Cox & Litman V5 & Bruun

[Milnor H. Senior, III]

Dear Jain Alok,
    Please consider that in the air movement powered TransGlide System cycling
speeds will be 40 km in urban areas which is faster than either bus or rail
speeds.  Studies show that trip time is the major factor in determining mode
choice.  By making cycling the fastest mode of transportation in urban areas it
will attract much greater market segments.  Also, there are electric power
assisted cycles and carts with ranges of up to 35 km.  There are already such a
wide variety of cycling products on the market that almost any transportation
consumer can more inexpensively fill their transportation needs with a cycling
product than using a motor vehicle.
    Most travel trips are within reasonable cycling distance.  According to the
1990 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey in the U.S. the average length of
a travel trip is 9 miles.  Trips to work are slightly longer, while shopping
and other utilitarian trips are shorter.  Work trips account for about 20% of
all trips for private motor vehicles.  The 80% non-work trips may be more easily
converted to bicycle mode than work trips.  These short, frequent intra-urban
trips place a great strain on the transit system overall.  You should find this
quote interesting, "Automobile dominance creates a set of problems so relentless
that societies in coming decades will have no choice but to seek transportation
alternatives."  That is not a quote from some radical environmental group - it
is a quote from the Motor Vehicle Manufactures Association.  Under the category
of actions speak louder than words - in the last 30 days Ford Motor Company has
begun selling electric power assisted cycles.
    Sincerely,
    Milnor H. Senior, III
    President - Bicycle Transportation Systems, Inc.

Jain Alok wrote:

> Yeah...but where your commute takes over half an hour by bus or rail, bike
> cannot substitute. In big cities, I would consider bike's role more as
> feeder to rail transit or other public transport, with some sort of
> bike-sharing concept (to use at the destination end).
>
> Cheers
> Alok Jain
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Milnor H. Senior, III [mailto:msenior at uswest.net]
> Sent: February 22, 2000 5:43 AM
> To: sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org
> Subject: Re: Cox & Litman V5 & Bruun
>
> In response to the comments made regarding the high cost of transit products
> the
> issue is a combination of high capital costs to build these rail products
> plus
> the operating costs which will always exceed fare revenues so that constant
> operating subsidies are required.  I believe the answer lies in building
> transit
> infrastructure which can be built at an affordable cost and operated on a
> profit
> making basis by private enterprises so that no public subsidies are
> required.
> Please examine the web site www.biketrans.com to see an example of the type
> of
> transit infrastructure which can exceed the carrying capacity of highway
> lanes,
> most light rail systems and which offers higher speeds in congested urban
> areas.  The System is not only less expensive to build and operate than
> current
> transit products but the real savings will come from the improvement in
> public
> health which will result from building exercise back into normal life
> activities.  With cardiovascular disease as the number one cause of death in
> the
> US and with obesity increasing at an alarming rate it is time to consider
> making
> changes that benefit both human health and the environment while lowering
> transportation costs.  Bicycling is the most efficient form of
> transportation
> known and expanding its use within our transportation system should be used
> to
> solve urban congestion problems.
>     Sincerely,
>     Milnor H. Senior, III
>     President - Bicycle Transportation Systems, Inc.