Category Archives: Transportation

Paying for Free Roads

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The peak toll in the first month of operation on State Route 167 in Washington was $5.75. I know, I know, you would never pay such an exorbitant amount when America has taught you that free roads are your birthright. But that money bought Washington drivers a 27-minute time savings. Is a half hour of your time worth $6?

Eric A. Morris in a two-part essay at Freakonomics weighs in favor of toll roads that vary in response to traffic levels as a way out of congestion and posits that this way, we may even love paying for roads that we generally consider free to us.

Leaner nations bike, walk, use mass transit?

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Or are they leaner because they bike, walk, and use mass transit?

Americans, with the highest rate of obesity, were the least likely to walk, cycle or take mass transit, according to the study in a recent issue of the Journal of Physical Activity and Health. The study relied on each country’s own travel and health data.

Only 12 percent use active transportation in the United States — 9 percent walk, 1 percent ride a bike and 2 percent take a bus or train — while a quarter to a third are obese, the study said.

By comparison, 67 percent of commuters in Latvia, 62 percent in Sweden and 52 percent in the Netherlands either walk, bike or use mass transit. Latvia’s obesity rate is 14 percent, the Netherlands’ is 11 percent and Sweden’s is 9 percent.

Overall, “Europeans walk three times as far and cycle five times as far as Americans” [source].

The headlines of the article undermines the actual findings of the study which in fact highlight the lifestyle choices that are the primary reasons for the differences in addition to Europe’s more dense urbanscape. I’m sure cities like New York, Portland, and San Francisco see significantly higher rates of walking and cycling compared to other cities in the U.S. The United States is more heterogenous than most European countries who have had a longer and continued history of social interaction and more interactive urban living.

Driving Habits and Oil Price

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In America, driving habits probably aren’t as inelastic as they are thought to be. This graphic [source] definitely shows consumers reacting to the oil price hike by cutting down on their driving. This summer given the gas prices is going to be a low-traffic one. We canceled our summer vacation and instead bought a Wii. Will continued rise in oil prices or even stagnation at this level modify our lifestyles and in the long-term create dense and walkable neighborhoods?

The Evolution of the New York Subway Map

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The New York subway is one of those connecting systems that helps us make sense of the complex urbanscape of the Big Apple. Ben Popper at Men’s Vogue shares the evolution of this cartographic beauty that tends to make complex connections decipherable to the common New Yorker (and the confused tourist).

The mashup map of of the Vignelli map and the current edition designed by Eddie Jabbour is one of my favorite versions.

The Mumbai Parking Project

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With the launch of Tata’s new car, the Nano which is priced at Rs. 1 lakh ($2500), roads in Mumbai are prone to congestion in the future. But does the city have enough parking space and what is the government doing to address these concerns? These questions are examined in this Hindustan Times article for which I was interviewed as well and have been quoted as well.