The Upside of Utility Deregulation

There is a positive outcome from the deregulation of utilities that as fostered during the Reagan Administration. That deregulation made it possible for competing gas suppliers and traditional electricity suppliers to compete and allegedly lower the cost to consumers. There was a secondary and some say an unintended consequence to that deregulation.

At the time of the changes to laws and regulations no one had ever heard of a commercial-grade solar or wind sourced supplier being able to generate electricity and move it to market.

What the deregulation process created was the ability for a legacy utility company to continue to deliver the commodities and charge a delivery fee separate from the actual commodity. The original idea was that small and competing providers could sell their commodity to the utility and they would blend it in with their own material. Then the idea of selling directly to the consumer took over.

Today, many Americans are able to choose the electricity supplier they want to buy from. Such providers may source some or all of their electricity from the wind or solar sources. Best of all the legacy utility company will deliver for the same fee as they do their own electricity.

A quick search of the Internet using ones zipcode can determine if there is the opportunity to buy electricity from an alternative source. Billing is transparent and seamless so there is no need to get two bills from two different companies. There is no investment to pay for. There are only yearly contracts to adhere to. While the price today may be a bit higher than coal, nuclear or hydro-electric power, the far smaller carbon footprint will make any ecologically sensitive consumer satisfied.

When I chose wind power I agreed to pay 0.5 cents more per kilowatt-hour.  That was a small price to pay for knowing that I was doing something good for the environment. Now I don't fret about leaving the light on.

Every time a consumer chooses to buy electricity from a wind or solar sourced utility provider they make it possible for that company to build more capacity. New alt sources are faster and easier to bring online. Similarly, as the technologies are improved, there is no need to stay stuck with the old tech.

Every time an investor with a conscious thinks about the choice between a legacy power source and a modern alternative source, he, she, they make it possible  to have energy AND a sustainable environment.

"That which brought us through the past century will not sustain us through the next one."

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Author's Note: The book cover images in the side margins of this blog are my own publications of eBooks available at both Amazon and B&N. Please take a moment and go to the sites and read about them. Then if you like it, buy one or two.

WMATA 7000 Series Rail Cars

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) that operated the Metro Rail system in DC always has great intentions in the improvements they plan and implement. However, at the saying goes ""no good deed goes unpunished." Such is the case of the acquisition of the new 7000 series rail cars that will be put into full service on the Blue line on April 14 this year. While the quality of safety and serviceability are not part of the purview of this blog post, there are customer comfort issues that remain open for complaint and possible reconsideration of the basis of the decision to design the interiors in the manner they have.

 "Elements of the car that were influenced by customer feedback include: Interior layout, including placement of hand holds, privacy screens and seat positions." this statement (taken from the WMATA website) neglects the fact that such decision adversely impact certain passengers who are by no means unique on the train cars.

The decision to forego stanchions in the areas of the doors may improve pedestrian flow into and out of the cars, but it does create hazards by their absence. There are two Series of cars that are involved in this decision making. The new 7000 Series cars are lacking in sufficient hand holds and the remodeled 6000 Series cars have the same issues.

As a wheelchair using Metro Rail rider for the past 21 years, I have seen the issues I describe first-hand. The absence of a stanchion somewhere between 12 and 18 inches inside the doorway to pull against to enter the car is a serious hazard. The fact that in practice most MetroRail car floors do not match the platform elevation withing ADA required parameters makes the placement of auxiliary leverage points, i.e. stanchions necessary. Without them boarding is many time foiled and a second "running start" necessary to complete the boarding.

The other aspect of the lack of stanchions inside the doorways is that when the train cars reach Standing Room Only (SRO) and there is a crowd of people standing around my wheelchair they reflexively reach for my hardware to keep from falling either on me or on the floor. I may look like something to grab a hold of, but I am as loose a cannon as are they when the train lurches to a stop or pulls out fast.

A colleague of mine who is not as stable on her feet as she used to be was horrified when she entered a remodeled 6000 series car only to find herself in the midst of a wide open expanse with nothing to hold on to until she could wend her way through a few standees to request a seat as close to yet far from the door.

WMATA has a history of doing what it believes is a good thing for many riders while simultaneously impeding others. Case in point is the placement of these sign stanchions at the bottom of platform escalators. By placing those stanchions precisely as they did, they were about two inches too close to the sidewall for a wheelchair to pass to the right of the escalator and avoid the narrow platform on the left side where people like to congregate in order to board the front cars of the train. All of the focus groups and presentations cannot replace good design thinking in the first place.

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Author's Note: The book cover images in the side margins of this blog are my own publications of eBooks available at both Amazon and B&N. Please take a moment and go to the sites and read about them. Then if you like it, buy one or two.