February 2008 - Posts
RIDE Solutions received some attention in Jeff Sturgeon's
front-page exploration of the options being used by area commuters to defray increasing gas prices. Some quick things to mention:
Jeanine Hall, the Smartway passenger, mentions the benefits of destressing on the bus. I think this facet deserves a lot more attention. While its true that using public transit requires some planning to work with the bus schedule, and in some cases might take longer than driving alone, you can do a lot more on the bus - even if its just closing your eyes and decompressing. At a recent presentation at WSLS, I mentioned that since I have started using the bus as my back-up vehicle, I've read at least three novels (it can be difficult to find time to read quietly in a home with three children). I've also written some op-eds, done some creative writing, and have worked through some business books, most notably
Green to Gold, which is excellent. I've also spent some quality time with my iPod, enjoying Lily Allen and Weezer, along with an audio short-story by Neil Gaiman (which you can
download free from HarperCollins). All of which is to say that you can get a lot done when someone else is in charge of the driving.
And while it's true that I've seen a lot more smaller, efficient cars on the road recently (I noted another Yaris downtown just yesterday evening), let me remind you of
this. Technology is great for those who can afford it, but includes some problems of their own. I'm much more an advocate for mode-shift than just technology improvement, though both are important.
Didn't need to fill up this morning, but I did see that the price of gas at the 9th Street BP dropped two cents.
Don't expect this to be a trend. Yesterday also saw record highs for diesel fuel, which is going to affect the shipping industry more than commuters. You won't see those prices when you pump gas in the morning, but you'll see them in everything else as those increased transportation costs are passed on to consumers.
James Bacon
hits all the right points at the beginning of his most recent column:
Between the cost of purchasing an automobile, fueling it, repairing it and paying insurance on it, car ownership is getting very expensive: Since 1999, the IRS standard mileage deduction has increased from 31 cents to 50.5 cents -- an increase of roughly 60 percent. Meanwhile, roads are getting more crowded and travel delays worse. Nationally, congestion costs per peak traveler have jumped from $533 in 2000 to $796 in 2005. Moreover, cars remain deadly: In 2006, more than 42,000 Americans died in traffic accidents.
It is useful to measure the costs of automobile travel in more than just at-the-pump prices and carbon footprint. The human cost in terms of automobile accidents alone is staggering, especially when using transit is
clearly much safer. Yet, the modest gains in ridership that transit has seen recently aren't keeping pace with overall increases in traffic congestion and movement to single-occupant vehicles. The innovation gap that Bacon here addresses is no doubt one of the contributing factors, at least in a marketing sense.
It's pretty obvious to anyone who's seen a
car commercial that selling cars is becoming more about the amenities that having nothing to do with driving and the experience you have while driving - whiz-bang technology that turns your driver's seat into a mobile command unit connected to every piece of communications technology you own. A car is not only (and sometimes not at all) positioned as something that gets you somewhere; it's also someplace to be,
all by itself:“I think a vehicle today has to be your most favorite room under your roof,” [Robert] Nardelli [new CEO of Chrysler] said. “I really believe that. I mean, it has to bring you gratification, it has to be tranquil. It’s incidental that it gets you from Point A to B, right?”
And as crazy as that sounds, he's right. On the whole, we've accepted high gas prices, massive congestion, land gobbled up by highways, auto-centric development, and made due with tiny offices in our automobiles, dangerous multitasking, and a massive amount of wasted time. To the extent that we've adjusted to that, however, transit needs to due much better at meeting those market demands. Particularly in Roanoke, Valley Metro is solely concerned with Point-A-to-Point-B service (for a number of reasons, most of them very reasonable) and offers no real amenities. With the SmartWay service, they have addressed that with a limited audience and only on a single route, but it's a start.
The BP station on 9th charged $3.05 for Regular - the most, I believe, I have ever paid. We're a one car family who already carpools everyday, so it will be tough to cut much more out of our budget; perhaps using Valley Metro for more weekend shopping trips will be in the cards, though even now we're pretty good at
trip-chaining so there isn't a lot of fat to trim there, either.
Tonight I will presenting on "Online Resources for Bicyclists" here at the
Regional Commission. This presentation will be followed by the monthly meeting of the
Roanoke chapter of
BikeWalk Virginia. I'll be talking about some of the tools RIDE Solutions has created, such as the Interactive Bike Map, and other tools like a new wiki for NewVA cyclists and websites that allow you to map and share routes with other enthusiasts. The presentation is from 6:00 to 6:30 in the Regional Commission conference room, 313 Luck Ave. SW, Roanoke, 24016. Call (540) 342-9393 if you need directions or have any questions.
