7 ingenious ideas for the future of urban transportation

transport
Columbus, Ohio is trying to get vehicles to exchange data in real time, in order to ease traffic. City of Columbus/US Department of Transportation

Companies around the world are currently revolutionizing transportation technology. Elon Musk's Hyperloop promises to cover hundreds of miles in less than an hour, and companies are pouring money into autonomous cars.

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But local governments are also playing a huge role in the future of transport.

On June 22, the city of Columbus, Ohio won the US Department of Transportation's Smart Cities Challenge, which solicited proposals about how to revolutionize cities' transportation infrastructure through tech. Columbus beat out six finalists and 78 total applicants, earning the city a $40 million federal grant and a $10 million donation from Vulcan, a company started by one of Microsoft's cofounders.

Each city's plan presented a future radically different than their current situation. Many of them sought to solve problems in underserved neighborhoods, whether by shuttling commuters to workplaces more efficiently or easing traffic and pollution along cities' busy corridors. 

Here is each finalist's vision for the future of transportation in their city.

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San Francisco, California

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US Department of Transportation

San Francisco's plan emphasizes the sharing economy — an appropriate, somewhat predictable sentiment for the city in which Airbnb, Uber, and a swath of other popular sharing services are headquartered. 

The plan would essentially solve traffic woes by introducing a citywide ride-sharing program to incentivize residents to get rid of their own cars and utilize motor vehicles more efficiently. In the program, shared vehicles would be able to use specialized carpool lanes that would make commutes faster, alleviating traffic for those who participate. Part of the plan would also let the city's residents decide how and where to pilot the program. 

The city suggests that many cars go undriven for 95% of the day, taking up space that could otherwise be used for public services, greenery, affordable housing, and more. Plus, the city's cars are 80% empty when being driven, so there's ample space for more passengers.

You can read the full proposal on the county's transit authority's site.

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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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US Department of Transportation

Pittsburgh's proposal would introduce "smart spine corridors" in six streets that lead into the city's downtown. That data-gathering platform would monitor traffic, air conditions and a variety of other transportation-related variables. The city would use the information to inform future policies and initiatives, including the timing of traffic signals, which could ease commutes from more remote neighborhoods that were left behind by the city's post-industrial decline.

The system would also install sensors in traffic lights that prioritize freight vehicles and allow them to pass through the area quickly, lowering pollution levels. Plus, it would add an "electric avenue" that would give electric autonomous cars their own lane.

You can read more on the proposal from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

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Austin, Texas

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US Department of Transportation

The City of Austin proposed a network of transportation hubs around the edges of the city that could carry drivers downtown in order to mitigate congestion there. The plan also calls for automated vehicles that could serve as shuttles (including a self-driving shuttle from Austin's airport), electrified taxis and municipal transportation vehicles, and a sensor system that could make traffic data available to drivers to help them choose their travel options wisely.

The city also proposed an app that lets commuters plan and pay for any trip all in one place, even if that commute includes various forms of transport.

You can read the full proposal on the City of Austin's site.

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Portland, Oregon

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US Department of Transportation

Portland is already known for its bike ridership, so the city proposed a program called Ubiquitous Mobility for Portland (UB Mobile PDX) to solve some of its car problems. 

The program would create an app that allows users to buy public transit tickets, book Lyft rides, and pay for bike shares and car shares. It would let residents to quickly weigh different commute routes to find the most cost- and time-effective options.

The plan would also attempt to alleviate traffic accidents by creating a new fleet of semi-automated electric buses and car-share vehicles that would drive at regulated speeds. According to the proposal, Portland would aim to be a zero-emission vehicle city by 2035.  

You can read the full proposal on the City of Portland's site.

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Kansas City, Missouri

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US Department of Transportation

Kansas City's proposal would expand the suite of services available in its community kiosks and public Wi-Fi networks downtown. The kiosks will allow users to look up city information, explore nearby events, contact city services, and even buy tickets to local institutions. 

The city would also partner with tech company Cisco to create smart street lights that would measure temperature, air quality and car movement, and could change signals on the fly based on the surrounding conditions. The city's proposal also includes an expansion of public transport in its east side, and the addition of a ShotSpotter system that would alert patrol cars to gunshots heard in the city.

You can read the rest of the Kansas City's proposal here.

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Denver, Colorado

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US Department of Transportation

Denver's proposal includes about a dozen developments, including:

- A smartphone app that would incorporate bike-share, ride-share, public transit, and taxi services — you'd only need one app if you wanted to travel anywhere.

- A cash-ready smart card to help people without a smartphone or credit card pay for these transport services.

- Wi-Fi and service kiosks to be installed around the city's heavily trafficked areas.

- Lyft drivers who would be subsidized if they venture out to neighborhoods that lack sufficient public transit options.

- Technology that would monitor travel times for trucks and keep them from congesting residential roads.

You can read more about the proposal on Denver's site.

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WINNER: Columbus, Ohio

columbus-smart-city
US Department of Transportation

Columbus's winning plan focused on making transportation easier and more accessible to the city's workers.

With its newfound funding, the city will introduce several autonomous shuttles and a "smart corridor" in which a rapid bus system will carry workers around Easton, one of Columbus' job centers. 

Columbus will also develop a number of smartphone apps — one will help truckers plan their drives through Columbus, and another will provide drivers with real-time traffic, parking, and transit options. 

Furthermore, to make transportation easier for its poorer residents, the city will create a smart card system that will allow all citizens to pay for everything from bus fares to on-demand vehicle services like Uber.

You can read the winning proposal on the city's site.

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