Alternative Modes of Transportation, Research Paper Example

Introduction

The Bay Area of California is one of the largest cities in America. The population of this area is nearly 4 million and a large percent of this number works every day.  The majority of people living in this area depend upon their cars to get from place to place. Although the infrastructure of the Bay Area is able to support and accommodate the drivers, more transportation options would create easier mobility throughout the city. There are several typical modes of transportation in large cities like the Bay Area. Some people use forms of public transportation, other walk, the majority use personal cars, and few cycle. In recent years, many large cities have begun to advocate for alternative modes of transportation within the cities. Many cities have created policies that reward commuters for using these alternative modes of transportation.  Americans have long been notorious for their love of the automobile; the Bay Area is no different. However, the Bay Area is plagued by congestion due to the use of cars. Getting to work in the Bay Area, California is a battle fought each day. Commuters, environmentalist, and employers are facing substantial issues that have progressively gotten worse in recent years. Sadly, this problem will only become worse if measures are not made to alleviate these issues. Environmentalists have been proposing ways to reduce smog from car emissions for some time, but many commuters are just simply ignoring the issue. However, we believe that this issue has been ignored because many do not understand how important it is, and that there are many benefits for the commuter. Our group is concerned with conveying how important this issue is and showing the benefits for all involved stakeholders. The transition to cycling can be done gradually over time. Traveling by buses and trains rather than driving can greatly reduce traffic congestion and spare the environment. The benefits of establishing and supporting an alternative method for commuters are immense.

The Bay Area

Streets in the Bay Area were constructed with only automobiles in mind. The Bay Area has more than 6500 miles of streets, but only about 320 mile are accommodating to cyclists. Only about 8 percent of Bay Area residents reported not owning an automobile. Nevertheless, the Bay Area has been making progress in accommodating alternate modes of transportation in the city. In 2010, the American Consumer Survey revealed that the use of automobiles as a primary form of transportation has declined nearly 4 percent, while the use of  bicycle had increased over 60 percent, and the use of public transit increased by nearly 10 percent (2010, American Community Survey). To ensure that these numbers continue to rise, areas like Los Angeles have implemented what they coined the bicycle plan.   They have posed the question:

“Suppose the set of alternatives available to a worker for his commute to work consists of driving an auto alone, carpooling, taking the bus, and taking rail. If any alternative were removed, the probabilities of the other alternatives would increase (e.g., if the worker’s car was being repaired such that he could not drive to work by himself, then the probability of carpool, bus, and rail). The relevant question is: by what proportion would each probability increase when an alternative is removed?” (American Community Survey, 2010)

What if some employers gave incentives for using alternative modes of transportation? The city has installed about 14 miles of bicycle lanes near the Metro Orange line. They have also installed bicycle racks to accommodate cyclists on the city buses. Even train cars have allotted space to store bicycles.  Nevertheless, walking has declined in the Bay Area, but that is equivalent to other larger cities. Ease of mobility is the key factor in determining if one will use an alternate mode of transportation. Implementing other modes of transportation, especially cycling, will not prove expensive. A study conducted by the Federal Transit Administration found that it typically costs less than $400 dollars to install bike racks, while it can cost as much as $5000 dollars to complete the surface of a parking lot (Research Board Annual Conference, 2002    ).

Alternative Modes of Transportation

When taking in account the vastness of t he Bay Area, cycling will not be the most efficient alternative mode for all commuters.  For those commuters have trips as long as 20 miles one way, cycling is not feasible. For a person in this predicament, it might be more feasible for them to cycle to a bus or train station and then cycle the rest of the way to their destination.

Buses

Another method of reducing traffic congestion is simply riding a bus instead of driving a car to the destination. Buses can decrease traffic congestion by taking up less space on the road and delivering their passengers quickly to their destination. For example, journey times in Leeds city centre are being cut by 10 to 30 percent (Reducing Congestion). The benefits of traveling in a bus are enormous to the bus user and to the environment. Individual vehicles are accountable for about 40,000 deaths per year (Micky 2013). The National Safety Council approximate that riding a bus is 170 times safer than driving a vehicle. Another benefit of this type of public transportation is that it reduces air pollution and saves energy. Cars are responsible for about 50 percent of the air pollution worldwide. Buses release 80 percent less carbon monoxide than a single car and are twice as fuel efficient (Benefits 2015). Various forms of transportation accounts for about 33 percent of carbon dioxide emissions produced in the United States. Great efforts are being made to reduce those numbers.

Trains

Trains are also a great way to reduce traffic congestion due to cars. Train or subway systems have shown to work in greatly populated cities such as Hong Kong and New York. This is because they are capable of carrying large crowds at once, even more so than buses. This makes them more efficient and environmentally friendly. A study conducted on the new light rail system in Salt Lake City showed that the impact of commuters using this alternative method of transportation saved 1,300 gal. of gas and 26,100 pounds of CO2 from being released in the air daily (George, 2010). They also do not use the same roads as cars thus greatly reducing traffic on main roads. In a place such as the Bay Area where commuters travel between cities, trains are a great alternative transportation for going to work.

