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.
Posts
