Transportation Today Policy, Freight, Intercity Travel Norman W. Garrick Lecture 2 CE 2710.

Transportation Today

Policy, Freight, Intercity Travel

Norman W. GarrickLecture 2CE 2710

Transportation TodayCars and Planes

Two modes of travel have come to dominate transportation in modern America: 1. the gasoline engine automobile, which was invented in

Germany in 1888, 2. the airplane, which dates back to the early 1900s.

Manufacturing of automobiles on a production line basis dates back to 1908.

Since the 1950s, the automobile has dominated short and medium distance travel and has facilitated the suburbanization of American cities.

Transportation TodayTransportation and Land Use

Transportation cannot be effectively planned or designed without considering the related land use.

The type of transportation that is available helps to shape the land use pattern.

On the other hand, the land use pattern, to a large extent, helps to determine which type of transportation will be chosen by people.


Transportation OptionsLand Use Pattern

Land use influencesthe viability of a

given transportation mode

Transportation optionsshapes the

Land use pattern


For example, let’s take look at two different types of development pattern in Connecticut: West Hartford Center and the Buckland Hills area of Manchester.

If we were to provide the same level of transit service in both areas, people would be much more likely to use transit in West Hartford than in Buckland Hills.

West Hartford is much more compact and it is much more convenient to get around by walking - therefore using transit is much more viable and attractive.

Transportation TodayPolicy, Planning, Operations and Management

Transportation is not just a physical system.

Equally as important as the physical aspects of the system are the policies that determine how transportation is planned, designed, built, managed, priced and funded.

Engineers typically focus on understanding the physical infrastructure, but the same infrastructure will serve transportation needs very differently, depending on the policy framework within which that infrastructure is located.

Engineers must be fully versed on how policy might support or hinder specific planning or design goals.


Transportation Infrastructure includes physical aspects of the system, such as vehicles, travel way, terminus, toll or ticket purchasing systems and intermodal transfer. Transportation Policy may include issues such as governance (who builds, who owns, who maintains), taxes and incentives that determine the relative cost of different types of travel, zoning and design regulations, and the approach to planning.


In the USA, there are many different agents involved in the provision of transportation service – both public and private.

Typically, transportation involves a partnership between many different agents.

For example, in air transportation the fixed infrastructure like the airports are usually owned and operated by the government, while the air service itself is provided by private companies. Transportation may also involve many levels of government from the Federal to the State, Regional, and Local level

Transportation TodayFreight Transportation

Freight transportation refers to the movement of goods of any type.

Much of this course focuses on transportation in the public sector, and primarily on passenger transportation.

Freight transportation is largely a private sector activity, but the public sector provides much of the infrastructure that is need for freight transportation to operate. It is therefore important not to overlook the presence of freight and to understand its influence on the economy.


Almost all businesses in the USA now depend on ‘just-in-time’ delivery, and internet commerce has significantly increased the importance of timely delivery of goods in all sectors of the economy. Therefore freight transportation is an increasingly important and complex field of operation.


Why is this background important? Freight services use public infrastructure including

roads, rail (often the rail is owned by the freight company and used by public sector and not the other way around), bridges, tunnels, ports, airports

Freight operations are regulated by government

Government policies affect freight operations

The freight industry is an important source of jobs for transportation planners and engineers.


Modes of Freight Transportation

Motor Carriers

Railroads

Pipelines

Water borne vessels

Air carriers (including mail parcel companies)

Transportation TodayIntercity Travel

Intercity transportation refers to transportation for travel between cities located in different urban regions.

These may include trip lengths any where from about 50 miles to thousands of miles.


Modes for Intercity Travel Automobile Bus Rail Air Water borne vessels


How do the modes differ? Cost to build and operate Cost to user (out-of-pocket and overall) Door-to-door travel time (access, waiting and in-

vehicle time) Convenience/service/comfort Safety Energy use Environmental factors (noise, air pollution, water) Compatibility with surrounding land use (parking

demand, nuisance, space needed) Who pays for what (level of Government support)


Energy Use of Different Modes in USA in Mega-Joules per Passenger

(Ref: Newman and Kenworthy)

Auto 2.9

Bus 1.6

Heavy Rail (electric) 0.4

Heavy Rail (diesel) 1.4

Light Rail 0.8

http://www.citylab.com/commute/2014/11/why-more-northeast-us-travelers-take-the-train-than-a-plane-in-2-charts/383158/





Factors affecting people’s choice of mode

Type and purpose of trip Ownership status Cost (mostly out of pocket cost) Door-to-door travel time Convenience/service/comfort Prestige Availability Accessibility of mode Land use characteristics of start and end point


Europe versus USA

In the USA intercity travel is dominated by automobile and air (except in the Northeast and to a lesser extent in California).

In many European countries, rail is much more important that in the USA for trips from about 60 to 300 miles.


Europe versus USA

A number of European and Asian nations have fast train systems that travel up to 200 miles per hour. Top speed in the USA rarely exceeds 80 miles per hour. Many of these counties started developing their systems in the 1980s and have continued to expand.

However, speed is not the only issue that is important for promoting train travel. For example, Switzerland does not have a high-speed train system but still boasts one of the best and most well used networks on the continent.

Transportation TodayLive View of Swiss Trains (click on Picture)

http://swisstrains.ch/


The main factors that contribute to people using train more in Europe include

More compact, more walkable cities Better public transit in cities Less and more expensive parking Few highways penetrating the cities High fuel taxes Government support for rail (more comfortable, more

reliable, more frequent trains) Integration of the different modes (including rail and air)

Transportation Today Policy, Freight, Intercity Travel Norman W. Garrick Lecture 2 CE 2710.

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Transcript of Transportation Today Policy, Freight, Intercity Travel Norman W. Garrick Lecture 2 CE 2710.