Sunday, November 11, 2007

How Long Does Sleep Eze

evolution

By Rodrigo Quijada (*)

If you have a city with 8 000 buses to move at an average speed of 15 km / h and somehow manages to raise that figure to, say, 25 km / h, it appears that you have been reduced by 40% travel time to the people, which is great, but also find that now needs only 4800 buses to move the same amount of people, keeping waiting times and the level of overcrowding. Least 3,200 buses only increase the speed! Can you imagine what it means to eliminate 3,200 buses and their negative externalities?

Now if you do not want to keep waiting times and overcrowding and want to improve as well, you have to do is, instead of eliminating all those 3,200 buses, remove only part of them. Say, 1500. That is, choose not to get rid of such externality, in order to improve the service. It follows that this pure measure up speed, he has improved all the relevant variables, timeouts and travel, pollution and comfort, as if by magic. And there's more. If the rate that existed was from, say, $ 380, so now clearly at the same rate, because there are fewer buses, will have resources "surplus" that can allow, for example, replacing some of the buses with new ones, further enhancing more environmental variables and incidentally giving even more comfort to users. All thanks to up the speed to 25 km / h.


There is no trick. Transportation systems are well, and the speed is brutally gravitating, with an enormous multiplier effect .

While you're in this, you can now, if you want, also change the mesh of routes so that more of the type Trunk-feeder and less "Door to Door", allowing you to further reduce the fleet, but at the cost of transfers, which are not very nice. There are no absolutes here, a further system is further TA or PP, and can be quite freely choose what you want to be middle ground. It is necessary then use a good approach, and in general it can be stated that while not extreme, costs a little more transfers will be offset by the benefits associated with smaller fleet.

is based on this that Transantiago designers began to dream. When Ricardo Lagos account in his letter that the specialists will be told that he could substantially improve the efficiency of maintaining the rate, what was behind those words is what is stated here (as you know it or not). No one cheated on anyone. No miscalculated. So what happened to us all apart?

passed, as it has already demonstrated the parliamentary inquiry, in its "rampant ignorance on transport issues" Nicolás Eyzaguirre denied the resources to pay brokers segregated areas, which are the two measures to improve the speed. And you see that as all the efficiency depends strongly on the speed, multiply everything the rest went down like a house of cards.

Thereafter designers continued to work much more ambitious plan that professionally, anyway assuming that something could improve the speed of some exotic form (which does not exist), calculating, evil now, they suffice 4,500 buses , forcing the system to transfer much without profit or wait times or travel, or level of overcrowding. By contrast, even making them worse in much of the city to artificially reduce the fleet.

can talk a lot of delays and bad AFT incentive contracts, which is true, but even if it had worked well, the system would not have given good service, since the three variables of service quality transport system depends fundamentally improve the speed.

Sergio Espejo Eduardo Bitran and the Commission of Inquiry said it clearly: When you took, was a segregated corridor just ready for the game (Birdies) and another that would be ready months later (Santa Rosa). The rest, mainly paper. Some "programmed" for 2020. And no pay zone planned. Moreover, the document "Investment Prospectus Transantiago", delivered at the Diego Portales Building in a ceremony headed by Ricardo Lagos on November 11, 2004, and ratify it. Plan design can be concluded without any difficulty, did not consider improving the speed of the buses, the Achilles heel of a transport system, Transantiago, it is inevitable conclusion, was not designed to improve service . How do I want to think then that I blame Michelle Bachelet of all this? Ricardo Lagos

can write all the letters I want to say that the problem was in implementation, but it was his Minister of Finance, which I assume no one-who commanded the resources put into highways and Metro, refusing the possibility of improve the key variable, the speed of buses, and was the Minister of Transport, other it was not a feudal lord who, despite knowing that would not have better speeds and above have a sharp increase in transfers, went ahead and tied the state bid for contracts and terms then it remains to honor on pain huge compensation.

(*) Master in Transportation Engineering, University of Chile

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

How Do You Increase Netflix Quality On Xbox

The Mea Culpa of Lagos Lagos

By Rodrigo Henríquez (*)

About the letter that former President Ricardo Lagos sent to the commission investigating the Transantiago Many have waited a mea culpa on his part, or even more, assuming a greater responsibility Regarding the results of the design and implementation of the plan. However, after reading this letter is unnecessary to continue looking for more blame or liability, since all the explanations are there, in view of the world.

