Infrastructure
The new Bay Bridge is finally here. But is it safe?
The much maligned and brand-new eastern span of the Bay Bridge is set to open after Labor Day weekend. Even with a number of dangerous flaws discovered in its construction, the new Bay Bridge promises to be much safer than the old one once it opens. With this opening just two weeks away, Bay Area residents […]
Traffic accidents eating into developing world’s growth
Traffic accidents kill well over a million people each year throughout the world, with higher rates in poorer countries. That number, while already quite high, is expected to triple to about 3.6 million per year, according to a SmartPlanet, a tech and business blog. A study conducted by the Pulitzer Center suggests that developing countries […]
Wider roads no answer to Orlando’s traffic congestion
Everyone gets stuck in traffic congestion every now and then, but the reasons for jams vary. As you might imagine, Orlando’s traffic congestion is aggravated by tourists. While the past two decades saw roads being widened and new ones added, over 1,000 road stretches in the city won’t see further widening. Reasons behind this decision […]
Commuting: just how wasteful is it really?
Does that old axiom, “It’s the journey, not the destination, that matters” apply to the topic of commuting? For many, posits Crikey, an Australian alternative news site, the tired cliche still rings true. Despite the bad rap commuting gets – common complaints that spring to mind are gridlocked traffic; road rage-suffering drivers; overstuffed subways… and […]
A “cut and cap” solution to Austin I-35 highway may better connect Texas
You’ve no doubt already read — on this blog and likely elsewhere — about the decaying, often disastrous state that our country’s highways are currently in, from Oklahoma to Michigan, Florida to California. There is broad consensus among government, engineers, and the driving public about the state of the roads, but with limited budgets and […]
Transportation safety under Bloomberg’s reign
As Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s epic 11-year-long reign over New York City draws to a close this fall, the politician-business magnate is fighting hard to pass a variety of reforms, from office buildings designed to fight obesity to improved gun control. Yet in the city whose drivers never sleep, one of Bloomberg’s key focuses has been […]
Washington D.C. residents against sidewalk biking
Even though Washington D.C. bans bike riding on sidewalk in its central business district (CBD), some residents want reforms in its 30-year-old law that imposes limited restrictions on sidewalk biking. Cycling on sidewalks puts pedestrians’ safety at risk and leads to congestion on sidewalks, especially when biking has nearly doubled since 2007 in the city. […]
Federal gas tax means infrastructure funds running on empty
With the recent talk about who’s responsible for covering the costs of restoring and maintaining America’s crumbling infrastructure, many mistakenly believe that the gas tax, collected via the U.S. Highway Trust Fund, goes a long way towards maintenance and improvement costs for our nation’s highways. Yet upon closer inspection, the numbers point out some potentially […]
In CA, bike lanes are on drivers’ wishlists
Surveys in San Francisco and Los Angeles suggest that both drivers and cyclists want separate space for bicycles. This separate space in the form of bike lanes not only protects cyclists from automobile traffic, but also makes drivers feel safe around bicycles. This insight could prove useful for city planners who are often blamed for […]