Theodore M. Matson award: Challenges for the coming century

Institute of Transportation Engineers. ITE Journal, Oct 1997 by Levinson, Herbert S

IT IS WITH DEEP GRATITUDE that I accept the Theodore M. Matson Award. It is indeed an honor. Thank you. Thank you all, who over the years have helped make this possible. Special thanks are due to Max Halsey whose Traffic Accidents and Congestion provided the inspiration for a would be traffic engineer; Marshall Davies (then of the Chicago Park District) for teaching a young neophyte how to be both creative and practical; Wilbur Smith for showing me how to get to the heart of problems; and Arthur Row and Harold Mayer for helping me understand the relationships among people, places and cities. And, my wife, Sally, for her counsel, insights and patience. TED MATSON-A PIONEER

On this occasion, it is especially fitting to thank Ted Matson. I had the privilege of learning from him, first as a student in a Northwestern University Traffic Institute short course and, later, at the Yale Bureau of Highway Traffic. Ted counseled me to augment my engineering education with courses in statistics and public administration.l And he counseled many others over the years as well.

We should especially thank Ted for his insights and leadership. He was a pioneer practitioner, researcher and teacher. His many contributions to traffic engineering remain relevant today. His area-wide traffic analysis methods continue to have practical application. His principles of traffic signal timing are still valid. His focus on the interactions among the road user, the vehicle and the roadway underlies contemporary design and operations.

Ted believed that safe, convenient and efftcient highway transportation was an economic and social necessity; that congestion was wasteful; that traffic control was largely a governmental responsibility; and that sound public administration was essential.

Ted perceived traffic engineering as "...that phase of engineering which deals with the planning and geometric design of streets, highways and abutting lands, and with traffic operation therein, as their use is related to the safe, convenient and economic transportation of persons and goods."l He believed that " ... the balanced adjustment between vehicles and roads, whether through regulation or design, demands engineering skill of a high order. Traffic is not a problem of engineering creation that can entirely be turned over to the school teacher, the policeman, the judge and the legislature. The intelligent handling of traffic problems also places a full measure of responsibility on the engineer." 1

Ted clearly articulated the need to improve downtown parking in his 1951 article on parking policy: "...The utter failure for business districts to provide adequate parking space clearly destroys the accessibility of such districts as places to do business.... Nearly everyone now agrees that we will never solve our parking problems at the curb. Conveniently located off-street parking space is an essential adjunct to commercial and industrial enterprise in this automobile age. "2

CONTEXT

We are now in the twilight years of the 20th century It seems timely, therefore, to share with you some challenges for the 21St century. My observations describe changes that have taken place in the past century, and some of the lessons that we have learned. They identify the trends, opportunities and uncertainties that lie ahead, and they present some key challenges that will face us in the coming century.

THE 20TH CENTURY

The 20th century has been one of profound and unprecedented change. The past 100 years reveals a rich history of scientific discovery, technological advancement and social change. During this century, we transitioned from an agrarian to an urban nation and from a national to a global economy. The century started as an industrial age and it ended as an information age.

There were dramatic changes in all aspects of society-in technology, transport, governance and values. An era of immigration produced a multicultural nation. There were two major world wars, the Great Depression, the New Deal and the Great Society; and supply-side economics and deregulation.

Changes in public policy brought about women's suffrage, equal opportunity, the 40-hour work week, social security and Medicare. Continued advances in technology improved our transportation and communications systems and introduced space travel. The electric railway, automobile and airplane; radio, television, refrigeration and air conditioning; and computer, internet and e-mail became commonplace. The time to span the nation dropped from about three days to six hours.

These changes have strongly influenced our lifestyles, travel preferences and patterns, the forms of our communities and the quality of our environment. Early years of the century saw the growth of cities and the rise of public transport. The later years saw the growth of suburbs, superhighways and motor vehicle use. Since World War II, we became an increasingly mobile society with most growth taking place in suburban areas. Decentralization of population and jobs were accompanied by a progressive decline of our central cities that now experience serious social and economic problems. We shifted from public to private conveyance as car ownership increased and population densities reduced.3