Sustainable Land Development Today - March 2009 - (Page 24)

SLDT FINANCE ENERGY Solar Power on Rails A review of challenges for urban mass-transit and a possible hybrid solution By Dale Jaedtke magine a rapid and reliable transit system that spurs economic growth, creates equitable access and ensures environmental protection. The impact of transportation on the planet is significant and growing. There are solutions out there to address a variety of concerns, from pollution to efficiency to convenience. But is there one that addresses multiple problems? When it comes to surface transportation in urban areas, an innovative solution, SolaTrek is gaining attention. The concept combines the convenience of the personal vehicle, with a high-speed, nonstop rail system powered by solar energy. Let’s take a look at it, but first, for background data we’ll look at numbers gathered from one of the nation’s busiest metro areas, Los Angeles, California and the 101 freeway corridor that runs through it. I great deal of infill and redevelopment being done to make better use of the land, which creates more traffic on the same roadways. Proposals have been made to widen or double-deck such highways to deal with the increased traffic pressure. When widening a roadway you have to include the width of the added lanes (about 12 feet per lane), the width of the necessary slope-to-grade as well as the maintenance access area for the slopes. A typical, on grade, six-lane highway would be approximately 153 feet wide, Current Condition Motor vehicles are the most common form of transportation and the source of a great deal of our current problems, among them air pollution, gridlock, noise, expense, safety and land use. Nationally, two or four lane roadways make up the bulk of the infrastructure needed for this means of transport. Since many urban centers are built out, there is a 24 March 2009 Sustainable Land Development Today not including on-and-off ramps. Under ideal conditions, an average highway lane will accommodate approximately 2000 vehicles per hour, traveling at 65 mph. The amount of average daily trips per month is 308,000. Trains (Amtrak) or heavy rail can be run in both directions on the same track using sidings to accommodate opposing trains. The original easement for train tracks and the right-of-way was 100 feet and most were placed on grade. In some areas, the right-of-way is as little as 33 feet with double tracks, but that is the exception. When trains share the same track, scheduling becomes an issue and adds more time to the commute. A typical Amtrak train set consists of one locomotive and five to six passenger cars and each car can carry 90-seated passengers. Average ridership for Amtrak passenger trains is approximately 241,571 riders per month. Amtrak’s Los Angeles corridor is the second busiest in the system and runs at an average speed of 42 miles an hour. Local commuter trains such as Metrolink or light-rail systems will use existing train tracks rather than their own tracks most of the time, which means arranging their schedule around the heavy-rail train schedule. A typical commuter train set consists of one locomotive and three to six passenger cars.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Land Development Today - March 2009

Sustainable Land Development Today - March 2009 Contents Our Voice: Energy Savings Accounts Mining the Sewers for On-site Reuse Modern Flood Disasters The Financial Challenge of Leed® Technology: Opportunities Exist to Buy in Now SLDI In Focus: A Look Inside Calendar of Events Energy: Solar Power on Rails Industry News Products & Services The Bottom Line: Green Lending – Class G Advertiser Index Editorial Board SLDT Resources Last Word: Not All Gloom & Doom

Sustainable Land Development Today - March 2009

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