Confessions of a Recovering Engineer. Charles L. Marohn, Jr.

212

      226  213

      227  214

      228  215

      229  216

      230  217

      231  218

      232  219

      233  220

      234  221

      235  223

      236  224

      237  225

      238  226

      239  227

      240  228

      241  229

      242  230

      243  231

      244  232

      245  233

      246  235

      247  237

      248  239

      249 240

      250  241

      251 242

      252 243

      253 244

      254 245

      255 246

      256 247

      257 248

      258  249

       CHARLES L. MAROHN, JR

CONFESSIONS OF A RECOVERING ENGINEER

      TRANSPORTATION FOR A STRONG TOWN

Copyright © 2021 by Charles L. Marohn, Jr. All rights reserved.

      Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

      Published simultaneously in Canada.

      No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone], or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

      Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

      For general information on our other products and services or for technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at [phone], outside the United States at [phone] or fax [phone].

      Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.

       Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Names: Marohn, Charles L., Jr., author.

      Title: Confessions of a Recovering Engineer : Transportation For a Strong Town / Charles Marohn.

      Description: First edition. | Hoboken, New Jersey : Wiley, [2021] | Includes index.

      Identifiers: LCCN 2021015785 (print) | LCCN 2021015786 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119699293 (hardback) | ISBN 9781119701194 (ePDF) | ISBN 9781119699255 (ePub)

      Subjects: LCSH: Urban transportation—United States. | Cities and towns—United States—Growth. | Engineering—United States.

      Classification: LCC HE308 .M37 2021 (print) | LCC HE308 (ebook) | DDC 388.40973—dc23

      LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021015785

      LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021015786

      COVER DESIGN: PAUL MCCARTHY

      COVER ART: © GETTY IMAGES | JUNXIAN ZHU

This book is dedicated to the memory of Destiny Gonzalez and all whose lives have been cut short by America's transportation system, and to Sagrario Gonzalez, her husband, Luis, and all who have suffered great loss on our nation's roads and streets, and to Sandra Zemtsova, along with everyone who must live knowing that others did not.

      May this book reduce your pain.

Introduction: Conversation with an Engineer

       “Hello, I'm the project engineer. I heard you have a concern about the street improvement we have planned for your neighborhood.”

      I was feeling nervous about going out to speak with her, though I had no reason to believe that this would go poorly. I extended a hand as she stepped out her door and into the front yard. We had a firm but friendly handshake, and she gave me a smile.

      I was the project engineer, and this was my job. I needed to be able to speak with the public, smoothing over concerns, if I was going to advance in my chosen profession. I had been on many such visits with other, more senior engineers, watching and learning from how they handled sensitive interactions like this. Now it was my turn. I waited for her to speak next.

       “Yes, I heard that you are planning to improve my street. What will this mean for my neighborhood?”

      Perfect. I had anticipated this question, of course, and I knew exactly how to answer it. This is the reason why I was here. My confidence growing, I responded.