transportation:transportation
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| - | ===== Transportation | + | ===== Transportation ===== |
| Information about Transportation | Information about Transportation | ||
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| ====== Articles ====== | ====== Articles ====== | ||
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| == Off-Peak Public Transport Usage == | == Off-Peak Public Transport Usage == | ||
| - | 2019/12/26 | + | 2019/12/26 |
| Earlier this year, I slowly stumbled across something that I don’t think is well-known in comparative public transportation: | Earlier this year, I slowly stumbled across something that I don’t think is well-known in comparative public transportation: | ||
| - | https:// | + | [[https:// |
| == Modes of Transportation, | == Modes of Transportation, | ||
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| Even in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, rollerblading isn’t very cool. | Even in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, rollerblading isn’t very cool. | ||
| - | See, I’ve been spending a lot of time looking out my window (as one tends to do during The Quarantine), | + | See, I’ve been spending a lot of time looking out my window (as one tends to do during The Quarantine), |
| - | I’m not a huge fan of running (bad knees) and I don’t own a bike, so I figured the next best thing would be to go out on rollerblades. I’ve played hockey for more than 20 years, and considering the difficulty of playing basketball while maintaining social distancing, I thought now might be a good time to get some solo skating practice in. Boy, was I wrong. | + | |
| - | https:// | + | [[https:// |
| == Ford's Big Nugget is a tiny home built inside a Transit cargo van — see inside the 4-' | == Ford's Big Nugget is a tiny home built inside a Transit cargo van — see inside the 4-' | ||
| - | https:// | + | [[https:// |
| == 14-Year-Old Inventor Solves Blind Spots == | == 14-Year-Old Inventor Solves Blind Spots == | ||
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| //Gassler won the top prize for her invention at this year's Society for Science and the Public' | //Gassler won the top prize for her invention at this year's Society for Science and the Public' | ||
| - | https:// | + | [[https:// |
| == Lightyear One solar car sets record for world’s most aerodynamic car == | == Lightyear One solar car sets record for world’s most aerodynamic car == | ||
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| Dutch solar car company Lightyear says it has achieved a record score for aerodynamics for its 5-seater Lightyear One while undergoing wind tunnel tests in Turin, Italy. | Dutch solar car company Lightyear says it has achieved a record score for aerodynamics for its 5-seater Lightyear One while undergoing wind tunnel tests in Turin, Italy. | ||
| - | https:// | + | [[https:// |
| == New Atlas: On the move in 2019: The wackiest ways to travel from A to B == | == New Atlas: On the move in 2019: The wackiest ways to travel from A to B == | ||
| - | https:// | + | [[https:// |
| == Lun-class ekranoplan == | == Lun-class ekranoplan == | ||
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| It flew using the lift generated by the ground effect of its large wings when within about four metres (13 ft) above the surface of the water. Although they might look similar to regular aircraft, and have related technical characteristics, | It flew using the lift generated by the ground effect of its large wings when within about four metres (13 ft) above the surface of the water. Although they might look similar to regular aircraft, and have related technical characteristics, | ||
| - | https:// | + | [[https:// |
| == How four European cities are embracing micromobility to drive out cars == | == How four European cities are embracing micromobility to drive out cars == | ||
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| Natasha Lomas, Romain Dillet / 2:47 AM PST•November 20, 2020 | Natasha Lomas, Romain Dillet / 2:47 AM PST•November 20, 2020 | ||
| - | The coronavirus pandemic is acting as a catalyst for urban transformation across Europe as city authorities grapple with how to manage urban mobility without risking citizens’ health or inviting gridlock by letting cars flood in. | + | The coronavirus pandemic is acting as a catalyst for urban transformation across Europe as city authorities grapple with how to manage urban mobility without risking citizens’ health or inviting gridlock by letting cars flood in. Micromobility and local commerce are being seen as both short and long-term solutions for urban revival in a number of cases. We’ve run down key policy developments in four major cities, Paris, Barcelona, London and Milan, which — at varying speeds — are pushing to rethink and reclaim streets for feet and two wheels. |
| - | Micromobility and local commerce are being seen as both short and long-term solutions for urban revival in a number of cases. We’ve run down key policy developments in four major cities, Paris, Barcelona, London and Milan, which — at varying speeds — are pushing to rethink and reclaim streets for feet and two wheels. | + | |
