Public transportation has been a part of the American culture since the early 19th century when people would pay to take horse drawn carriages to places they needed to go. In fact it became so important in most everyone daily life that in 1964 the government passed the Federal Transit Act which is “transportation by a conveyance that provides regular and continuing general or special transportation to the public, but does not include school bus, charter, or intercity bus transportation or intercity passenger rail transportation” (Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, 2015, 1p.). In Boston and New York City during the begging of the 20th century were both the first major cities to develop a subway system that are still used today. These cities …show more content…
To improve the street car system they need to connect it to the different parts of town where the majority of people live. If you take a look and Portland, OR they built their light rail system to connect their whole metro area together. By doing this it has made it easier to get from a suburb to downtown or another part of town. Tucson can benefit from this strategy because it would reduce the amount of cars on the road, and it allows the public a safe and efficient way to get around. Another benefit from expansion is the revitalizing of neighborhoods that have been struggling to stay afloat. A prime example of this is up in Phoenix "While older East Coast and Midwestern cities have largely struggled to find money to finance their existing rail systems, newer ones like Phoenix have embraced light rail as a way to revive their downtowns and close-in neighborhoods."(DANIEL C. VOCK). If Tucson can embrace the light streetcar then it can likely see improvements in the economy in the …show more content…
Just take look how much for a handful of cities “Community Streetcar Coalition found that Kansas City's cost is $25.35 million per mile of track, compared with $22.43 million in Portland, Ore.; $28.26 million in Tucson, Ariz” (Kansas City Star, The (KS). 07/02/2015). If cost at least 28 million dollars to build the first street car can you imagine how much it will cost to expand? Most likely to build a new section for the streetcar route the money would probably come from public funds. Another ill-fated thing is that construction on the project would slow down the daily commute. During construction however, there will be more traffic than before, which could cause the buss to be slow and off schedule. However they could also use this to their advantage perhaps could discover alternate routes that help improve efficiency. To get the streetcar to expand and reach out to the community these will be problems that will have to be faced. However these are only short term problems to a long term solution. The increased reach that the streetcar will have on the community will only make it easier for people to get to where they need to
When construction takes place, it is usually way before it is actually needed. Of course it is helping prevent dangerous and fatal occurrences but for the most part some of these changes can wait. Instead of spending so much money on our transportation category we should be putting more into education. “The money that the Federal Budget gives for education covers college aid loans, special education programs, free lunch to students in need, anti-discrimination efforts, research, and special programs” (Document D). Education is one of the most important things a person can have. ”
Since the beginning of the United States the American people have been on the move. Public transportation has played a major role in the development of this nation and in bringing its citizens together. In the book “Divided Highways”, author Tom Lewis takes the reader on a journey of the building of the Interstates and the consequences(good and bad) that came from them. Lewis believes that the Interstates are a physical characteristic of America and that it shows “all our glory and our meanness; all our vision and our shortsightedness”(xiv).
Canals, steamboats, and railroads allowed for faster travel of exports and the creation of bigger cities. The invention of the Pony Express, specialized regions, and infrastructure permitted Americans to keep in touch over long distances and the creation of market towns, which inspired a deep, national connection from all corners of the country. The giant leap made by the Transportation Revolution changed America greatly in ways of their economy and
In the city of Philadelphia the act of getting around is very hard to do, so the tactic of public transportation was created. People use public transportation to cease the vast amounts of traffic that would otherwise be created. Trains and subways running under the city made for a minuscule change of infrastructure while still getting the job done. This tactic was innovative and created a speedy technique to get in and out of the city. Public transportation was also effective because the price of a train ticket or a bus token is so much less than that of a parking spot in downtown Philadelphia. Consumers were outraged by the traffic and the prices of having their own car in the city so they took to another route, public transportation. Tactics are used by individuals (consumers) to challenge those set by higher
The railroad played a major role in forging the history of many countries including the United States of America. The railroad began to bring people to places that before then where only accessed by weeks of dangerous travel over harsh and deadly terrain. The industrial revolution had ushered in a completely new era. The new era was one of mass production, supply and demand, and new requirements of industry. The growth of industry had created new demands for transit, trade, and more robust supply lines. The railroad boom across the U.S. had spread and proceeded to grow the economy quickly therefore, many people began using the rail roads just as quickly. The rail market continued to grow and by the 1860’s all major cities within the United States were connected by rail.
...ecause people were able to travel to nearby towns for care. This enabled growth in communities because the need and want for services began to grow. For towns along a railway there was significant growth, but there were major positive changes for the state as a whole. Transportation development had a major role in the economic expansion of Iowa.
The New York City Subway System, or the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), has become the “life line” of New York City (NYC) since people are reliant on the subway system for commuting to different places within the city. One such person, who buys this fact, is a person by the name of SunDo K, who runs and owns a restaurant business in Cypress, California. He claimed in his profile on Yelp that, “One of the best part about New York City is traveling via the subway.” Now there are also acid twists and turns into this. Precisely there are many others out there whose judgment matches flawlessly the same with K. They find the MTA quite advantageous of there way of going around town, while there are other people, who find the system comparatively exasperating, and disappointing for its following: punctuality, fare, overcrowded, and filthiness. Though few peoples’ psyche has been launder by the term “detestation” for New York City’s subways (Tubes), they are the ones who are going to notice a hole in their pocket as other approach of transportation call for more money in addition to not being safety as well. One such example can be found at NYC’s taxi cab. Periodically few New Yorkers tends to believe that Tubes makes their ride trouble-free, efficient, inexpensive, as well as comfortable experience. Some people also trust the city’s subway as one of safest way of roaming around the city than other transportations. What’s more gossiping is the fact that, both safety and security happens to be Subway’s primarily concern according to the MTA.