The first thing you care to read the letter is that an explicit reference to the Transantiago Plan was based on two axes: the construction of urban highways and the extension of subway lines, against which it is self-doubt wondering what happened to the buses "should not have made this the third and main axis of the Plan? However, beyond this bad introduction to views on the subject in subsequent paragraphs Lagos reflects at least two grave misconceptions which added to the above, explain the poor design, implementation and launch of this revolutionary system of urban transport.


The first of these relates to the justification of the first axis and corresponds to point out that urban highway construction favors the movement of buses, and that clears the streets (Page 1, fifth paragraph.) This aberrant sentence shows the utter ignorance about the reasons that explain the phenomena of congestion. The population growth and increasing incomes of the same, bring the direct consequence that people increase the number of trips taken every day and also a higher proportion of them do in a car, since it will be increasingly within reach of their pockets. To build urban freeways is giving the green light to the increased use of this transport, which congestion and pollution at least 10 times more a public transport bus per passenger (you can easily reach 20 times) . That is, the construction of urban highways NO not only promotes the movement of buses, but the difficult, increasing levels of congestion and making even more attractive than it already is the most inefficient mode of transport: the car.

The second error, and complementary to the previous lies in thinking (or impose) the system should be self-financing, which was sufficient to reduce the fleet of buses and average mileage (page 3, fourth paragraph.) First, for a smaller supply to serve the same demand is absolutely necessary is completely built the infrastructure for the freest possible movement of buses, that is, segregated roads, by not this happens, the buses are reduced speed of movement and therefore take longer to perform one cycle (go and return whereabouts), which for us will mean a reduction in the ability of passengers carried per hour or the lack of buses to meet the stated frequencies. Second, although the infrastructure was built, you can not avoid demand subsidies if it is desired to reduce the time passengers in the system, mainly the waiting time, so to make public transport a more attractive.

is, to impose self-financing scheme involves charging infrastructure costs to the amount of the fee and therefore increases, delay the construction of this infrastructure with the consequences described and also underestimates the importance of while public transport users spend on a trip, where the waiting time of transshipment product is essential. The high levels of overcrowding and wait times today are a direct result of this design condition.

This implies that the prioritization of public transport system over private has never been such, since I never had the financial support (subsidies) or political support (management), not least the clarity of concepts that are required to achieve be designed and implemented successfully, that is, achieving a modern bus system, adequate infrastructure, travel times and at a rate less attractive.

declare that is to streamline and prioritize public transport system forcing self-financing and parallel to subsidize the construction of urban highways, is to stick a bullet in the foot, since in practice it is favoring the less sustainable mode of transport and less sustainable over time since it is the most inefficient from the point of view of resource use, infrastructure, pollutant emissions and energy resources.

responsibilities regarding the serious problems of mobility that has a majority of Santiago residents currently lie in such decisions and even more in this kind of thoughts regarding how to address issues of transport of people living in a city. Denying

resources now so that next year the system to work fairly well, continue to act with the same logic to declare one thing and do another, however, the results of this "strategy" already know: a system inefficient bus, a subway collapsed, with more cars on the streets, more traffic chaos, the more pollution, more delays for all users of the system and thus lower mobility of citizens and reduced quality of life. With all this theoretical and empirical evidence, legislators and authorities of this country, once again commit the same error?

(*) Master in Transportation Engineering, University of Chile.

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Skidoo Tundre For Sale




The media debate around the letter sent by Ricardo Lagos to the commission investigating Transantiago has focused on aspects of form and trifles that are not even remotely close to trying to understand the root of the problem that now affects millions of Santiago, and accept their political responsibility or not, or should attend in person to the commission. The letter is much more than that, is his statement, the essence of the transport policy designed and executed during his tenure. A then reproduce and analyze their fundamentals (quotes in italics):


Transantiago Plan was part of a public policy that allowed the profound transformation of transport infrastructure of our country and required emergency plans and programs to suit the modern . This Plan was based on two axes.

The first line refers to the need to continue making progress on motorway concession by the private sector now be built in the urban sector of the metropolitan area. That program, which began strongly with President Frei, had allowed up to Chile along a series of highways that were running at the time of taking office. Strongly support the need run the whole urban freeways that exist today in Santiago. These urban highway speed to allow more private transport, thus decongest the roads used transport buses. The highway concessions have become example management and efficiency for several countries in Latin America and the world (...).

