Tag: SEPTA

Guest Post: Artificial Intelligence and Public Transportation

Prof. Howard Weiss shares his insights with opur readers monthly.

AI is becoming an increasingly important tool in public transportation and traffic management. Traffic cameras have been used since 1956, when they were introduced in London. Modern AI-enabled cameras, however, do more than record images. They can interpret what they see and identify traffic violations and other events in real time.

Cities and transportation agencies worldwide are experimenting with this technology. In Greece, AI cameras identify drivers who fail to wear seat belts, who use cell phones, or who exceed speed limits. In Goa, India, 26 locations have installed cameras to identify similar violations. Mississippi uses AI cameras to alert officers to traffic violations. Houston is purchasing AI cameras to improve traffic flow. In the Dallas–Fort Worth area, AI cameras assist criminal investigations

AI cameras are also being used on buses. In Philadelphia, SEPTA uses AI-powered cameras to identify vehicles illegally parked and blocking buses. Broward and Miami-Dade Counties in Florida use cameras mounted on school buses to identify motorists who fail to stop when buses are loading or unloading students.

Benefits and Costs The primary benefit of AI cameras is improved public safety. Several communities have reported reductions in traffic violations after cameras were installed. AI can also reduce the number of police officers required for traffic enforcement and can speed citation processing. 

Citywide systems can require millions of dollars in capital investment, as well as expenses for software development and preventive and breakdown maintenance, as discussed in Chapter 17 of your Heizer/Render/Munson textbook. Fines may offset some costs.

Privacy is another concern. Although systems identify vehicles rather than drivers, they can collect information about where vehicles travel and when. This raises important questions about data retention, access, and appropriate use.

Implementation and Quality Control The experience of several communities demonstrates the importance of quality control. Miami-Dade and Philadelphia both used warning periods before imposing fines. Miami-Dade later suspended its program because of inaccurate citations and subsequently modified the system to improve consistency and transparency. In Greece, reports found significant discrepancies between AI-generated citations and violations ultimately determined to be valid. Some drivers were cited even though they had stopped because of an ambulance or police vehicle.

Classroom Discussion questions:

  1. What rules should governments establish regarding data collection, storage, and access?
  2. What quality-control procedures should be required before a driver is fined based on an AI-generated violation?

 

Guest Post: Operations at a Public Transit Authority

Professor Howard Weiss, recently retired from Temple U., shares his insights with us monthly.

The Southeast Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) is responsible for the buses, trains and trolleys in Philadelphia and its suburbs. There are several operations issues that can be seen in SEPTA’s decision to replace trolleys manufactured in the 1980s with new trolleys.

Capacity: SEPTA is purchasing 130 streetcars. The new trolleys will be 80 feet long as compared with the current trolleys which are 53 feet long. This will increase the seating capacity of each trolley to 44 and yield a total capacity of 120 passengers including standing. The current trolleys can carry half as many passengers. (Supp.7 of your Heizer/Render/Munson text)

Project Management: The first trolleys will be completed in 2027 and the last of the new trolleys will be completed by 2032. (Ch. 3)

Quantity Discount: Each of the 130 cars will cost roughly $5.5 million. SEPTA has the option to purchase 30 additional trolleys at roughly $5 million dollars apiece. (Ch. 12)

Suppliers: A recent blog discussed the change in focus from global suppliers to regional and national suppliers. As an example, SEPTA is using a New York company to build the new trolleys. The previous trolleys were built in Japan. (Ch. 11)

Product Design: In the current trolleys, riders must climb four steps to get in. The new ones will be more accessible by having low floors and ramp extensions. In addition, the aisles will be wider than current aisles in order to make it easier to maneuver wheelchairs, bikes and strollers. (Ch. 5)

Standardization: Chapter 1 notes that Eli Whitney popularized interchangeable parts. In the 1930s a group of executives from American streetcar companies developed a standard design for trolleys.

Service Life Cycle: In its mature stage of the life cycle in the 1980s, trolleys covered 69 miles in Philadelphia. In the current decline stage, trolleys currently cover only 40 miles. These 40 miles are still more than any other U.S. city. (Ch.2)

Service Processes: The new design of the trolleys will require SEPTA to rebuild the boarding platforms for the trolleys and make other adjustments to the infrastructure. (Ch. 7)

Facility Location: SEPTA needs a new trolley barn for the new trolleys. SEPTA is planning to repurpose a facility. It had lost out to Amazon on a bid for a former GE plant, but is hoping to acquire a different industrial property. (Ch. 8)

History: In addition to purchasing the new trolleys, SEPTA is refurbishing 18 trolleys originally built in 1947 in order to keep a link to Philadelphia history.