[IL-Talk] CTA Electric Buses

[Kelly Pierce]

I had my first opportunity on Saturday to evaluate the CTA electric
buses. Was anyone else at the electric bus event at Jefferson Park? I
sent the following to CTA officials.  The Chicago Transit Board should
not approve additional funding for electric buses until the Authority
puts in place mitigation measures to prevent the higher crash rates
caused by electric vehicles compared to those with internal combustion
engines. Apparently, Federal guidelines do not require external
audible sounds from the electric buses CTA purchased, but they do not
consider higher ambient noise levels that often occur in big cities
like Chicago.  Until Saturday, no one at CTA seems to have taken the
issue of pedestrian safety and electric buses seriously, despite
reports from the federal government from 10 and 12 years ago that
clearly show that the quiet nature of electric vehicles causes more
crashes. Additionally, I asked the CTA board to request the agency’s
President, Dorval Carter, to investigate and evaluate pedestrian crash
mitigation efforts of electric vehicles and to deploy measures as part
of the pilot program known to reduce risk, such as artificial sound
emission at low speeds.

I would welcome the Federation’s support to amplify my voice and join
me in raising concerns regarding electric buses and blind pedestrian
safety.
Kelly


June 26, 2021

This communication Recapitulates information stated to CTA ADA
Compliance Officer Amy Serpe and Assistant Chief Engineer - Vehicle
Engineering - Electrification Jason House. The comments were provided
on June 26, 2021 at the Jefferson Park Transit Center in an electric
bus demonstration event organized by the Chicago Transit Authority.

Part of the demonstration included the electric bus departing from the
transit center and then returning a few minutes later to the location
near where it was before. I observed both the departure and arrival of
the bus.  The departure of the bus could barely be heard and I could
not hear the arrival of the electric bus. The presence of diesel buses
were easily detectable by sound.  The transit center is a major hub on
the northwest side of Chicago where multiple bus routes stop for
passengers so immediate comparisons with diesel buses were possible.

I shared my observations with Jason House and referenced federal
regulations regarding electric vehicles.  He looked up the regulation
and found that if a vehicle has a sound greater than 60 decibels it is
not required to make an artificially created external noise.  He took
a reading of the ambient noise at the transit center and found the
level was 80 dB. Jason House said he contacted a representative of the
bus manufacturer, Proterra, during the demonstration who told him that
another transit agency had installed technology for external sounds to
warn pedestrians of the bus’s presence. I explained both to Jason
House and Amy Serpe that many places in Chicago have ambient sound
conditions that exceed 60 dB, such as the Jefferson Park Transit
Center, bus stops near expressways and along busy thoroughfares like
Lake Shore Drive. A blind pedestrian who could not visually see the
bus would not know that a bus was close if the bus were traveling at
slow speeds because the sound of the bus could not be heard over the
ambient environmental noise level. Unlike with diesel buses, I and
other blind pedestrians are at greater risk of injury and crashes with
electric buses because their presence cannot be heard. In 2009 the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released the report
“Incidence of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Crashes by Hybrid Electric
Passenger Vehicles” with the finding that a hybrid electric vehicle
was two times more likely to be involved in a pedestrian crash than a
vehicle using an internal combustion engine in situations involving
low-speed maneuvers. A 2011 update to the original report titled
“Incidence Rates of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Crashes by Hybrid
Electric Passenger Vehicles: An Update” offered more data by adding
additional years of State crash files as well as by increasing the
number of States included in the analysis from 12 to 16. The analysis
was conducted on a total of 24,297 hybrid electric and 1,001,000
internal combustion engine Honda and Toyota selected vehicles in 16
States. A total of 186 and 5,699 hybrid and internal combustion
vehicles respectively were involved in pedestrian crashes, and a total
of 116 and 3,052 hybrid and internal combustion vehicles respectively
were involved in bicycle crashes. Overall, the odds ratios indicate
that the odds of a hybrid electric vehicle being in either a
pedestrian or bicycle crash are greater, 35 percent and 57 percent
respectively, than the odds of an internal combustion vehicle being in
a similar crash.

As is clear from the reports, the danger of electric vehicles is not
confined to blind persons. Sighted pedestrians and cyclists are in
danger as well because they walk or turn in front of electric vehicles
without knowing their close presence. Jason House said the feedback
would be brought to the electric bus project team for investigation
and evaluation.

CTA must recognize the increased likelihood of crashes with
pedestrians and cyclists from electric vehicles, such as electric
buses, and take strong measures to eliminate the higher crash rate.
The measures would include having electric buses emit sounds higher
than ambient noise when traveling at low speeds. I appreciate very
much the opportunity to evaluate the electric bus pilot program and
look forward to learning about further efforts.

Kelly Pierce