Author Archives: Andrew Bahr

About Andrew Bahr

My name is Andrew Bahr and I am Civil Engineering major at Lafayette College. I was born and raised in New York City and I had first hand experience of the worst congestion. I grew up all around it and I always thought of ways that congestion can be diminished and how the overall traffic experience can be better; this should be a flyover ramp, not a cloverleaf or this right lane should end so incoming traffic doesn't have to merge. I always had a fascination with transportation since I was little boy. I always looked out the car window and observed what streets to take to get where my family needed to go. That eventually developed in to learning the best routes and then giving directions. This is what lead me to become a transportation engineer. I began to think critically on why we are not improving our transportation system as much as we should and how unsustainable it has ultimately become. I am optimistic enough that one day we will have automobiles that do not run on fossil fuels or any transportation mode rather. This blog will post things that I feel are sustainable, unsustainable, or just interesting to think about. I hope you enjoy my posts as much as I enjoy writing them. Thanks for reading!

High Speed Rail in the US – Part I

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Artist Depiction of US High-Speed Rail System

Artist Depiction of US High-Speed Rail System

The future of intercity travel in the US is no longer going to be by car, bus, or perhaps even planes.  The railroad industry is making a comeback from its depression over the decades.  High-speed rail is the way to go because it is the most efficient way in moving people from point A to point B.  High speed rail will be the new interstate system, but we just don’t know when as it keeps facing many hurdles.

There have been many plans across the country to implement high-speed rail in a few states.  California is the leading contender in the fight to make high-speed rail exist with speeds as high as 220 mph.  California has approved initial segments so far and is under construction.  More information regarding California’s high-speed rail can be found on their site.  Florida was another big contender, but their project was cancelled due to an unwillingness to fund the project through taxpayer money.  However there is a private company that is willing to pick up the slack.

There are so many benefits of high speed rail.  It provides thousands of much needed jobs; reduces green house emissions; and it’s cheaper, faster and more convenient travel that will connect to local public transportation.  This will also provide much needed competition in the airline industry for some major intercity travel corridors.  In California’s case that will be between San Franciso and Los Angeles or Los Angeles and Las Vegas, NV.

Why is high speed rail such a contentious issue right now?  Republicans are almost unanimously against any high-speed rail proposal because of our deficit problem.  This makes a national rail system unlikely this decade in my opinion unless there are innovative ways to fund it.  An artist’s rendition of the US High-Speed Rail is seen above.  One day I hope it will come to fruition.  More on this subject is coming soon.

MTA Subway Time App

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The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York City has unveiled a new Iphone App.  This App gives you real-time train arrival information for selected routes of the New York City subway system.  Knowing exactly when your train will arrive will reduce the time you spend waiting on the subway platform, and let you know of any service delays or reroutes before you pay a fare.  It was released on September 28, 2012.

There is one catch with the app though, it only operates for seven lines; the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and the 42nd street shuttle.  The L Line will be added within year.  Nevertheless, that is only a fraction of the system making this app useless for most people.  NYC Transit President Tom Predergast said riders using the “lettered lines” will have to wait for their lines to be added to the app.  use signaling technology that “remains little changed since a time before computers, microprocessors, wireless telephones or handheld electronic devices.” He said the system works to prevent collisions “but it cannot offer us a digital feed.”

Who knows what day that will be when all train lines are included in this app?  It’s going to be a while because it’s all about the money.  However, it is nice to use for those seven lines right now.  I have used it and waited in a cafe until I had two minutes to catch the 5 train.

Source: http://transportationnation.org/2012/12/28/some-nyc-riders-can-now-use-phones-for-real-time-subway-arrival-times/

New Hudson River Crossing in New York City? Part III – Why No New Hudson River Crossing to Manhattan?

