Bus Rapid Transit: A Sustainable Approach to Mass Transit Essay

Bus Rapid Transit: A Sustainable Approach to Mass Transit Transportation accounts for about 25% of fossil fuel consumption. One way to decrease the negative environmental effects of burning fossil fuels (e.g. smog and global warming) is to improve mass transit. An efficient mass transit system speeds travel time, cuts travel costs, and makes service more reliable. Consequently, it discourages the use of private vehicles, reducing fossil fuel consumption and emissions. A type of mass transit that has proven to be environmentally and socially successful in many cities across the world is Bus Rapid Transit. BRT uses a variety of a variety of innovative system designs and technologies to achieve to the aforementioned qualities of an efficient mass transit system. The innovative system designs and technologies include: lane priority, signal priority, vehicle design, stop location, fare collection, rider appeal, and land use policy. Lane priority gives buses exclusive use of lanes to increase travel time. There are three types of priority lanes: curbside, median, and contraflow. Curbside bus lanes are usually effective during peak hours in peak directions; otherwise the lane is reserved for parking and deliveries. Since bus stops are in this lane, buses do not waste time remerging with traffic. Double curbside bus lanes allow them to pass one another, such as Madison Avenue in New York City. Median lanes are those located in the middle two lanes of traffic, usually separated from all other traffic by a raised curb. Median lanes are only appropriate for wide boulevards because space is needed to build the passenger platforms. Even though median lanes are less likely to be congested than curbside lanes, some di... ...a2.html; provides a case study of the transit system in Curitiba, Brazil. 2. http://www.solutions-site.org/default.htm; provides a case study of the transit system in Curitiba, Brazil including a history and schematic maps of the city. 3. http://www.atlanticplanners.org/whatnew/conf99/curitiba.htm; an overview of the success of the BRT system in Curitiba, Brazil, provides links for more information on the city’s BRT system. 4. http://www.fta.dot.gov/brt/index.html; an overview of the elements that comprise a BRT system, case studies of Curitiba, Miami, Orlando, and Vancouver are included. 5. http://www.lightrailnow.org/facts/fa_cur02.htm; offers criticisms of implementing a BRT system in Detroit, MI. 6. http://www.iea.org/public/studies/bus.htm#tables; offers a .PDF to a table (2.4) comparing a traditional bus transit system to a BRT one.

Invention: History of the Internet and Wheel

From the earliest record of civilization stemming twelve thousand years ago in Kyushu, Japan, mankind has strived to make the quality of life easier, better and more convenient with each generation. Great imagination combined with science, research, skill and patience are the tools used to create remarkable inventions that allow people today to take so much for granted in life. From my point of view, the three inventions that are the most important ones to mankind are the wheel, electricity, and the Internet.The most profound invention of all time is the wheel. Not only does it provide many sources of convenience in life, but it is also essential in the success of several other inventions. Without the wheel, discovering new lands would have been impossible, as explorers needed carriages to carry supplies, people, medicines, and other essential items for journeys. Agriculture would not be anywhere near what it is today without the basic wheel. Planes would not be able to take off or l and without the wheel.People would not be able to commute long distances to and from work. Police cars, fire engines, and ambulances would not be able to get to victims with speed without the wheel. In every aspect of life, the wheel is the one invention that people cannot live without. Long gone are the days where the sun determined when a functional day would start or end. It is the invention of electricity that gives people the opportunity to read books printed in mass copies from a machine at any time of the night and gives everyone freedom to come home to a warm meal.Today, it is routine to wake up to the sound of an alarm, and turn on the coffee maker. With each step taken during the day comes the need to use more electricity. From starting a car to get to one’s destination, and listening to the radio, or watching television, and using computers to write essays such as this one, electricity is the driving force that enables man to accomplish these tasks, which makes ele ctricity one of the greatest inventions of all time.With the invention of the Internet and its implementation in society, the world as we know it has changed drastically in the last fifteen years. The idea of direct communication first introduced by the telephone has far been surpassed with online communication tools such as Skype and Facetime. The convenience of ordering everything imaginable, from groceries, to books, to clothes, to vacation packages, and making dinner reservations all with the click of a button, is a convenience that is only possible because of the Internet.Today, the entire world and answers to all questions are easily accessible and so convenient that society has become as dependent on internet, as they are to electricity and the wheel. From the discussion above, we may safely draw the conclusion that the wheel, electricity and the internet are the most important inventions that shape society. For most, living without these is an impossibility. Not only do the serve as the foundation to other inventions, but they will continue to influence inventions to come.

Race and Racism Free Essay Example, 1250 words

Racism, according to Webster’s New American Dictionary, is a belief that some races are superior to others. ‘Racism’ is the most frequently occurring word in American History. Deep roots of racism appear in the very foundation of American society. Racism is a socially constructed policy in America. Members of the superior group in America have nurtured various frustrations in order to achieve political, economic and social success dominance over the inferior racial groups. Several problems related to racial discrimination have haunted the nation. Several conflicts have arisen out of the issue. It is not easy to forget what happened in the town of Rosewood (Florida) in the year 1922. It is one of the most shameful chapters in the history of America. Approximately 150 black people were assassinated by a white lynch group (from Sumner, the neighboring town) as a white lady falsely claimed that she was assaulted by a black man. Black people were suppressed to the cor e and were not given any privilege in the society. Discrimination prevailed in schools, job places, government offices and in all institutions (Theil & Finizza, 1971). We will write a custom essay sample on Race and Racism or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Black people’s children were not given admission in white people’s schools and were not allowed to share anything with them. Society became a playground of discrimination. Blacks were not given any freedom and were forbidden from entering white majority areas. Another example of racial classification is the housing segregation that prevails in US. Housing segregation still remains as a big problem in United States. Black-white segregation persists in its highest form in the nation. People with dark skin (Negro) are considered untouchables and are treated badly by their black counterparts. Blacks are found to be driven to the worse neighborhoods compared to white people of similar economic and social standing. Blacks are deprived of good residential places and live in backward areas having big crime rates. Blacks are not able to find good residential location as a result of strong social forces that bring about discrimination and favoritism in real estate and mortgage lending practices also (Charles, 1955). Segregation is found as the fundamental reason of scarcity and backwardness in black African Americans. Despite of the positive steps taken at the Civil Rights movement, reducing rate of housing segregation is found to be very slow. Ci ties are geographically divided according to these racial bounds. Segregation has resulted in the creation of a less privileged group residing in low class areas, who are deprived of good educational and employment opportunities.