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Responsible Hospitality Institute

Release: November 22, 2005

Contact: Jim Peters

Phone: 831.438.1404

 

                                                                                                                                                                          

 

Managing the Momentum of City Nightlife

 

Public/Private Partnership to Promote Traffic Safety – Cities Selected

 

 

SANTA CRUZ — November 22, 2005 —  As cities witness unprecedented migration of residents to downtown living, there are emerging challenges as the new residents seek vibrant late night entertainment venues to meet and socialize. Among the challenges is establishing vibrant dining and entertainment districts while also promoting traffic and pedestrian safety.

A three year cooperative agreement between the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Responsible Hospitality Institute (RHI) will establish a clearinghouse of information, create a national communication network and implement RHI’s Hospitality Resource Partnership (HRP) to demonstrate a collaborative process among four stakeholders – hospitality, safety, development and community.

“Retail shopping, commerce and residential housing lost to suburbia and malls during the final quarter of the last century are coming back to Main Street,” noted Dave Feehan, president, International Downtown Association and member of the RHI board of directors.  “But as the sun sets a new café society emerges, with evening fine dining, outdoor seating and late night entertainment catering to the increasing number of empty nest boomers and young single adults seeking an active urban life.”

Entering the project’s second year, NHTSA and RHI announce cities selected to participate in a demonstration project. Boulder, Colorado, Phoenix, Arizona and Norfolk, Virginia are examples of three distinct cities, with common challenges. Boulder is a college town and regional destination for fine dining and late night entertainment. Phoenix is among the country’s fastest growing cities with expansive plans for downtown districts to accommodate various demographic groups. Norfolk is a city in transition, still home to a U.S. Navy base, but with an emerging service industry economy.

“A concentration of dense housing, a multiplex of dining and entertainment options serving diverse economic and lifestyle groups creates unique challenges for cities, especially in traffic and pedestrian management,” notes Jim Peters, president, Responsible Hospitality Institute. “During our first year of research we’ve identified four specific strategies for more specialized "points of intervention" not normally available when people drive to their destination such as a mall or chain establishment where they park their own car and drive home, usually on a freeway,” notes Peters. Among the strategies more specific to urban and downtown districts are:

-      Improved Cab Service: Many cities have begun campaigns to improve cab service as part of tourism development. Strategies are also being developed to improve late night cab service, ordinances to establish and maintain cab stands and expand their use by hotel shuttles, limo services and contract shuttles, and improved communication between cabs and licensed beverage establishments to make access to cabs more efficient.

-      Valet and Parking Service: With limited parking in downtowns, more dining and entertainment establishments implement valet service. This strategy will focus on better coordination among valet service companies and their involvement in driving while intoxicated (DWI) prevention and best practices and formal training for valet staff to identify intoxicated guests and take proactive strategies to arrange transportation. In many cases, parking lot attendants can be the last point of intervention to prevent a DWI. While servers and bartenders can play a role, their ability to observe someone who might be intoxicated is less than a valet or parking attendant.

-      Closing Times: A growing number of cities are exploring ways to permit well managed late night entertainment venues to extend hours without alcohol service to reduce the strain on police services to manage exiting crowds, enhance the ability of taxi companies to meet the demand, and allow some patrons time to sober up before leaving, offering non-alcoholic beverages, entertainment and dancing.

-      Pedestrian Safety: Campaigns to promote designated drivers are effective in suburban environments where most people drive to their destination, but urban centers require as much or more focus on pedestrians, including better signage, improved lighting, speed management, clearly marked crosswalks and better management of intoxication by bartenders and servers. Campaigns aimed at educating the public about server responsibility to not serve intoxicated patrons and to raise awareness about moderation will be introduced.

“We are enthusiastic about the work being performed by RHI under its cooperative agreement with NHTSA," says Heidi Coleman, Chief of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Impaired Driving Division, "Working together, we can test innovative ways to reduce alcohol related crashes and fatalities."  

Each of the demonstration cities are equally enthusiastic about the prospects of the project, anticipating many positive outcomes from the process,

-      Molly Winter, representing the city of Boulder, is delighted to have Boulder selected as one of the RHI demonstration communities and looks forward to the opportunity to learn ways to promote responsible hospitality within a college community and network with other cities.  Over the last 9 months, several subcommittees have been exploring ways to better understand the causes of alcohol abuse and consider appropriate, collaborative solutions in the areas of services and education, and policies and regulations. Enhanced server training and new business orientation, will be a focus of the Boulder resource panels, and the grant will provide the resources and expertise to implement the recommendations, as well as other initiatives.

-      According to Brian Kearney, President and CEO of the Downtown Phoenix Partnership, “The 90-block core of downtown Phoenix, Copper Square, is currently experiencing an unprecedented transformation. Plans for a dynamic, multi-block entertainment district are moving forward simultaneously with growth that will bring thousands of new residents, tourists, student and employees to the heart of downtown.”  Kearney adds that, “While we are very excited about these dynamics, they will also bring a new set of challenges that must be met head on to preserve the positive impacts of this growth.  We believe that the inclusive nature of RHI’s Hospitality Resource Partnership makes it the perfect model for proactively addressing these issues.”

-      Over the past few years, downtown Norfolk has seen an explosion of residential development, much of that development in the heart of a growing dining and entertainment district", said Cathy Coleman, President and CEO of the Downtown Norfolk Council. "The private sector has been working closely with city government to assure that ordinances and programs are in place to support growth and development in both the residential and the dining and entertainment sector of our downtown community. Many of the elements of the RHI model have already been implemented and we look forward through this demonstration project to enhancing our ability to meet the continuing challenges of our rapidly developing urban core."

Preliminary results will be showcased at RHI’s International Symposium on Planning, Managing and Policing Hospitality Zones on November 13-16, 2006 in Chicago with representatives from England, Canada, New Zealand, Australia among other countries sharing strategies. In 2007, each of the demonstration cities will then be host to a Networking Conference, similar to those held this year in Burlington, Vermont, Delray Beach, Florida and Hollywood, California. More information is available at www.RHIweb.org or 831.469.3396.

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About Responsible Hospitality Institute

 The Responsible Hospitality Institute is a non-profit organization with funding from private and public sources committed to assisting businesses and communities create safe and vibrant places for people to socialize.  The organization provides resources to facilitate cooperation and consensus-building among key stakeholders to maximize economic, employment and social benefits while reducing risks to public safety and impacts on the residents. Visit www.RHIweb.org or call 831.469.3396 for more information.

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