All tagged transportation

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.

Richmond Town Planner to Take Over UVM’s Transportation Internship Course

Richmond Town Planner to Take Over UVM’s Transportation Internship Course

Anthony LaSalle
Community, environment

The University of Vermont offers students the opportunity to participate in a mentored internship through one of their several Communities of Practice. Students that enroll in these programs build not just their resume, but their practical skills that they will use in a work setting after graduation. Once a student enrolls in one of the internships, they are paired up with an organization that they are interested in working with. As the name suggests, these internships are community-oriented, and all of the programs are focused on supporting local and state-wide organizations. The topics covered by the Communities of Practice include media, transportation, planning, legislation, sustainability, and public health.

The Energy & Transportation Planning Community of Practice will be led by a new faculty mentor starting in the Fall of 2022. Ravi Venkataraman will be stepping in for the current faculty mentor, Faith Ingulsrud. I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Ravi about his new upcoming role.

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.

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.