Trends
App helps drivers spot bikers before a collision
“I didn’t see him coming!” If you’ve ever been in a bike accident, you’ve probably heard — or cried out — this explanation. Most drivers involved in bike accidents simply don’t see oncoming cyclists. Now, a new app using vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology will help drivers spot bike traffic and prevent collisions, reports Co.Exist. The […]
eHighway system to reduce truck pollution in California
The more things change, the more they remain the same; accordingly, overhead electric wires that have been powering trolleys and streetcars since the 19th century will now see them in use along Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Siemens’s eHighway system will electrify certain highway lanes using a catenary system (an overhead wire setup). This system […]
Driverless cars: cheaper than human-driven in 5 years?
Within just five to seven years, reports Mashable, driverless cars will be cheaper than human-driven cars. That prediction is based on Cisco’s “technology trend watchers” analysis. Google, which earlier this year announced advanced integration of super-precise road maps with the company’s robot-driven vehicles, is best known for its driverless vehicles innovations, but Nissan is also […]
Highway trust fund bankruptcy imminent without bailout
The Highway Trust Fund — created in 1956 to fund the U.S. Interstate Highway System and funded via a federal fuel tax on gasoline and diesel fuel — will run out of funds in a few weeks if Congress doesn’t intervene, reports The Atlantic’s CityLab blog. The Department of Transportation, which has been warning Congress […]
Samsung launches bike that makes its own lanes
Smartphones have always been able to map out bikers’ routes, but now, thanks to Samsung’s Smart Bike, in the future, they may also help cyclists arrive safely. Launched at Milan Design Week earlier this year, the Samsung Smart Bike is equipped with laser projection, so it can light its own laser-beamed bike lanes. Some of […]
Study: Salt Lake City light rail reduces traffic
A recent study has discovered that the light-rail system in Salt Lake City, Utah, reduces traffic, cuts costs and may improve the environment, reports the blog Planetizen. The study found that a light-rail line “reduces daily [traffic] from 44,000 (if it did not exist) to 22,300 (what actually occurs) on one arterial.” The study, Effect […]
Is there a zoning remedy for car-dependent towns?
Towns are largely car-dependent because we design them that way, claims blogger Andrew Price with Smart Towns, a blog devoted to American town growth, in a recent post. Price analyzes the zoning system in Conway, Arkansas, as an example of Euclidean zoning and its role in creating car-dependent towns. What exactly is Euclidean zoning? Also […]
Glow-in-the-dark roads debut in Netherlands
A 500 meter (approximately .3 miles) section of a highway in the Netherlands is getting its glow on. Glow in the dark road markings — made with a photoluminescent powder incorporated into road paint that charges in the light and radiates green in the dark for up to eight hours — have been painted on […]
Universities lead the way on public transport
A recent study by the US PIRG Education Fund and Frontier Group reveals that the steps universities are taking to encourage students and staff to use eco-friendly modes of transport are paying off: fewer students are bringing cars with them to campus. University of Missouri Kansas City In 2011, UMKC’s students faced constant parking supply […]
Sneckdowns: Should snowstorms plan your streets?
Throughout urban areas hit hard by wintry weather this season, Mother Nature is making her own traffic planning suggestions known. Piles of snow known as “sneckdowns” — more on the origin of that word later — are drifting into areas that, upon reflection, are ideal for road diets and sidewalk extensions. As Streetsblog reports, “all […]