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| - | https:// | + | |
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| == China stops networked vehicle data going offshore under new infosec rules == | == China stops networked vehicle data going offshore under new infosec rules == | ||
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| Simon Sharwood, APAC Editor - Fri 13 Aug 2021 / 06:58 UTC | Simon Sharwood, APAC Editor - Fri 13 Aug 2021 / 06:58 UTC | ||
| - | China has drafted new rules required of its autonomous and networked vehicle builders. | + | China has drafted new rules required of its autonomous and networked vehicle builders. Data security is front and centre in the rules, with manufacturers required to store data generated by cars – and describing their drivers – within China. Data is allowed to go offshore, but only after government scrutiny. Manufacturers are also required to name a chief of network security, who gets the job of ensuring autonomous vehicles can't fall victim to cyber attacks. Made-in-China auto-autos are also required to be monitored to detect security issues. Over-the-air upgrades are another requirement, |
| - | Data security is front and centre in the rules, with manufacturers required to store data generated by cars – and describing their drivers – within China. Data is allowed to go offshore, but only after government scrutiny. | + | |
| - | Manufacturers are also required to name a chief of network security, who gets the job of ensuring autonomous vehicles can't fall victim to cyber attacks. Made-in-China auto-autos are also required to be monitored to detect security issues. | + | |
| - | Over-the-air upgrades are another requirement, | + | |
| - | https:// | + | [[https:// |
| == Engineers Should Not Design Streets == | == Engineers Should Not Design Streets == | ||
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| In the software world (most commonly in the video game world), when you let software engineers design the visuals, we call it " | In the software world (most commonly in the video game world), when you let software engineers design the visuals, we call it " | ||
| - | https:// | + | [[https:// |
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| + | ==== Cemetery ==== | ||
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| + | == Meet The Neat Little Vehicles That Run A Cemetery == | ||
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| + | Your last ride on the road will probably be in a hearse. But the last machine that moves you will be something you might have never even thought about. | ||
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| + | Andrew P. Collins - May 1, 2026 1:19 PM EDT | ||
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| + | We’ve all seen hearses. But if you’re buried after death, the hearse might not actually be the last vehicle you ever ride in (or … on). No, the final few feet you move under the power of combustion would be on a funny little purpose-built groundskeeping machine that you won’t see anywhere outside of a cemetery. | ||
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| + | Earlier this year, I got an email from Forest Lawn Funerals, Cremations, and Cemeteries. Pretty far outside the realm of who usually hits me up—but it made sense. The memorial park, which is in Glendale, California, hosts an annual cars-and-coffee where they shine up and showcase a fleet of beautiful classic hearses. The next one’s coming up this summer (August 9, 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. … the link is for last year’s event). | ||
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| + | The park sent some pictures of its vehicles, and while the old hearses are certainly elegant, my curiosity was immediately piqued by the agricultural/ | ||
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| ==== Micromobility ==== | ==== Micromobility ==== | ||
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| Despite the struggles of individual operators, micromobility as technology will come out of this stronger than before, industry analyst Horace Dediu tells TechCrunch. | Despite the struggles of individual operators, micromobility as technology will come out of this stronger than before, industry analyst Horace Dediu tells TechCrunch. | ||
| - | https:// | + | [[https:// |
| == Acton’s latest acquisition hints at the future of docked micromobility == | == Acton’s latest acquisition hints at the future of docked micromobility == | ||
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| Rebecca Bellan - 6:00 AM PST February 10, 2022 | Rebecca Bellan - 6:00 AM PST February 10, 2022 | ||