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I have written a comprehensive report for my Sustainable Transportation course at Lafayette College that answers the question on why we have not built a new crossing linking Manhattan and New Jersey.  This was a project assigned to our class addressing transportation issues in the United States.  Being from New York City, I chose this topic because I wanted to know why I have to wait in traffic for up to an hour on the approaches to any of the existing crossings.  What I have discovered and written explains the social, political and economic attitudes that stagnated the highway growth in the New York Metro Area after the expansion of the George Washington Bridge.  It will also give insight on the future of crossing the Hudson River.  The PowerPoint associated with it will be posted soon.

New Hudson River Crossing in New York City? Part II

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Many proposals in the last half decade have been dreamed and/or stopped dead in its tracks to construct a new Hudson River crossing connecting Manhattan and New Jersey.  One of them is the ARC Tunnel which was cancelled by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in 2010 because of its spiraling out of control costs.  Subsequently, Mayor Bloomberg of New York City silently instructed municipal staff to begin studying the possibility of stretching the city’s subway system into the state across the Hudson River.

The 7 Train was the prime candidate in this proposal.  It would be extended about four miles westward to Secaucus Junction where a major hub for NJ Transit trains already exists.  With an estimated cost of $5.3 billion, this is almost half the cost of the cancelled ARC Tunnel proposal of $11 billion.  The explanation for this is that there are already existing tunnels that the 7 Line runs through in Manhattan that this new Hudson River tunnel would connect to; the ARC Tunnel did not have this advantage as major tunneling would have to be done underneath the streets of Manhattan.

The conception of this new plan is unique because it would be the first subway to go outside New York City’s borders.  It would connect New Jersians to Times Square, and Grand Central Terminal, both major train hubs.  This plan is brilliant because it costs half as much and would relieve congestion on existing Amtrak, NJ Transit and PATH trains.  It would provide more capacity and spur development of areas in Manhattan and New Jersey it runs through.

Extending the 7 Line across the Hudson River to New Jersey should be high priority for the two states.  It is widely known that we need to build additional crossings from Manhattan to New Jersey and when there is something available at a bargain compared to other proposals, we should take it.

Map of the Proposed 7 Train Extension

Source: http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2010/11/17/to-replace-the-arc-tunnel-a-subway-extension-to-new-jersey/

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/17/nyregion/17tunnel.html?_r=1&hp

Sleepy Drivers

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Ophadell Williams, right, the driver of a bus that crashed last year, killing 15 passengers, sat with his lawyer Patrick L. Bruno at the start of his trial in September (NY Times).

In a study published this week in the British Journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, researchers in Australia and New Zealand report that sleep deprivation can have some of the same hazardous effects as being drunk.  Getting less than 6 hours a night can affect coordination, reaction time and judgment, they said, posing “a very serious risk.”  The study also said 16 to 60 percent of road accidents involve sleep deprivation.  Currently, a Bronx prosecutor is trying to convict Ophadell Williams of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide for falling asleep at the wheel of a bus that crashed and killed 15 passengers.

No state has laws regarding how much sleep one must get before they can drive making this a tough case for the prosecutor.  However, if there were laws on this subject, how many hours of sleep is insufficient to drive; 4 hours of sleep, 6 hours of sleep, or how about 18 hours in a 3 day period.  It is grey area in respect to making a law for it.

Hypothetically speaking, if a law was present there would be a problem with determining if one is actually sleep deprived or not.  There are no conclusive tests in the field that a police officer can use that determines whether an individual is sleep deprived similar to doing a BAC test for a suspected drunk driver.

In retrospect, this is becoming an increasing problem for the safety of motorists.  About one in five adults according to the American Academy of Sleep Deprivation do not get enough sleep.  This presents an extreme danger on the road.  However, how are we to get around this?  Americans are always in a hurry and tend to put sleep on the bottom of their priority list.  I know I do as a college student.   Coffee seems to be the solution to temporarily solve this quagmire, but does not do the job all the time.

I think we should consider such laws on our books only if we can reasonably assess what amounts to sleep deprivation; it must not be ambiguous.  This will stop catastrophic accidents that Mr. Williams is supposedly responsible for and like in this video of a bus driver that fell asleep and hit many cars in front.

