Transportation

Multimodel Transportation

By: Lucas E. Shubert

This blog is a slightly edited version (I removed the parts about the history of Carbondale) of the abstract I have submitted for the Transportation Research Forum Annual Convention at the University of Maryland this coming spring.

This research proposes to study the creation of a new macro-system of multimodel transportation in and around Carbondale, Illinois, the home of Southern Illinois University. The areas that will be analyzed as part of the research are the local existing transit systems including train, bus, university campus shuttle, automobile, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic. Jackson County Mass Transit also provides a public transit service for any county resident. This project documents some of the more imminent problems with these existing systems such as travel time and cost.  The research will explore how these problems could be alleviated by efficient planning combined with emerging technology including automated transit network (ATN) and car-shared automated vehicles; both are highly sustainable forms of transportation. This research will document how PRT has the potential to replace most of the above transportation systems, both public and private, as well as link to the last mile problem to create better mobility for all and a sustainable, cost-effective system.

            The economic condition of Jackson County is itself stable. However, it is the only county in southern Illinois that is not economically depressed. This fact has led to Carbondale becoming the ‘capital’ of southern Illinois in many ways. New development in and around Carbondale is on the rise. The SIUC Transportation Education Center has recently been completed and functions as a new home for the Aviation and Automotive Programs. Southern Illinois Airport recently won a federal grant for the development of a 900 acre area around the Jackson County airport and the Transportation Center with the intent of creating a new “high-tech zone.

            Low cost public transportation modes in Carbondale are currently limited to university shuttle (Saluki Express) and bus routes. The Saluki Express has recently been upgraded both in number of routes and real-time tracking that can be accessed by anyone on the SIUC website (siuc.transloc.com). Saluki Express (all routes) is heavily used most of the year by as many as 264.7 riders per hour at peak times from data provided by Bill Bruns at Saluki Express office. Bicycle and pedestrian travel are viable and popular methods of connecting downtown Carbondale and SIUC campus, but these modes are inefficient around their less dense periphery.

            Carbondale was originally a railroad city. The rail line is still used for freight movement daily and passenger trains, with the major routes to New Orleans and Chicago, although with priority given to freight. The portion of the 21.5% of Carbondale’s non-family household population, according to the 2010 US Census, that is native to Chicago frequently takes advantage of the passenger line. However, St. Louis, Paducah and other large nearby populations are only accessible by driving. This rail line is in many ways the backbone of Carbondale and is positioned for city-funded development within the next few years.

            Carbondale, like other small rural cities, has grown over the last century and a half in an outward, sporadic fashion based on highway usage. This has created a situation where automobile traffic is greatly dominant over public transit. It has also contributed to the typical high ratio of parking area. Currently, reliance on the automobile due to increasing gas costs and cost of vehicle ownership is causing mobility problems for many.  

           This research shows how automated transit networks (ATN) can alleviate the transportation problems in the Carbondale area by comparing the benefits and detriments of ATN and traditional transportation modes. Contrast has been depicted by simulating the ridership per hour potential and comparing resultant efficiency based on travel time. It will also show how ATN can move a person from point A to B much more effectively than car, bus or shuttle. On a large scale, ATN holds the potential to address an entire small rural community’s transportation problems and even provide a viable option to private automobile use within its city limits. Planning for easier access to transportation providing a door to door service for many will allow SIUC and Carbondale to become fully sustainable while also addressing universal design.  Providing mobility for all would be one of many steps in creating a model sustainable rural community.