The “Asianication” of US Infrastructure

[Sapiens]

Well my friends, we are in for a treat.

I have it on good word that the US is going the way of mass-transit and the death of the Automobile culture.

Stay tuned.

-Sapiens

[Sapiens]

Re: The “Asianication” of US Infrastructure

http://financecommission.dot.gov/

http://financecommission.dot.gov/Doc...2011-15-07.doc

[Rajiv]

Re: The “Asianication” of US Infrastructure

The thrust appears to be towards "Intermodal Trensport"

Two web sites to look at - ITI, the Intermodal Transportation Institute
at the University of Denver,
and
NCIT - National Center for Intermodal Transportation

From the second

Background

From single modal perspectives, the United States has developed one of the best transportation systems in the world. However, because each mode of transportation evolved independently of the others, they are not well integrated. As a result, it is difficult to transfer passengers and freight from one mode to another. Furthermore, some modes are over utilized, creating delays and hazards, while other modes are under utilized and have excess capacity. At NCIT, we believe that the overall contribution of the national transportation system can be increased by the creation of an intermodal system based on a more balanced and rational use of all modes of transportation. As such, the theme of NCIT is the assessment, planning, and design of the nation's intermodal transportation system with a focus on improving the efficiency and the safety of services for both passengers and freight by identifying ways to better utilize the strengths of the individual modes of transportation.

The intermodal point-of-view involves looking at how individual modes can be connected, governed, and managed as a seamless and sustainable transportation system. That is, the fundamental objective of intermodalism is not to optimize a single mode of transportation but to integrate the modes into an optimal, sustainable, and ethical system. Such a system should promote efficiency, safety, mobility, economic growth and trade, national security, protection of the natural environment, and enhancement of human welfare. The integration of the individual modes into a seamless intermodal system has been a national transportation policy since the promulgation of the Transportation Act of 1940.

Emphasis mine

Also Research Reports here


Also

From the first
METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATIONS

[c1ue]

Re: The “Asianication” of US Infrastructure

Sapiens,

I thought this was inherently obvious from all of the oil consumption statistics I was putting up in the past week.

The US is using 10x or more oil per capita as anyone in the world, and in particular more than 10x vs. China.

Should China continue to grow in wealth and presumably oil consumption to more typical 'middle income' world levels, China will at least double, very likely quadruple their present 7M bpd. Thus unless there is a corresponding reduction in demand of 7M to 21M bpd, things are going to get ugly.

And who is the biggest oil consumer with a simultaneously declining economy?

[bill]

Re: The “Asianication” of US Infrastructure

Well my friends, we are in for a treat.

I have it on good word that the US is going the way of mass-transit and the death of the Automobile culture.

Stay tuned.

-Sapiens

As I continue to listen to many infrastructure committee hearings http://transportation.house.gov/ I draw the same conclusion.
Funding using PPP, build a few nuke plants http://www.gepower.com/about/press/e...ess/111207.htm, run a few of these wires http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com...0BD8D?id=50519 from the plant connected to the train right-a-ways and this http://www.aastocks.com/eng/fundamen...33518518518519 on the tracks, hooked up to a politically picked electric locomotive.

[touchring]

Re: The “Asianication” of US Infrastructure

Metro seems to be the only way to go, but it takes time (at least 12-15 years) to build a super extensive metro network, so cities that are slow to do so will suffer a competitive disadvantage. In short, time is running out.

[bill]

Re: The “Asianication” of US Infrastructure

Metro seems to be the only way to go, but it takes time (at least 12-15 years) to build a super extensive metro network, so cities that are slow to do so will suffer a competitive disadvantage. In short, time is running out.

5-7 yrs,
And a lot of engineering is complete and ready for right of way acquisition.
http://www.valleymetro.org/METRO_lig...dule/index.htm

[touchring]

Re: The “Asianication” of US Infrastructure

To replace the internal combustion vehicle completely, I was thinking along the lines of this.. :eek:

Or maybe it'll take more than 15 years.

[quigleydoor]

Re: The “Asianication” of US Infrastructure

As I continue to listen to many infrastructure committee hearings http://transportation.house.gov/ I draw the same conclusion.
Funding using PPP, build a few nuke plants http://www.gepower.com/about/press/e...ess/111207.htm, run a few of these wires http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com...0BD8D?id=50519 from the plant connected to the train right-a-ways and this http://www.aastocks.com/eng/fundamen...33518518518519 on the tracks, hooked up to a politically picked electric locomotive.

What does this have to do with the reference Asia in the subject line? I guess it refers to the state financing of infrastructure as relief from a credit bubble, as in Japan.

