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Monthly archive for June, 2009
Designed Animal Habitats — Part Of Tomorrow’s Urban Infrastructure?
Tuesday, June 9th, 2009
[SButtonZ button="digg"] The word “infrastructure” generally refers to built systems that we rely on to get around, obtain clean water, flush away our poop, and have electricity to watch reruns of “Everybody Loves.” It is, for the most part, a Read more ›
The Daily Dig – Late Edition
Tuesday, June 9th, 2009
[SButtonZ button="digg"] And… we’re back! Pardon the service interruption. We’ve got lots of good stuff planned for the coming days. U.S. House transportation honcho Jim Oberstar describes a “Stonehenge”-like structure in the DOT, in which the different modes of transportation Read more ›
That New Study That Shows Planes Are Greener Than Trains? It Does No Such Thing
Monday, June 8th, 2009
[SButtonZ button="digg"] Sometimes the media is just really annoying. That’s a common observation, and I’m a member of the tribe, but still. Case in point: If you happened to see a headline this morning about a new study that examines Read more ›
Why Was Nobody Lobbying For ‘Fancy Gambling Train’ At White House Rail Summit?
Friday, June 5th, 2009
For the non rail-obsessed reader: There was a meeting this week at the White House, hosted by Joe Biden, at which the governors who care a whit about rail came together to jockey for a share of $8 billion in Read more ›
Your World Is About To Get A Whole Lot Smaller — Or So Says One Economist
Thursday, June 4th, 2009
From the FT’s excellent Energy Source blog comes this interesting exchange with Jeff Rubin, former chief economist at the well-respected Canadian bank CIBC. Rubin thinks that oil prices are going to go much, much higher and that this will bring Read more ›
Impress Pretty Girls With Your Infrastructure-Themed Ringtone
Thursday, June 4th, 2009
Earlier this week on Politico, we saw this amusing list of Judge Sotomayor-themed ringtones. Since we were getting tired of that annoying doorbell ring on our own phone anyway, we took mobile music site mSpot up on their offer to Read more ›
Michigan Governor: Use Car Factories To Make Trains
Thursday, June 4th, 2009
It’s amazing how little public discussion there’s been of making the US Midwest–but especially Michigan–an international center of railcar making. Politicians have no problem trying to start a mini Silicon Valley in every state of the union (which is only Read more ›
The Daily Dig
Thursday, June 4th, 2009
[SButtonZ button="digg"] Meeting with several governors, Biden spoke of fast trains as potentially transformational, like the interstate system. Money will start going out in August. (Philly Inquirer) At the same meeting, Midwestern governors got props for their rail proposal: it Read more ›
36 Reasons Streetcars Are Better Than Buses
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009
[SButtonZ button="digg"] If you want a system that really attracts riders and investment, many transit experts will attest that streetcars are the best dollar-for-dollar investment a city can make. Of course, there are plenty of situations where old-fashioned bus service Read more ›
The Daily Dig
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009
[SButtonZ button="digg"] The Federal Highway Trust Fund — that big kitty that you throw 18 cents into every time you buy a gallon of unleaded — is going to go bust in August. It needs $7 billion to stay solvent Read more ›
4 Innovations That Could Make Long-Distance Air Travel Greener
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009
[SButtonZ button="digg"] Though air travel represents only about 3% of total world emissions, traffic is increasing quickly even as concerns over climate change multiply. To make matters worse, because airplanes fly at high altitudes, they give off large amounts of Read more ›
The Daily Dig
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009
[SButtonZ button="digg"] GPS-based air-traffic control systems are expensive–rollout in the US alone will cost an estimated $20 billion–but would have kept the Air France plane in sight while it was over the Atlantic. (WaPo) A big issue with the next Read more ›
Introducing: America’s 10 Biggest Highway Builders
Monday, June 1st, 2009
[SButtonZ button="digg"] Whether you love ‘em or hate ‘em, highways are a fact of life in America and will remain so for a long time to come. That being the case, building and maintaining our automotive byways will continue to Read more ›
The Daily Dig
Monday, June 1st, 2009
[SButtonZ button="digg"] – “Yesterday I traveled on a train at close to 350 kilometers (215 miles) per hour, the fastest I’ve ever ridden on a high-speed train,” said Transportation Sec Ray LaHood, in his glowing account of Spain’s rail network. Read more ›
