Who would be impacted from this change?
Any person that regularly commutes or lives in a city would benefit from a new transportation system. An underground metro system would save commuters time and would be extremely reliable, safe, and comprehensive. After extensive research, we found that when surveyed, people found the COTA bus, although inexpensive, extremely unreliable, and not always a safe option. However, people also did not prefer using services like Lyft and Uber that are safer and more reliable alternatives due to their high cost. Therefore, it is necessary to create an inexpensive system where people feel safe, and where they feel they can reliably travel. An underground metro system eliminates any car traffic and therefore creates a more reliable time schedule. Metro systems are on a set schedule with less external variables that occur in traffic, so it is less likely for them to fall behind. By having the system underground, there is the opportunity for a more consistent monitoring security system. Implementation of security cameras and the hiring of staff to monitor the system would contribute to the safety of the system.
What is the environmental impact of this project?
An underground metro system would reduce noise and air pollution in the cities where it is implemented. By using a metro instead of a gas or alternate fuel bus, there are less gas emissions released, decreasing pollution in the city. By removing traffic from the streets, there is also a decrease of idling automobiles, which would positively impact the air quality. Our plan is to implement an electrical system to provide the necessary power to the metro, so by implementing an alternate source of energy collection, it would decrease the impact of consumption by the transportation system. By using technology that converts kinetic energy from foot traffic into usable energy, the consumption rate for manufactured energy would decrease. Although not efficient enough to be the only source of power, this system will increase the sustainability of the whole system. Ultimately, a new system would be make the city more sustainable and less polluted.