Mobility Hubs for Transit Access: Relieving the Anxiety Around Waiting and Transferring
Contact: Doug Arseneault, Planning Associate, Alta
We’ve all been there — anxiously waiting at an isolated bus stop with no seating, shade, or lighting, feeling vulnerable standing inches from cars zooming by.
As communities work to reduce personal vehicle dependence and promote transit and other shared, sustainable transportation options, they face this major barrier: travelers dislike waiting. The experience is even worse when transferring between transit lines, adding unnecessary time and stress compared to driving.
To address this challenge, mobility hubs are gaining in popularity. Mobility hubs are centralized locations where travelers can conveniently and safely access the growing number of public and private mobility options — including shared rides delivered by buses, trains, ridehailing, and microtransit services as well as rent shared bicycles, scooters, and cars. These hubs extend the reach of public transportation networks by creating a seamless travel experience. Hubs also support the feeling of choice by empowering travelers to decide what combination of transit and other shared mobility options fit their trip needs.
Safety, Sustainability, and Accessibility
Featuring infrastructure designed for all ages and abilities, these hubs can improve the experience of waiting and transferring by serving as anchors for commercial activity and social gathering. These welcoming spaces are of particular importance for vulnerable transit users such as women traveling alone, children, older adults, people with disabilities, and Black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). Mobility hubs create a sense of place by centering the human experience with locally relevant and context sensitive programming and amenities. The inherent flexibility in hub design can adapt to evolving needs, creating fair and equitable spaces using universal design principles.
Hubs can also be a valuable tool for achieving Vision Zero and air quality goals. By creating separated and protected spaces for transit users and pedestrians, mobility hubs enhance the visibility of people and reduce conflicts with vehicular traffic. Design elements also give rise to opportunities to incorporate sustainability functions, such as stormwater mitigation, greenscaping, community engagement about no- and low-carbon transportation options, and reducing the magnitude of the urban heat island effect.
Planning for the Future: Mobility Hub Case Studies in California
Alta works with agencies across North America to identify parcels of land or corridors where transportation modes can be consolidated to create mobility hubs. With our team’s thoughtful planning and design approach, agencies can upgrade an existing transit stop or station to a mobility hub with only minor expansion of the geographic footprint while dramatically expanding access to a broader range of modes. Alta develops hub organization and access plans at an appropriate scale (up to a three-mile radius), identifies constraints, and recommends improvements. Feasibility and preliminary engineering design drawings use prototype sections and plans and site/area. We also assess on-site bicycle parking provisions and end-of-trip amenities to suggest low-cost enhancements.
Two recent projects in California exemplify Alta’s industry leading approach to mobility hub development.
I-710 N Mobility Hubs
Alta’s Los Angeles team worked with communities in LA County to identify mobility hubs that will increase local mobility in Downtown Los Angeles and the primarily suburban San Gabriel Valley. The I-710 North Mobility Hub project identified 10 priority hub locations and improvements along a corridor originally intended for a freeway extension. Local leadership had realized that alternatives to driving are the only true ways to decrease traffic and that highway expansion imposes harm on communities.
The mobility hub plan will guide regional planning in repurposing a portion of nearly $800 million originally designated for the freeway into hub development.
Alta worked with a robust coalition of regional, county, and local agencies, including the Southern California Association of Governments, LA Metro, LA County Public Works, and the Cities of Los Angeles, Alhambra, and South Pasadena, along with Cal State LA. Alta helped to align the agencies’ visions and goals into an actionable plan for a regional network of mobility hubs.
To develop the plan, Alta evaluated existing projects and plans along the corridor; assessed the availability of different modes of transportation; analyzed multimodal supportive infrastructure and placemaking strategies; and considered future mobility trends. To inform the process, the Alta team created a series of existing conditions maps that describe the project area demographics, travel behavior, transit services and ridership, bikeway facilities, popular trip destinations, major land use projects, and other relevant data inputs.
New and tailored engagement methods helped communities get past knowledge barriers to work toward more equitable transportation solutions. In collaboration with community-based organizations, Alta developed and implemented a robust community engagement strategy, including pop-up outreach activities, virtual workshops, and a project website with a survey and interactive input map, among other tools — all provided in Spanish, Chinese, and English. The participatory process empowered community members to help shape the potential mobility hubs coming to their communities.
US 101 / SR 92 Mobility Hub and Smart Corridor
The San Mateo County Transportation Authority (SMCTA) in partnership with the City of San Mateo and SamTrans are developing a plan to convert an existing Caltrans Park & Ride into a Mobility Hub that offers access to a variety of sustainable transportation options. The project also features a smart corridor connecting the mobility hub and nearby Caltrain commuter train station. The smart corridor will include a Class IV separated bikeway, pedestrian access improvements at four intersections, and technology-enhanced features such as public wi-fi and bus shelters with real-time next bus arrival screens and USB charging ports.
The smart corridor and mobility hub will balance technology with equity and sustainability to create a system that serves the community now and in the future. The mobility hub will upgrade the underutilized Park & Ride located beneath a freeway interchange into a centralized location for travelers to access shared transportation services and community resources. The proposed hub could lay the foundation for a network of mobility hubs across San Mateo County associated through a unified brand.
Alta’s Oakland team recently developed an education toolkit with information on typical amenities and services included as part of mobility hubs and smart corridor projects. The toolkit equips community members and stakeholders with the knowledge needed to help shape the design of the Mobility Hub and Smart Corridor.
Mobility hubs offer the opportunity to dramatically improve the transit user experience, while also providing alternative transportation options to meet their trip needs when transit doesn’t quite fit. By relieving the anxiety around waiting and transferring at stops and stations, transit users can feel secure relying on transit as the backbone of their transportation habits.
These safe and accessible spaces also provide transit users with access to a wide variety of services and products while they wait for their bus or train.
Rather than feeling anxious, transit users can meaningfully use their wait time to grab a bite, rest in a parklet, or learn about community events.
The recent projects in LA and San Mateo counties drew on Alta’s extensive experience with mobility hub planning and design across North America. Alta’s team of thought leaders have contributed to hub projects in Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, North Carolina, Oregon, and Utah.
Where would you like to see a mobility hub in your community? Learn more about Alta’s New Mobility work, and reach out to Doug Arseneault to learn more.
