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New rail lines, buses, and vans could make the trek easier.
In some places getting to and from the airport is a bitter reminder of just how earthbound we really are. If you drive or take a taxi or van, you're likely to get stuck in traffic. And if you have the option of going to one of the few airports with rail access, you, and your baggage, face an interminable walk to the ticket counter.
Until recently, the focus of airport planning has been getting passengers through the terminal and off the ground. Both the commercial airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration, which pay for many airport improvements, have viewed access as someone else's responsibility. "The FAA spends almost nothing on ground access," notes Geoffrey Gosling, program manager of air transportation research at the University of California at Berkeley.
Now, though, some U.S. airports are focusing on ground transportation, partly to relieve traffic congestion and partly because federal laws such as the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 and the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 have made the issue a regional planning concern. Airports are also using a new tool-a passenger facility charge of up to $3 per departure ticket, authorized by Congress in 1990-for a range of improvements, including ground connections.
Florida feels pressure Orlando International Airport is racing the clock to meet future needs. In 1995, over 22 million travelers passed through the airport's gates, and over 37 million a year are expected within a decade, according to the airport's 1995 master plan. Because the airport is primarily a destination rather than a hub, arriving and departing passengers tie up surrounding roads, especially the four-lane state road 436, which connects the East-West Expressway to downtown Orlando. The airport has had to provide satellite parking three miles northwest of the main terminal at the Orlando Tradeport in order to accommodate the rush during the winter holidays.
Fortunately, there's room to expand at the 15,000-acre airport, and, according to F. Lee Tillotson, senior director of planning and development, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority is now preparing to build a second terminal, which eventually will have a passenger rail connection.
Three planning options for the new terminal were identified earlier this year...