Seattle Children’s Hospital Transportation Case Study
Seattle Children's Comprehensive Transportation Plan
In 2007 Children’s put forward a plan to more than double the size of the hospital over twenty years. In order to manage the impacts to the community and the organization, the hospital kicked off a planning process to create a long-term strategy for transportation. This is a story of how that plan was developed and then implemented to create one of the nation’s most successful and sustainable campus transportation programs.
Setting Goals
Meaningful Targets
The first step in creating the Seattle Children’s Comprehensive Transportation Plan was to establish performance measures to track our progress and ensure ourselves and our partners that real improvement was made. The mode share of Single Occupancy Vehicles (SOV) was chosen as the best representative of the performance of the program. The second step was to forecast the expected performance of different packages of Transportation Demand Management elements and compare those to the development guidelines for the project including number of parking spaces. Using this method, the project team helped hospital leadership choose a set of programs and commit to a 30% drive-alone rate at the build-out of the Master Plan. In addition, four other measures were chosen: including a 500 stall reduction in parking needs, which produces a savings of $25 million in parking construction costs.
The first step in creating the Seattle Children’s Comprehensive Transportation Plan was to establish performance measures to track our progress and ensure ourselves and our partners that real improvement was made. The mode share of Single Occupancy Vehicles (SOV) was chosen as the best representative of the performance of the program. The second step was to forecast the expected performance of different packages of Transportation Demand Management elements and compare those to the development guidelines for the project including number of parking spaces. Using this method, the project team helped hospital leadership choose a set of programs and commit to a 30% drive-alone rate at the build-out of the Master Plan. In addition, four other measures were chosen: including a 500 stall reduction in parking needs, which produces a savings of $25 million in parking construction costs.
Planning Process
A Four-tiered Approach
After layering in the measures to increase the number of employees who take alternative transportation to work, the project team identified additional elements to support the goal. These included improvements to the traffic signals on the major corridor serving the hospital; upgrading the bike and pedestrian network near the campus; and designing the campus itself in a way make it clear that transit, walking, biking and other forms of transportation are the preferred way to get to work at Children’s.
After layering in the measures to increase the number of employees who take alternative transportation to work, the project team identified additional elements to support the goal. These included improvements to the traffic signals on the major corridor serving the hospital; upgrading the bike and pedestrian network near the campus; and designing the campus itself in a way make it clear that transit, walking, biking and other forms of transportation are the preferred way to get to work at Children’s.
User-Centric Plan
The next part of the planning process analyzed employee home location and densities to inform transportation options that would be developed. These included shuttle enhancements, improved access to the multi-use trail, and key pedestrian crossing safety projects.
The next part of the planning process analyzed employee home location and densities to inform transportation options that would be developed. These included shuttle enhancements, improved access to the multi-use trail, and key pedestrian crossing safety projects.
Public Involvement
Every aspect of the planning process for the Seattle Children’s Comprehensive Transportation Plan was built in collaboration with stakeholders from the hospital staff as well as neighborhood groups and city agency staff. This page from the Seattle Children’s Livable Streets Initiative Report shows pictures of site visits with cyclists to discuss potential improvements to an intersection as well as photos of a large open house at which the public gave suggestions on how to improve transportation options in the area.
Hearing from a Wide Range of Voices
Hospital president Lisa Brandenburg shares elements of the plan with the community at a Children’s sponsored celebration of Bike to School Month. Altogether dozens of public meetings were held to gather input and help shape the plan.
Hospital president Lisa Brandenburg shares elements of the plan with the community at a Children’s sponsored celebration of Bike to School Month. Altogether dozens of public meetings were held to gather input and help shape the plan.
Implementing the program
Parking and Options together
Once the plan was approved, we combined parking and alternative transportation options to provide high-touch customer service and information for all commuters in a single location. This was vital to presenting messages about alternatives to the key audience: drive alone commuters.
Once the plan was approved, we combined parking and alternative transportation options to provide high-touch customer service and information for all commuters in a single location. This was vital to presenting messages about alternatives to the key audience: drive alone commuters.
Dollar Signs Point the Way
Price signals play a vital role in mode choice behavior. Upon analyzing our policies we discovered they were not in line with the goals of the program. By connecting the parking gates, the parking shuttles and the calendar in the next page, the Seattle Children’s Transportation Team was able to provide users with a simple and easy to use parking and commute system that rewards the intended behavior--every trip.
