NEW YORK—Imagine a city without traffic cops. Not so fast—a city without traffic cops would not necessarily be a city without traffic fines.
One day, every car in New York City could have a mandatory GPS tracking unit installed. With an electronic eye on parking and other violations, and an automatic summons-dispatching system, the officer with a summons book patrolling the street would become an anachronism—and so would his or her salary.
Peter Torrellas, chief technical adviser for Siemens, which holds contracts to update the city’s transit system, said this is one of several ideas on Siemens’s drawing board.
Not only would the GPS technology monitor compliance, it would also optimize traffic flow. Traffic lights could respond to traffic flow, drivers with more real-time information could adjust their routes to avoid congestion.
Some buses already have GPSs installed as part of a pilot project. This allows riders to check on the location of buses online before heading to the bus stop.
In the subways, smart technology could cut down energy waste by automatically shutting off lights in empty subway cars. With more data, transportation authorities could make better-informed decisions.
Millions of dollars are wasted in subway construction because workers do not know where utility lines are, said Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer at a conference he hosted Nov. 18 to discuss the course of New York City’s transportation future, looking ahead to 2030. In other cities around the world, the underground utilities are mapped out on GPSs and are thus easier to work around.
“There’s a learning curve here and we need people who understand the complexity with humility,” said Torrellas.
As technology ramps up, Torrellas says the people operating it have to recognize their limitations and work together to improve. Investors must adjust their expectations and understand bugs will pop up along the way.
Financial planning
For now, investors are wary. The bottom line holds many projects in check and some leaders in the transportation industry brainstormed ways to get the needed funds.
Bob Yaro, president of the Regional Plan Association, pointed out that a $6 fee for every passenger coming into New York City’s airports could totally revamp these transportation hubs. Former Port Authority head, Chris Ward, agreed. If people spend $3 on a coffee, they are indifferent, says Ward; If people are asked to spend $6 on a landing fee, they are outraged.
Ward says businesses should be taxed to “recapture the wealth that has made that business possible.”
MTA spends most of its money on labor. Stringer says union wages are not the problem—European cities pay the same and spend much less on projects than New York—it is just the inefficiencies. The first phase of the Second Avenue subway construction has cost $2.7 billion per mile of new tunnel. Similar projects in London, Tokyo, and Berlin, cost from less than $200 million up to $400 million.
