[IL-Talk] CTA Electric Buses

Mon Jun 28 01:02:26 UTC 2021

I agree 100 percent!

On 6/27/21, Kelly Pierce via IL-Talk <il-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Debbie,
>
> Your note reminds me to send a copy to Maurice Peret, who leads
> pedestrian safety efforts for the Federation on the national level.
> While I presented the problem very well, I said little about the
> solution.  While not legislatively required, do Federation leaders on
> pedestrian safety believe the standards created for the Pedestrian
> Safety Enhancement Act should apply to buses or should a different
> standard apply? If the standard would be different, what specifically
> would that be and why is it different?
>
> Talk to you later.
>
> Kelly
>
>
>
> On 6/27/21, Harris Singer via IL-Talk <il-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> An audible signal should be applied to all buses, not just electric.
>> When in high traffic areas I've been startled by buses that suddenly
>> pull-up without any audible notice. Diesel buses don't make any more
>> noise at a bus stop than electric ones given the engine is a hundred
>> feet behind the door.
>>
>> On 6/27/21, Kyle Chellino via IL-Talk <il-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> In my oppinion, I feel that until they have everything figured out for
>>> the  people that are out walking on the streets wanting to feel secure
>>> and safe, they should not put anything like that electric on the road.
>>> Sounds too dangerous and what if a blind person is walking around and
>>> the driver ain't paying attention, and they hit that person, we have
>>> to think of those factors as well.
>>>
>>> On 6/27/21, Deborah Kent Stein via IL-Talk <il-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Dear Kelly,
>>>>
>>>> I totally agree that the silent nature of electric buses is a serious
>>>> concern to the blind community and, in fact, to all pedestrians. I have
>>>> discussed this with John Pare in  governmental affairs at our national
>>>> office. He confirmed that the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2010
>>>> only
>>>> covers vehicles that weigh under 10,000 pounds, so many or most buses
>>>> are
>>>> currently exempt. We will have to work on this at the national level,
>>>> perhaps getting an amendment added to the current bill. But local
>>>> pressure
>>>> can also help. If municipalities show reluctance to purchase silent
>>>> electric
>>>> vehicles, that can push the manufacturers to add a sound component. We
>>>> need
>>>> to think carefully about how best to proceed and make sure that we
>>>> present
>>>> a
>>>> united front.
>>>>
>>>> Debbie
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: IL-Talk [mailto:il-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kelly
>>>> Pierce
>>>> via IL-Talk
>>>> Sent: Saturday, June 26, 2021 11:24 PM
>>>> To: il-talk at nfbnet.org
>>>> Cc: Kelly Pierce <kellytalk at gmail.com>
>>>> Subject: [IL-Talk] CTA Electric Buses
>>>>
>>>> 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
>>>>
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>>>
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>>
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