only become more important in the next several decades.

Its a massive demographic tipping point, Arigoni says. A 2018 AARP survey found 75% of those 50 (what I call those kids) and over want to age in their own home, and the percentages grew even higher in older age groups.

Much has been written about what to do to make a residences interior best suited for homeowners as they age. (See AARPs very informative and very free Home Fit guide.)

But less has been shared about how to make a private garden accessible as people age into their 70s, 80s and 90s. The American Society of Landscape Architects has addressed public spaces and gardens, but not private residences.

Which is where Jane Coombs, a retired landscape designer, comes in.

A few years ago, Jane and husband, Peter Dowse, knew it was time to move out of their beloved 1914 Craftsman in Sellwood. With stairs leading up to the entry, an upstairs master bedroom and a basement laundry room, the home was all the things aging-in-place experts dont recommend.

So it was that they found themselves in a one-story house in Milwaukie and Jane, with 30-plus years of landscape design experience, had a 10,000-square-foot, relatively blank canvas to work with outdoors.

And in the process of designing her garden, she always kept in mind what would work best for her and her husband 10 years down the road.

When Im 90, she explains, I wont be able to maintain the garden the way I can now.

This thinking led Jane to incorporate aging-in-place design principles in her front and back gardens, many of which weve included in the tips.

They include flat, navigable surfaces for wheelchairs and walkers, a step-free entry from inside the house to the patio, easy-maintenance plants, plenty of seating and multiple hose bibs. A LOT of hose bibs. OK, eight, to be exact.

Jane Coombs' garden offers lots of comfortable seating in the shade.Marcia Westcott Peck

Marcia:

A very dear friend of mine from high school, Oklahoma State University assistant professor Emily Roberts, has her doctorate in environmental gerontology, a field that seeks to optimize the relationship between the elderly and their physical and social environment.

I learned from her that connection to the outdoors and nature can ease and prolong a persons life, even if its just looking out the window from either a hospital bed or your own home. Having access physically or visually to nature is extremely beneficial to our well-being as we age.

The concept of biophilia, originally written about by the American biologist and naturalist E.O. Wilson, suggests we as humans innately possess a tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life.

Using that principle can help seniors thrive and stay independent and autonomous for as long as possible as they age in place.

Emily explained to me that its important to realize that whatever brought us pleasure throughout our lives doesnt diminish as we age. Instead, it brings back good memories that we enjoy even more, along with a sense-of-place attachment, the feelings that we hold for places and things that mean a lot and serve as reminders of the past.

So if you enjoyed your garden or nature when you were younger, it might be even more important as a way to stay healthy physically and emotionally as you age.

Gardens can be very therapeutic for us as we get older, so having safe access to them for as long as possible is important.

As I age, I know I will want to be gardening for as long as I can. It has always grounded me and brought me great pleasure. If I have one addiction, its gardening.

Biophilia Im a card-carrying, certified biophiliac!

I would add that not only is it important to connect to the garden as we age, but for any of the same reasons it can help us deal with the COVID-19 crisis, fires, protests and election craziness that seem to be overwhelming us at times.

Biophilia, indeed!

This art leaf water feature promotes health in Jane Coombs' garden.Marcia Westcott Peck

Art in Jane Coombs' garden.Marcia Westcott Peck

THINKING OF MOVING?

Most people know to look for a single-story dwelling, but one area they undercontemplate, or dont contemplate at all, is transportation, according to the AARPs Arigoni. Ask yourself if there are ways to get around once you cannot drive (on average, people live 7-10 years past when they can no longer drive). Are there bike lanes, public transportation, pedestrian walkways?

HOME FIT GUIDE

The AARP publication provides guidance for anyone wanting to make their home inclusive for all ages, whether they are homeowners or renters. According to the guide, Its about making sure your home is accessible to everyone.

You can download it online or AARP will send you a free copy upon request.

HELPFUL LINKS

Marcia Westcott Peck is a landscape designer (mwplandscape.com or find her on Instagram at @pecklandscape or on Facebook by searching for The Pecks), and Dennis Peck is a former senior editor at The Oregonian/OregonLive.

More:
This Oregon garden is designed for aging in place - oregonlive.com

The number of Massachusetts workers counted as unemployed dropped by more than 250,000 over the past two months, a decline of more than a third that helped the state escape from a short streak of owning the worst jobless rate in the country.

About 114,000 more workers became employed in that span, too, a sign of continued steps toward recovery following the pandemic-related recession's low point in the spring.

But the improving jobs numbers and unemployment rate likely mask deeper, more lasting damage at both the state and federal level: many people are dropping out of the workforce altogether, hinting that some -- particularly women, who disproportionately fill caretaker roles -- have given up attempts to find employment amid slow hiring and uncertainty about the COVID-19 health outlook.

