Sustainable Transportation in Arizona - Research Paper Example

Sustainable Transportation in Arizona Sustainable Transportation in Arizona Opening ment Ladies and Gentlemen, my presentation to the task force particularly focuses in highlighting the need to change our transport planning approach and adopt some of the best practices that will help promote and develop sustainable transportation in Arizona. As an expert on transportation, I’m going to argue out my reasons why I strongly believe that Arizona should paradigmatically steer towards “accessibility” planning approach instead of continuing with its current “mobility” transportation planning approach which has been overtaken by events as evidenced by its effects such as increasing pollution, rising road fatalities, urban sprawl and energy depletion (Cervero, 1996). First and foremost, although the definition of sustainable transportation varies, many definitions tend to allude to reduced dependence on automobiles, increased use of public mass transit and increased use of non-motorized forms of transport such as bicycles and walking. Black (2004) particularly defines sustainable transportation as the transport system that is able to meet the current mobility and transport needs without compromising the ability of ability of the future generations to be able to meet such needs. However, Black (2004) argues that the contemporary transport systems are currently being hindered from becoming sustainable by a number of factors some of which include diminishing petroleum reserves, global atmospheric impacts of the transport systems, congestion and fatalities among others. The Need to Shift towards Accessibility Planning There are a number of reasons why I feel that a paradigmatic shift in the current Arizona transport planning is urgently needed. Although Arizona like many other states has always depended on the mobility planning approach to develop its transport policies, this approach is increasingly becoming unsustainable due to wide range of emerging issues including environmental pollution concerns, diminishing petroleum reserves, congestion and rising fatalities and increased urban sprawl among others. Accessibility planning approach primarily focuses on regulating land use arrangements in order to reduce the travelling needs of the members of the society. In many parts of the United States, this may include jobs-housing balance (such as by locating housing near potential workplaces), developing transit villages as well as encouraging sustainable forms of transport such as mass transit, bicycles and pedestrianism. Compared to the “mobility” approach that is largely concerned with enhancing the ability of commuters to travel fast, “accessibility” planning approach generally seeks to enable commuters to conveniently reach their destinations. Additionally, the traditionally road widening and other practices that increases travel distances are often de-emphasized in favor of increasing accessibility even if it means reduced travel speeds. On the other hand, Mobility planning approach primarily focuses in promoting the management of transportation resources in a way that addressees the individual transportation needs of the members of the community. Proponents of mobility transport planning approach particularly support the continued mobility planning approach as the primary transportation policy in Arizona due to a number of reasons some of which include the supposedly better pricing policies to control demand in the transport sector. However, it is my honest opinion that the Arizona economy would need to adopt accessibility planning approach in order to attain sustainable transportation. Throughout the history, transport has always been closely associated with urban development. According to Lucas (2004), transport infrastructures can significantly shape the geographical layout of cities by simply determining where people work and live. For example, the coming of the railways coupled with the invention of automobiles pioneered the decentralization of cities and shifting of residential densities away from the inner cities towards sub urban housing (Levine, 1998). Generally, developing a sustainable, multidimensional and efficient transportation system is vital for the sustainable development of the contemporary societies. In Arizona, the rapid growth and development that has been witnessed in the state over the last few decades has significantly increased the need for a smart sustainable transportation system. For example, since the 1960s, Arizona has remained one of the top states with the highest population and employment growth rates across the United States. However, Arizona’s economic growth was significantly affected by the recent economic crisis that began sometimes back in 2007. As the Arizona economy begins to heat up again, there is an urgent need for the state transportation policy makers to begin looking for alternative ways of developing a sustainable transportation system that will create more transport options while at the same time prioritizing on maintenance of the current roads rather than constructing new ones. One of the major reasons why I support a shift in the transport policies of Arizona from its current mobility approach towards an accessibility planning approach is due to the current high social costs associated with the mobility planning approach (Cervero, 1996). For example, the mobility approach has always been associated with increased energy consumption that may eventually drive up the costs of goods produced in some states such as Arizona. Contrastingly, the accessibility approach advocates for the stricter use of public means of transport, cycling, ridesharing and land use initiatives that are designed to lower the costs of energy attributed to transportation (Cervero, 1996). Although the state is currently served with a significant number of highway lanes and interstate highways stretching across the state, the absence of a sustainable approach in the States transportation system has marred the natural environment, created overreliance on automobile transport and increased congestion in some parts of the State. In my opinion, sustainable transportation in Arizona can only be achieved by developing alternative transport systems that are not only able to improve the transportation mobility through enhanced transit ridership but also reduces air pollution, traffic congestion as well as fuel and maintenance expenditures. Another important reason why Arizona should steer towards “accessibility” planning approach is attributed to the growing environmental concerns. For instance, the long term ecological effects of the use of mobility approach is currently being felt throughout the United States (Cervero, 1996). This is particularly evidenced by the increased carbon emissions in many of the US cities. In some states including Arizona, car emissions contribute the largest percentage of air pollutants and this has resulted in a number of challenges including the possibility of catching diseases associated with breathing polluted air. Additionally, the dependency on oil which is a non renewable resource also makes it imperative to develop an alternative transport system that will reduce our daily consumption of gasoline through reduced need for transportation. Although proponents of mobility planning approach may argue that the current technologies have managed to help reduce the green house emissions and over reliance on renewable energy sources, no technology is likely to help mitigate against traffic snarl ups, sprawling landscapes among other challenges of the mobility approach. On the other hand, with regard to the rising fatalities on our roads, it is worth noting that the United States is currently considered to be one of the countries with the highest rates of transport related accidents in the world (Parry and Harrington, 2007). Generally, this can be attributed