Benefits

The benefits of establishing and supporting an alternative method for commuters are immense. First, there are many health benefits associated cycling. Cycling helps build the cardiac muscles. It raises the heart rate and causing an increase in stamina. According to the British Medical Association, “cycling just 20 miles a week can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 50%. A major study of 10,000 civil servants suggested that those who cycled 20 miles over the period of a week were half as likely to suffer heart disease as their non-cycling colleagues”. Some commuters are even trying out something called bike sharing. Through this process, people who work together will jointly purchase a bike. They will then alternate cycling to work.

“Bike sharing is good for cities in many ways. It delivers all the benefits of bicycling: by replacing car trips, it helps the environment, road congestion, the economy, parking, mobility, and traffic safety. In addition, bike sharing has unique advantages. It is more convenient and affordable than bike ownership for many residents; it helps overcome barriers to using a bike in a city, such as theft and storage; it generates revenue for municipalities and private companies; it creates new jobs; it motivates cities to improve bike infrastructure; it both connects to and relieves pressure on transit; it provides branding for a city; and it introduces new audiences to bicycling” (Bikes Belong, 2011).

Yet, many other chose to bike-pool. These are people who choose to ride their bikes together to their destination. This makes cycling a social event and much easier to maintain.  Also, researchers have found that traffic congestion causes stress. For example, “commuters can experience greater stress than what fighter pilots going into battle or riot policemen feel. “Long commutes (more than 18 miles one way) may also increase the likelihood of having a heart attack due to exposure to high levels of air pollutants, which appears to be a risk factor for heart disease” (Credo, 2005) Commuters can reduce their stress levels by avoiding traffic congestion, which results in them being more productive at work because of increased energy level.

Many key environmental indicators support the need for alternative transportation methods.  Another study found that it only takes about five percent of the materials used to make a car to produce a bicycle. Bikes are efficient and can be used in any season without the cost of gas. Riding a bike, a person can travel the equivalent of 2, 924 miles on one gallon (Abraham, et al. 2002).  Cycling to work is a pollution-free mode of transportation that can reduce the need for a car, the cost of servicing them, and the cost of disposing them. On average, if a person cycles to work about an average of 10 km each way, he/she would save the environment from about 1500 km of greenhouse emission gas. In major cities like the Bay Area, traffic delays and congestion can account for about 13 million tons of greenhouse emissions per year.  Furthermore, cycling during peak traffic hours can reduce major traffic congestion and drive frustration.  When more people cycle instead of driving, more space is left for greenery.

There are many economic benefits of cycling as well. Transportation is the second largest household expense, with food being first. The average car costs commuters about 55 cents per mile to operate, while a bicycle only cost about 1 cent per mile to operate.  Consequently, the cost of buying and operating a bicycle is astronomically cheaper than buying and operating a car. The average person will save about 1700 dollars per year when they cycle to work instead of driving. Also, bikes cause less damage to road structures than cars.  About 75 percent of persons in the Bay Area leave within walking or cycling distance from their jobs and schools. Substituting only 2 trips per month with cycling can make astronomical an astronomical difference (George, 2010). When more people choose to cycle, residential space is conserved due to the decrease in the need of roadways.

Conclusion

Getting to work in the Bay Area, California is a battle fought each day. Commuters, environmentalist, and employers are facing substantial issues that have progressively gotten worse in recent years. Sadly, this problem will only become worse if measures are not made to alleviate these issues. Environmentalists have been proposing ways to reduce smog from car emissions for some time, but many commuters are just simply ignoring the issue. As presented there are many environmentally friendly ways to reduce traffic congestion. Improving roads and making them more efficient at handling large amount of cars is the first step. Public transportation such as trains and buses can handle large amount of commuters reducing the impact on the roads. Lastly and even more environmentally friendly is the use of non-motorized vehicles and walking to work. By following any or all of these suggestions traffic congestion and thus smog can be greatly reduced.

References

Abraham, John E et al. (2002). Investigation of Cycling Sensitivities Authors. Transportation Benefits. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.pacommutes.com/public-transit/benefits/

American Community Survey, 2010 Bikes Belong. (2011). Bike Sharing in the United States. Retrieved from http://www.bikesbelong.org/assets/documents/uploads/bikesharinginUS.pdf

Credo, Rachelle. 2005. “10 Ways to Reduce Commuting Stress.” http://ezinearticles.com/?10- Ways-To-Knock-Stress-Off-Commuting&id=52623&opt=print. Date accessed 08/10/08.

George, L. (2010). Development of a Model to Predict and Mitigate Environmental and Public Health Impacts of Traffic Flows and Traffic Management Policies in Urban Transportation Microenvironments. Transportation Insights for Vibrant Communities. Retreived from: http://trec.pdx.edu/research/project/345/Development_of_a_Model_to_Predict_and_Mitigate_Environmental_and_Public_Health_Impacts_of_Traffic_Flows_and_Traffic_Management_Policies_in_Urban_Transportation_Microenvironments

Micky, J. (2013, June 25). 6 Health Benefits of Public Transportation. Retrieved from http://transloc.com/6-health-benefits-of-public-transportation/Reducing Congestion. (n.d.). Retrieved fromhttp://transportworks.org/about-transport-works/reducing-congestion