"It's a significant problem," Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President and CEO Eric Rosengren said in a speech on Thursday. "The longer the pandemic goes on, the more you're going to see people leaving the labor force, not only because they can't find a job, but because they have to care for either elderly parents, people that are sick because of the pandemic, or children that are not able to go to school because schools have been closed and there is not availability of daycare."

The trend, according to economist Alicia Sasser Modestino, indicates that the recent improvement in the state's unemployment situation might be "not as rosy as it might seem."

Between January and August, the working-age population in Massachusetts grew 13,400, according to data published by state labor officials based on a household survey. In that same span, the labor force -- which counts both people who are employed and those who are unemployed but actively seeking work -- shrunk by 290,000.

The drop was not limited to the earlier days of the COVID-19 crisis, when job cuts were severe. In July and August, a span in which the employed population grew and the unemployed population shrunk, the labor force declined by 138,500 -- more than the 114,000 jobs added.

While both Massachusetts and the country as a whole have seen workers depart the market, the trends have taken different patterns.

Nationally, the rate of working-age adults participating in the labor force has been slowly but steadily climbing, reaching 61.7 percent in August after dropping to 60.2 percent in April. In Massachusetts, the rate fell to 60.3 percent in April, rebounded to 65.1 percent in June, and then fell back down again to 62.6 percent in August, household survey labor data show.

"We seem to be moving in the opposite direction from the country in terms of the number of people who are participating in the labor force, which means that our improvement in the unemployment rate is maybe not as rosy as it might seem," Modestino, who is associate director of the Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University, told the News Service. "If some of that improvement is coming from people dropping out of the labor force, that's not how we usually like to improve the unemployment rate during a recession."

Both the fluctuating pattern and the scale of the changes are unusual. In general, the labor force shrinks during recessions and grows during expansions, but -- like so much else about the pandemic -- this economic slowdown is unprecedented.

Alan Clayton-Matthews, another Northeastern professor who is a senior research associate at the Dukakis Center, said the more acute labor-force changes in recent months reflect the new reality of the pandemic.

"In some sectors, you know you can't get a job right now," Clayton-Matthews said in an interview. "In a normal recession, you might have stayed in the labor force, but in this one where, because of COVID, there's a virtual certainty that you're not going to be able to get a job, you drop out of the labor force."

Another factor, he said, was the now-expired increase in unemployment aid offered through federal programs to blunt the impact of massive layoffs.

While experts said the volatility in the labor force figures raises red flags, they stressed that the state-level data do not offer a clear picture of why workers have departed.

Some could have opted to halt working over health concerns, some could have resigned themselves to not finding a job in the current strained economy, some might need to shift their focus to caretaking, and some might have simply retired during the pandemic.

Many experts agree, though, that the employment impacts have been disproportionately concentrated among people of color, who are more likely to work low-wage jobs prone to disruption, and among women, who often perform a larger share of parenting and caretaking duties.A survey Modestino conducted found that 13 percent of working parents either reduced their hours or lost their jobs because they had to take on child care duties during the pandemic. The effects were more concentrated among women, she said.

"Among women who became unemployed during the pandemic, 25 percent of them said it was solely due to child care," Modestino said.

In February, about 31 percent of Massachusetts claimants seeking unemployment benefits were women, according to Modestino. By July, that rate had jumped to more than 56 percent, "a tremendous shift."

A similar trend is occurring nationally. Between February and September, the percent of men aged 25 to 54 participating in the labor force dropped 1.6 percentage points, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data based on the Current Population Survey. For women in the same age range, the labor force participation rate dropped 2.8 percentage points over that span.

"In a pandemic, where many schools are closing, when many people in the 25 to 54 age bracket are having children, many families have to make a choice of whether or not they can continue to work because they have children at home," Rosengren said in his remarks. "Sometimes, that is borne by the husband, but frequently it is borne by the wife."

The long-term effects of discouraged workers may not become clear for months or years, particularly amid enormous uncertainty over the public health outlook.

Key questions remain unanswered, such as when consumers will feel comfortable resuming pre-pandemic routines, when a vaccine or treatment will be available, and whether Congress will approve another stimulus package -- that appears less likely after President Donald Trump said Tuesday he would withdraw from negotiations.

Clayton-Matthews described the risk of federal aid falling through as "the biggest sword of Damocles hanging over us."

"The economy seems to be weakening, and without another stimulus, I don't see how it's going to get by until there's a vaccine widely available," he said. "We could see a prolonged recession if there's not more support for incomes like there was in the beginning of this pandemic."

Go here to read the rest:
Many in MA Have Left the Workforce, Data Shows - Patch.com

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Everyone knows not to judge a book by its cover, but few people behave that way. Thats not to say consumers are a judgemental bunch, but first impressions happen unconsciously and quickly. If you want to stay competitive, your business should be instantly appealing.

