Over the past year we’ve reported on stories about the global rise of startups like Uber and Lyft to the feasibility of driverless cars in the near future. While cities nationwide continue to innovate new ways of revitalizing transit and technology brings transportation into a new realm of possibility, CityLab’s Eric Jaffe takes a look back at some of the most recent highlights:
Self-driving car takes on the city
Last April, Google’s famed autonomous car progressed from driving on simple highways to the twists and turns of city streets. In late May, the company also unveiled a compact version of its self-driving car with a goal on the horizon of testing it in California. With such progress in one short year, Google is on track to bring those cars to a city near you.
U.S. embraces high-speed rail
Super fast trains made a splash this year after California’s state budget made room to break ground on its longstanding plan for high-speed rail between Los Angeles and San Francisco, receiving 25 percent of California’s cap-and-trade revenue each year moving forward. Some reports estimate between $3 and $5 million in funding annually. The state also announced a winning bid and set a groundbreaking date next month on Jan. 5, 2015. That’s a big commitment to moving forward. But elsewhere in the country, high-speed rail projects have gained traction including a Dallas to Houston line and the beginning of construction on the Miami to Orlando route.
Say Aloha to driverless transit
The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation is blazing the trail in the U.S. for the first wide-scale urban transit system that is automated. While driverless transit has popped up in cities throughout the world, Honolulu is the first American city to begin soliciting bids for nine stations, including designs for one at its airport. The concept, as experts point out, enables trains to run closer together and provides many safety advantages.
Bicycles go electric
Municipalities have made major advances on enhancing roads to include safe bike paths, and in Cambridge, Mass., a bike company has made strides on creating a new type of bike that could transform the industry. The Cambridge-based mobility company Superpedestrian developed and began taking pre-orders on its Copenhagen Wheel, which turns existing bikes into electric-power bicycles. As CityLab reports, experts estimate the product has the potential to put the U.S. as one of the world’s top e-bike markets within the next two decades.
New York’s “Vision Zero” safety plan
The Big Apple took a page out of Sweden’s playbook earlier this year when Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Vision Zero, a plan to bring the city’s traffic-related death and injury statistics down to zero. The city has rolled out several regulations as a part of the plan, including reducing speed limits to 25 miles an hour. San Francisco is also pushing a similar strategy.
MORE: New York City Looks to Stockholm for a Traffic Blueprint
Tag: Mass Transit
The Future of Transit in the United States Looks Like…
Electric vehicles (EVs) are cropping up nationwide, with Americans owning around 70,000 pure-electric cars and 104,000 plug-in hybrids in 2013, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. But the problem with EVs is the need to recharge batteries frequently, which is why they make up less than 1 percent of the 226 million registered vehicles in the country.
But a South Carolina company has found an alternative for EVs through public transit. Proterra, a manufacturer for green vehicles, is now outfitting about 12 operators with its new 40-foot, 77-seat electric bus. Mass transit routes in urban areas average about 20 miles or less, and the new Proterra bus can run 30 to 40 miles on just one charge. Proterra operates buses in Florida, Nevada, Massachusetts, Tennessee and outside Los Angeles.
As for charging, the bus only takes about 10 minutes to renew its charge, which means a bus can operate all day long, CEO Ryan Popple tells Fast Company.
While pricing is still an issue when it comes to electric buses, Popple contends the price is falling fast. In fact, the first model sold for $1.2 million in 2010; now buses are bigger, yet cost only $800,000. But the steep cost, he claims, is worth the investment, estimating that the operational costs of a diesel bus average about $500,000 to $600,000 over the span of 12 years compared to the $100,000 it costs for an electric bus.
As uncertainty grows over the wavering gas prices, Popple is adamant the future of mass transit is electric.
“[With natural gas], you’re using a temporarily cheap commodity and wasting it as inefficiently as the old cheap commodity,” he tells Fast Company. “You’re going to see a future where electric buses [have] lower costs to operate, lower emissions, and higher performance. They’re going to obsolete [fossil fuel] combustion in transit.”
