THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM

SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF CANADIANS LIVE IN AN URBAN SYSTEM, THE ELEMENTS OF WHICH ARE (1) PEOPLE, (2) PHYSICAL FEATURES, (3) FUNCTIONS. THESE ELEMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO FORCES WHICH DERIVE FROM THE GOALS OF MANY INDIVUDUALS OR GROUPS. AN EQUILIBRIUM IS MAINTAINED BETWEEN THESE CONFLICTING FORCES. A TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM EXISTS PRIMARILY TO MOVE PERSONS AND OBJECTS: TO MINIMIZE TIME AND COST AND TO MAXIMIA MOBILITY AND FREEDOM OF THE INDIVIDUAL THUS MOVING THE EQUILIBRIUM POINT TO A MORE BEARABLE POSITION. A SYSTEM MUST BE FOUND WHICH COMBINES HIGH SPEED AND HIGH CAPACITY. UNFORTUNATELY MONEY IS TIGHT, AND THERE ARE MANY HUMAN CONSIDERATIONS (E.G. ACCELERATION, COMFORT AND NOISE LEVELS) WHICH MUST BE EFFICIENTLY DEALT WITH. THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUCH A SYSTEM WILL TAKE MUCH TIME AND EXPERIMENTATION. HIGH SPEED SYSTEMS WILL EVENTUALLY COME, BUT MUST BE COUPLED WITH INCREASED CAPACITY. THIS SYSTEM WILL BE EVOLUTIONARY AND MUST BE FLEXIBLE. IT MUST HAVE INDIVIDUAL CONTROL AS TO THE TIME OF TRAVEL, COMFORT CONVENIENCE AND BE EASY TO USE. /CGRA/