____Public transportation: an invaluable ally in the daily commute for some, a waste of time, money, and resources for others. Many people see these projects as a financial sink hole because of how little they feel they get out of them in the end. The accessibility and availability of bus, tram, and train systems are often times constricted, limited to just a few transportation routes with infrequent and sometimes even unreliable service. The transit story is no different in Fairbanks. Even with recent improvements to the system, service is still lacking in some regards. Most bus trips can take two to three times as long as that same trip would take in a personal vehicle. However the problem does not lay in the systems themselves, but rather the way all the systems work together and how they are planned. Although Fairbanks currently has a system of buses providing public transportation, few residence consider the service a viable alternative to their daily commute because they do not find it convenient enough. As a solution to this, methods of improving accessibility and overall usefulness of the system must be researched and considered; primary topics of focus including what compels people to use mass-transit, what kind of systems work well in our climate, and what kind of things do urban planners take into consideration when designing transportation routes.
____One of the most important concerns for urban planners is to figure out how they are going to convince the public to use their systems. Some of the more common reasons people opt out of using public transportation is because it is either too slow or too expensive. Unfortunately, due to the way most communities, including Fairbanks, have expanded over the years, covering large land space areas, this problem is seldom an easy one to combat. Routes have to be long and weave throughout several neighborhoods to provide enough service to the community, resulting in low levels of rider throughput. However, with enough foresight and planning, a good system could do more for its riders and the community than just save them time and money. One study conducted recently suggests that building alternative transit systems could result in a healthier population because the process of using them would require more physical effort on behalf of the public (Stokes 45). One possible way for urban planners to reach out to the community in order to receive support for systems is by appealing to their morals and logic. Sustainable practices are becoming an ever growing trend in the world these days, due to both the state of the economy and global warming. The majority of inner-city transportation systems are all electric, so they are much more environmentally friendly as all the power needed to run them can be produced in one location. Energy produced at a power plant can be created for much cheaper and be done much more efficiently than in a standard internal combustion engine. This also keeps pollution localized, instead of following the buses or trains wherever they go. Even non-electric trains are much more efficient when it comes to energy consumption to perform a task (Banner 16).
____Another positive side effect that can eventually come from a robust and effective transit system is the lessened pressure it puts on everyone in the community to own a car. Depending on circumstances and location, some people may need fewer vehicles for their family, or possibly none at all. Less or no vehicles for a family can translate into saving thousands of dollars a year in car and insurance payments alone, not to mention no more stops at the gas station. One more benefit of getting more people to use public transportation would be increased safety on the roads, as there would be few other vehicles to pose a threat. The website publictransportation.org has a plethora of information about ways to make mass transit systems more enticing for the average person. Such information like, “For every dollar spent, the average household spends eighteen cents on transportation, and ninety-four percent of this goes to buying, maintaining and operating cars,” really illustrates for people how much money can actually be saved by simply choosing to use public transportation over their own cars or trucks. It also mentions the federal Transportation and Equity Act for the 21st Century, an incentive program for commuters who use public transportation or vanpools, allowing them a tax-free monthly benefit of up to one hundred dollars (Facts on Public Transportation).
____Currently, in Fairbanks, the only option for public transportation is a bus system, a network that only provides a realistic alternative for a very small demographic within the community. Even after recent changes to the system, the average wait time between stops at any given service point is still roughly one hour. That is much too long for anyone who does not always know exactly what his or her schedule is going to be. One of the biggest drawbacks of buses compared to other transit forms is the fact that they must abide by the same rules of traffic as all other vehicles on the road. They are subject to traffic lights and traffic itself, both of which, coupled with frequent stops and little right of way on the road results in trips of a snail-like pace. These factors can easily translate into commutes that end up being longer than they would in a private form of transportation such as a taxi or personal vehicle. One solution intended to speed up the trip for buses that many cities around the world are starting to enact are bus only lanes. These lanes allow buses to avoid traffic no matter what time of day it is. However, buses are only a small piece of the mass transit spectrum. An article on greenlivingideas.com provides a fairly comprehensive breakdown on the different forms of mass-transit. As they point out, buses are only one of the four main forms of public transportation. The other three being heavy-rail, light-rail, and trolleybuses (Greening Public Transportation). Trolleybuses are environmentally friendly and easy to maneuver. The fact that they can use roads instead of requiring rails makes them a viable option for beefing up our system. However, in the long run, trolley buses only carry about the same number of people as a normal bus and are also bound by the rules of the road, meaning it is doubtful that they could do much as far as reducing transit times or congestion is concerned.
____________Trollybus from downtown Seattle.
____Another alternative form of transportation is rail-based transit. There are two different categories of rail-based transportation: heavy-rail and light-rail. Both heavy-rail and light-rail trains run on the same gauge tracks. Heavy-rail consists of trains with more cars, designed for carrying more passengers and equipment. Typically, heavy-rail systems are only used for long distance transit, such as between cities; however, many subways and metros are also built for heavy-rail applications. One of the most prominent and fastest growing forms of mass transit is light-rail. Light-rail is more desirable in numerous inner city applications because frequent stops are much more common and light-rail uses far less energy than heavy-rail to get moving again. The fact that they are lighter also reduces stopping distance considerably, making them much safer when they have to operate in crowds. Unfortunately, Fairbanks does not currently have a very extensive rail network. Although, the current rail system does run to many important destinations around and outside of town. These destinations are high traffic areas and are important places of business. If the system was to be utilized for inner-city transit, the initial investment would be minimal, only requiring the purchase of a couple light-rail trams and construction of a few stations.