The New York City Subway is one of the oldest public transit systems in the world, and Manhattan has its fair share of it, especially in the form of abandoned subway stations.Subways are great mean of transportation, with great historical and geographical value. Interborough Rapid Transit company built the first subway in 1904. The subway consisted of what is today the IRT Lexington Avenue Line south of 42nd Street, the 42nd Street Shuttle and the IRT Broadway - Seventh Avenue Line between 42nd and 145th Streets. 28th Street is a part of the first IRT line of NewYork city. It a local station on the Lexington Avenue Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of Park
We take them for granted when driving miles to the closest mall. We are unconscious of their usefulness when traveling to see a distant relative by car. We can't take a moment to stop and admire their beauty and usefulness; the architectural wonders that are highways and their interchanges; which have such a rich history embedded in the American suburbia of today. Let's go back to the early 1900's, when the automobile was starting to become a dominate part of the American life (Morton, 2014). Around this time; a shift began to occur towards private transportation over public by influencing policies in their favor (Nicolaides and Wiese, 2006). One of these polices was created by the Federal Aid Highway of 1925; the United States Highway System which basically expanded the highways across the United States connecting one another, creating new opportunities for growth in many areas (Weingroff, 1996). This had many effects on different factors of the American way of life; specifically suburbia (Morton, 2014). After the war, the private home that was a luxury a few years prior, was now becoming affordable for many thanks to low interest rates and flexible payments through the National Housing Act of 1934, created by the Federal Housing Administration (Fishman, 1987). Perfect example of a policy acting towards private over public was the Los Angles Master Plan of 1941, which pushed the direction of private automobiles and singles households: there being 1.16 million cars (2.4 people per car) and having 31 percent of the city land dedicated for single family homes, this was really solidifying the post suburbia lifestyle (Fishman, 1987). In Los Angeles alone around this time, 900 square miles were transformed to tract development homes ...
Railroads were America’s first big business and contributed a great deal towards advancing industrialization. Beginning in the early 1870's, railroad construction in the United States expanded substantially. Before the year 1871, approximately fourty-five thousand miles of track had been laid. Up until the 1900's another one-hundred and seventy thousand miles were added to the nation's growing railroad system. This growth came about due to the erection of transcontinental railroads. Railroads supplied cities and towns with food, fuel, materials, and access to markets. The railroad system made way for an economic prosperity. The railroad system helped to build the physical growth of cities and towns. It even became another means of communication. Most importantly, it helped to produce a second
Horse draw taxis, coaches and steam ferries were exclusively for the rich. Hence the railroads of the 1840s were the foundation of what would later be the main commuter lines. This evolution in public means of transport allowed New York to magnify its settlement radius. Prior to these developments the various businesses and their practices began creating a novel urban element in the form of the modern downtown. Essentially the element of spatial planning was introduced into the different areas of New York.
Public transportation is an essential part of a city. A good public transit can encourage a city’s economic activities and can provide its citizen a convenient life. Does our Phoenix public transit work well? Does it provide sufficient service to the citizen? From my experience, the answer is no. This November I tried to attend the popular State Fair in Phoenix. However, I found that there were not any buses or metros could take me to the fair directly. It means I need 2 hours or more spend on the public transits. As the sixth most populous city nationwide (“Phoenix Quick Fact” 1), compared with Los Angeles and other big cities in America, Phoenix’s public transportation is indeed subpar. Due to Los Angeles has 154 bus lines and 30 metros (“Schedule”), New York has 316 bus lines and 28 subways(“Maps & Timetables”), while Phoenix only has 98 bus lines, and the number of metro line is only one! (“Route Schedules & Maps”) The problem is
In this essay, I will discuss the topic of urban public transportation and how it relates to the Church and Wellesley BIA. The nature of transportation in Toronto is a highly complex topic. As discussed in the article Transportation: The Bottleneck of Regional Competitiveness in Toronto, there are many concerns with transportation in regards to international transport, roads, highways, rails, bike lanes, buses etc. (Keil, Roger, Young, 2008). These transportation variables all have a greater economic, health, and environmental impact. The article goes on to describe that mobility in Toronto suffers because its management is uncoordinated, and there is a gap in regional interaction (Keil, Roger, Young 2008). The scope of this essay will be to
Most people take the urban public transportation system for granted. It is used in every aspect of our daily lives: work, education, medical necessities, recreation, etc. It is also important for the transportation of goods and services, which aids the growth and maintenance of our economy. Urban public transportation is the critical component of our quality of life and economic stability. The MBTA, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, is Boston and Eastern Massachusetts’s major transportation service. The MBTA has played a central role in the development of Boston and surrounding cities and towns for more than a century; providing service from 175 cities and towns into Boston. On an average weekday over 1.2 million trips are made on the subway, buses, commuter lines and other services in the mass transit system. With an international airport, a ship port, the highways, and the rail lines to connect regional cities and towns to national and international destinations and markets, Boston’s urban public transportation system has made the region’s growing role in the global economy possible.
The eight billion initial investments in the high-speed rail are expected to produce about 320,000 jobs and roughly thirteen billion dollars in economic benefit. These include construction and operation jobs, as well as manufacturing and supply chain options. By increasing mobility while decreasing crowding and spreading, high-speed rail makes our country more competitive while simultaneously creating economic development. The High Speed Rail could boost the economy and could provide alternate transportation, therefore it should be built.