EasyConnect II: Integrating Transportation, Information, and Energy Technologies at Transit Oriented Developments

The integration of innovative technologies with traditional modal options in transit oriented developments (TODs) may be the key to providing the kind of high-quality transit service that can effectively compete with the automobile in suburban transit corridors. The EasyConnect II project represents a multi-technology integration of innovative strategies planned to enhance transit use during the development and construction of a suburban TOD at the Pleasant Hill Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) District station in the East San Francisco Bay Area. The project team represents a unique partnership including small technology businesses, private developers, transportation agencies, city and county government, and academia. The project components include the introduction of shared-use low-speed mode vehicles, smart parking management systems, electronic lockers, and power supplied by a hydrogen fuel cell at the proposed TOD. The various technologies will seamlessly be linked over the Internet in formats accessible to both end-users and project planners. The evaluation of the proposed study will provide insight into whether the introduction and integration of innovative technologies at TODs can significantly increase transit access and use. If the innovations introduced in this study prove successful, then their application could be expanded throughout the region, California, and the nation.