| - | The term “shared micromobility” often calls to mind that Lime e-bike on the nearest street corner or the Voi e-scooter parked next to the bus stop, either of which could on any given day be standing upright or knocked over onto the pavement. In fact, dockless vehicles have become so normalized that they’re almost synonymous with the idea of scooter and bike shares. That might be changing. | + | The term “shared micromobility” often calls to mind that Lime e-bike on the nearest street corner or the Voi e-scooter parked next to the bus stop, either of which could on any given day be standing upright or knocked over onto the pavement. In fact, dockless vehicles have become so normalized that they’re almost synonymous with the idea of scooter and bike shares. That might be changing. |
| Acton, a U.S. startup that provides electric micromobility vehicles and the cloud-based software infrastructure to run shared fleets for cities and operators, has just acquired Duckt, an Estonian docking and charging infrastructure startup, a move that Acton says will help it to beef up its product offerings, especially for cities. | Acton, a U.S. startup that provides electric micromobility vehicles and the cloud-based software infrastructure to run shared fleets for cities and operators, has just acquired Duckt, an Estonian docking and charging infrastructure startup, a move that Acton says will help it to beef up its product offerings, especially for cities. | ||
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| The company, which has partnered with hundreds of cities and shared operators around the world, wants to offer customers more of an end-to-end product and sees an opportunity to add a bit of order to the chaos of the dockless vehicles today and gain back some operational expenses that are spent finding and charging vehicles in the wild. | The company, which has partnered with hundreds of cities and shared operators around the world, wants to offer customers more of an end-to-end product and sees an opportunity to add a bit of order to the chaos of the dockless vehicles today and gain back some operational expenses that are spent finding and charging vehicles in the wild. | ||
| - | https:// | + | [[https:// |
| == Scientific study shows how much traffic increases when e-bikes and e-scooters are banned == | == Scientific study shows how much traffic increases when e-bikes and e-scooters are banned == | ||
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| The study’s authors used high-resolution data from June 25, 2019, to September 22, 2019, from Uber Movement to measure changes in evening travel times before and after the policy implementation. That created a window of analysis of 45 days with and without shared e-bike and e-scooter use at night. | The study’s authors used high-resolution data from June 25, 2019, to September 22, 2019, from Uber Movement to measure changes in evening travel times before and after the policy implementation. That created a window of analysis of 45 days with and without shared e-bike and e-scooter use at night. | ||
| - | https:// | + | [[https:// |
| == Impacts of micromobility on car displacement with evidence from a natural experiment and geofencing policy == | == Impacts of micromobility on car displacement with evidence from a natural experiment and geofencing policy == | ||
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| Micromobility, | Micromobility, | ||
| - | https:// | + | [[https:// |
| == What Is Micromobility? | == What Is Micromobility? | ||
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| Part of their affordability stems from the fact that they can be easily rented for individual journeys. This provides convenience, | Part of their affordability stems from the fact that they can be easily rented for individual journeys. This provides convenience, | ||
| - | https:// | + | [[https:// |
| == Electric two-wheelers are set to scoot past EVs in road race == | == Electric two-wheelers are set to scoot past EVs in road race == | ||
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| " | " | ||
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| == Here are the coolest e-bikes and more we saw at Micromobility Europe 2023 == | == Here are the coolest e-bikes and more we saw at Micromobility Europe 2023 == | ||
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| Check out my video also to get a sense of what it was like to attend the show and take in the highlights. | Check out my video also to get a sense of what it was like to attend the show and take in the highlights. | ||
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| ====== Accident ====== | ====== Accident ====== | ||
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| The threat car emissions pose to the environment gets some attention. But what we Americans are still in total collective denial about is how lethal our car dependency already is. Every year, nearly 40,000 people die in crashes, and at least another 3.3 million are seriously injured. Cars put us in clear, imminent danger every day, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized: | The threat car emissions pose to the environment gets some attention. But what we Americans are still in total collective denial about is how lethal our car dependency already is. Every year, nearly 40,000 people die in crashes, and at least another 3.3 million are seriously injured. Cars put us in clear, imminent danger every day, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized: | ||
