Multiple Stops On Same Route

As you note, the pilot credit language did not differentiate between lines and stops sufficiently. This is partly a product of the fact that this particular credit language came over from LEED-ND, which was designed to address neighborhood scale projects in which it would be possible for the multiple dwelling units in an ND project to be distribtued along a transit route. However, that aspect doesn't translate well to LEED-NC or other building-specific rating systems and the LP-TAG and staff have taken that into consideration and modified the pilot credit language as it is now being included in LEED v4 to prohibit counting multiple stops of the same route. The following criterion has been added: Trips of a route that stop more than once within the required walk distance may only be counted once.

Hi Fred! Thanks for this update. Can you clarify if that new criterion (multiple stops of the same route within the required walk distance cannot be counted more than one) applies as of now to the pilot credit or only for LEED v4. Is this already a LEED Interpretation or this just what is being discussed for v4? Also, will the language in LEED-ND also be updated for LEED-ND v4 or is that already the way the credit (SLL Credit 3) is being evaluated in LEED-ND by Reviewers?

Hi Eric, I can reply on Fred's behalf. First, this pilot credit is actually no longer active. Only those projects that registered for it before its March 1 removal can pursue the pilot credit. So, I wanted to mentioned this should you be considering the credit for your own project.

Therefore, the requirement doesn't apply to the pilot credit, as the related, v4 revision occurred after the pilot credit was removed from the Pilot Credit Library. It ultimately only applies to the v4 draft.

The related LEED-ND credit, however, is not updated with this revision, as the way in which transit stops are counted is different from the building-specific credit. In short, multiple stops from one transit route can be counted. This recognizes the fact that a single route can serve multiple areas of a neighborhood-scale project. This helpfully brings a transit stop within walking distance to as many dwelling units and non-residential building as possible.

Thanks for that clarification.

So, Chris, LEED-ND v4 will effectively continue to reward projects for adding stops to the same route, without stating spacing criteria, as it currently seems to do in LEED-ND 2009 (for SLLp1, opt. 3 and SLLc3)? I would expand Jacob's question above: should this not be adjusted for LEED-ND as well? Please discuss.

Hi Eric. LEED-ND v4 will reward projects for installing new stops, but we intentionally do not include spacing criteria because transit stop decisions (about their location, if/how they're sheltered, etc.) are mainly in the hands of transit agencies. ND v4 does reward a project for new/rehabilitated stops in NPDc7: Transit Facilities. Importantly, though, it requires collaboration with the transit agency so that new stops aren't - among other things - spaced too close together. On the whole, we feel we're appropriately relying on the existing transit agency processes to ensure that new stops are appropriately spaced.

To be sure, we're interested in learning people's experiences with new transit stops. Have you had experiences in which new stops (specifically for neighborhood-scale projects) were inappropriately spaced? Have you encountered transit agencies that don't sufficiently plan for transit stop location?

Chris,

In my case the transit agency added the stop itself, but, in my opinion, the new stop is inappropriately too close to other stops. In fact, the existing stops where already too close. So this is not specifically my experience, but this experience with a transit agency is precisely what gives me all the more reason to worry. Some transit agencies, sad to say, neglect their bus network planning priorities to leverage the most improvements they can benefit from a development OR they may not always prioritize effective transit route planning to begin with.
Think about the nature of the transit routes that can award a LEED-ND lots of points! What is going to happen is that developments in areas where the transit agency is planning ineffectively or is too accommodating to development will be unfairly rewarded relative to areas where the transit agency is really taking service outcomes seriously.
What really gets me is that a REALLY poorly functioning bus route, whose service quality is even potentially worsened by going through the LEED-ND development can potentially reward a LEED-ND project many more points than a project that has many transit service routes crossing through it with multi-service stops designed for facilitating connections.