BE Magazine - Volume 6, Issue 1 - (Page 48)

Tech Trends It is a climate that Johnson ﬁnds invigorating. “SEPTAis in a unique position because we now have a dedicated funding source and can move beyond just keeping the trains running. As an institution, we’re accepting that we can get better at customer service and we’re starting to do simple things that make a big difference to our base. for public transit. On one hand, operating expenses go up dramatically, but on the other hand, ridership also increases enough to stave off fare increases. As Johnson points out, rail lines are always more efﬁcient than car travel—a full train is 15 times as efﬁcient— so increasing the number of users is a great way to meet the area’s sustainability goals. But increasing ridership comes with challenges: “It’s a nice problem to have, because of increased revenues, but it is a problem. We can’t get new railcars fast enough because of the quick spike, and extending service is difﬁcult because it’s hard to lease new lines. We’ll just have to move as fast as we can.” The authority is looking into leasing railcars from other authorities as a stopgap, but there are other capacity issues as well. Stations need more parking and other improvements, and the fare-collection system needs revamping. “SEPTA still operates in an ’80s fare collection world, with no prepaid fare and no smart transit. You can buy passes, but you can’t buy credit at a machine and turnstiles don’t read the passes.” With an engineer’s characteristic pragmatism, Johnson adds, “It’s a negative, of course, that we don’t already have a better system, but on the other hand it’s a positive that we can leapfrog intermediate technology and put in a truly state-of-the-art system with the RFP that is new on the street.” The ridership issues are a good example of the joys and challenges of public service. It’s a joy, of course, to see system participation go up and to have a measurable, positive effect on the state’s We’re doing a good job now of improving our stations by adding parking and making them ADA-compliant. And we’re seeing more people, in and out of government, who understand the relationship between transportation and land use. That means we’re seeing more opportunities for joint development, and more development with densities that support public transit. It’s an exciting time.” Public-service board work is the nuts and bolts of governance. Board members don’t have the same public recognition as elected ofﬁcials, but the decisions they make affect just as many lives and the assets they manage can be staggering. SEPTA’s 2009 operating budget, for example, is $1.095 billion. SEPTA employs 9,000 people and manages 450 miles of track, 280 active stations, and 2,295 revenue vehicles. Average weekday ridership across the whole system is about 1 million passengers. Numbers like these suggest that the decisions of Johnson and his fellow board members will have signiﬁcant, long-lasting impacts on the region. Short-term consequences of their actions are also signiﬁcant— a weeklong strike in 2005 stranded nearly 400,000 riders and 27,000 public-school students. Sustainability is a good example of SEPTA’s potential to affect southeast Pennsylvania. Rising fuel costs are a two-edged sword Board members don’t have the same public recognition as elected ofﬁcials, but the decisions they make affect just as many lives and the assets they manage can be staggering. economy and infrastructure—it’s one of the reasons busy, highly responsible people get into volunteer board work. But when even a positive trend is attended by difﬁculties, it’s easy to feel frustrated. Commuters in southeast Pennsylvania are fortunate that men like Johnson continue to feel that the rewards outweigh the difﬁculties of their largely unrecognized public service. 48 Be Magazine | Volume 6 Issue 1

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of BE Magazine - Volume 6, Issue 1

BE Magazine - Volume 6, Issue 1 Contents Anticipation’s Name Is V8i Be Awards of Excellence Kicks Off Competition Bentley Launches the Most Comprehensive SoftwarePortfolio for Infrastructure Ever Assembled in a Single Release MicroStation V8i Up Close & Personal Is Water the New Oil? How Does Intent Become Reality? Does Performance Create Sustainability? Renewing Confidence in Public Highway Infrastructure Enterprisewide System Manages International Airport Standardized CAD/GIS Platform Streamlines Infrastructure Engineering 3D Modeling Refines Reusable Design for Plant Prototype Lean Teams Deliver Automotive Assembly Plants Through Innovative Use of BIM Integrated 3DModels Enable Compact and Safe Plant Design Sustainable Development Supports Thriving Community Terminal Pumps Natural Gas Through Longest Subsea Pipeline Large UtilityWorks To Reduce SO2 Emissions Aging Power Station Boosts Engineering Productivity Hydropower Dam To Fuel Growing Economy Collaboration Tools Accelerate Chinese Railway Electrification System Design Rapid Rail Link To Meet Socio-Economic Development Goals High-CapacityWastewater Treatment Facility ReclaimsWater Resources City ExpandsWater SupplyWithout Deploying AdditionalWater Resources Private Calling Meets Public Service Learning Paths Map Skill Development for Infrastructure Professionals A Contemporary Approach to Site Design The Art of Visualization Special Feature: Be Communities Physical + Digital Investments = Intelligent Infrastructure

BE Magazine - Volume 6, Issue 1

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