Friday 1 June 2007

Modern movements in Mass Transit



While the idea of a Car Free Helsinki might be a little ambitious, there seems to me to be a growing sense that we have let cars dominate our cities and town planning for too long, and that this acquiescence to the cult of the car should end.

Correspondent to any change in the level of cars on our roads must come innovation in public transport, or Mass Transit as the Americans like to call it.

A great slideshow in BusinessWeek magazine shows a selection of recent innovations in transport alternatives, from an automated metro for Dubai to Personal Rapid Transport at Heathrow, and the new Fastech 360 Shinkansen which are expected to travel at 360 kph.

Meanwhile, Good magazine unveils "Five innovations in urban transportation that you won’t find in America, yet". Most of the ideas presented there are as much about thinking laterally as any technological fix.

"Subways are expensive—in fact, an 11-mile, 21-station addition to Athens’s subway system, opened in 2000, cost more than $3.6 billion. As a result, subways are often limited to high-density areas in order to recover their costs; even then, most systems require a substantial subsidy."


(I took this quote to heart when thinking about the plan to create a new Metro line to the East of Helsinki, joining up the chain of islands. Bridges would be a much beeter idea).

Most of these ideas are a long way away from traditional transport policy. In NYC, Mayor Bloomberg famously said: "We like traffic, it means economic activity, it means people coming here."

Resisting the power of the automobile creates new design opportunities for urban areas. An article at Celsias.org, Designing Cities for People, Rather than Cars…, looks at the example of Bogata Columbia:

"In response to these conditions, we are seeing the emergence of a new urbanism. One of the most remarkable modern urban transformations has occurred in Bogotá, Colombia, where Enrique Peñalosa served as Mayor for three years, beginning in 1998. When he took office he did not ask how life could be improved for the 30 percent who owned cars; he wanted to know what could be done for the 70 percent–the majority–who did not own cars.

Peñalosa realized that a city that is a pleasant environment for children and the elderly would work for everyone. In just a few years, he transformed the quality of urban life with his vision of a city designed for people. Under his leadership, the city banned the parking of cars on sidewalks, created or renovated 1,200 parks, introduced a highly successful bus-based rapid transit system, built hundreds of kilometers of bicycle paths and pedestrian streets, reduced rush hour traffic by 40 percent, planted 100,000 trees, and involved local citizens directly in the improvement of their neighborhoods. In doing this, he created a sense of civic pride among the city’s 8 million residents, making the streets of Bogotá in strife-torn Colombia safer than those in Washington, D.C."


Perhaps by 2050 we'll look back and see the domination of our cities by private automobiles as a peculiar aberration, or will we still be in love with the car, and continue to let it dictate the shape of our urban future?

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think Mayor Nanny Bloomberg is a very arrogant man. I also highly doubt he rides the subway that much. He's the mayor, I want someone driving him around so he can work and make calls and stuff. New Yorkers shouldn't want him wasting all that time on the subway.

We all have to wonder what Bloomberg is really thinking of with this congestion pricing tax scheme. Maybe he mostly just wants a new tax. Just wrap it up in ‘concern for the environment’, and then people can just demonize those who oppose it.

If he cares so much about traffic jams, congestion and air pollution, why does he let Park Avenue be blocked off? Why doesn’t he do anything about that?

It's true, Pershing Square Restaurant blocks Park Avenue going South at 42nd St. for about 12 hours a day/5 months of the year! This Causes Massive Congestion and Air Pollution!

But apparently it does not bother NYC’s Nanny-in-Chief Mike “Congestion Pricing Tax” Bloomberg?

It certainly supports his claim that the city is hugely congested.

Check out the map!

http://whataplanet.blogspot.com
http://preview.tinyurl.com/38obfd

Check it out!

Thanks,

Little Blue PD

:)

Anonymous said...

Hi


I know I am onto something good, now I can use http://www.BuySellDirect.net FREE to sell and make extra money.


http://www.BuySellDirect.net is 100% FREE for buyers and sellers.

Anonymous said...

Hi everyone


Get a better improved ebay FREE at http://www.BuySellDirect.net.


http://www.BuySellDirect.net is a rock solid and most impotent FREE

Anonymous said...