| - | https:// | + | [[https:// |
| == More than 20,000 people died on US roads in the first half of 2021 == | == More than 20,000 people died on US roads in the first half of 2021 == | ||
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| The mass availability of highly effective vaccines and nationwide loosening of public health restrictions saw a big rise in vehicle miles traveled for the first half of 2021—an increase of 173.1 billion miles (278.6 billion km) versus the same six months of 2020. | The mass availability of highly effective vaccines and nationwide loosening of public health restrictions saw a big rise in vehicle miles traveled for the first half of 2021—an increase of 173.1 billion miles (278.6 billion km) versus the same six months of 2020. | ||
| - | https:// | + | [[https:// |
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| ====== Highways ====== | ====== Highways ====== | ||
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| == Please stop adding more lanes to busy highways—it doesn’t help == | == Please stop adding more lanes to busy highways—it doesn’t help == | ||
| - | Why do highway planners refuse to accept that more lanes means more traffic? | + | Why do highway planners refuse to accept that more lanes means more traffic? Jonathan M. Gitlin - 8/27/2021, 9:20 AM You often hear people say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. I bring this up because of an interesting—if infuriating—thread I read this morning about Texas' plan to widen I-35 as it cuts through the heart of Austin. Unsurprisingly, |
| - | Jonathan M. Gitlin - 8/27/2021, 9:20 AM | + | |
| - | You often hear people say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. I bring this up because of an interesting—if infuriating—thread I read this morning about Texas' plan to widen I-35 as it cuts through the heart of Austin. | + | |
| - | Unsurprisingly, | + | |
| - | But it would be wrong to single out this 8-mile proposal as an outlier. In Houston, the state plans to widen I-45 despite plenty of opposition, including from the Federal Highway Administration. And you don't have to look far to see other state governments wanting to build new roads to reduce congestion. | + | |
| - | https:// | + | [[https:// |
| == New Tolling Systems Are Poised To Hit Highways == | == New Tolling Systems Are Poised To Hit Highways == | ||
| - | Posted by msmash on Thursday September 16, 2021 10:25AM | + | Posted by msmash on Thursday September 16, 2021 10:25AM Electric vehicles might be good for the environment, |
| - | Electric vehicles might be good for the environment, | + | |
| - | < | + | < |
| - | https:// | + | [[https:// |
| == Hitting the Books: How Los Angeles became a ' | == Hitting the Books: How Los Angeles became a ' | ||
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| Over the next four years, the Harbor Freeway began to coalesce. Press alerts went out with each new off-ramp as they came online: Olympic. Washington. Slauson. Almost all were accompanied by the kind of theatricality that defined the era. One of the dedications featured a shapely model named Ann Bradford, who wore a sash emblazoned with the words “Miss Freeway Link”—certainly one of the clunkier female honorifics dreamed up by a Chamber of Commerce. Even the freeway’s old nemesis, Kenneth Hahn, couldn’t resist attending the 124th Street opening. At the ribbon-cutting on September 25, 1958, Hahn boasted that the freeway—now stretching ten miles—was already L.A.’s second-busiest after the Hollywood Freeway. When it’s completed, he said, it will carry more traffic than “any street, highway, or freeway in the world.” | Over the next four years, the Harbor Freeway began to coalesce. Press alerts went out with each new off-ramp as they came online: Olympic. Washington. Slauson. Almost all were accompanied by the kind of theatricality that defined the era. One of the dedications featured a shapely model named Ann Bradford, who wore a sash emblazoned with the words “Miss Freeway Link”—certainly one of the clunkier female honorifics dreamed up by a Chamber of Commerce. Even the freeway’s old nemesis, Kenneth Hahn, couldn’t resist attending the 124th Street opening. At the ribbon-cutting on September 25, 1958, Hahn boasted that the freeway—now stretching ten miles—was already L.A.’s second-busiest after the Hollywood Freeway. When it’s completed, he said, it will carry more traffic than “any street, highway, or freeway in the world.” | ||
| - | https:// | + | [[https:// |
| - | ====== Hoverboard ====== | + | == A Caltrans executive questioned a freeway expansion. Then she was demoted |
| - | ==== DGL Group ==== | + | Rachel Uranga, Staff Writer - Oct. 13, 2023 3 AM PT |
| + | For years, a California Department of Transportation executive, Jeanie Ward-Waller, | ||