The second axis has to do with the great effort being made to extend the Metro Santiago. This, for 30 years, had gained a total network with a total of about 40kms. In 6 years, more than doubled this amount and at the end of my Government had 90kms Metro. approx. And were the measures taken so that the line extension to Maipu and the Dominicans, unable to reach 105kms. extension.

Reading between the lines

First of all, it seems that for the former president, Transantiago is not only a new public transport system, is also the whole infrastructure for private transport. Urban highways facilitate and encourage travel by car ... contradiction with one of the stated objectives of Transantiago: Increase or at least maintaining the percentage of trips made by public transport. Total confusion. Transantiago has nothing to do with urban highways, have been conceived as two separate schemes that rowing in opposite directions, which have no beneficial relationship or coordination with each other. Visit the official website Transantiago, where are the freeways, according to Ricardo Lagos is one of the axes of the plan? Note the investiture of confused.

then stated that his goal is to have a modern transportation system, which is accomplished with more infrastructure. This is the beginning and end: More concrete, great works that show, and certainly open . It seems a contradiction, but this solution, presented here in order to have more currency, is the most outdated. It is known as "predict and Provide " and in short is to solve the problems of congestion with more infrastructure, a road that followed historically countries with almost infinite budget to build public works such as the U.S.. Today and for over thirty years, is known around the world, in the field of urban transport, this road leads nowhere, and that actual results achieved by measures smarter investments that do not require obscene money, such as traffic management and the existing infrastructure, management of transport demand (in order to influence the need to travel or trip features: relocation of activities, incentives carpool, telework, etc.) congestion pricing, a rational and effective investment in public transport, promoting non-motorized modes of transport, etc.. None of this existed in practical terms for former President Lagos, only the need for more infrastructure. Then

said the two axles that support the plan Transantiago New highway concessions to Santiago and the expansion of the metro network. Ie on the basis of plan ... buses are not! We immediately heart of the matter, the answer to all questions, the root of all evil: The design of Ricardo, the priorities were always his meter and its highways. Always. This explains the two packages of projects were generated, built and opened without delay during his tenure, while modernizing the bus system was a necessary evil, a chub, a program that suffered constant delays and arrears, with a meager budget coordinators general lasted three months and came to learn on Transantiago in office.

With respect to plan for urban highways, speaks of him as a need ... Why, if as in this blog we discussed at length in the medium and long term not only not solve the problems of congestion, but get worse? Perhaps the answer to why the roads were a necessity depends on the goal: To have a better transportation system or electoral gains?

Then comes a little creepy, to say that urban highways decongest the streets for the buses. Do we want to convince you that one of the objectives or Vespucio Sur Costanera Norte is to help public transportation? If we believe it, we're all crazy. Urban highways are to walk faster cars and project a modern image. Point. Any comparative analysis is made of the movement of buses with and without motorways, going to now there is less congestion for them. A faster flow of buses is achieved with lanes for buses, not segregated lanes for cars (sounds of platitude, but it seems necessary to clarify). Moreover, a serious phenomenon that occurs on the highway Vespucio North and South, is that the new infrastructure extremely difficult of access to buses by the users, who must now undergo long walks and crossing bridges to get to bus stops, due to the physical segregation of the road.

Finally, his summary of what was to come with the new bus system:

By replacing long runs that have meant mostly empty buses circulating the whole day through downtown Santiago, devised a system of trunk, as it were consolidated, would increasingly looking to Metro: pay zones, exclusive lanes for public transport, bus stops deferred, drivers would gain by cutting ticket. What was sought was that core services are moving more quickly and securely to users.

regard, the minister René Cortázar said last week that only now are working on the design of a sequential plan for the construction of segregated lanes for buses in the main, and that will be taken as management measures to expedite their movement. So, before 2007, there was never a serious plan for Transantiago infrastructure (read: buses ... although not part of the two axes of the plan itself) with defined deadlines and budget. Now they're doing, because the harsh reality has shown its necessity. In its design stage, Transantiago did not consider the existence of extravehicular payment stations or pay areas. Those that exist (in a good performance but improved, inexplicably few) also built on the fly. The policy

Ricardo Lagos, surface public transport has always been the poor relation of its highways and Their meter. After all, this letter is the extended version of his definition of the plan, made in a few words while still ruled:

"We are 47 kilometers from Metro, ... 260 km of motorways class y. .. buses, as befits a modern city. " (Ricardo Lagos Escobar, 13/Mayo/2004) ----

Link: Charter