we may not yet be living in an age of flying cars, as predicted in the 1985 film Back To The Future II, but the rise of smartphones and other new technologies is creating a reality that is arguably as exciting and almost as far-fetched.
Experts agree that economic and demographic changes, technological advances and environmental concerns are fundamentally altering the transportation landscape. “It’s a very dynamic time,” said Robert Puentes, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program thinktank. “There’s a focus on a tighter connection between the role of transportation and the economic health of cities and its impact on people.”
As the average US commute lengthens and the country’s infrastructure ages
…show more content…
“The most sustainable places to live are those places that have multi-modal transport systems,” Puentes said. “You can’t be a global competitive city if you don’t have a robust transportation network.”
Here are three of the key trends that experts predict will shape the transportation industry over the coming years.
Connectivity
The rise of ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft – essentially taxis booked at the click of a smartphone button – and apps like Waze, which uses real-time traffic data to find the quickest routes for drivers, is dramatically changing how people get around, and affecting the very way in which traffic moves through a city.
Communication between riders and drivers, between different vehicles and between cars and infrastructure is bringing transportation into a new era, according to Allan Clelland, senior vice president at Iteris, a company developing new transportation technology.
Google buys Waze map app for $1.3bn Read more
The impact of these new apps could be broad. For one thing, ride- and car sharing could facilitate a drop in private car ownership, especially among young people, who tend to prefer using multiple modes of transportation.
According to a recent study from the UCLA’s Institute of Transportation Studies, vehicle travel has declined among millennials – individuals born roughly between the early 1980s and early 2000s – compared to previous
Transportation in the region has a long and successful past. However, public transportation has consistently taken a back seat to the personal automobile. There has been a strong core of persons who rely on public transportation to achieve mobility, and governmental
Now I'm second-year graduate student and I'm taking URBS 571- Urban Transportation and I gain a considerable amount of knowledge through this course about how American cities are operating the transportation system. In addition, I used to work
The team addresses that the main purpose of the study is to address long-term inter-regional transportation problems and opportunities and to consider alternative actions to addrees these issues as part of developing an integrated, multi-modal transportation system that permits the capable movement of people and goods, and provides better economic and transportation linkages between urban growth centres in the GTA west study area (figure 1) (Transportation development strategy report, 2012). In order to finalize the purpose of the study, the project team identified the specific transportation problems and opportunities within the study area (Transportation development strategy report, 2012). They developed, assessed and evaluated a range of Area Transportation System Alternatives to address the identified issues relating to transportation, and opportunities presented within the study area (Transportation development strategy report, 2012). Lastly, the team recommended a Transportation Development Strategy based on the Area Transportation System Alternatives supported onward from the assessment (Transportation development strategy report,
The author supports his claim very well in this article, “ Public Transportation is the Way To Go”. In this text,“ Public Transportation is the Way To Go” the author uses a lot of great and important points. Three supporting details are, one he talks about fuel emissions and protecting from the effects of them. He also talks about the government spending on oil from foreign countries. It would also save time by reducing traffic. These three things were shown clearly throughout the entire article, “ Public Transportation is the Way to Go”,and support his claim very well.
Three quarters of emissions in 2004 were coming from road traffic (Woodcock, p.1930, 2009). Emissions used from transportation are forecasted to increase from the year 2007-2030 by about 80% according to studies done by James Woodcock who is currently studying climate change and health from car fuels (Woodcock, p.1930, 2009). This is due to the fact that the emissions from vehicles are increasing significantly and are higher than any other energy fragment (Woodcock, p.1930, 2009). The only way to lower this percentage is to decrease the number of individual automobiles on the road and increase the number of public transit systems, starting long distance walking to work or school, carpooling or even biking to destinations. These principles would
RTD’s new BRT project will save 29,575 Metric Tons of greenhouse gases (CO2) over a 20-year period through the reduction of auto trips. The long-term strategy to address these issues are to development a more balanced transportation system that emphasizes an expansion of convenient and high quality transit services throughout the region. The amount of congestion is expected to decrease over time as ridership increases. The BRT Expansion project is intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve public health and the livability of Stockton. A growing number of Stockton residents prefer to drive less and rely more on walking, bicycling, and public transportation because it is much healthier. The shift from auto travel to transit, walking, and bicycling will result in significant reduction in transportation-related
Watching “SpongeBob SquarePants” as a child made me realize that owning a vehicle is vital in order to get our desire destinations safely and punctual. There were numerous occasions where I found myself dependent on others. Though there are countless of bus stops I can use for transportation, I am not comfortable riding in one. Walking is another type transportation I took for school and work. However, a rainy day impedes a travel by foot. Additionally, riding my bicycle was another way I got around. My errands require extensive transportation on a daily basis. I did not want to be a burden any further. Luckily, I discovered Uber. I am pleased and relieved that I have discovered a reliable way to get to my destinations at a reasonable price.