While we're on the subject of cycling, you should check out the Commission's new "Bike, Hike, Bus Roanoke Valley" map. You can get a free copy from
RIDE Solutions. It includes not only the Valley Metro routes, but hiking trails such as Carvin's Cove, the greenways, and other great info. It was so popular that Cox Cable sponsored a second printing after we passed out everything from the first run. If you don't want to order it online, look for it at the admin offices of your local government, the convention and visitor's bureau, and similiar locations around town.
This is just a reminder: Students age 18 and younger can ride Valley Metro buses for free when the show the a driver a valid school ID. I don't think this program got the attention it deserved when Valley Metro launched it last year, because I keep coming across parents who mention something about needing to get their kids places and have no idea that this is even an option. It provides a little freedom to kids who aren't yet driving, and can save harried parents the hastle of trying to arrange shopping trips and the like. Since there's a Valley Metro bus going right past or near every City school, and both Tanglewood and Valley View Malls are on their routes, I think that pretty much covers all the bases.
So, remember, kids 18 and younger ride free. And it generally takes only 30 minutes or so to get where you're going on a Valley Metro bus, longer if you are traveling from and to the extreme ends of routes. Even then, bring a book and get some reading time in.
UPDATE: It turns out Roanoke City schools (or at least William Fleming) issued new IDs that include a misprinted year. Some kids are being forced to pay full price or are being turned away from the buses (justifiably so; the drivers have no way of verifying whether or not a kid is trying to use an expired ID to get a free trip). The schools are working to correct the problem, but it might be awhile before it gets worked out.
By now, you've probably already run across
this: The Art Museum of Western Virginia will become the Taubman Museum of Art, named after the museum's largest doners, Ambassador Nick and Jenny Taubman. What does that have to do with a blog about transportation and energy use in Southwest Virginia? Well, its because of one of the primary missions of the new Taubman Museum: Education. More specifically, distance education.
The museum already uses the
Tandberg teleconferencing technology to reach out to students and teachers all across Southwest Virginia. From Scott Crawford, Deputy Director of Education at the recently-renamed museum:
Basically, by using the Internet, we can conduct a lesson with students literally anywhere in the world so long as they have a comparable system and access to the Internet... In addition to conducting lessons, we have also conducted professional development training for teachers in deeper southwestern Virginia. This allowed museum staff to interact with educators in the region without having to take the time, or the resources, to travel several hours away.
To the extent that the museum has a territory, its territory is
huge, and the vast majority of it is rural. Busing kids in from Giles County, Covington, or even farther away is not only expensive in terms of running a bus back and forth, but it the time it takes out of the school day can be significant. Through this effort by the museum, not only does it help keep vehicles off the road, it provides educational opportunities to kids and schools who might otherwise miss out on what should prove to be a top-notch cultural institution.
This enterprise is also a good example of how successful teleconferencing and telework in general can be. We need to rethink our idea of what commuting is to incorporate the Internet age more fully: Commuting goes beyond the choice of what vehicle you choose to take into work, but whether or not you need to take a vehicle at all. The availability of sophisticated teleconferencing software like the Tandberg system, the increasing speed of internet communication and broader availability of wireless hotspots, and related technological developments make it easier to integrate work and all of its necessary tools into a home office. This means thinking of broadband penetration into our most rural counties in terms of mobilty and transportation - a fast internet connection can provide the same access to goods, services, and even employment as a highway in many cases.
There's a lot to be proud of happening in Rocky Mount. From yesterday's
Roanoke Times:
An effort to maximize Rocky Mount's historic, pedestrian feel continues as the town is set to do more multimillion-dollar improvements.
What's known as the "uptown" portion of Franklin County's seat -- which includes Main Street -- will get a face lift, including overhead utilities being moved underground and new sidewalks, street signs, landscaping and streetlights.
Rocky Mount is a wonderful town with lots of room to grow, and its admirable to see them making this kind of investment in their downtown, particularly with the emphasis on sidewalks and pedestrian access. Seeing a dedication to the vitality of their urban centers by local governments, particularly rural governments, after decades of abandonment is heartening.
There's also this, the
Pigg River Heritage Trail. The master plan was adopted back in December of 2007. The proposed network of greenways and trails connecting Rocky Mount's historic landmarks and natural resources is impressive and reinforces the town's dedication to walkabilty and pedestrian connections throughout the area.