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| Bullet train arriving in Xi'an |
"Transportation is the Chess Board Upon Which the Economy is Played"
Jack Lettiere, Former Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation
Yes, a New Jersey Commissioner of Transportation said this many years ago and I will never forget it, because without top class transportation infrastructure, goods and people cannot move, and the economy suffers. Unfortunately, the United States chooses not to invest in transportation infrastructure: roads, bridges, rail, mass transit, etc.... If there is one "take-away" from our time in China, it is that China understands the importance of good transportation infrastructure and their economy clearly shows the result of this investment choice.
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| Bullet train engine |
We rode several high-speed bullet trains throughout China, operating out of large, clean, and efficient rail stations, well-connected to the local metro systems. We experienced riding a Maglev train at 430 km/hr from Shanghai out to the airport in seven minutes (normally an hour drive).
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| Ready to board Maglev |
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| Maglev station |
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| 430 km/hr! |
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| People Mover under river |
We rode a people mover under the river in Shanghai, and modern metro systems in Beijing and Shanghai. All the metro systems had clear instructions (in English!), as well as easy-to-understand metro rail maps. Within the metro cars, the system map was posted with LED lights indicating not only the next stop, but which side of the car the doors would open. All metro stations had barriers between the platform and the track, opening only when the train came to a complete stop for passenger embarkation/disembarkation. No one could fall or be pushed onto the tracks!
As I noted in a previous blog (see Exploring China - Cosmopolitan Shanghai), I had read about and set out to visit the Shanghai Urban Planning Museum. Imagine, a museum dedicated entirely to Urban Planning..........
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| Facade of Urban Planning Museum |
What we found was a sleek, modern, six-floor museum that displayed the history and thoughts that went into the planning of modern Shanghai. All of these concepts and project implementations were exactly why I became an Urban Planner, but unfortunately never had the opportunity to experience. China is light years beyond the United States in planning (and implementation). Shame on us. They understand the importance of infrastructure and planning- on the economy, health, and well-being of the population and the country. Shanghai developed their Comprehensive Master Plan and is actually implementing all aspects; from large-scale infrastructure projects through small community parks and schools. The museum housed a scale-model of the City of Shanghai, included in the Master Plan, which takes an entire floor of the museum.
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| an electric bus receiving a quick charge.. |
On a larger scale, China, over the past 20 years has planned and constructed thousands of kilometers of high-speed railways (passing through long tunnels in mountainous regions), ultra-modern, clean and efficient railway and airport terminals, subway systems, bike lanes, electric buses, people movers, Maglev lines..... This was all while we have been struggling (going on 20 years now) with a new rail tunnel to Manhattan from New Jersey, and widening the 1.8 mile bottleneck on New Jersey Route 17 in Bergen County!!!!!!
A few exhibits from the museum:
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| the ceiling of the transportation floor-the Shanghai Metro System |
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| designing a road signage system |
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During the course of developing their Master Plan, they surveyed the citizenry on a number of topics, which were on display.
It was four hours I will never forget. Even Nathan was impressed!
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