Even though you’re fed up, you got to keep ya head up
Tupac
Growing up in the way my family did was different. When we moved back stateside, I remember my dad working two jobs and my mom working graveyard and going to school. My family only had one car. My mom didn’t have her license for a few years after we moved back. Most days my mom would wake me and my siblings up super early to ride three buses and walk a bit more to go to the original MerryHill here in Sacramento. Sometimes we relied on friends to pick us up from school when my dad couldn’t make it. Like the time my brother sat on my lap as we rode home in Mr. Ernest’s two seat red Pontiac Fiero.
It wasn’t easy, but I am grateful for my parents doing what they did. I hated the early mornings and the long bus rides. When I when I turned 16, instead of getting my license and buying a hooptie like my friends I bought a Nishiki road bike. My friends laughed. I just knew it was freedom and I thought I could get anywhere. I remember applying for jobs and I would tell the employer that my transportation was my bike. Didn’t get those jobs. I road it when I was at Santa Clara University. I road it in a suit to my job at Macy’s Valley Fair. Can you imagine that? I used to ride to work then stand under the AC in the employee lounge to stop sweating or dispose of my trash bags if it had been raining that day, but I wasn’t going to get on the bus. I actually still have that bike today.
Working in the public sector at the state and local level, for almost 13 years now, has helped me to realize that mobility, or access to reliable transportation, is the key to the health and wealth of a community’s citizens. Think about it, if the citizenry of a city or country are unable to easily get to work, visit a doctor, go to the store, or attend schools of higher learning, they face unnecessary barriers to success. By increasing access to consistent, dependable transportation, these basic challenges to mobility and ultimately success can be addressed effectively.
Barriers to Mobility
In many communities, low-income citizens are those who struggle most to find trustworthy transportation, which in turn, leads to job loss, lack of education, and less than adequate medical care. The mobility issue which was traditionally an issue only for those in rural areas has become a common issue for those in urban and suburban areas as well. Regardless of distance, low-income areas most often face a less-than-adequate transportation infrastructure.
Subways systems to bus services may not cover an area, or if they do, they are unreliable or subject to strikes or budget cuts. And in many cases, even when transportation is available, buses or subways present challenges for the disabled or chronically ill.
Poor transportation infrastructure means low-income families have lower access to much needed jobs, good schools, and even nutritious groceries, limiting opportunities across the board based simply on their location. The problem is not limited to only low-income areas, as Americans of all economic levels face the inadequacy of public transportation. Reliable buses, subways, trains, and safe bicycle routes are needed in every metropolitan area.
There are also challenges for those who want to secure vehicles but are limited by affordability and without the needed access get further behind. With dependable, accessible, and affordable transportation, both public and private, upward mobility is possible through greater access to better jobs, quality foods, healthcare, education, and better goods and services.
Finding Mobility Solutions for the 21st Century
Mobility focused innovation is needed now, but also requires a sound concentration on the future as the population and need increases. Some cities have found the creations of rapid bus services (or Bus Rapid Transit) increase the efficiency of public transportation and require less money than providing light rail systems. In cities where public transportation systems have budget shortfalls, private-public partnerships have helped with the development of better transportation infrastructures.
As the future quickly approaches there are several promising technologies which may aid in the mobility arena like autonomous cars and smart city solutions which include software, sensors for data collection, and AI (Artificial Intelligence) implementation to predict traffic patterns and pedestrian behavior. Already companies are utilizing traffic analysis software in hopes of leveraging AI to bring transportation solutions to cities around the world. Imagine autonomous cars coupled with ride-sharing options with the promise of easy access to better transportation for the future by providing transportation and augmenting existing public transportation service.
Real, genuine solutions can only be found if communities provide total access to all its citizens. Inclusion is the answer, and as a result you will see more cities working with companies like Phantom Auto, Glydways, and Local Motors to provide safe, reliable, and affordable transportation for those with disabilities, those with children trying to get to after school activities, the elderly, and lower-income individuals seeking greater opportunities in the workplace and higher education. Future scoping and smart design are crucial to the development of an effective transportation infrastructure and Smart Cities are leading the way.
For example, barrier-free public transportation that includes easy access via tactile paving helps citizens in Smart Cities around the world. As seen in the Local Motors Accessible Olli, design for all is the new norm and incorporates the needs of the elderly, disabled, mothers, children, allowing for ease of access and safety. Plus, in some Smart Cities, mobile apps allow passengers to plan public transportation based on their unique requirements.
Travel is becoming more collaborative with the promise of greater productivity and efficiency for all. Mobility will become more complex, but technology promises to make transportation more productive in the future. Smart solutions are key in the area of public transportation, allowing mobility solutions to deliver health and wealth to the world’s citizens through access to better jobs, higher education, nutritious foods, better healthcare, and more. The bottom line is cities offering distinctive solutions with efficient, customizable transportation experiences which empower those who need it the most will evolve and thrive.
