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By Barbara Knecht

Strangling traffic notwithstanding, cars are still the preferred mode of transportation, especially in the U.S. And why not? Roadways are, for the most part, smooth and ubiquitous. Internet, telephone, and movies are available at the touch of a button from the comfort of your zone-climate-controlled seat. Even for many commuters who take public transit from the suburbs into the city, an automobile is required to deliver them to the bus or rail station. Americans, among citizens of the car-dependent nations, are particularly wedded to the convenience of driving, as evidenced by U.S. Department of Transportation statistics, which state that 89 percent of commuters drive to work alone.

Belgian architects Samyn and Partners used a combination of fiberglass and steel fabrics to create canopies for the elevated Erasme Metro station in Brussels, which opened in September 2003. Rendering: Courtesy Samyn and Partners

Everyone is aware of the downside to this convenience. Besides the rising cost of gasoline, traffic congestion is a huge drain on both productivity and energy conservation. The average urban rush-hour driver spends about 62 hours a year stuck in traffic, which translates to 5.7 billion gallons of wasted fuel and a cost to the economy of $70 billion dollars annually.

And yet, innovative technology is emerging that promises to make surface transport on roadways and railways more energy-efficient, reliable, and comfortable—from smoother rides on faster trains to sleeker buses with smart systems to keep them running on time, attractive alternatives to automotive transportation. The architecture of shelters and stations, which supports rail and road transit, is just starting to feed off the high-tech momentum that seems to be driving the current surge in advanced applications.

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