The Dilemma of Stuff- Freight hauling overload
Recently I have heard presentations from people who work in the trucking and freight hauling industry. They have invariably made the points that more and more goods are in demand in our culture and hauling them to our dinner tables or front doors creates increasing problems. Just about any driver who's been on the road for the last two decades can attest to the fact that more and more trucks are competing for highway space. So much so that trucks are increasingly seen as a threat. At the same time, population increases, limited construction of new roadway, and growing consumer consumption mean the transportation system is being squeezed. Rail is not a viable alternative to trucking as things stand today for several reasons. Rail service is increasingly limited to main, profitable lines which means that smaller communities require trucks. Track conditions and the priorities of the private railways are also limiting factors. Air transport is expensive and, like rail, can't reach many destinations. Barging is an alternative for some goods in some areas, but also has limited reach. The conclusion, if we continue to require goods to be delivered, is that trucking is not going away.
All this was in my mind last weekend as Mar and I came back from a visit to BC. Driving south through the Seattle area at rush hour, we were helped along mightily by the presence of HOV lanes, allowing mass transit and multi-occupant vehicles to bypass the crowded main lanes. HOV lanes are often easier to weave into choke points in existing right-of-way without the problems of expensive new property acquisition. It occurred to me that perhaps part of the truck-car competition might be solved in some areas by creating "truck only" lanes which would get trucks out of the commuter flow of traffic, reduce the sense of anxiety among car drivers, and allow the freight carriers to move more freely past chokepoints so that their delivery times could improve. Calculating whether this would actually be of benefit in a given transportation grid would be complicated. And it may be that such systems exist in other parts of the country. I know that the freight hauling challenge is presenting serious headaches for planners, businesses, and policymakers. Maybe Truck Only lanes could be part of the solution.
All this was in my mind last weekend as Mar and I came back from a visit to BC. Driving south through the Seattle area at rush hour, we were helped along mightily by the presence of HOV lanes, allowing mass transit and multi-occupant vehicles to bypass the crowded main lanes. HOV lanes are often easier to weave into choke points in existing right-of-way without the problems of expensive new property acquisition. It occurred to me that perhaps part of the truck-car competition might be solved in some areas by creating "truck only" lanes which would get trucks out of the commuter flow of traffic, reduce the sense of anxiety among car drivers, and allow the freight carriers to move more freely past chokepoints so that their delivery times could improve. Calculating whether this would actually be of benefit in a given transportation grid would be complicated. And it may be that such systems exist in other parts of the country. I know that the freight hauling challenge is presenting serious headaches for planners, businesses, and policymakers. Maybe Truck Only lanes could be part of the solution.
Comments