| - | == 93,000 Hoverboards Recalled Over Safety Concerns == | + | Male bosses criticized her for being too emotional or aggressive, she said in interviews with The Times over the last two weeks. But Ward-Waller swallowed it, seeing it as part of her job to push forward an agency undergoing seismic shifts. |
| - | The Hover-1 Superfly boards are being pulled for a dangerous software malfunction that can keep them moving even when a rider wants to stop or stay still. | + | This summer, as the deputy director of planning and modal programs, Ward-Waller began raising questions about a $280 million repaving project along a stretch of Interstate 80. Ward-Waller became increasingly concerned the project was surreptitiously widening 3½ miles of the freeway — at the same time top state officials were pledging to end traffic-inducing freeway expansions |
| - | Lauren Leffer | + | Under state law, such projects require environmental review and public airing, but this plan had none of it, she said — and it tapped funds set aside for maintenance. It happened to be along the same 20-mile corridor of I-80 from West Sacramento through Davis where a partially federal funded freeway lane is being proposed. |
| - | f you experienced deja vu reading that headline, there’s good reason. The proliferation of so-called “hoverboards” (i.e. self-balancing scooters) has come with lots of safety issues and recalls. This time, at least, the boards aren’t spontaneously combusting. | + | [[https:// |
| - | On Thursday, DGL Group, the distributor of the Hover-1 Superfly Hoverboard, asked owners to stop using the scooters. The New Jersey-based company has issued a safety recall of 93,000 hoverboards manufactured in China, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). | + | == Why Are Texas Interchanges Texas So Tall? == |
| - | https:// | + | August 20, 2024 - Practical Engineering |
| + | [Note that this article is a transcript of the video embedded above.] | ||
| + | This is the Dallas High Five, one of the tallest highway interchanges in the world. It gets its name from the fact that there are five different levels of roadways crossing each other in this one spot. In some ways, it’s kind of atrocious, right? It’s this enormous area of land dedicated to a complex spaghetti of concrete and steel; like the worst symbol of our car-obsessed culture. But in another way, it really is an impressive feat of engineering. 37 bridges and more than 700 columns are crammed into this one spot to keep the roughly half a million vehicles flowing in every direction each day. | ||
| + | They say everything’s bigger in Texas, but that’s not always true when it comes to engineering projects in the US. The tallest concrete dam is split between Arizona and Nevada. The longest bridge span is in New York. The longest road tunnel is in Alaska, and the longest water tunnel, not only in the US but the whole world, is the Delaware Aqueduct in New York. The largest hydroelectric plant is the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington, while the largest nuclear plant is in Georgia. | ||
| + | But one thing that Texas really does do bigger is highway interchanges. If you’ve driven from one major Texan highway onto or over another, you may have been astonished to find yourself and your vehicle well over a hundred feet or 30 meters above the ground. There’s no clearinghouse of data for flyover ramp heights, as far as I can find. Plus there’s the complexity of what a true height really means since many interchanges use excavation below grade for the lower level. Still, even the most conservative estimate puts the High Five taller than the Statue of Liberty from her feet to the top of her head. And if you do a little digging, you’ll find that many, if not most, of the tallest highway interchanges in the world are right here in the Lone Star State. Let’s talk about why. I’m Grady, and this is Practical Engineering. | ||
| + | [[https:// | ||
| + | == WWII, the autobahn, Ike, the Interstates, | ||
| + | July 25, 2024 - jwh1975 | ||
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| + | Earlier this summer I was talking with a fellow veteran and the subject of “one-mile-in-five” on the Interstate highways came up. | ||
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| + | The vague gist is that before WWII, Germany designed its famous autobahn network with war in mind. Near WWII’s conclusion, Gen. Eisenhower was impressed with the autobahn and during his later Presidency ordered a copy of it made, the USA’s Interstate system, mostly for military reasons including for US Air Force bombers to use when their bases got taken out by Soviet ICBMs – and one mile of every five is straight and level for this reason. | ||
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| + | Like many Americans I have heard this before and in fact, the specific highway identified by my acquaintance (a certain stretch of I-80 in Nebraska) I have also previously heard as an example location. | ||
