Smart Mobility Model Project

The Smart Mobility Model Project is a collaborative effort among the U.C. Davis campus, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), UC Berkeley's Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways, and the Institute of Transportation Studies. The goal of the project is to optimize individual mobility through improved connectivity among modes, enhanced techniques to link land-use planning and transportation system design, and advanced information and clean-fuel technologies. At UC Davis, campus planners are interested in applying innovative mobility services and technologies to the upcoming UC Davis Long Range Development Plan. The premise behind the Smart Mobility Model Project is that a transportation system should facilitate mobility by providing a variety of modes for individuals to choose from when planning a trip. This might include an automobile for some trips, public transit, bicycle, electric bike, small electric car, e-commerce, smart shuttles, or a similar low impact mode for other trips. Strategically bundling diverse mode options with smart growth, land-use strategies should increase the viability of all the modes while enhancing quality of life. A Smart Mobility service would enable users to evaluate cost, convenience, and impacts before making a modal choice. The result would be reduced negative environmental impacts, improved social connectivity, better resource utilization, and a high degree of user (consumer) satisfaction. Current cost signals and transportation system designs encourage almost exclusive dependence on the single occupancy vehicle (SOV). Many of the costs associated with automobile ownership are fixed or only marginally linked to vehicle miles traveled (VMT), such as purchase price, insurance, and maintenance. Thus once an individual has purchased a car, they typically choose to drive that vehicle almost exclusive of all other modes. In a Smart Mobility service the fixed costs of vehicle ownership are shifted to a variable fee based on actual usage. SOV travel would still likely occur, but to a lesser degree because users can now evaluate costs and convenience and choose among other attractive service modes for some trips. Mobility becomes a service that users subscribe to, rather than a product (an automobile) that is purchased and owned. Seamless door-to-door connectivity is a key element of a Smart Mobility service. This is a feature that is lacking from most existing public transit systems for the majority of users. Land-use patterns and minimal passenger requirements for transit prevent comprehensive coverage in lower density neighborhoods. This lack of trip connectivity reduces consumer options. For example, although a person may work close to a transit stop, transit access on the home side of a trip is often more than a mile away. Connectivity options such as small electric cars, electric bicycles, the Segway Human Transporter, or carsharing vehicles as demonstrated in CarLink II, present a viable means to complete a transit trip. Land-use patterns designed to enhance modal mobility and advanced information systems can also improve connectivity. Real-time traveler information about trip options, transit schedules, smart parking, and other modal alternatives and technology or instant access to reservations and vehicles for short-term use (e.g., smart cards) can make seamless door-to-door connectivity a costeffective option for users.