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Senior thesis: Solving traffic snarls
Steven Schultz Princeton NJ -- Meghan Fehlig looked for a senior thesis project that would combine three interests: engineering, the environment and community service. She found what she wanted in the snarled traffic of Route 1.
Her interest in Route 1 began last summer when, working with the University's Community-Based Learning Initiative, she interned with the Stonybrook Millstone Watershed Association, a local environmental advocacy group. She was asked to research the history of the road "so we could get a picture of how we got to where we are today." Going back to its origins as a toll road, the Trenton-New Brunswick Turnpike, in the 1800s, she found that the road was a source of aggravation to travelers as early as the War of 1812. "People would bypass the road even if it took them two days," she said. Working with Alain Kornhauser, a professor of operations research and financial engineering who studies transportation systems, Fehlig decided to look for solutions that could break this persistent pattern. The standard approach is to widen the road, she said, noting that research has shown that this "supply-side" tactic often exacerbates the problem by encouraging more drivers. Fehlig decided to look at the demand side: How to motivate people to cut back on their road use. She studied a recently proposed idea by which motorists can enter an express lane for a toll that changes according to the traffic volume at the moment. If the road begins to clog, tolls rise until traffic abates. The idea, called dynamic variable tolling, is being tested on one road in California, Fehlig said. Using data about the current volume of Route 1 traffic, Fehlig worked out a pricing scheme that would guarantee a free flow at all times. But the solution was not satisfying because it might discriminate against people with lower incomes. So, borrowing from an innovative concept in environmental regulation, Fehlig proposed a novel idea: issuing motorists permits that allow a certain amount of road time each week, then allowing people to buy and sell their permits on the open market. The idea mimics the successful use of tradable permits in controlling air pollution from commercial power plants. Fehlig again considered how many permits would be needed to guarantee a free-flowing express lane for a congested road. "So all you're trading for is the right to drive in the express lane," she said. People who do not need their permits could actually make money. "She has begun to address this issue of social equity," said Kornhauser. "I think that's an enormous accomplishment." "If you were an unemployed person, you would have just as much right to drive on the road as an employed person," he said. "I think that is what is really nice about her thesis, what makes it really stand out." Kornhauser emphasized that there are many logistical issues that would need to be worked out, such as whether permits would go just to people in New Jersey or to a broader number of drivers. But, he said, she has shown that the idea warrants further consideration. "I think she will be able to get some of this published," he said. "And I think she can start a national, even an international discussion." For her part, Fehlig is happy to have tackled a real-world problem that was a constant part of her life growing up in suburban Atlanta. "The situation in Atlanta is proof that you can't just keep building roads," she said. After graduation, Fehlig will begin work at Parsons Brinckerhoff, an international transportation engineering and consulting firm. Her thesis, she said, gave her a lot of confidence in making her choice. "It's great to be going off into the real world with a sense that I have a strong theoretical background in these issues." |
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