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| + | This is the type of thing that enough Americans have heard that it becomes accepted through cycles of repetition. To anybody who has driven the endless straightaways of I-15 in Utah or I-70 in Kansas it probably seems reasonable that bombers could land there, and there is usually somebody in earshot to interject “yes he’s right, I’ve heard that too”. | ||
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| + | “One-mile-in-five” and the military on the Interstates in general, has equal portions of real fact, misconstrued things, and outright error. Mostly in wwiiafterwwii I cover weapons and equipment; for readers who prefer that I will return to that in the future. Perhaps this will be of interest however. | ||
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| + | ===== Wisconsin ===== | ||
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| + | == Alphabet Soup: Why Wisconsin’s County Highways Are Lettered, Not Numbered == | ||
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| + | The State' | ||
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| + | Jenny Peek - November 27, 2019 | ||
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| + | If you’ve taken a drive on one of Wisconsin’s iconic scenic roads, chances are you’ve noticed a bit of alphabet soup. | ||
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| + | Signs with names like BB, CV, N and SS flank Wisconsin’s county roads, and Shelly from Marshall wanted to know why. | ||
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| + | She asked: “Why are Wisconsin’s county roads labeled with letters instead of numbers?” | ||
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| + | So WPR’s WHYsconsin reached out to Daniel Fedderly, executive director of the Wisconsin County Highway Association — a nonprofit organization that represents the state’s 72 county highway and public works departments — to find out. | ||
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| + | [[https:// | ||
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| + | ====== Hoverboard ====== | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== DGL Group ==== | ||
| + | |||
| + | == 93,000 Hoverboards Recalled Over Safety Concerns == | ||
| + | |||
| + | The Hover-1 Superfly boards are being pulled for a dangerous software malfunction that can keep them moving even when a rider wants to stop or stay still. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Lauren Leffer - 19 May 2022 5:05PM | ||
| + | |||
| + | f you experienced deja vu reading that headline, there’s good reason. The proliferation of so-called “hoverboards” (i.e. self-balancing scooters) has come with lots of safety issues and recalls. This time, at least, the boards aren’t spontaneously combusting. | ||
| + | |||
| + | On Thursday, DGL Group, the distributor of the Hover-1 Superfly Hoverboard, asked owners to stop using the scooters. The New Jersey-based company has issued a safety recall of 93,000 hoverboards manufactured in China, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). | ||
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| + | [[https:// | ||
| ===== I-90 Bulge ===== | ===== I-90 Bulge ===== | ||
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| Time moves on, and it was time to replace the bridge with a modern, safe one. The construction crew was astonished to find a car at the bottom where the highway abruptly ended when the bridge was retracted. In it was a woman who had been missing for 20 or 30 years. It was a famous case when she went missing, and people searched everywhere for her, including forests where psychics claimed she was. | Time moves on, and it was time to replace the bridge with a modern, safe one. The construction crew was astonished to find a car at the bottom where the highway abruptly ended when the bridge was retracted. In it was a woman who had been missing for 20 or 30 years. It was a famous case when she went missing, and people searched everywhere for her, including forests where psychics claimed she was. | ||
| - | Apparently, she was simply driving one night, didn't realize that the bridge was out, drove through the barrier into the water and nobody noticed. | + | Apparently, she was simply driving one night, didn't realize that the bridge was out, drove through the barrier into the water and nobody noticed. |
| - | https:// | + | [[https:// |
| ====== Traffic ====== | ====== Traffic ====== | ||
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| On Thursday, the National Safety Council, a long-running nonprofit organization focused on public and occupational safety, released its latest report on motor vehicle fatalities. According to their report, which relies on mortality data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 42,060 people were killed by a motor vehicle in 2020. That’s a number 8% higher than the 39,107 deaths estimated in 2019, and the first yearly increase seen in four years. In raw numbers, 2020 was the deadliest year in motor vehicle deaths since 2007. There were also 4.8 million people seriously injured by cars last year, along with an estimated $474 billion in societal costs. | On Thursday, the National Safety Council, a long-running nonprofit organization focused on public and occupational safety, released its latest report on motor vehicle fatalities. According to their report, which relies on mortality data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 42,060 people were killed by a motor vehicle in 2020. That’s a number 8% higher than the 39,107 deaths estimated in 2019, and the first yearly increase seen in four years. In raw numbers, 2020 was the deadliest year in motor vehicle deaths since 2007. There were also 4.8 million people seriously injured by cars last year, along with an estimated $474 billion in societal costs. | ||
