Infrastructure
Retrofitting the suburbs
Suburbs, like the rest of America, have long prioritized auto-centric urban planning, but plenty of research shows that the public’s appetite for cars is calming. Consequently, suburban communities are trying to keep up by restoring pedestrians and the environment to the center of their planning practices. Challenges suburbs face While infrastructure is under pressure in […]
America’s most notable road signs
With news breaking last week on Montana’s gorgeous new “Welcome to Montana” highway signs, we thought it an appropriate time to reflect on some of the U.S.’s most interesting, curious, or otherwise notable highway signs. (As for Montana, the new signs will feature landscapes of the rocky Badlands, haunting photos of dinosaur remains, and images […]
Government projections of driving rates continue tradition of wrongness
The government is fairly shoddy at predicting the habits of American drivers, according to studies recently reported by The Atlantic. And the government’s repeated over-projections of American miles driven may exert a direct impact on infrastructure and transportation policy – and budgets – for years to come. According to The Atlantic’s Emily Badger, by now, […]
![Tvilight, the next big energy efficiency innovator [Interview]](https://www.roadtrafficsigns.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/tvilight-1-150x150.jpg "Tvilight, the next big energy efficiency innovator [Interview]")
Tvilight, the next big energy efficiency innovator [Interview]
A city may spend up to 50% of its electricity costs on keeping streetlights on, even when there is no one on the road. The result? Bright streets… and an immense waste of energy and funds that would likely be better used elsewhere. Enter the Tvilight zone: a Dutch company’s sensing streetlight system, known as […]
4-mile, £220m bike path proposed for London
Out of the birthplace of “Stairway to Heaven” comes another fantastical transport idea: a bike-way that soars above the city of London. Renowned British architect Norman Foster – designer of London’s upturned-blimp-shaped Gherkin – recently released a proposal to construct new, three-story-high bicycle routes above existing rail lines throughout the city, according to the Daily Mail. The […]
Salt Lake City angles for mass transit upgrades
Salt Lake City commuters may eventually enjoy faster buses and trains, fewer transfers, and cleaner air. But “may” is the keyword — the Salt Lake City Council has asked for a Transit Master Plan to promote “a future of clean air, economic development and a lifestyle independent of cars,” according to The Salt Lake City […]
APTA: Lack of investment in public transport may kill jobs
Is adequate transportation linked to jobs? A study recently released at a U.S. Capitol Hill briefing reveals that companies in America’s “most productive” areas will soon require more public transport options — or be forced to cut jobs. That report, “The Role of Transit in Support of High Growth Business Clusters in the U.S.,” was […]
New gadget gauges sidewalk compliance
A seemingly simple three-wheeled device — Wired calls it a “magic cart” — may make America’s sidewalks safer for the disabled. Created by Peter Axelson, who has used a wheelchair since 1975, the device is programmed with federal, state and local disability regulations. A worker runs the device, formally known as Prowap, or Public Rights-of-Way […]
New theory explains urban sprawl
Most cities follow a familiar pattern – they start at the center of trade routes or near plentiful food resources, gradually accumulating population, and ending with multiple centers connected by urban sprawl. But what’s behind the evolution of a metropolis? A new mathematical model by two physicists holds the answer to how cities and their […]
FedEx CEO pushes for updates to highway infrastructure
Drivers, truckers, urban planners and politicians have long called for updates to America’s rapidly aging highway infrastructure. Now Bill Logue, president and CEO of FedEx Freight, is urging improvements in the country’s highway and air and sea travel networks, as well as decreased government regulation, according to Forbes. At the annual conference of the National […]