Source 1: http://articles.cnn.com/2000-09-20/health/sleep.deprivation_1_sleep-deprivation-impairment-researchers?_s=PM:HEALTH

Source 2: http://www.aasmnet.org/resources/factsheets/sleepdeprivation.pdf

 

What ever happened to the Hydrogen Car?

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President George Bush passed a $1.2 billion plan for research and development of the hydrogen car.  He believed that this was the future of private transport in the United States as it was a pollution free alternative to the combustion engine.  Little do people know, President Obama actually killed this plan in 2009 which is contrary to his known position to increase investments in alternative energies.  The rationale behind this decision according Energy Secretary Steven Chu is that it will not be practical over the next 10 to 20 years.  Electric vehicles were thought to be a better investment for federal monies.

There are too many hurdles to overcome for hydrogen cars; we lack the current infrastructure for it (fuel stations and pipelines), hydrogen is not as efficient as petroleum,  it is expensive (because of the expensive platinum components in the battery), and it is not quite pollution-free (some hydrogen is produced by the refinement of fossil fuels) .  These prohibitive reasons are why President Obama rejected a further continuance on research for hydrogen vehicles.

However, I believe that we can solve these problems if the federal government had continued funding the hydrogen program. There are other methods of producing hydrogen through wind, solar, and nuclear.  If enough money is granted we can figure out alternative battery components that are cheaper and easily produced.  Infrastructure can be built by building in targeted regions such as Hawaii where driving patterns are predictable or Los Angeles where there is a large population to be served.  GM and the U.S. Army launched a test fleet of 16 hydrogen fuel-cell cars in Hawaii earlier this year.

Furthermore, hydrogen vehicles are better than electric vehicles with respect to the driving range and energy required.  Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles can be refueled in as few as three minutes, then travel for 250 or 300 miles straight.  Electrified cars, on the other hand, require about eight hours for complete recharging. Depending on the vehicle, they can go only 40 to 100 miles on pure battery.  The electrified vehicle is not completely pollution free because conventional electric generation that is required still pollutes.  There has to be a complete overhaul in the energy industry for electric vehicles to not have a footprint on the Earth.

I would like to see the day where I can drive my personal vehicle without contributing to poorer air quality and pollution.  If the hydrogen car is successful and people are confident in the technology and purchase these vehicles it will revolutionize the energy and automobile industry.  However, it will not solve the congestion problem in urban areas, but it will make the air much cleaner.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/08/science/earth/08energy.html

http://voices.yahoo.com/the-hydrogen-car-george-bush-doesnt-want-you-364518.html?cat=27

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2012/05/hydrogen_fuel_cell_vehicles_and_the_obama_administration_.single.html

My New York Drivers Test

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I have been a strong advocate in the classroom to create stricter driver license examinations.  Getting a licence in New York required taking a multiple choice test with 20 questions, a five hour class on driving (it was actually 3 hours) and a five minute driving test.  That may sound like a lot to study for, but the most difficult thing to do is to have the time during your busy day to do it all.  As a college student, I am more concerned about the content of the classes and the exams, but for obtaining a driver license that was not an issue.

I over-studied for the testing components to obtain my license.  The multiple choice was relatively straightforward; I only had to get 16 questions right.  On the other hand, I was more worried about the driving component; making turns properly, stopping at a stop sign, and especially parallel parking. When the test began, I put my left turn blinker on and pulled out of the parking spot I was in.  I drove down the road, made a left turn and pulled up next to the only parked car on the street.  I parallel parked behind the car and then drove on.  I made a three point turn and returned to the lot where we started.  I was yelled at for making the right turn turn too fast.  My instructor had a short temper, that’s for sure.

I passed on my first try!  However, after the test, I thought to myself that was easier than I had previously thought.  I didn’t even drive on a main road with other traffic, I didn’t merge on to an expressway and I did not parallel park in a spot where there are two cars.  How is the state suppose to know whether you can do the aforementioned maneuvers and many others? My father helped me out with the rest, but I can say from experience, many people don’t know what they are doing on the road and that contributes to less safe conditions.