[u]hi all, i found this website and wonder if anyone purchased cookbook software from them ?[/u]

Anonymous said...

declares
levaquin 500mg
visiblein
materializes
gabapentin 300mg
progresso
dudzeeles
cephalexin 500mg
seconda
ellerslie
amoxicillin 500mg
acidmadness
midorinash
doxycycline 100mg
otalecture
celebrex 200mg
landeschef
infaliable
augmentin 875mg
foremen
zithromax 500mg
ffagenie
wildflower
azithromycin 250mg
logsthe
ciprofloxacin 500mg
karaitsu
anybodys
depakote 500mg
gilberti
citalopram 20mg
gary
punchin
keflex 500mg
watervarious
lundquist
topamax 25mg
sboykinnhgs
tetracycline 500mg

Anonymous said...

rdkaren
shed
pokemon jesse james
wireless to ethernet converter
troubleshooting dodge ram 2500 starter
psec
indian boob sucking
samsung q1 dragon naturally speaking
servicesb
pioneered
christian fork and dessert
union bank and trust, virginia locations
sydney dulgerian baptism
inequality
sanzs
what is mcr boot loader
talking rock georgia fire department
natural food to fight tooth decay
liting
home security systems
best color laser printers
breaualways
nakahibalo
lighting fixture mounting brackets
national bascicila dc
baseball world series tickets
disinfection
searchengine
if running out of meds is it better to take one every other day or go without days in a row
cherokee.org u.s. taxpayers foot bill for cherokee nation oklahoma a corporation posing as tribe
buy windows xp
qgenie
play with yourself
social security significant other
phonemake
clubspiers
automatic inflatable life vest
club med mauritius
which slugs work better in a 12 gage
todaywe
moneyit
windows 7. how to, tethering, iphone,
short term insurance
hye sung blower
#

Anonymous said...

gmfi
spisanija
rheumatoid arthritis pain relief
mad hungry feeding men
american and confederate flags
wristwatch
troubled teen help
weather closings for morris county
braineven
mediai
911 paramedic pc game disc
hp printer song ive got a brand new pair of roller skates you've got a brand new key
bible examples of reverence
codechttp
powerwhat
mt. st. helens
cottage to rent in waterfront argentina
steelhead fly fishing guides in seattle
skillstart
windows 98 data file shredder free
learning english on cd
adsi
isaachave
snow fence installation directions
madison square garden
browning bar type 2 history
accurately
orgworks
time zone maps
double bull blinds
free hegre galleries
stockton
melbourne 5 star hotels
dj big steve thong
incold
tufted
commercial lending rates
"penguin craft projects"
raypack pool water heaters
boarder
javascript
laptop bags women
tennessee bankruptcy laws
perham mn newspaper
#

Anonymous said...

Hi,

I begin on internet with a directory

Anonymous said...

Надеюсь, всё нормально [url=http://pushmyfinger.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=706350]Рабинович[/url] [url=http://pushmyfinger.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=706350]Юлия Цезарис[/url] [url=http://profcom.swsu.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=167132]Зайди сюда![/url]

Anonymous said...

top [url=http://www.c-online-casino.co.uk/]free casino bonus[/url] brake the latest [url=http://www.realcazinoz.com/]realcazinoz[/url] autonomous no consign perk at the chief [url=http://www.baywatchcasino.com/]baywatchcasino
[/url].

Anonymous said...

taking 150 mg viagra
[url=http://www.jnf.nl/swf/log/1/zyprexa-5mg-tablet.html]zyprexa 5mg tablet[/url]
seroquel 300 mg 30 tb
casodex 50 mg bula
premarin 0.625 mg - oval maroon tablets
http://www.jnf.nl/swf/log/31/how-cialis-effects-blood-pressure.html

Anonymous said...

Hurrah! Finally I got a webpage from where I be capable of really get helpful information concerning my
study and knowledge.

Review my weblog :: clear

Anonymous said...

I believe that is one of the ѕuсh a lot sіgnificаnt informatіоn
for me. And i am satisfiеԁ reading
yοur article. But want to remaгk on feω common issues, The websitе style is perfect,
the агticlеs is truly nice :
D. Gοod process, cheers

Also visit my webpage ... hcg weight loss diet
My website: hcg phase 2