MORE: Inside the Race to Build an Affordable Electric Vehicle
Meet the Eighth Grader Who Designs Subway Systems
What do most of us think of when traveling through a city? Maybe it’s congestion, pollution and headaches. And while some urban planners are looking for ways to improve life on the streets, perhaps it’s time to take a look at what’s happening underground.
That’s exactly what one designer started doing. The interesting part? He isn’t even in high school, yet he’s already designing transit systems for cities that don’t have underground public transportation.
What started as a simple hobby for eighth grader Ivan Specht has now turned into a brand (Metro-ology) with a website, posters and t-shirt designs.
His first subway design was for Austin, Texas and was given as a Father’s Day present to his dad. From there, inspiration took off and Specht produced 10 more, including plans for San Antonio and New Orleans.
So, how did an eighth grader became an infrastructure prodigy? According to Specht, it’s just always been a passion.
“Ever since I was about five, I have been fascinated by mass transit systems — especially that of New York City, which is where I now live,” Specht tells Fast Co. Exist. “[My Dad] really liked the gift. So much so he suggested I turn it into a summer project and business, which is exactly what I have done.”
To create each design, Specht uses Google Maps Maker. No detail is left unnoticed, and his designs are as intricate as that of the New York City subway system. In addition, much of his inspiration comes from Harry Beck’s London Underground map.
“Usually, I try to concentrate the lines in the city centers. I then re-draw the map in Photoshop, using 45-degree angles, which I think make the maps look much cleaner and more graphically pleasing. Lastly, I add a legend, as well as reference points like highways and rivers,” Specht explains to Fast Co. Exist.
[fn]
Taking a look at the designs, it’s clear that Sprecht’s transit plans have the potential to be turned into reality. Which city will be the first to call him?
MORE: These Solar-Powered Roads Transmit Helpful Information onto Your Windshield
The Streetcar Returns! And It’s Rescuing Tucson From the Recession
Streetcars were once a common feature in American cities. New York once had an expansive network that seamlessly linked its two largest boroughs. They were, however, largely abandoned after World War II as communities were designed around automobiles. However, in the wake of an energy crisis, the streetcar is experiencing a kind of renaissance. According to the Associated Press, Tucson is one of several cities planning to launch streetcar service to promote economic development. The city just finished a four-mile-long streetcar track that will run between the University of Arizona campus and downtown. “Roughly 150 businesses have opened their doors along the route in the last five years, and the once-dormant area is in the middle of a $230 million construction boom, according to the Downtown Tucson Partnership. The group estimates that 2,000 jobs have been created or relocated to the area,” according to Pew States. Michael Keith, CEO of the downtown group, says, “The fact that Tucson could reinvent itself in the middle of the worst recession to hit the state since 1928 is astonishing.”
OneC1TY Transforms Nashville With an ‘Education-Civic-Business Ecosystem’
Nashville’s 28th Avenue Connector may look like a simple urban development built to improve traffic. And while it is a major improvement, this innovation is building so much more for the community. The full site, called OneC1TY, over Centennial Park is bike-friendly and promotes walking too. It’s living up to its role as a “Connector” in more ways than one. For example, it’s joining educational institutions and the city’s medical district, promoting a sense of collaboration and the city’s “education-civic-business ecosystem.” The streetscape features bioswales to handle runoff, energy-efficient solar lighting, and locally-inspired art. As supporters have pointed out, it’s a “transformative example of the kind of development that a well-thought-out public infrastructure project” can create.
San Francisco’s Aggressive Plan Could Abolish Carbon Emissions
The Bay Area recently passed a climate protection resolution that will slash carbon emissions in the region 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. If successful, the policy could dramatically change the city’s transportation landscape. According to Quartz, “The Bay Area has California’s most extensive public transportation system and its tech-savvy drivers have been earlier adopters of electric cars… But [in order to make this work] the [air district board] will also need to convert more of the region’s bus and truck fleet to carbon-free fuels and electrify diesel-powered ports.” Beyond getting more people in battery-powered cars and electric buses, the agency acts as an incubator for new technologies. “For instance, it’s helping to fund a pilot project to create an electric taxi service to link regional airports in San Francisco to the region’s cities,” according to Forbes. If these progressive measures to slash carbon emissions work in a car-centric city like San Francisco, the policy could serve as a model for the rest of the country.