One study pointed out that many Americans who are licensed don’t really know what it means when there is a solid yellow line on one side of the center line or what type of lights to use when driving in the fog. (No passing and use your low beams.)  These were multiple choice questions for the New York exam.

Testing should be done every so often to make sure that drivers are competent.  I would even consider raising the driving age or make driver exams more arduous.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/states-worst-best-drivers-test/story?id=10790148#.ULL7V4dX0Uw

New Laws On the Books for NYC’s Commercial Cyclists

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New York City has many great restaurants and hot spots for people to get the best cuisine or get it delivered.  The next time you see a person on a bike delivering you food they must have completed a training course for safe cycling in the city.  This is an unprecedented move to regulate cyclists in the city who at most times do unsafe things such as running red lights, and going the wrong way on a street.

Starting in January, 2013, commercial delivery cyclists will have to where helmets, safety vests, and abide all moving and safety rules.   They would also have to carry an ID stating the business they work for.  The business they work for would fit the bill for any safety violation while the cyclist would fit the bill for any moving violation. New York City is cracking down on bicycle law breakers as it poses a safety risk to pedestrians, motorists and to the cyclists themselves.

The New York City Department of Transportation has hired six inspectors to inform local businesses of the new rules and to make sure they are prepared for them this coming January.

 

Source: http://transportationnation.org/2012/09/27/bike-inspectors-go-door-to-door-in-nyc-telling-delivery-cyclists-to-toe-the-line/

Source: http://transportationnation.org/2012/10/25/commercial-cyclist-legislation-now-law-in-new-york/

“Smart Highways” will glow in the dark, plus a lot more

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Glow-in-the-Dark Pavement Markings which would improve vision and safety at night.

What if a highway had luminescent markings that absorbed sunlight during the day and can shine during the night.  What if a highway had little pinwheels on the side of the road that generated electricity due to drafts by passing cars.  What if a highway had a lane that charged electric vehicles that drive in a designated lane.  These are only some the futuristic concepts made by Studio Roosegaarde and Heijmans Infrastructure, a Dutch design firm.

Electric Vehicle Charging Lane which will encourage people to leave the combustion engine automobiles.

They say that this is the future of roads instead of just sitting their doing nothing.  However,  I cannot help, but think that the cost alone will be a huge disadvantage as well as the extreme maintenance needed.  I would love to see these concepts implemented one day.  Check out this linkfor more future plans for roads.

 

Source: http://www.gizmag.com/smart-highways/24836/

Electricity Generating Pinwheels will generate electricity and light the road in front of the vehicle at night.

 

Is Suburban Sprawl Good or Bad? Part I

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Suburban Sprawl

Throughout my Lafayette College career, I was accustomed with the idea that suburban sprawl is bad.  It requires a lot more land compared to a city, people have to travel farther to work contributing to longer drives, public transportation is inadequate at these areas and it is a very insipid place.  It also cements the car more in our society.  I even wrote a blog on this topic and described the problems with suburban sprawl.

So if these ideas were implanted in my mind for the last three or so years, how can it be good?  Well, in class this past Tuesday we had a very interesting guest by the name of Mr. Wendell Cox.  He explained that cities should naturally expand and grow to facilitate economic growth.  He went on to say that the only way to eradicate poverty and protect the environment is by achieving economic sustainability.  In other words, in order to have social and environmental sustainability is to first have economic sustainability.

According to Cox, there is a strong correlation between the amount of travel time between one’s job and home that facilitates maximum productive output by people.  I believe he said 45 minutes.  He was against building new expressways to urban centers to reduce travel times, but he stated that cities should expand with no restrictions so people can arrive to work sooner.  Well, how does that work?  Suburban areas are less dense than city centers so there is less congestion on area roads and expressways.  People arrive to work faster and production levels increase consequently achieving economic sustainability.

I am impressed because I feel that this is the first legitimate claim that states that we should endorse suburban sprawl.  I have been hearing the same opinions for years; that suburban sprawl was an egregious consequence of the interstate highway building era.  Mr. Cox gave some interesting points and I will try to get his PowerPoint he presented us and post it on my site.