to the high number of vehicles on our roads after several years of depending on the mobility planning approach system in our national and state transport policies. Lastly, the rising cases of traffic snarl ups in our roads are a major concern for the current transport planning approach used in Arizona. The urban VMT has always been steadily rising and the resultant traffic congestion delays contribute to wasted time amounting to billions of dollars each year. Some of the measures currently used to reduce traffic congestion such as higher fuel taxes have only served to further drive up the driving costs with little impact in the alleviation of traffic snarl ups. However, shifting towards “accessibility” planning approach will significantly alleviate the problem of traffic congestion and the waste in terms of time spends on the roads. Similarly, although it would be unfair to blame all our social problems on the mobility approach, it is undeniable that the need to live in separate homes in low density settings is what has resulted in the current sprawls. According to Garry and Silver (1997), transportation sector is a main consumer of land and non-renewable energy and significantly contributes to accidents, congestion and pollution. In this regard, a land use policy and planning coupled with integrated transport can be instrumental in reducing the negative effects of the present transport systems. In my opinion, adopting this planning approach as the backbone of Arizona’s transport system policy is likely to help solve the current problems related to our transport system by enhancing the opportunities for people to reach their destinations and places without having to travel long distances. For example, as earlier been noted accessibility planning approach is largely concerned with regulating land use arrangements through various initiatives to in order to enhance accessibility to places of work and reduce the travelling needs of the members of the society. However, many authors concur that recognizes that only few transport authorities have explored the opportunities of accessibility planning citing that the basic culture of transport planning or delivery is increasingly being focused on promotion of much of mobility which will often not lead to improved accessibility. Accessibility planning within the transport sector bears some similarity with people focused, evidence led partnership delivery initiatives embraced in other economic sectors. Examples of the initiatives that adopt the selfsame principles include child centered learning within the education sector and patient focused care within the health sector. Despite the few challenges that have arisen from accessibility approaches, benefits have still remained numerous. It is reported that the UK and other European countries would have for instance been befallen by a weaker economy, extra emissions from transport and a more unequal society supposing she had failed to implement accessibility planning 20 years ago. Currently, there exist many market as well as policy pressures leading to poorer access for some individuals. The markets serve a larger section of the population in Arizona and the benefits of accessibility have frequently been compromised by service providers and other public agencies in one to attain single-sector efficiency goals. Even amidst the challenges, accessibility related goals have constantly become more explicit in terms of policy (Parry and Harrington, 2007). A transport system will be central to the movement of people, goods, ideas or information alongside access to markets, land use, schools and the other facilities both within and outside Arizona’s economy inclusive of the remote areas. The transport industry deems improvement of accessibility as its main role. Implementing accessibility planning is something under progress and a change in the decision making approach used in the transport sector can be a useful tool for prompting faster progress. Transportation accessibility is particularly fundamental in the attainment of sustainable development. For example, a sustainable transportation through proper land use initiatives could improve economic growth as well reduce the negative effects associated with the current rising use of automobiles particularly in the United States. Besides, a state or country that depends upon sustainable transport will witness an improvement in the manner of integration of its economy while showing respect to the environment. Also known to us is the importance associated with efficient movement of goods and people as well as access to affordable, safe and environmentally sound transportation as a tool for improvement of resilience of cities, health, social equity, productivity within rural areas as well as urban-rural linkages. In view of this, we consider accessibility planning approach to be part of the efforts we have made in attaining sustainable development. Generally, as a planning policy, accessibility particularly shifts from planning for increased movement as seen in the mobility approach towards planning for social interaction and activities. This is particularly based on the fundamental principle of travelling that people do not always travel for the sake of it but rather in order to reach their destinations whether to work, socialize, shop, tour or derive other satisfactions. Increased and enhanced accessibility can significantly promote this by bringing the social amenities and urban activities close together such as through compact cities and inter mixed land uses. Potential Challenges to the Implementation of Accessibility Planning Approach Despite the immense benefits associated with shifting towards “accessibility” planning approach, there are a few challenges that are likely to affect its implementation. For example, many experts have always argued out that it would be difficult to change the current land use in line with the requirements of the accessibility planning approach. This is particularly based on the notion that it would be difficult to redesign some of the city plans. Another challenge has been whether to adopt light rails known as trams as the preferred solution to public transport or used the heavy rail services as the primary method of enhancing transportation accessibility (Hensher, 1999). Conclusion In summary, although it would be unfair to blame all our transportation related social problems on the mobility approach, the need to live in separate homes in low density settings associated with the mobility approach is what has contributed to the current problems such as sprawls, increased traffic congestion, environmental pollution among others. Based on the above reasons, it is undeniable that accessibility planning approach is currently the best way to achieve sustainable transportation in Arizona. Thank you. References Black, W. (2004). Integrating Sustainability into the Transportation Planning Process: Sustainable Transport Definitions and Responses. Conference proceedings 37. Cervero, R. (1996). Paradigm Shift: From Auto-mobility to Accessibility Planning. Auckland, New Zealand: 15th EAROPH World Planning Congress. Garry, T., Silver C. (1997). Alternative views of sprawl. American Planning Association. Journal of the American Planning Association 63, 1, 94-126. Hensher, D.A. (1999). A bus-based Transitway or Light Rail? Continuing the saga on choice Versus blind Commitment. Road & Transport Research 8, 3, 1-21. Levine, J. (2009). Access to Choice. Publication 14:16-19. Levine, J. (1998). Rethinking Accessibility and Jobs-Housing Balance. Journal of the American Planning Association 64, 2,133-149. Lucas, K. (2004). Locating transport as a social policy problem. In K.Lucas. Running On Empty. Transport social exclusion and environmental justice. Bristol, UK: Policy Press. Parry, W., Harrington, W. (2007). Automobile Externalities and Policies. Washington, DC: Resources for the Future. Read More