Other than that, I don't know why these proposals are more reminiscent of Asia than Europe.

[zoog]

Re: The “Asianication” of US Infrastructure

Love this stuff. Are we only talking about metro commuter rail though? What about interstate rail? If the federal DOT is involved, seems like this goes beyond local transportation. Bring on the bullet trains! I've only been on Amtrak once (from Portland to Seattle and back), but based on that experience, I'd rather ride a superfast train across country than an airplane.

Metro seems to be the only way to go, but it takes time (at least 12-15 years) to build a super extensive metro network, so cities that are slow to do so will suffer a competitive disadvantage. In short, time is running out.

Good news for Portland, I suppose. We already have 45 miles of electric-powered light rail, with more lines planned for in the future.

[Sapiens]

Re: The “Asianication” of US Infrastructure

What does this have to do with the reference Asia in the subject line? I guess it refers to the state financing of infrastructure as relief from a credit bubble, as in Japan.

Other than that, I don't know why these proposals are more reminiscent of Asia than Europe.

The word was used by my host because the combined system will incorporate all of North America and will resemble a high density Asian footprint.

I am awaiting supporting policy briefs.

Cheers,

-Sapiens

P.S. and no, the word "asianification" was not used "because it only will resemble an Asian footprint, but it has nothing to do with Asian ideals..."

[c1ue]

Re: The “Asianication” of US Infrastructure

The idea of creating mass transit systems which can effectively replace the car is a great one, but the logistics of doing so are prohibitive.

I remember once - when I was still living in Texas - going to visit company HQ in Silicon Valley.

I decided to go out and walk around the block where my hotel in Santa Clara was located.

1.5 hours later, I achieved this aim.

No matter the incentive, the lack of population density dooms the majority of suburban areas to car-based transport. This is also true for cities such as Los Angeles.

Strictly speaking there are very few American cities which can clearly benefit from mass transit without major demographic realignment.

From another perspective, if population density is too low, then mass transit spends more time stopping at local stations than moving - and in turn the number of people moved per station is too low to be financially supportable.

This is why my belief remains that while mass transit et al will be lovely buzz words, that nothing can materially change until the generation time scale lifestyle and demographic changes have occurred.

[touchring]

Re: The “Asianication” of US Infrastructure

This could happen more quickly with a very gradual imposition of gasoline tax. I read that a liter of gasoline costs 1 pound in the UK? This translates to 3.78 pound per gallon.

[GRG55]

Re: The “Asianication” of US Infrastructure

The idea of creating mass transit systems which can effectively replace the car is a great one, but the logistics of doing so are prohibitive.

I remember once - when I was still living in Texas - going to visit company HQ in Silicon Valley.

I decided to go out and walk around the block where my hotel in Santa Clara was located.

1.5 hours later, I achieved this aim.

No matter the incentive, the lack of population density dooms the majority of suburban areas to car-based transport. This is also true for cities such as Los Angeles.

Strictly speaking there are very few American cities which can clearly benefit from mass transit without major demographic realignment.

From another perspective, if population density is too low, then mass transit spends more time stopping at local stations than moving - and in turn the number of people moved per station is too low to be financially supportable.

This is why my belief remains that while mass transit et al will be lovely buzz words, that nothing can materially change until the generation time scale lifestyle and demographic changes have occurred.

C1ue makes an excellent point. Unlike Asia, America has vast distances between population centres.

Unlike Asia, very few American cities have a downtown concentration that facilitates corridor movements of people from the suburbs to office and back (I notice that many cities like Houston and Chicago, have promoted business "campuses" on the outskirts).

Unlike Asia, America has already gone through its rural agrarian to urban industrialization migration cycle. It's primarily immigrants that now settle in the cities, as more and more Americans migrate out of the cities to escape to the small towns of Penturbia.

Unlike Asia, Americans value independence and individuality, and do not have a cultural predisposition to conform, so building the infrastructure "footprint" is the easy part - getting people, especially people as wealthy as Americans, to change their habits is the difficult part.

I see a lot of underused capacity being installed.

[GRG55]

Re: The “Asianication” of US Infrastructure

This could happen more quickly with a very gradual imposition of gasoline tax. I read that a liter of gasoline costs 1 pound in the UK? This translates to 3.78 pound per gallon.

That is about the price of UK petrol. But the motorways are still jammed so not much behaviour change there.

London has an overloaded Underground that dates back to Victorian times on some routes (prone to regular signal failure breakdowns). The Paris metro is a better example perhaps, where car ownership in the city centre is frowned upon by the arts set.