Price signals play a vital role in mode choice behavior. Upon analyzing our policies we discovered they were not in line with the goals of the program. By connecting the parking gates, the parking shuttles and the calendar in the next page, the Seattle Children’s Transportation Team was able to provide users with a simple and easy to use parking and commute system that rewards the intended behavior--every trip.
Optimizing Choices
Shuttles, Transit and Bikes
Retooling the shuttle system to provide better connections to transit was a key part of the Seattle Children’s Comprehensive Transportation Plan. We devised a completely new shuttle network with higher frequencies, better vehicles and improved customer service. Every vehicle was outfitted with a bike rack in order to serve cyclists on every route. This service was part of a significant increase in transit ridership to Seattle Children’s.
Retooling the shuttle system to provide better connections to transit was a key part of the Seattle Children’s Comprehensive Transportation Plan. We devised a completely new shuttle network with higher frequencies, better vehicles and improved customer service. Every vehicle was outfitted with a bike rack in order to serve cyclists on every route. This service was part of a significant increase in transit ridership to Seattle Children’s.
Improving Connections to Campus
Seattle Children's Livable Streets Initiative
Based on employee home location analysis, we learned that key bike and pedestrian connections could make it easier for large numbers of staff to walk, bike and take the bus to campus. The Seattle Children’s Livable Streets Initiative was launched in partnership with the city and our neighbors to make these improvements.
Based on employee home location analysis, we learned that key bike and pedestrian connections could make it easier for large numbers of staff to walk, bike and take the bus to campus. The Seattle Children’s Livable Streets Initiative was launched in partnership with the city and our neighbors to make these improvements.
Data-driven Experiments
Using inputs from parking gates and the commute website the Seattle Children’s Transportation Team could target messages and campaigns directly to individuals based on their behavior and home location. The map on the left shows staff and faculty home location sorted by primary commute mode. Using this type of analysis, when the local transit agency rolled-out a new route serving the campus, we were able to engage specifically the staff and faculty that live near the new route and tailor the messages on whether the person had taken transit before or not. This level of disaggregated data on commute behavior allowed the team to make experiments using different level of incentives and track their effectiveness.
For example, in this case high drive alone commuters along a particular route were offered a financial incentive to ride the bus a set number of time in the next month. The data showed that although many participants returned to driving alone after the incentive ran out a surprisingly large number incorporated transit into the commute following the incentive program. This “Bus Bingo” experiment was one of many that were run to try different types of outreach and incentives.
For example, in this case high drive alone commuters along a particular route were offered a financial incentive to ride the bus a set number of time in the next month. The data showed that although many participants returned to driving alone after the incentive ran out a surprisingly large number incorporated transit into the commute following the incentive program. This “Bus Bingo” experiment was one of many that were run to try different types of outreach and incentives.
Real World Outcomes
Comprehensive Transportation Plan Paves Way for Hospital Expansion
In 2013 Building Hope opened expanding Seattle Children’s Cancer, Emergency and Critical Care facilities to better serve the children of the region. This expansion was made possible in part by the success of the Comprehensive Transportation Plan which outlined an aggressive goal of auto trip reductions and designed a path to achieve these targets. In the process, Seattle Children’s became a national example of smart transportation planning.
In 2013 Building Hope opened expanding Seattle Children’s Cancer, Emergency and Critical Care facilities to better serve the children of the region. This expansion was made possible in part by the success of the Comprehensive Transportation Plan which outlined an aggressive goal of auto trip reductions and designed a path to achieve these targets. In the process, Seattle Children’s became a national example of smart transportation planning.
Five Years of Measurable Success
For over five years, the Single Occupancy Vehicle rate for staff and faculty travelling to campus has declined each year. This puts Seattle Children’s on target to achieve our goals to reduce our impact on traffic, the environment at a the same time same millions of dollars in construction costs.
For over five years, the Single Occupancy Vehicle rate for staff and faculty travelling to campus has declined each year. This puts Seattle Children’s on target to achieve our goals to reduce our impact on traffic, the environment at a the same time same millions of dollars in construction costs.