Please Follow directions or I will dispute
Please answer original forum with a minimum of 250 words and respond to both students separately with a minimum of 100 words each
page 1 Original Forum with References
page 2 Cherelle response with references
page 3 Neil response with references
Original Forum
While the causes of congestion might be understood the solutions may not be. Do you agree or disagree? State your views in terms of transportation geography. (Note: Carefully explore what the term ‘congestion’ means before you answer.)
Student Response
Cherelle
In terms of transportation geography, congestion is recognized as an excessive number of vehicles on a portion of roadway at a particular time resulting in speeds that are slower than normal (Department of Transportation). For a particular reason, the road is unable to accommodate the people travelling, and the need for a route alternative or detour could be a possible solution but not a one-size fits all solution. Just as congestion occurs in urban areas due to an increase in population in a city that was not designed to hold a substantial amount of people, is the same reason for congestion occurring in the geography of transportation. Too many people are accessing roadways during a specific time or event which causes a clog to occur.
Although congestion derives from the seven root causes 1) capacity, 2) traffic incidents, 3) work zones, 4) weather, 5) traffic control devices, 6) special events, and 7) fluctuations in normal traffic, it is still a challenge to determine solutions because of traffic irregularities (DOT.gov). Weather conditions, traffic incidents, work zones, etc., are unpredictable and it changes every day. These root causes for congestion may be hard to determine effective solutions because every situation is different. I would say that it is important for transportation engineers to develop methods that drivers can utilize when congestion occurs and/or to prevent congestion, however, I do not believe that there are solutions for every situation and instance when congestion arises.
U.S. Department of Transportation.(n.d.). Retrieved from https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/congestion_report/executive_summary.htm#what_is_congestion
Neil
Good morning everyone. It is hard to believe that we are already in week 7. This week presents an interesting topic that I am sure most of us can relate to. Congestion at airports, roadways, and city streets is an issue that most of us have had to contend with in our lives. There has been an increase in people moving to bigger cities which is known as urbanization. The infrastructures of these cities are not able to keep up with the increased demand placed on them by higher population concentrations. More cars on the roads, more people on the streets, and more passengers on public transportation leads to congestions.
Another interesting thing I read was about the increase in disease spread in congested urban areas. COVID-19 and other infectious diseases spread more rapidly in urbanized areas due to the close proximity of people to each other (Roberts & Tehrani, 2020). The increase spread of disease during the recent pandemic caused shortages of workers in the transportation industry. Bus drivers, pilots, air crews, and train operators were getting sick because they were around people all day. Once they started to call out sick, train and bus availability started to go down. All of that coupled with an increase in populations led to more congestion in airports, train stations, and highways.
We need to invest more in the Nation’s infrastructure in order to sustain the growth in urban areas. I do not believe that there will be a decrease in the demand to live in urban areas in the near future. People like the convenience of living and working relatively close to each other. Mass transit options along with the convenience of shopping and restaurants is very attractive for people. If investments are not made to improve public transportation and roadways, then congestion will continue to be problematic in urban areas. What are some immediate solutions to help with congestion in urban areas? Should there be a maximum capacity for urban areas? Should local government only allow for a certain amount of people to reside in these areas?
Reference
Roberts, J. D., & Tehrani, S. O. (2020). Environments, Behaviors, and Inequalities: Reflecting on the Impacts of the Influenza and Coronavirus Pandemics in
the United States. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(12),4484–. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124484