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| == Traffic congestion dropped by 73 percent in 2020 due to the pandemic == | == Traffic congestion dropped by 73 percent in 2020 due to the pandemic == | ||
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| This data was all collected by traffic analytics company Inrix for its 2020 Global Traffic Scorecard that tracks mobility across more than 1,000 different cities around the world based on travel times, miles traveled, trip characteristics, | This data was all collected by traffic analytics company Inrix for its 2020 Global Traffic Scorecard that tracks mobility across more than 1,000 different cities around the world based on travel times, miles traveled, trip characteristics, | ||
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| == Traffic bounces back in year two of the pandemic, minus the commuters == | == Traffic bounces back in year two of the pandemic, minus the commuters == | ||
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| Other cities have yet to show as much recovery. Washington DC stands out, with traffic still 65 percent lower than in 2019, which translates to 80 fewer hours in traffic per person. | Other cities have yet to show as much recovery. Washington DC stands out, with traffic still 65 percent lower than in 2019, which translates to 80 fewer hours in traffic per person. | ||
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| == Widening Highways Doesn’t Fix Traffic. So Why Do We Keep Doing It? == | == Widening Highways Doesn’t Fix Traffic. So Why Do We Keep Doing It? == | ||
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| California’s Department of Transportation was, like many state transportation departments, | California’s Department of Transportation was, like many state transportation departments, | ||
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| == One car per green: Why the lights on freeway onramps can’t end traffic jams == | == One car per green: Why the lights on freeway onramps can’t end traffic jams == | ||
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| The Times asked Wahib Jreij, senior transportation engineer at Caltrans, to demystify ramp meters. Here is his explanation of how things work. | The Times asked Wahib Jreij, senior transportation engineer at Caltrans, to demystify ramp meters. Here is his explanation of how things work. | ||
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| + | == Why does traffic bottleneck on freeways for no apparent reason? == | ||
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| + | Drivers tend to flow remarkably well as a pack — until there’s an unusual event… | ||
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| + | Peter Dunn - February 19, 2009 | ||
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| + | When something disturbs the normal course of traffic, the effects can last for a surprisingly long time after the incident itself is gone, and affect areas far from the initial problem. | ||
| + | “Maybe a dog runs into the road,” says Moshe Ben-Akiva, professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the MIT Intelligent Transportation Systems program. “Maybe people slow down to look at something. Maybe someone cuts someone off and they start arguing. The cars at the front get moving again after a couple of minutes, but cars behind them still have to stop and queue up. It’s like a shock wave that moves upstream.” | ||
| + | The phenomenon is portrayed eloquently in MITSIMLab, a traffic simulator developed at MIT in the 1990s with funding from Boston’s Big Dig highway project. During a recent demonstration of the software, graduate student Samiul Hasan set up an animated map of downtown Boston highways to simulate traffic on a typical weekday morning. | ||
| + | Thousands of colored rectangles representing individual cars, trucks, and buses ply the roadways, each moving according to its own parameters for desired speed and driving habits, which include following distance and “gap acceptance.” The overall model reflects the distribution of driving behaviors aggregated from traffic models that are based on video studies conducted in Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and other locales. | ||
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transportation/transportation.1691782489.txt.gz · Last modified: by timb