_____Light-rail tram operating within crowds of people in Amsterdam.
____Yet another form of mass transit that is often overlooked belongs in a category of its own, the monorail. Monorails are unusual because they run on elevated tracks. This design completely removes them from traffic, allowing them to travel from station to station with ease. Monorails come in both suspended and supported varieties. Suspended monorails have the track above the car whereas supported have the track below them. To add to their appeal they also tend to be cheaper to build per mile than conventional rail, about the same cost as a two lane freeway (Greenwood). There are several convenient things about having an elevated track. One of the main features being its minimal ground footprint, meaning it takes us less space than other forms of transportation. Another even more important detail about having an elevated track for Fairbanks would be the low heat transfer quotient toward the ground. Heat transfer to the ground is an important concern in Alaska because of our permafrost issues. Thawing permafrost is dangerous because it can cause the ground to sink, consequently causing damage to whatever was built upon it. Permafrost is responsible for the heaving and cracking of Alaskan roads. About the only drawback from monorails is the fact that they are so rare. Only a few companies in the world produce monorails and they are all different from each other. As a result, communities who build monorails end up locking themselves into lifetime contracts with the manufactures as they are the only ones who make any given piece of their system.
____________Monorail from Disneyland resort.
____The main thing urban planners have to study when designing layouts for transit systems is the movement of people. When do people travel and to where? Weekday mornings people flow from residential areas to business areas and back again after work. Evenings are usually when most people go shopping. Friday and Saturday nights people are looking for entertainment, whether it be going out to the movies or out drinking and dancing, while Sundays tend to be a day for rest with few people going out and about. Defining a cities highest traffic areas and planning to build the system around these pivotal parts is another problem urban planners face. These planners should be interested in light-rail systems because they excel at getting people to and from heavily congested areas quickly and are often cost effective (Neal). Places like downtown, the Carlson Center, the airport, the west and east shopping areas, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks would be examples of some high traffic areas in Fairbanks. Along with route design, planners also have to figure out a way to pay for the systems themselves. An article from MassTransit discusses how the Santa Barbra and Ventura County is attempting to pass a small sales tax that will go entirely toward funding local public transportation systems (Chang-Yen). The price per mile for construction of a light-rail system ranges from about ten to one-hundred million dollars per mile, depending on how much of the system is underground (Middleton). For comparison, road construction cost between three to twenty million dollars per mile depending on building conditions (Highway Construction Cost). Fortunately, the country is hurting for good jobs right now, and this is something urban planners can use to their advantage in getting these projects to go through. After all, the transportation industry is one of the largest employers of labor in the country, right behind agricultural development (Mcelhiney 14). Investing in mass-transit construction is both sustainable and green. The final result will continue to provide green jobs for generations to come, not to mention improve the quality of life for low-income individuals by providing them with a cheap alternative for getting around town and to work (Adler 24).
____The first and most important task for urban planners will be to figure out how to make the public transportation system desirable to the general public. There are many options for public transportation out there. Buses are currently the primary form in Fairbanks, though the ground work for rail based transportation is in place. One popular and, arguably, the most efficient form of inner city transportation is the light-rail tram systems. Light-rail is preferable because it can move the largest amount of people in the shortest amount of time and can accomplish it while using minimal amounts of energy. Fairbanks would be a city that would benefit greatly if its public transportation system was improved. Not only would construction create numerous jobs for the short term but would have a lasting impact on the community by providing lasting green jobs. Fairbanks is still relatively young and full of potential. With enough planning and foresight we could build a highly efficient and cost effective mass transit system.
Works Cited
Adler, Ben. “Ticket to Ride. Democrats have a historic opportunity to boost mass transit, but will they seize the moment?” The Nation. February 16, 2009. Vol. 288 Issue 6. p24-26, 3p.
Banner, Paul H. “The Energy Situation—A Rail Viewpoint”. Transportation Journal. Spring 1974. Vol. 13 Issue 3. p15-19, 5p.
Chang-Yen, Anna. “Santa Barbara Panelists Say Transit Solutions are Local, not Federal.” MassTransit. Jan 26th, 2009.
< http://www.masstransitmag.com/web/online/Top-Transit-News/Santa-Barbara-Panelists-Say-Transit-Solutions-are-Local--not-Federal/3$7820 >.
“Facts on Public Transportation.” Public Transportation Takes Us There.
< http://www.publictransportation.org/facts/ >.
“Greening Public Transportation.” Green Living Idea's. Oct. 27, 2007.
< http://greenlivingideas.com/public-transportation/greening-public-transportation >.
Greenwood, Frank H. "Monorails for Metropolitan Transportation". Transportation Journal. Fall 1963. Vol. 3 Issue 1, p26-29, 4p.
"Highway Construction Cost". Washington State Department of Transportation. July 12, 2004.
< http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/biz/construction/pdf/HighwayCosts.pdf >.
Mcelhiney, Paul T. “Transportation: A Developing Profession?” Transportation Journal. Fall 1964. Vol. 4 Issue 1. p14-21, 8p.
Middleton, Jim. "The Status of North American Light Rail Projects". Light Rail Central. October 23, 2002.
< http://www.lightrail.com/projects.htm >.
Neal, Jim. "Light-rail as planned". Civil Engineering. April 1998. Vol. 68 Issue 4, p54, 4p.
Stokes, Robert J.; MacDonald, John; Ridgeway, Greg. Health & Place. March 2008. Vol. 14 Issue 1, p45-58, 14p.
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