All in infrastructure

Intern Profile: Victoria Peguri

Intern Profile: Victoria Peguri

Hanna Hartman
Community, planning & design, infrastructure

This semester, Victoria Peguri worked as an intern for the Burlington Walk Bike Council. The Walk Bike Council is a citizen group dedicated to improving Burlington infrastructure for walking and biking. They are collaborating with Local Motion, a non-profit advocacy group, to evaluate Burlington’s progress on the official city plan for walk/bike projects. She has been interpreting data from progress over the last five years to create a Five-Year Progress Report. This work “entails going through a lot of data, putting it into graphs, and trying to understand what it means,” said Victoria in our conversation on Saturday morning. This data includes comparing the number of mileage of bike lanes that have been built in Burlington to the number that the Council hoped to achieve in the last five years. They also have investigated sidewalk mileage, but there were not many built.

Driving Green: the Real Cost of Electric Vehicles

Driving Green: the Real Cost of Electric Vehicles

Victoria Peguri
planning & design, infrastructure, technology

Imagine: you are a hip, wealthy citizen of the US in the year 1900, and you flaunt your fiscal superiority by cruising in a motorized vehicle rather than slum it in a horse-drawn carriage, or worse, by walking. You have a few options: gas, steam, or electric powered. Gas-powered vehicles are loud, difficult to drive, and stink up the air. Steam vehicles are an attractive idea, but the hour-long start up times and limited range make them unappealing. Electric cars are smoother, quieter, and easy to handle.

You go for the electric car, and you're the talk of the town. However, problems arise: there aren’t enough reliable electricity sources — it is 1900 after all — and the batteries are unpredictable. Meanwhile, gas-run vehicles are becoming more operator-friendly, and Texas discovers the joys and wealth of crude oil. Car and gas prices drop, and now, gas-run vehicles are more affordable and appealing. Electric vehicles are left in the dust.

Greenride Bikeshare Gets Everything Right, Except Bikes

Greenride Bikeshare Gets Everything Right, Except Bikes

Anthony LaSalle
infrastructure, Community, technology

When I first heard the University of Vermont was getting electric bikes on its campus at the end of the 2021 school year, I was fired up. I had never ridden one before but what part of the term “electric bike” doesn’t sound cool? It combines two very exciting words into one phrase, kind of like “free food” or “cookie cake”. The bikes would be coming to UVM and the Burlington area through the Greenride Bikeshare program. As a student without a car on campus, this news was exhilarating. Even though I had a bike, the thought of being able to finally ride back up the hill from downtown Burlington to UVM without using every ounce of energy I had was an incredible prospect.

Car Convenience over Pedestrian Safety: VTrans Values Traffic Speed over Safety of School Children

Car Convenience over Pedestrian Safety: VTrans Values Traffic Speed over Safety of School Children

Cate Phypers
infrastructure, Community, planning & design

The difference between 25 and 30 miles per hour to a driver is nothing. To a biker, this could be the difference between life and death, according to AAA. However, this doesn’t seem to be a concern to the Vermont Agency of Transportation.

A recent speed limit update has been added to the entirety of Route 116 (Hinesburg Road), reducing the posted speed limit from 35 to 30 miles per hour after years of studies and requests from the city of South Burlington, according to the city’s website. While this is a win, South Burlington’s goal was a reduction down to 25 miles per hour. This may not seem like a large difference, but according to a 2011 study by AAA, the risk of severe injury by impact for a pedestrian is 25% below 25 miles per hour and doubles to 50% at just 31 miles per hour.

How to Become a Bus Riding Champion

How to Become a Bus Riding Champion

Sian Hernit
technology, planning & design, infrastructure

Every day, Green Mountain Transit riders around Vermont use the Transit app to help them plan their next bus ride. When they select their route and hit ‘GO,’ they are provided with a map of their route and all the essential information they’ll need to have a successful bus riding experience. At the top of this screen, a small green oval displaying a smiley face next to a bar graph or number can be found. When clicked, users are greeted with a pop-up that may be puzzling.

Discovering Sustainable Transportation Abroad

Discovering Sustainable Transportation Abroad

Skye Douglas-Hughes
infrastructure, transit

As an American, living in cities that prioritize cars over pedestrians and cyclists is a normal occurrence. During the early spring of 2020, I was studying abroad in Freiburg, Germany, which was one of the first parts of the country designed to promote walking, biking, and transit systems. It didn’t take me long to notice the major transportation differences between there and America.

I never once used an automobile during my time abroad. There was a direct train to Freiburg that took me to the city center. From the station, I was able to jump on a tram which then brought me to my apartment about 15 minutes outside of the city. This experience made me realize how advanced and convenient a transportation system could be.

New Amtrak Train to Bring Easy NYC Travel to Queen City Residents

New Amtrak Train to Bring Easy NYC Travel to Queen City Residents

Hanna Hartman
infrastructure, transit

This summer, Burlington is set to have a convenient new way to get to New York City. The Ethan Allen Express railway will extend from Rutland, its current northernmost destination, through Middlebury and Vergennes, onto Burlington.

The train is on schedule to roll into Burlington’s Union Station in July 2022. A date can’t be set yet due to unpredictable weather patterns and spring thawing. “We can’t control Mother Nature,” said Dan Delabruere, Bureau Director of Rail and Aviation at the Vermont Agency of Transportation.

It takes 5 ½ hours to get from Rutland to New York City. The train ride from Burlington to New York is likely to take 8 hours, according to Delabruere.

Completing the Puzzle: The Future of South Burlington’s Walk/Bike Paths

Completing the Puzzle: The Future of South Burlington’s Walk/Bike Paths

Cate Phypers
planning & design, infrastructure, Community

Connectedness. That is the theme for the next several years in terms of South Burlington’s bike and pedestrian infrastructure.

As it is, South Burlington’s bike paths stretch and wind for a whopping 24 miles throughout the city. These paths, which began construction in 1990, link neighborhoods, parks, and schools all around South Burlington. Much of this is thanks to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee (BPC) whose mission is to oversee and maintain the recreational paths in the city. However, there are missing pieces that need filling. I sat down with two of the committee members to discuss the future of South Burlington’s pedestrian-centered infrastructure.

Developers push back on proposed Taft Corners zoning rules

Developers push back on proposed Taft Corners zoning rules

Karson Petty
Community, infrastructure, planning & design

Proposed rule changes that aim to make Taft Corners more walkable and people-friendly were met with pushback by local developers at a Williston Planning Commission meeting held on Feb. 1.

The new rules, known as form-based code, do away with the notion of residential and commercial districts. The rules would put more priority on the town’s goal of creating more pedestrian-focused developments that are pleasing to the eye.