People form an impression in just 7 seconds, so you want to make a good one fast. Youll retain customers by providing excellent goods or services, but youll attract new ones by appealing to their senses. With that in mind, here are 10 ways you can improve the appeal of your business.

Its challenging to overemphasize the importance of your businesss signage. Signs tell potential customers where you are, who you are and what you do. Its often the first thing people see, so it should be an accurate and flattering representation of your business.

Your signage should be easy to see and read, but you should also think about what it says. Avoid any negative language such as, no public restrooms and instead focus on the positives. You may also consider using bright, eye-catching colors. Just dont go overboard, and make sure its consistent with your business.

Any sidewalks and other walkways on your property should be both functional and aesthetically pleasing. While local municipalities are liable for sidewalk-related injuriesin most states, you may be liable if someone trips on your walkways. Make sure you fix any cracks or bumps to avoid lawsuits and improve the look of your property.

You should also consider how accessible your walkways are. Consider installing wheelchair ramps and affixing handrails to any stairs. If your pathways are old, you may want to repave them, which makes them easier to walk on and more attractive.

While youre working on your exterior, it doesnt hurt to plant a few trees or shrubs. Plants are an excellent way to bring some life to your building, and they also help prevent flood damage. If you already have plants outside your building, make sure you tend to them often.

Well-maintained plantlife is attractive to customers. But if its overgrown, it has the opposite effect. Youll have to trim any grass and shrubs often to keep them tidy, especially in the summer. If your grass starts to get patchy, you may need to reseed it to keep your exterior green.

If your building is dirty, it reflects poorly on your business. People might assume that, since you ignore cleanliness, you might neglect your customers too. On the other hand, if your building is clean, you seem more attentive and professional.

Wash your windows, take out the trash and mop your floors daily, if not multiple times a day. You should occasionally power-wash your exterior and retouch your paint, too. If you clean often, youll prevent any noticeable dirt or grime from appearing.

Lighting may seem insignificant, but it plays a substantial role in making customers comfortable. If your building is too dark, it can seem uninviting or unclean. You dont want your lights to be harsh, either. Aim for a soft, comfortable glow that provides plenty of visibility without straining the eyes.

Use as much natural light as possible during the day. Installing plenty of large windows provides free, soft lighting and makes your building feel more open. At night, make sure you have enough lights both outside and inside to keep everything visible.

Your floor is one of the largest surfaces in your building, so you should pay attention to it. If its dirty, unattractive or uneven, customers will notice. Whether you go with tile, hardwood or carpet, make sure you dont neglect it.

If you have hardwood floors, youll need to refinish them periodically to retain their appeal. You can hire someone to do this or do it yourself for much less, so consider your options. If your floors are exceptionally old, they may be worn-down in some areas, which requires more extensive restoration.

As a small business, you may have a similarly small building. While you cant always expand, you can make the most of the space you have. You can rearrange your furniture to make your interior appear roomier and more inviting.

Make sure your furniture doesnt close off any areas, which makes it feel more cramped. Arranging things into specific zones helps with organization, but remember to keep these zones open on at least one side. With the right design, you can make a tiny space feel like twice its size.

Adding some color to your building can help liven it up and invite customers. That said, you should be careful about choosing an appropriate color palette. If your walls and furniture are too vibrant, it can feel aggressive. And too much white feels boring.

Your color scheme should match your business. If you want to appear calm, clean and comfortable, aim for soft, neutral tones. If you want your building to feel more lively, go for pastels and more variation.

Parking lot maintenance often goes unnoticed by business owners, but it can make or break your property. If your parking lot is disorganized, cramped, dirty or difficult to navigate, itll put visitors in a disfavorable mood. The best parking experience is one that customers wont notice.

Make sure that all of your pavement is as level as possible and clean. You might also have to repaint lines and post clear signage about designated spots. If you dont have a dedicated parking lot, post signs about where customers can park.

In todays world, your brick-and-mortar site isnt the only place youll make an impression. Your online presence is just as important, if not more crucial, for appealing to customers. Like your building, your website should be an easy-to-navigate, attractive and accurate representation of your business.

If you dont have web design experience, you can use a website builder like Squarespace or Wix to help. While youre redesigning your website, dont forget to optimize for mobile devices. Mobile browsing accounts for more than 50% of all web traffic, so you cant afford to ignore it.

Remember that with every change you make, you should keep your overall aesthetic consistent. Everything should fit together and it should all make sense for your business. You want your building to be appealing, but you also dont want to misrepresent yourself.

An appealing building and website alone wont ensure success, but it will help. If your business isnt attractive to consumers, youll have a hard time getting started. If you follow these steps, though, you can show customers how professional and reliable you are.

Here is the original post:
How to Improve the Appeal of Your Business - BOSS Magazine