SCAG’s ‘Mobility Hub Design and Implementation Guide’ Helps Local Planners Overcome Obstacles
Mobility hubs—facilities providing comfortable, seamless transition between different travel modes—are a relatively new transportation and land use planning tool, increasingly implemented around the country and region. Mobility hubs promise a flexible, affordable, and local solution for one of the biggest challenges facing communities of all shapes and sizes in Southern California: how to support more multimodal transportation options.
Despite a growing number of adopters, mobility hubs present siting, design, and funding obstacles for local planners. To support locals in overcoming these challenges and advance mobility hubs across Southern California, SCAG today published the “Mobility Hub Design and Implementation Guide”—a step-by-step guide for local jurisdictions to consult when navigating the process to identify, develop, and implement mobility hubs in their communities.
Communities have many reasons to pursue mobility hubs. Mobility hubs provide access to multiple modes of transportation at one location—creating easy-to-navigate connections in a comfortable environment, such as bikeshare to bus or train, or from walking to micromobility services. Mobility hubs provide additional community benefits with security, shelter, and technology—such as device charging ports, Wi-Fi access, and real-time travel information.
In Connect SoCal 2024, the Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy, SCAG recommends establishing and expanding mobility hubs across the region to provide foundational infrastructure for multimodal travel. To jumpstart that vision, the “Mobility Hub Design and Implementation Guide” provides detail on how to create mobility hubs in all types of community contexts. The guide’s appendices also detail existing conditions, implementation schedules, and funding options, and examples of conceptual designs for four potential mobility hub locations in Downtown Burbank, Downtown Fontana, the Moorpark Metrolink Station, and Downtown Perris.
For example, the Downtown Fontana Mobility Hub is proposed for a site that features a regional rail station on Metrolink’s San Bernardino Line and a bus exchange connecting one Victor Valley Transit bus route and nine Omnitrans bus routes. A potential mobility hub would contribute to the vision proposed by the city’s recently approved Downtown Core Project, which plans for higher residential density, mixed-use development for entertainment and night-oriented businesses in the area, and the pedestrianization of local streets—all to create of a livable public realm with vibrant corridors and the development of downtown as a destination.
The “Mobility Hub Design and Implementation Guide” suggests a conceptual design tailored to the unique land use and transportation context of the local area in Downtown Fontana, identifying missing components and proposing actions to fill specific gaps, such as a lack of carshare and micromobility options, space for pick/up drop off for car trips, and Americans with Disabilities Act-conforming pedestrian infrastructure. Some mobility hubs, such as the Downtown Fontana example, can add new resources to existing facilities to complete the mobility hub package, while other potential sites will begin an entirely new development with incremental steps such as new bike lanes, transit shelters, or Wi-Fi service.
The “Mobility Hub Design and Implementation Guide” explains every step of the process for creating active, safe mobility hubs, breaking the process into three steps:
- Planning the Mobility Hub Network
- Designing the Mobility Hub Network
- Implementing the Mobility Hub
To learn more about the potential of mobility hubs to create new multimodal transportation options for communities all over Southern California, read the “Mobility Hub Design and Implementation Guide” online and register to attend an online Toolbox Tuesday session on March 18, 1-2:30 pm.