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Let's Rethink Sobriety Checkpoints

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Sobriety checkpoints were first introduced in Scandinavia in the 1930s. The United States adopted the practice in the 1980s, as Mothers Against Drunk Driving launched a widespread awareness campaign on the dangers of drunk driving. To date, sobriety checkpoints remain a controversial topic. A quick google search returns a swath of DUI lawyer webpages, advising drivers not to roll down their windows and consent to breathalyzer tests by authorities. Some argue that sobriety checkpoints violate the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures. These opponents maintain that authorities do not have the right to stop vehicles at checkpoints without probable cause. The U.S. Supreme Court held up the legality of sobriety checkpoints in a 1990 decision, but ultimately it is up to the states. If you live in Oregon, chances are you may be unfamiliar with sobriety checkpoints because they were ruled unconstitutional in 1987. Oregon is one of
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Op-Ed: The need for federal policies and legislation to introduce autonomous vehicles and electric vehicles on the road

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With advanced transportation technologies at a fast, such as autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles, and electric scooters, relevant bills and policies are essential before these new travel modes can run on roads (Kester et al., 2018; Fagnant & Kockelman, 2015). Although discussions on autonomous and electric vehicles before 2000 might be mostly based on technology development rather than the need for related laws and policies, the issue of autonomous and electric vehicles has been discussed constantly (Krogh & Thorpe, 1986; Kanayama & Hartman, 1990). This is because these new technologies seem to have many advantages in terms of solving economic, environmental and traffic problems (Tomita, 2017). In the case of autonomous vehicles, reasonable driving can reduce traffic jams and help people use the vehicles as a means of traveling rather than owning them following the current trend, the sharing economy (Fagnant & Kockelman, 2014; Fagnant & Kockelman, 2015). Fag
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Op-ed 2, London's new Ultra Low Emission Zone

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On a previous blog post that I did, I wrote about the London Congestion Charge zone. From that blog post, I wrote how the Congestion charge was made, how it was implemented, and the overall effect it had on congestion relief within the London’s most congested area. Based on this research that I did, I have grown curious about the current state of the London C-charge. After doing some London news searching, I have discovered that the C-charge is adding on a new zone requirement for Londoners. They are calling this new zone the Ultra Low Emission Zone. The addition of ULEZ will become a part of the C-charge zone in April 8th of 2019 according to the Mayor of London website(2018). What makes the ULEZ stand out from the C-charge is that it’s 24 hours, 7 days a week, all year round active zone. To me, this posses a whole new set of challenges for London drivers.             As I have said in my pervious blog post, the London C-charge was created to help solve central London’s congesti
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The "Great Car Redistribution Plan"

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In my last op-ed, I proposed ending bus service in areas where ridership is low, and expanding service in high ridership areas. To go alongside with this, cars should be priced out of the central cities where congestion is high, and alternative modes of transportation are available. While ridership is low in suburban and rural areas, there are transit dependent people who would be the losers in this situation. To better serve people who rely on slow, infrequent buses in rural and suburban areas, affordable housing in the city might be all they need or want. But for the remainder, who choose to stay outside the bounds of efficient transportation, replacing their buses with subsidized personal automobiles is a solution that I believe could increase efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas and particulate matter and be a more equitable transportation solution.    “700,000 of zero-vehicle U.S. households live out of transit’s reach, particularly in the South and the suburbs. And th
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Could more TODs encourage residents to use transit?

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Could more TODs encourage residents to use transit? Transit-oriented development is not a new concept. What is new, however, is the language and sources of funding for these kinds of developments.  But, as Professor Dill expressed in her study, TODs don’t necessarily lead to transit use by their residents (Dill, 2008). Often TOD’s are placed far from the inner city, with only a few transit options available for residents to use, with their placements most often directed toward the inner city. Most TOD residents don’t use transit for recreational travel (Dill, 2008). One can assume that this is not because they wouldn’t use transit if it were available to them, but, that they cannot use it simply because it is not available. If we want people to use transit, it must go to the places people want to go. So why not make transit go everywhere? Well, because of the cost. We already heavily subsidize transit, especially when it reaches less densely populated areas. If we want transit t
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Op-Ed: Pay to Play -- TNCs for the Public Good

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By Josh Linden For all of their popular appeal, transportation network companies – the Ubers, Lyfts, and Vias of the world – are quite expensive. Although they frequently represent a cheaper and more convenient alternative to conventional taxis, this comparison alone is insufficient to account for the full TNC impact on cities, including the indirect (and public) costs associated with changing transportation patterns. Congestion, transit, safety, and emissions are all affected by the TNC revolution, and the costs are quantifiable in many cases. It is time for public officials to consider available policy tools like taxes and regulations to raise cash for mitigating these negative externalities, and to leverage greater TNC cooperation on issues that can help all levels of government plan for a more efficient and equitable transportation system. The research on the precise level of TNC impact is still emerging – in part because private companies rarely share their data (more on that
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Land Use – Why does Los Angeles has such an awful traffic?

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Last week I was in the Los Angeles metropolitan area for Thanksgiving. The city is gorgeous with astonishing art museums like the Getty Center and fantastic beaches like Venice Beach. It has the best Mexican food this side of the Rio Bravo (Rio Grande) and the most pleasant weather of any U.S city I ever been to.  However, L.A has a serious issue. It has one of the highest levels of traffic congestion in the world (McCoy, 2017). My first day in town my friends and I drove from the LAX airport to a quaint, small town called Idyllwild about 90 miles east. It took us 6 hours to get there on the freeway! I have never seen this much congestion in my life and I was raised in the vicinity of the Mexico City metro area which has 20 million inhabitants.  While we were stuck in traffic, I did some “smartphone research” and found that, not surprisingly, around two thirds of Angelinos commute using a Single Occupant Vehicle (SOV) and another 10% carpool to work; only a little over 10% use transit
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