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| Opinion: Transportation Reform in Post-Katrina New OrleansOPINION Get on the bus: Transportation Reform in Post-Katrina New Orleans by Jeffrey Berlin, Kyle Hubbard, Briana Kobor, Katherine Langer, Matthew La Rocque and Caitlin Metzger Hurricane Katrina caused great devastation and destruction to the New Orleans area. While the transportation infrastructure was not completely demolished — as seen by the reopening of roads and highways — it was gravely affected by the storm. Most of the streetlights are still not working and many buses are damaged. Katrina also damaged much of the electrical wiring and cables on the streetcar lines. The number of operating bus and streetcar routes is increasing, but routes are still limited. As a concession to riders, bus fares are currently free. At the time of writing, thirty-six RTA buses are running on sixteen routes, and the St. Charles streetcars are being used on the Riverfront line. To help rebuild the transit systems, the federal government has given $47 million dollars to New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The opportunity now exists to rebuild the infrastructures of the area in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. It is also an opportunity for New Orleans to be at the forefront of green transportation nationally. In cities across the country, poor coverage and unreliable service have led to an ineffective system marred by long waits and low levels of passenger use. Things are getting worse at a time when quality public transportation could prove to be a huge boon for the environment and the lives of urban residents. In 2004, total gasoline sales in Louisiana were a staggering 2.3 billion gallons. We are facing a fossil fuel epidemic, which is compounded by escalating commutes and soaring urban populations. It is imperative that the restoration and the rebuilding process as a whole be progressive, sustainable, and environmentally sound. Prior to Hurricane Katrina’s destruction of the Gulf Coast, the 190,000 employed commuters of New Orleans and its outlying suburbs drove approximately 130,000 cars. They spent an average of 52 minutes commuting to and from work. Meanwhile, only about 14 percent of the working population (about 26,000 commuters) took public transportation. Compare these transportation figures with those in Curitiba, Brazil, where over half of the population uses the public transportation system daily. In this rapidly growing city of 2.7 million half a world away, we can benchmark best practices in green transportation that could revitalize the Gulf Coast region. In 1968, Curitiba adopted its “Master Plan” for urban transportation reform. The Curitiba transit system utilizes existing roadways to create what is often referred to as an “overland subway.” This system uses buses that run on special roadways dedicated exclusively to bus traffic. The Curitiba system streamlines commuter traffic with a fleet of 270 passenger commuter buses and specialized passenger loading tubes. Many of these buses are able to avoid sitting in city traffic due to the benefits of traffic light privilege, dedicated bus lanes, and pedestrian-friendly city centers. In total, Curitiba utilizes 1,902 buses to transport nearly two million people daily. There is a single fare to use the bus system, which corrects for fare inequities by allowing the poor in outlying areas to commute to work in the city centers without paying inflated fares. Curitiba’s buses are touted as an economical solution to transit and run cleanly and efficiently. These methods could be used to create sustainable and equitable transportation in post-Katrina New Orleans. A reformed New Orleans transit system could take many forms. An essential backbone of the public transit system must be zero tailpipe emissions. Continued and increased usage as well as prioritizing repairs of the existing streetcar system could be coupled with a hydrogen fuel cell bus fleet. Such a system would achieve lower urban air pollution levels and decrease reliance on fossil fuels. Additional work could be done with transportation management. Like Curitiba, New Orleans could easily work towards streamlining public transit to avoid inefficiencies in both commute time and energy consumption. Bus lanes could be designated on major transportation corridors and stoplight priority could be given to bus lines. Further progress could be made with the use of “bicycle boulevards,” such as those implemented in Berkeley, California. These specially designated streets allow for all types of traffic, but are designed to promote the ease and safety of bicycle commuting throughout the city. Human effects on the natural environment are becoming increasingly evident. As our energy future grows more uncertain, it is vital that decision-making account for those uncertainties through long-term planning. Curitiba took the initiative when it adopted its “Master Plan”, preempting large development with a comprehensive and hugely successful city planning policy. The current situation in New Orleans has given the city the opportunity to do the same. It is time to set a precedent that other domestic urban centers can follow. It is time for our country to take the lead on progressive policy implementation. It is time to put an end to reactionary, least-cost planning that ignores the future social and economic consequences. Briana Kobor '06 is the Director of the Center on Sustainability and the Environment at the Roosevelt Institution at Berkeley. Jeffrey Berlin '07, Kyle Hubbard, Katherine Langer '07, Matthew La Rocque '06 and Caitlin Metzger '06 are fellows in the Center on Sustainability and the Environment at the Roosevelt Institution at Berkeley.
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