from the article in the link:
The signs were given to Cheshire businessman Christopher Reston by Katie Spies, the president of the chamber of commerce for the Chicago suburbs of Deerfield, Bannockburn and Riverwoods, as a souvenir of his trans-Atlantic trip.
They are a familiar sight in Deerfield, Illinois, where an embargo on early morning embraces has eased traffic congestion, says Ms Spies,
...
A spokeswoman for Railtrack Northwest, which is currently investing £1.25 million in a revamp of Warrington Bank Quay, said kissing bays and smooch-free zones were not part of the station's regeneration programme.
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So why wasn't this news when Deerfield, Illinois, started it, but it's news when a town in England copies it?
And if congestion is such a problem, why isn't there investment in kissing bays? I'm assuming Deerfield didn't have kiss and ride lots either.
Patrick Boylan
Free yacht rides, 27' sailboat, zip code 19114 Delaware River, get great Delair bridge photos from the river. Send me a private message
From a prior post: "The signs were given to Cheshire businessman Christopher Reston by Katie Spies, the president of the chamber of commerce for the Chicago suburbs of Deerfield, Bannockburn and Riverwoods, as a souvenir of his trans-Atlantic trip.
"They are a familiar sight in Deerfield, Illinois, where an embargo on early morning embraces has eased traffic congestion, says Ms Spies." (emphasis mine)
So how long has Deerfield had this restriction posted? - a.s.
Also from a parking perspective, kiss and ride helps, since one spousal unit takes the automobile away while the other rides transit, mitigating the need for parking spaces.
Kiss and ride could contribute to parking lot and station congestion at pickup time if the automobile arrived well in advance and waited for train arrival. And to the extent you subsititute 2 round trips from home to station with kissing for 1 round trip with parking you reduce environmental efficiency.
I also got the feeling from the article that the English and Deerfield Illinois embracing embargoes were - are you ready here it comes - tongue in cheek.
Perhaps when the parking lot at the farthest out station is being overwhelmed, what it actually means is that the rail line needs to be extended.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
The other pre-rail solution is to institute shuttle buses or vans from remote parking lots, such as at churches and at shopping malls on lightly used weekdays, and reserve priority parking at the station for same-community residents. For community residents, a sticker would be purchased for a vehicle registered to the resident either for commuter parking (unlimited daily use) at an assigned spot, or for occasional unassigned day use in a reserved area. Day parking preferably would be at the station; but it would be subject to demand and availability.
The more difficult task is to get feeder buses from communities and counties that didn't want to join the transit district. The only hope is to engage in a "grass-roots" campaign in those communities and counties to join the transit district, to build the extensions, and to provide interim feeder services from church lots and shopping malls.
As for parking spaces and kiss-n-ride, the efficiency in facility utilization comes in the number of rush hour trips multiplying the use. Congestion is not increased since the demand for parking is unchanged. Instead, the capacity and size of a facility can be reduced to serve the same demand.
Fuel efficiency and emissions take a hit not only for waiting which, by the way, supplements shelter and waiting room facilities; but also in the daily return trip for some while others may drive to their job or school. Some comfort can be taken in the comparatively short trip to the station as opposed to traveling all the way by car, and in reduction of area vehicle miles and road congestion.
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