Smart(?) Phones

There was an article in the local paper today that again broached the topic of our communications devices and their usage while we are driving. We have all read these articles occasionally, but every now and again one brings up facets of the topic with galvanizing statistics.  My epiphanal gasp this round centered on a State Farm statistic that indicated 41% of drivers between 18 and 29 years old read social media posts while operating their vehicle. 

41%! (Pause for dramatic effect...)

So what this tells us is that approaching 1/2 of the people of that age group are not only operating a vehicle while distracted, but operating them on public streets with their eyes not even on the road for a good portion of their tour of duty. Think of that... Let it soak in.

Now, people who make up that statistical segment, I ask you.  Who among you would cut a board on a table-saw while looking in another direction? Or maybe shave (guys) or apply makeup (girls) without using a mirror? Better yet, who reading this article would be OK undergoing an emergency appendectomy under the hand of a surgeon who is distracted with the final four series playing on a TV in the corner?

Not the same thing you say? You're right. A misguided automobile has the capability of killing multiple people at a time. The surgeon can only kill one.

I really haven't talked to one of my peers in fleet management who hasn't, at some time, dealt with the tangible repercussions (sheet-metal, flesh or finance) of one of their operators taking eyes off of the road for just a moment. These are seasoned drivers in company-vehicles on company business. These are people who themselves have at some point been impacted by the unwelcome side of chance and are more apt to take reasonable precaution to avoid it.

So the take away is this. No one can anticipate every aspect of their drive-time; how the actions of others can require you to make a split-second decision. There are variables that you can't possibly know of when you pull out of the drive in the morning. So we owe it our best effort to try to not be one of those variables ourselves.

Life is short, and it can get shorter quickly with inattention. Think of that when you slip the iPhone into your hip-pocket on the way out the door tomorrow.

© 2015 D.W. Williams 

Electric Rail Vs the Automobile

For all appearances Kansas City has been busy trying to compete for visibility with other major metropolitan areas around the US. The area has a lot to offer; very low consumer pricing, lack of overcrowding and availability/affordability of homes and land to build them on. Home to my family for over 20 years, we’ve seen a lot of proposed infrastructure projects come and go on the evening news; solid hits, near misses and abysmal failures. I tip my hat to those behind these plans, even if they failed. At least they had a vision and they pursued it.

The part of Kansas City South living that most appeals to us is the lack of crowding, room to stretch your legs and quick access to all cool things that the city offers. These factors are why we chose city dwelling rather than living in the 'burbs in the first place and all are key to the Kansas City feel. But that feel developed over decades and has come with its own problems.  Because of sprawl, this city wrestles with tepid economic growth and anything resembling silver-bullet traffic solutions.

Like so many other metropolitan areas before us, residents here had come to view urban dwelling as taboo. Fueled by financial upward mobility and racial tensions (yes Martha, the “R” word), post WWII Kansas City had chosen to switch rather than fight, and started stretching city boundaries far and wide. Modern starter families periodically make a stab at urban dwelling, but due to a troubled public school system once those starter families have kids of school age they sound the dive alarm and run deep/run silent. When they surface again it is often in the calmer waters of Johnson County Kansas or Cass, Platte or Clay counties in Missouri. 

As a result the Kansas City of today is a staunch commuter community. The community's workforce and employer base are so geographically spread that there really hasn't been a practical way to displace personal transportation with mass transit systems. In fact Kansas City, once the proud owner of a well-developed electric streetcar system, abandoned them in the 1950's. Ridership was down, so they went to buses to facilitate adaptive routing.

Modern light rail had been knocked around here for about the last 15 years, off and on. But most commuter families are 2-income households, and by definition this limits their available free time. Shopping and other errands have to be fit into their schedule when they can, and often the only time people have available is during the commute home at night. Try negotiating a light-rail system with 6 bags of groceries, your prescriptions from CVS and a stop at the post office to send Aunty May her birthday present. Simply put, it ain't happenin'.

But the latest light rail proposal did gain support at the voting booths and construction is happening as I type. The local politicians are considering this a "starter line", running from our lower midtown area thru downtown and into the riverfront City Market. Not incidental to the continuing saga is the ongoing refurbishment of the downtown loop. Everywhere you look old warehouses are growing 700 sq/ft living spaces, apartment buildings are being built, entertainment venues are springing up and even grocery stores are being put in.

Following national trend most downtown dwellers are younger, single and as a result don't have many household logistical issues. In this environment light rail makes wonderful sense. If you only had 2-3 minutes of walking to a rail stop and need to go out for simple sundries, to get to the gym or have an occasional meal out, why would you break out the car?  In effect we have pulled 1910 out of the archives, blown the dust off of it and put it back into the playbook.

While current future plans are to stretch the lines further towards the 'burbs, just maybe this limited deployment was best for this time... it serves a need. Having driven through the construction area a few times though, it occurs to me that the rail vs automobile concept may well be a preamble to some of the interesting collisions we are apt to read about in days to come.

© 2015 D.W. Williams