The capacity and the capabilities of American industry and private enterprise stand ready. The scientific and technical manpower needed for increased research and analysis in the field of urban transportation is available. But a stimulus is needed to progress, to prevent future neglect of intraurban trans- portation technology and systems, and to develop means by which this progress can contribute to the quality of urban life.
A part of this report examines the promise of existing tech- nologies to improve present urban transportation systems. It identifies some exciting short-run improvements that could be undertaken. But beyond immediate improvements, this report projects a continuing research and development effort which could turn innovation into application, and accelerate transit technology in a careful and deliberate, rather than accidental, way.
The research and development program recommended as a result of the new systems study entails a total program funding of $980 million. This time-phased program could continue and accelerate the $25 million program contained in the President's fiscal year 1969 budget. It would involve these areas: Improved analysis, planning, and operating methods; immediate system improvements; components for future systems; and the develop- ment of entirely new systems for the future.
The recommendations maintain these major objectives for using the transportation system to enhance and improve the total city system: To achieve equality of access to urban educa- tional, job, and cultural opportunities; to improve the quality of transit services; to relieve traffic congestion; to enhance cfficiency in the use of equipment and facilities; to achieve more efficient urban land use; to provide cleaner, quicter, and more attractive public transportation; to provide morc alterna- tives to urban residents in mode and style of urban living; and to permit orderly improvement of urgent transportation problems without preempting long-range solutions for the future.
Nearly 300 projects and proposals having immediate appli- cation possibilities were examined and evaluated. For example, to improve buses these possibilities were studied: Exclusive bus lanes; traffic flow control; passenger-activated traffic con- trol; computer scheduling; better design of vehicles; and a dual mode bus that could operate on ordinary streets or high-speed rights-of-way. Similarly, recommendations were examined for improving intraurban rail systems, urban auto- mobiles, and the options and opportunities for pedestrians.
Other proposals of more general application were considered to improve fare collection methods, security of passengers and operators, methods for communicating station and passenger information, and, of particular significance, management and operation of urban transit systems.
For the longer-term future, the new systems study found many promising technologies which should be further explored, such as: Automatic controls for vehicles and entire movement systems; new kinds of propulsion, energy and power transmis- sion; new guideway and suspension components; innovations2
