Infrastructure
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]](http://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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
New Indiana I-67 interstate: a boondoggle?
Business owners in Indiana and Kentucky are campaigning to build a new interstate, tentatively called the I-67, which would connect with the work-in-progress I-69 near Washington, IN, run south through Jasper and Owensboro, and later link with another highway in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The high price tag of highway projects and the low usage of […]
Think tank calls on congress to allow interstate tolls
As anyone who has had the pleasure of driving on an American highway knows far too well, our country’s roads are in dire need of repair. Lack of funding and incredibly outdated infrastructure make for an often deadly combination, jeopardizing drivers’ and passengers’ safety on the road. While Washington recognizes the dangers – in fact, […]
Pennsylvania bridges get weight restrictions
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has applied weight restrictions on about 1,000 structurally deficient bridges throughout the state. It took this step after the state legislature failed to provide it funding for repairs. With a total of 4,479 structurally deficient bridges, Pennsylvania has the highest number of such bridges in the country. On average, bridges […]
Charles Marohn on traffic safety
We don’t often just quote at length verbatim around here – OK, we do, but we don’t like to. Anyway, I just ran into this insightful section on traffic safety from Charles Marohn’s blog on Strong Towns with which to send you along grimacing to your weekend: — An engineer designing a street or road […]