• America 2050 has created a video depicting a fictional White Sox fan’s 300-mile journey to Detroit’s Comerica Park, as part of its “A Better Tomorrow” project to visualize America’s future communities and transportation systems. (America2050)
• The epic Burj Dubai-cum-Burj Khalifahas unexpectedly closed just a month after its elaborate opening, causing doubts about whether the permanent occupants will be able to move in as scheduled. The reason for the quick closing? Partly electrical problems, but the chief cause remains a mystery. (AP)
• But things aren’t all bad in the UAE: Dubai residents Elizabeth Monoian and Robert Ferry have created the Land Art Generator Initiative and launched an international design competition for the best “outdoor public art work that is conceptually engaging while at the same time produces real, usable renewable energy.” In other words,they’re looking for designs for “aesthetic power plants.” (Treehugger)
• TSA debacle of the day: A security breach this morning led officials to taser a man and shut down and evacuate the McNamara Terminal at the Detroit Metro Airport. The breach was reportedly a passenger who passed through security gates but had no luggage or ticket. (Freep)
• And a mysterious person scaled the massive Manhattan Bridge today! Here’s wishing him/her a safe climb. (Gothamist)
With the envirnomental impact statements, and the NIMBYs and BANANAs and everything – I don’t expect to ever see a mile of high speed rail built in the US. WHich is ironic since the ecoNuts will stop it from happening.
The video gets the first part wrong—you wouldn’t take a shared car to the train station, you’d take the L or a (perhaps more frequent and faster, electrically-powered) commuter train. One-way car sharing, especially from the suburbs to the center of a city, will likely never work (the logistics of having the right number of parking spaces are almost impossible to plan for, and, even if it works, you have excess parking, which is an urban scourge).
@Ari: I agree… car charing is really intended for travel that requires a car, i.e. grocery shopping or places not directly accessible via transit.
Also, is it me or does it look like a lot of the scenes in that video are from NJ train stations (Newark Penn Station waiting room and Newark Airport platforms)?
You are probably right but there is nothing to prevent him from renting the car for the day and paying the parking at the station. It wouldn’t be the cheapest way for him to do his day trip to see the game unless he gets home so late that the L or other trains aren’t really running anymore and the cabs are too expensive.
Since I work for the US DOT doing transportation policy, I think I’m in a good position to offer comments about the video. First, in Chicago — even today — nobody is likely to take a car to the train station. The Amtrak station is just west of downtown, and well served by public transportation.
Second, Detroit is an unlikely destination for high speed rail. Most of central Detroit is now empty. The ballpark is probably the most popular destination. Detroit already has a (nearly useless) downtown people mover. And Detroit needs light rail like I need a third eye. My last trip on Woodward Avenue was on a Friday rush hour bus to Birmingham. The bus was half full, and there was no traffic of any consequence on Woodward.
I am wholly supportive of “liveability” as a goal. In fact, I live in an “inner ring” suburb with public transportation at the corner and most things I need within walking distance. But I’m 57 years old, and I don’t think I’ll see any new high speed rail in my lifetime.