From afar, the city of San Ramon appears to be a quaint, suburban California city. However, the term “quaint” is not totally accurate. There are a multitude of beautiful homes, apartments, and schools being constructed, and have been for the last 2 decades, and there are plenty of lovely parks for people of all ages to enjoy as well. This is the community that I have spent all the years of my life; this is my hometown of San Ramon. East of the infamous metropolis of San Francisco, sits San Ramon - located in Contra Costa County, California. This city houses the headquarters of big companies such as Chevron and 24-Hour Fitness, and with other major companies like Workday, SAP, Safeway, and Oracle nearby. It is no wonder the city boasts an estimated
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and Bollinger Canyon Rd. However, these two to three lane roads are inadequate to meet the ever-increasing homes, commercial properties, population, and therefore, traffic. In addition, the city’s only public transportation service is county buses. To many, these buses are not the most time-efficient due to their infrequent schedule, which also does not help in freeing much of the normal vehicle congestion. This congestion is especially notable before and after school. As a student of Dougherty Valley High School, I am well aware of the challenges of getting into and out of the school. Lacking any school buses, which is symbolic of the school experience in other parts of the country, forces hundred of cars into its only two entrances. Some days it can take 20 minutes to get into the school and 25 minutes to get out of it and onto Bollinger Canyon Rd. When it is raining, it usually takes twice as long. In my opinion, such an imposition should not be added to the already many issues a high school student faces …show more content…
One of the biggest takeaways I have learned in my Principles of Engineering class is the Engineering Design Process. To simplify, when faced with a problem, an engineer will define the problem, generate possible solutions, and then test and retest its solutions until an acceptable conclusion is reached. In this case, the identified problem is congestion, and we need to find ways to relieve it. As mentioned above, it is clear that two to three lane roads are not capable of meeting a high volume of vehicular traffic. Therefore, it is beneficial to add one more lane to each side by reducing the approximate 30-foot road dividers that separate the opposing lanes up the hill on Bollinger Canyon Rd. In regards to the limited city transportation services, adding an underground subway that burrows beneath, and can possibly link to the railways of other cities, may suffice, as this system would not only free surface congestion, but its time-efficient manner may encourage San Ramon residents, and possibly outside visitors, to traverse the city. This will, in turn, generate additional revenue to fund other future transportation projects. Finally, in order to address congestion at the entrances of schools, the use of school busses will not only help clear up the road, but will reduce our carbon
and Bollinger Canyon Rd. However, these two to three lane roads are inadequate to meet the ever-increasing homes, commercial properties, population, and therefore, traffic. In addition, the city’s only public transportation service is county buses. To many, these buses are not the most time-efficient due to their infrequent schedule, which also does not help in freeing much of the normal vehicle congestion. This congestion is especially notable before and after school. As a student of Dougherty Valley High School, I am well aware of the challenges of getting into and out of the school. Lacking any school buses, which is symbolic of the school experience in other parts of the country, forces hundred of cars into its only two entrances. Some days it can take 20 minutes to get into the school and 25 minutes to get out of it and onto Bollinger Canyon Rd. When it is raining, it usually takes twice as long. In my opinion, such an imposition should not be added to the already many issues a high school student faces …show more content…
One of the biggest takeaways I have learned in my Principles of Engineering class is the Engineering Design Process. To simplify, when faced with a problem, an engineer will define the problem, generate possible solutions, and then test and retest its solutions until an acceptable conclusion is reached. In this case, the identified problem is congestion, and we need to find ways to relieve it. As mentioned above, it is clear that two to three lane roads are not capable of meeting a high volume of vehicular traffic. Therefore, it is beneficial to add one more lane to each side by reducing the approximate 30-foot road dividers that separate the opposing lanes up the hill on Bollinger Canyon Rd. In regards to the limited city transportation services, adding an underground subway that burrows beneath, and can possibly link to the railways of other cities, may suffice, as this system would not only free surface congestion, but its time-efficient manner may encourage San Ramon residents, and possibly outside visitors, to traverse the city. This will, in turn, generate additional revenue to fund other future transportation projects. Finally, in order to address congestion at the entrances of schools, the use of school busses will not only help clear up the road, but will reduce our carbon