Sustainable transportation paper - Essay Example

The evaluation of the organization’s future performance, as this issue is addressed in Question 3 of the paper, would be based on the information related to urban transportation, as released in the literature. By 2040 the changes developed in Portland are many. These changes have resulted to the transformation of the city’s transportation system. Reference is made specifically to the radical increase of passengers using TriMet for their work trips in Portland. This trend can be related to specific practices adopted by TriMet; these practices have led to the increase of the organization’s ridership by 20% between 2010 and 2040.

TriMet has primarily focused on the quality and safety of its infrastructure. When referring to transport, quality is an important criteria for choosing a means of transportation (Karner and Niemeier 2013). In this context, TriMet’s project for the update/ improvement of its network has been based on the Accessibility-Based Approach to Planning. In order for an urban planning project to secure accessibility it needs to meet the above two criteria: ‘mobility and proximity’ (Cervero 2005, p.1). Mobility, as an element of accessibility, shows the easiness in getting from one point to the other, mostly in regard to time spent for completing the relevant trip (Cervero 2005).

As for proximity, this term implies the limitation of distance between two points/ areas; this limitation is usually achieved either by using transport means of advanced technology or by developing transport infrastructure, such as bridges etc., that can reduce distance in trips (Cervero 2005, p.1). Under these terms, in 2040 people in Portland prefer TriMet in their work trips since they can save significant time in reaching their destination especially since the improvements made in the city’s infrastructure system have emphasized to mobility and