I love it that our city is a major proponent of efficient and responsible mass transit. This past week SF hosted the World Congress on Intelligent Transportation. Some innovative items are in the works these days. MUNI modeled a "Superbus" this week on the 30 Stockton line. Its equipped with on board internet access and entertainment as well as vehicle tracking and location based passenger announcements to help riders know where they are. This is especially helpful for visitors who aren't familiar with the city. Scheduling can also be adjusted quickly because of real time rider reports.
There has been a good deal of buzz lately because of the dense traffic throughout SF's downtown. London is being touted as a model to learn from as they've used a system that has reduced congestion by 30% in the central business district since 2003. That is huge. I was in Nob Hill today and it took me 45 minutes to travel 5 miles. That's nuts! It could be worse, but it could be better.
http://www.itsworldcongress.org/about.php3 World Congress in SF Site.
Some argue that Americans in densely populated cities should give up our cars. That's extreme. Yet, when a city goes far toward efficient transit that get's you where you want to go when you want to get there- its' very appealing. We've still got my car, but did buy a more fuel efficient one lately. Check out the Mazda 5 http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/minivans/0510_mazda_5/
I actually like riding the bus and subway. Besides the environmental benefits it's always an experience.
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2 comments:
Vancouver BC is another city with density / congestion issues, only much of it has been purposeful. The city made a decision many years ago not to develop the urban infrastruction to cater to the automobile. Today the Vancouver Urban Planning website says that Vancouver if 'blessed by the absence of freeways'. (Interesting choice of words!)What it has facilitated is an amazing development of the downtown and the moniker as one of the worlds most livable cities.
Many of the people in our neighborhood have given up thier vehicle. When you live in the heart of the transit web and the area is designed on a pedestrian scale, this becomes more practical. We still have our mini-van. When you have a couple of kids, a family vehicle is still hard to do without. But my wife and kids use transit everyday for work and school, and I would too, if I didn't need the van for work.
Siggy:
I think you'll enjoy SF when you visit one day. Like Vancouver, freeways aren't much part of the landscape. It's a town that has torn down freeways over the last 15 years. Most cities in the U.S. saw a huge boom in freeway construction after World War II. SF went that way initially, but has since repented.
Great to track with you. Thanks for your valuable post.
David
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