By Greg Conley, UB Student
Perhaps this
is a dead issue, but the money proposed to be spent on a high speed rail could
be better spent elsewhere – on the highway. If I’m not mistaken, the proposed high
speed rail that could be built connecting Buffalo to Albany would be priced
around 8 billion dollars. Why not spend 8 billion dollars to build an autobahn
in New York?
If we spend
8 billion dollars on the 90 and the 87 to make a NY autobahn, it will truly
connect Buffalo to NYC for once in a long time. If the 90 and 87 were
redesigned to handle speeds way over 100 miles per hour, one could drive from
Buffalo to NYC in under 5 hours. This time is crucial because that’s the same
goal of the high-speed rail. In Germany, there is a recommended speed of about
80 mph.
Imagine
everywhere that currently says 65 on the 90 and the 87 had unrestricted speed
limit. That would be our NY autobahn. Tourists would come for the thrill.
Businesses would come for the convenience. A NY Autobahn would be a revived
Erie Canal in that it would provide fast transportation for business ground shipping and
people in this day and age.
Of course
there are plenty of worries:
More
crashes: False – The German Autobahn has less
accidents than we do. Speed makes little to no difference. If anything, the
speed makes you focus more on the road.
Drunk
driving problems: In Germany, you can
drink before you can drive and alcohol and driving is tolerated the same way
here as it is in Europe. Besides, NYS could lower the BAC limit on the 90 and
87 to .04 for a DWI. Perhaps NYS could even threaten jail time for a DWI on the
autobahn.
What
about tailgating? There is a serious fine in Germany for
tailgating. Police officers have cameras posted atop bridges that take photos
of the distance between two cars. Those who tailgate get a fine in the mail.
What
about slow people in the left lane? There’s a
rule in Germany called Rechtsfahrgebot. It means that people have to use
the right lane when it is free or else be fined by police. In addition, if a
driver in the left lane is being approached from behind by a faster-moving car,
the driver must move to the right lane immediately. If there were to be an
accident, the driver who neglected to change lanes would be the one fined for
not moving.
What
about slow trucks? Trucks can pass each other so long as
one is moving about 12 mph faster than the truck it is passing. On the
autobahn, semis can only go at about 80 kph (about 50 mph). Here their speed
restrictions wouldn’t change, or if anything, they would be raised.
What
about snow? If you’re that worried you could have an unrestricted speed limit
that could be restricted at certain times during inclement weather. You could
post electronic signs every quarter mile or so to warn drivers of the inclement
weather and reduced speed. The speed could be reduced to 65. The German
autobahn does something quite similar.
Car
emissions and mpg: Of course it means more exhaust and the mileage will of course go down. I think
the difference in my 2007 ford fusion would be about 2 to 4 mpg. However, it is
inevitable that many will be driving electric cars that can go 0 to 60 in
under 5 seconds because electric motors can have that kind of zip if made
correctly (Tesla Roadster). Cars will be improved and we, as New Yorkers, will
only be helping the car industry by being their American proving grounds for
their cars of the future and by buying vehicles that can drive well at high
speeds, thus building innovation for cleaner and faster cars.
Moral of
the story: We could
secure the funding to build a NY autobahn, a mecca for car enthusiasts,
businesses, and the everyday driver. The worries and costs aren’t nearly as bad
as what could be gained.
The following are
some interesting articles associated with the German autobahn:
http://www.popsci.com/cars/article/2008-06/american-autobahn
http://www.americanautobahn.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobahn#Traffic_laws_and_enforcement (Autobahn-related websites are
hard to come by in English).
Here is a
Buffalo Rising article about high-speed rail from March to refresh your memory if
needed.
Image: Autobahn on msnbc.com