Transit Savings, Metro and Noisy Hybrids

Once again the American Public Transportation Association has come up with calculations on the amount of money we can save by using public transit. They state that Americans can save on average $9,137 annually based on the current national average gas price and the national unreserved monthly parking rate. That's an average of $761 per month.

Looking at the list, the Washington region doesn't show up until number 16 with an average monthly savings of $743 and an annual savings of $8,912.

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 I would be remiss to not make some mention of the trials and tribulations of Metro following the horrific crash last month. It seems to me that a number of the skeletons in Metro's repair and maintenance closet are coming out. Too many problems have been ignored, even when they were found by investigators and panels. It seems that Metro has had to make some tough decisions because of the budget shortfalls it has faced over the past many years.

Even still, repair and maintenance issues ignored that have or could have put passengers at risk seem inexcusable. Of course these issues were not made public by Metro officials who rightly would have worried about the impact on ridership if the word got out that the system was less than safe. Instead, the public talk was about things like the reduction of bus routes and the general discussion of service cuts in order to make up budget shortfalls.

I would have thought that some of these problems with repairs and maintenance would have been a larger part of discussions with those on Capitol Hill or at the local jurisdictions when asking for larger contributions. After all, how could anyone who had constituents or staff who used Metro refuse the money needed to make the system safer? I truly wonder if any of the testimony from Metro officials to Congress detailed the many problems the system was facing and why that had not become more of an issue in media reports.

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There is an interesting piece in the New York Times about the Toyota Prius and its lack of noise. For many, the lack of noise made by the hybrid vehicle when it is operating at slow speeds on battery power is a good thing in that it cuts down on city noise that many believe is a hazard to health.

On the other hand, the lack of noise made by the Prius can itself be a hazard. The sight-impaired, pedestrians and bicyclists all rely on hearing a vehicle as part of their information base while getting around.

Some entrepreneurs and even car makers are looking into adding "noise makers" to these hybrids so that they can alert those on the streets to their presence. Of course, that doesn't sit well with those who fight against the noise that has been a large part of city life. It would not be very cool if hybrids ended up sounding like the ice cream truck every time they had to operate on battery power.

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The following comes to us from Allen Muchnick, a Cycling Instructor from the League of American Bicyclists: Two Northern Virginia adult education programs are separately sponsoring four cycling skills and bicycle maintenance classes. All classes meet on weekday evenings from 6:30-9:30 PM.

The four courses are:

• Smart Cycling Traffic Skills 101, the essential, comprehensive, and very practical 9-hour cycling skills course for *all* bicyclists;
• Smart Cycling Traffic Skills 201, 9 hours of advanced cycling and bike maintenance skills for TS 101 graduates;
• Bicycle Maintenance & Repair, a 3-hour lecture and demonstration; and
• Bicycle Mechanics Workshop, a 3-hour hands-on sequel to any course listed above. 

TO REGISTER, enroll with the local course sponsor IN ADVANCE:

• Arlington Adult Education 703-228-7200.  View all bicycle classes.
• Fairfax County Adult & Community Education 703-658-1201 or 703-658-1225. Search "bicycle" and "cycling" to find all classes, or go here.

For questions about the instruction, contact the instructor, Allen Muchnick, at 703-271-0895.

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Steve Eldridge is a long-time reporter, observer and commentator on the Washington region's transportation issues. You can contact him directly by writing to: Steve@SprawlandCrawl.com. Unless otherwise requested, letters or portions of letters can be used within future columns. Letter writers will be identified by their first name and city/neighborhood.

Comments

[Joe Chapline]

Actually, Steve Offutt's comment reminds me that there are more and more bicycles on the road, and those are also quiet. For cyclists, it's a common hazard to have pedestrians step in front of you without looking. I assume they're depending on their hearing to warn them if a car is coming. I've also had other cyclists blow past me when I'm stopped at a red light, and I never knew they were coming. If I decided to turn right, or even point at something at the wrong moment, there would be a collision. So the issue of quiet vehicles goes beyond hybrids.

[Joe Chapline]

I'm with Steve O. on this, but perhaps Toyota could partner with Ford so the cars would rattle more. I kid, I kid.

[Steve Offutt]

I own a hybrid, and I think it is ridiculous to suggest making it noisier. Moving cars still make tire noise, which is generally discernable--except that all the other cars are so noisy. How about laws making regular cars quieter?

I'm a cyclist, and, yes, hearing cars helps me keep track of what's going on around me. However, I would welcome the reduced pollution and noise if all the cars around me were running on electric. I'll just check my mirror more often.

Once the majority of cars are plug-in or gas/electric hybrids, it will be the norm for them to be quiet. I cannot imagine a world in which virtually every car has an added noisemaker. Silly!