The quality of existing public transportation systems will impact a city’s capacity for transportation sustainability. This facet of a metropolis could have significant impacts on a city’s ecological footprint, which is an indicator of the amount of natural resources it consumes (Global Footprint Network, 2005). For example, McGranahan and Satterthwaite (2002) note that the “commitment to public transport…has a major influence on the extent of private automobile use and hence of average greenhouse gas emissions per person.”
Another feature in a sustainable transportation network would include appealing options for pedestrians and bicyclists. Communities should not be reliant upon automotive transport for basic needs, and local infrastructure should reflect this via attractive and functional public spaces for pedestrians and bicyclists. Additional infrastructure measures such as improving sidewalks and bicycle paths, expanding subway and bus rapid transit service, promoting multimodal transportation, and encouraging development near transit stops would help to reduce both congestion and congestion-related pollution.
As indicated, there are multiple obstacles to sustainable urban transportation development, mainly with consumption habits, business-as-usual attitudes, and available public infrastructure. To successfully manage any transportation network, it is crucial to determine in whose hands decision-making authority is most appropriate. Should the authority rest on a federal, state, or local level? Is there an acceptable mix of authoritative agencies? Perhaps the question is not what specific agency should always make these decisions, but within what framework?
There are many projects of varying scales across the Washington, DC region that could amplify sustainability in the transportation sector via federal funds. For example, the Washington, DC metropolitan area has the existing Metro rail system, but increasing both the extent of the rail network and its opportunities for multimodal transport (i.e., via bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly development) could help push the region towards a more sustainable transportation network. Small infrastructure upgrades close to Metro stations, such as the Clarendon, Virginia bicycle rack shown in Figure 11, can help encourage alternatives to driving personal vehicles in the DC area (Bike Arlington website, 2006). With these clearly marked and well-designed structures, residents wishing to commute via bicycle and Metro are not forced to hunt for other city infrastructure (e.g., light poles, parking meters) to store their bicycles safely.
Figure 11. Bicycle rack in Arlington (Bike Arlington website, 2006).
Furthermore, a streetcar line along Columbia Pike in Virginia from Arlington to Fairfax was proposed recently as a convenient way to get riders out of their cars; the officials driving the project in Northern Virginia studied the streetcars of Portland in Oregon as a model of success that could be replicated (Gowen, 2006). Figure 12 shows a characteristic streetcar line in downtown Portland (Downtown Trolley, 2006). With this project, the Columbia Pike corridor could see similar revitalization as that seen in the Rosslyn to Ballston transit-oriented development corridor of Northern Virginia in recent years. Smaller pilot programs such as this one could be applied across the Washington, DC metropolitan region in the future via funding from the FHWA.
Figure 12. Portland streetcar (Downtown Trolley, 2006).
Amsterdam and Curitiba are not meant to be interpreted as utopias; however, they gave precedence to public space and public transportation and have since reaped environmental benefits from those choices (Worldwatch Institute, 2001). Thus, while Washington, DC, Curitiba, and Amsterdam have distinct transportation histories, issues, and features, they all spark discussion on what a regional transportation network might require and provide insight on the ingredients needed for sustainable transportation networks.
Уважаемый посетитель!
Чтобы распечатать файл, скачайте его (в формате Word).
Ссылка на скачивание - внизу страницы.