ALBUQUERQUE RAPID

TRANSIT:
ADVANTAGE OF
DISADVANTAGE?
MEKALAH PADILLA
UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO
OCTOBER 26, 2016

ALBUQUERQUE RAPID TRANSIT:

ADVANTAGE OR DISADVANTAGE:
INTRODUCTION
It is not uncommon when you are driving around New Mexico you will find
yourself surrounded by orange barrels or in bumper to bumper traffic. No
likes this at all, although all good things do take time and the same goes for
A.R.T.
A.R.T is a new transportation system that will extend Coors to Louisiana.
This new transportation system will be making a buses only lane which
will be more efficient for commuters.
Will A.R.T in fact make getting from point A to point B easier?
This new transportation system is creating many issues especially around
the Central Ave. area. Many think that is only catering to the public
transportation users. By doing this it is also taking away from the business
on Central during the construction.

ALBUQUERQUE RAPID TRANSIT:

ADVANTAGE OR DISADVANTAGE?
Methodology
To get a better understanding of whether or not the
Albuquerque Rapid Transit will in fact be beneficial or not we
will be taking a closer look at three major concepts.
STEP 1: How is the transportation system working as of right now?
STEP 2: Will A.R.T be beneficial or imped the commuters daily
routine?
STEP 3: How does this transportation system work in the surrounding
states?

ALBUQUERQUE RAPID TRANSIT:

ADVANTAGE OR DISADVANTAGE?
STEP 1: How is the transportation system working as of right now?

It is of no surprise that the majority of people have to commute to school and or work on a
daily basis. In Albuquerque there is so much traffic if you drive which it seems that many
people choose. There are many alternatives to driving that are both economically and
fiscally helpful. 86% of people commute by automobile and 3 out of 4 drive alone
(McKenzie 2). Cleary this is the option of chose because people tend to feel that they have
more control of their commute. This allows the driver not to rely on other peoples time nor
how the other drives. McKenzie also mentions that carpooling has gone down and continues
to do so every decade (McKenzie 2).

Along with driving, people also take public transportation. Approximately 5.2% of people
make us of public transportation (McKenzie 1).

ALBUQUERQUE RAPID TRANSIT:

ADVANTAGE OR DISADVANTAGE?
STEP 2: Will A.R.T be beneficial or imped the commuters daily routine?

Like many of the construction going on there are pros and cons. Many of the issues I am seeing, is that New Mexico wants to
expand and many of the roads are not built for expansion. The plans is to add more lanes, however, when we do so we are taking
up more space that could have been used to build buildings. The entire idea behind the Albuquerque Rapid Transit is to make
commuting more efficient for everyone. Westphal quotes, [Dayna Crawford] says the Rapid Ride bus routes on Central are
often at capacity, delayed by traffic and degraded the timeliness of service. This is the main concern for people as of right now.

Another major concern is that of Nob Hill. There are many who believe that by placing this transportation system here will hurt
the business along with the people who decided to drive themselves to places. The construction that is taking place alone is
creating much problems. However, the journal states, Continued development along this corridor mean(s) more traffic and
therefore less reliable buses. Providing a dedicated (bus) lane will mean much more reliable, rapid and frequent service. Dan
Majewski states that if this was constructed this will be beneficial to everyone.

There are completely to different sides to this new transportation system. Many are in agreement and many disagree with it. To
further to settle the debate, we will compare this to the surrounding states.
This would all be really great if Albuquerque was a city that had a bigger area to work with. However, the road system that we
have in place currently would be better if we modified hem instead of creating something totally new.

ALBUQUERQUE RAPID TRANSIT:

ADVANTAGE OR DISADVANTAGE?
STEP 3: How does this transportation system work in the surrounding state?

Bus Rapid Transit is constructed around the previous transportation

system. The OzeBus states, the provision of right-of-way infrastructure,
rapid and frequent operations, and excellence in marketing and customer
service As of right now the construction is what is making everyone
upset. The benefits that the Bus Rapid Transit will be bringing to
Albuquerque will be efficient land use, accessibility, and employment
(OzeBus). The surrounding states have benefited greatly from this new
transportation.

ALBUQUERQUE RAPID TRANSIT:

ADVANTAGE OR DISADVANTAGE?
Discussion of Results
After conducting some very thorough research. The
construction of A.R.T seems to be creating my problems
during the construction than it will solve.
Yes after it is created we may not know the situation or
whether it will work as efficiently as it says it will.
However, the problems it is creating now are hindering the
business of Nob Hill.

ALBUQUERQUE RAPID TRANSIT:

ADVANTAGE OR DISADVANTAGE?
CONCLUSION

After conducting research this sounds like something that will be beneficial however, there are many disadvantages.
The website OzeBus states that it will work with the transportation schedule but what it fails to take into account
the flow of the routine present. During the construction it is messing with the traffic flow in a negative way. Central
runs in a smaller area then most states. Central is a small road already and the construction is making this worse.
The main concern is the fact the traffic will be a lot worse and the commute will be dreadful. The research states
that only 5% of people actually use public transportation. This is not something I feel that should take place in a
small city as Albuquerque. Many of the states that have the Bus Rapid Transit have cities that are bigger. If the Bus
Rapid Transit was built on a road that was not around a campus it would be more beneficial. Central and the
surrounding areas are debatably the are busiest for work.

If A.R.T does go through it will be needing much the space it is going to be losing. The roads in Albuquerque are not
necessarily built for growth and if cutting the number of lanes down then it will not be a good idea in the end.

Albuquerque Rapid Transit is already creating a major fracas and I wonder if the end result will beneficial or not.

ALBUQUERQUE RAPID TRANSIT:

ADVANTAGE OR DISADVANTAGE?
WORKS CITED

"Transit For Our Future." | Albuquerque Rapid Transit. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.
Bureau, U.s. Census. Who Drives to Work? Commuting by AUtombile in the United
States: 2013 (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.

D'Val Westphal | Of the Journal. "Updated: The Pros and Cons of ABQ Bus Rapid
Transit." Albuquerque Journal. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.

By Using Existing Road Systems BRT Can Be Built in Phases and Integrated with
Existing Road Systems. "Bus Rapid Transit." The Facts about. N.p., n.d. Web. 01
Nov. 2016.