Urban Transportation Systems Choices for Communities

Excerpts from article by I-Shian Suen, Volume 69, #3

We all depend on various means of transportation for mobility in our daily lives: to travel to and from work, school, shopping centers, restaurants, financial institutions, medical facilities, cultural and sporting events, and the homes of family and friends, among many possibilities. Transportation has evolved into many forms in response to the needs and wants of residents, particularly in concentrated urban areas. In Urban Transportation Systems: Choices for Communities, Grava provides a comprehensive view of a wide range of transportation options available to urban residents. His intent is to assess the strengths and weaknesses of each transportation mode to help stakeholders make informed selections appropriate for their communities.

Grava begins with an overview chapter presenting common criteria for selecting urban transportation modes. This is followed by 16 chapters devoted to the various modes, including walking, bicycles, motorcycles and scooters automobiles, paratransit, taxis, buses, bus rapid transit, trolleybuses, streetcars and light rail transit, monorails, heavy rail transit, commuter rail, automated guideway transit, waterborne modes, and special modes. After these chapters, Grava provides an integrating chapter that focuses on intermodal transfer options. The concluding chapter reminds us of the challenges ahead and offers constructive suggestions for better transportation systems and services.

The strength of the book is its comprehensive coverage of urban transportation modes. Grava gives each mode a logical and systematic treatment, based on over four decades of academic and consulting experience. Although this book has a U.S. focus, Gravas involvement in many transportation-related projects overseas enriches the discussion. Throughout the book, readers are rewarded with various urban transportation approaches or choices (many of them illustrated with photos) from all over the world.

The chapters on modes generally follow the same format. They include:

• background information about the mode;
  
• history of the modes evolution in relation to technological advancements and services demands;
  
• examples of operation of the mode in different localities;
  
• societal attitudes and perceptions toward the mode;
  
• evaluation of the suitable conditions and settings for the mode to be successful;
  
• review of mode-specific considerations, such as components; scheduling, capacity, costs, and land development effects; and
  
• possible programs to carry out the transportation mode.
  

Each of these chapters ends with a summary / conclusion and an annotated bibliography. ...

While Grava has done a remarkable job in presenting an extensive discussion of urban transportation ideas, the book could enhance its value by amplifying some of the topics. First, the interdependency and interplay between transportation and land use could use even more emphasis. Grava recognizes that "transportation systems and land use are two sides of the same coin"(p. 11) ...

Nevertheless, Urban Transportation Systems: Choices for Communities is an excellent introductory book for policymakers, planners, transportation engineers and others interested in understanding the range of transportation modes. Given the intended purpose of this book, Grava has succeeded. It is not a complete package with conclusive solutions to urban transportation problems, but rather a resource that could provide a sound basis for identifying and selecting suitable transportation modes.Grava, Sigurd is the author of 'Urban Transportation Systems Choices for Communities', published 2002 under ISBN 9780071384179 and ISBN 0071384170.