A blue-ribbon panel of private enterprise and government authorities, convening at the Sheraton Georgetown Texas Hotel & Conference Center, seek to find common ground on how to solve current transportation needs utilizing contemporary technologies. Texas External Affairs Director Le Andre Johns, Ride Scout LLC CEO Joe Kopser, Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority Executive Director Mike Heiligenstein and Jared Ficklin of Argo Design spearhead the transportation initiative.
The effect of the built environment on transportation and travel behavior is confirmed by more than 200 empirical studies. This literature is summarized in recent reviews by Cao et al. (2009), Heath et al. (2006), Pont et al. (2009), Graham-Rowe et al. (2011), and Salon et al. (2012), and in meta-analyses by Leck (2006) and Ewing and Cervero (2010). If sprawl has any consistently recognized outcome, it is automobile dependence. I would expect to find that, after controlling for other relevant influences, compact urbanized areas have relatively high transit and walking commute mode shares and short drive times to
Our transportation system, quite arguably, may embody our most vital system, as Infrastructure and Democracy clarifies, “access is the hallmark of a great infrastructure” (Jones, Reinecke). By great contrast, our roads remain a current issue. 42 percent of America’s urban highways remain congested, costing the United States 101 billion dollars in wasted time and fuel each year. Also, the32 percent of roads, in poor or mediocre condition, cost the average traveler $324 per year (American Infrastructure Report Card). Unfortunately, updating the highway systems seems longer than it may seem, as the Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimates that from proposal to completion most highways will need nine to nineteen years to fix (Leduc, Wilson 129). In addition to the roads, our bridges are failing just as much. One of every nine bridges within the United States is categorized as structurally deficient. The average bridge 42 years old, and in order to eliminate the bridge renovation backlog, our country would need to invest twenty and a half billion dollars until 2028 (American Infrastructure Report Card). However, in 2013, the United States only invested 12.8 billion dollars in bridge reconstruction and repair (American Infrastructure Report Card). Also, our countries transit
Technology has changed remarkably over the last one hundred years. First, the way that we use books has changed. Another way is the way we play games. The way we communicate with each other has changed drastically over the last century as well. At this rate, with technology growing every day, we can see the “new” technology that we have right now is already being replaced with something else that is “new.”
Public transport has become very easy to use, with applications that you can download onto your smartphone, you can know exactly when your bus or train will arrive at your bus stop. Science and technology have really improved the efficiency, comfort and ease of access associated with transport.
The development of every nation hinges on the effectiveness of their transportation systems. Movement of goods, services and people to and from work is made possible by transportation systems. The importance of effective transportation systems cannot be over-emphasized. A lot of countries are facing Transportation problems and my country Ghana is no exception. A trip of about 30 minutes can take about an hour or more due to traffic jams. This is seriously impacting productivity and has been a topical issue in the country. The situation is the same in Uganda where I currently work. To this end, Transportation Engineers are needed to design roads/ highways that will stand the test of time, plan effective traffic management systems to reduce travel
In densely populated areas, we currently see a paradigm shift in personal mobility. For the younger generation, car usership is gradually replacing the need of car ownership. However, for example, when relying on car sharing solutions, users often spontaneously drive cars they are not used to. Results are increased stress and a higher risk of accidents.
As quoted by Rodrigue, J-P (2013), “the most important transport problems are often related to urban areas and take place where transport systems fails to satisfy the various requirements of urban mobility because of several reasons. Productivity of any urban area is highly dependent on its transport system and also its efficiency to regulate goods, workers and consumers between multiple origins and destinations”.