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Monthly archive for June, 2011
Fastest Lap Around Manhattan. Ever.
Thursday, June 30th, 2011
In 2001 a rally race driver named Alex Roy claimed to have driven a lap around Manhattan — 24.48 miles — in 27 minutes. The feat might have struck some New Yorkers as dubious, particularly those in the process of Read more ›
The Morning Dig: How to Move L.A. Toward Public Transit
Thursday, June 30th, 2011
NETWORK_LA transit from tam thien tran on Vimeo. • A design proposal (above) looks at what can be done to increase the use of public transportation in L.A. (Gensleron.com) • On Thursday, China opened the world’s longest sea bridge — Read more ›
As DOT Awards $1.58 Billion in Transit Funds, the Future of Orlando’s Line Is Unclear
Wednesday, June 29th, 2011
Something about the major holidays brings out the best in the New Starts program. Last Christmas the program found $182 million under the tree, and now in advance of July 4th Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has gotten all patriotic and Read more ›
The Morning Dig: Study Links Cities and Stress
Wednesday, June 29th, 2011
• A newly-released study done in Germany is raising questions about whether people who live in urban areas may “react more vigorously to stress”. (AP) • The biking-friendly city of Minneapolis has added its first self-service bike repair station. (Good.is) Read more ›
How to Get People to Pay Higher Taxes
Tuesday, June 28th, 2011
Despite what TV talking heads may think, people are not stupid. Sure, we may get too attached to our opinions and viewpoints, even when they contradict the incontrovertible evidence — but when you show us a clear and reasonable outline Read more ›
Amazing Trains That Were Never Built
Tuesday, June 28th, 2011
Late last month, after decades of deliberation, the Japanese government finally approved the construction of a maglev train from Tokyo to Osaka, via Nagoya, at a cost of nine trillion yen. Nine trillion yen is too big to squeeze into Google’s Read more ›
The Morning Dig: Europe’s Shift On Urban Transportation Policy
Tuesday, June 28th, 2011
• A big-picture piece on how some European countries are prioritizing mass transit and walking over driving. (NYT) • New York’s legislature has passed a plan to let people hail livery cabs in New York City. (NYT) • Home prices Read more ›
House Bill Would Ban Handheld Cell Phone Use By Drivers
Monday, June 27th, 2011
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s campaign against distracted driving has picked up a Congressional hitchhiker. Late last week Rep. Carolyn McCarthy of New York introduced the Safe Drivers Act of 2011 (pdf), a proposal to prohibit drivers on public roads from using any handheld mobile Read more ›
The Morning Dig: TED Tackles the Future of Traffic
Monday, June 27th, 2011
• Former Ford CEO and current chairman Bill Ford gives a TED talk on how to reduce traffic gridlock in the future (video above). • A big rig crashed into an Amtrak train in the Nevada desert killing 6 people. Read more ›
In Case You’re Just Joining Us: Pros and Cons in the Amtrak Privatization Debate
Friday, June 24th, 2011
Will Amtrak have a good 2011? If you asked the 8-Ball that question at the end of last year, all signs would have pointed to yes. The country’s federally funded passenger rail provider set record ridership numbers in fiscal 2010, and with Read more ›
The Morning Dig: Obama to Tap Emergency Oil Reserves
Friday, June 24th, 2011
• President Obama is selling off 30 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to relieve market pressure after supply disruptions in countries like Libya. (AP) (NYT) (Reuters) • Related: countries across Asia are releasing some emergency oil Read more ›
Is America Facing a Housing Shortage?
Thursday, June 23rd, 2011
It seems a touch ludicrous to think there might not be enough housing in the United States. Yet that’s what several economics writers are proposing lately, with graphs like this, via Matthew Yglesias, to prove it: Population in blue, housing Read more ›
The Morning Dig: How High-Speed Rail Could Transform China
Thursday, June 23rd, 2011
• Reporter Keith Bradsher looks at how China is developing its high-speed rail system, examining both the major benefits and huge costs associated with the project. (NYT) • Airbus is celebrating a record $72 billion in airplane orders at the Read more ›
Rush-Hour Read: The Pentagon Was Built in 17 Months — So Why Did It Take 17 Years to Renovate?
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011
It took just about 17 months to construct the Pentagon from scratch during World War II. Now the home of America’s defense department has been fully renovated — a process that took 17 years. Why the vast difference in speed? Read more ›
New Report: How to Save Money on Road Construction
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011
Whenever the surface transportation reauthorization bill appears — the latest reports say it’s expected just after the July 4 recess — it will be a thrifty sight. Given the reality of severe spending reductions, the Portland Cement Association released a new report Read more ›
The Morning Dig: D.C. Bikeshare System Is a Model for U.S. Cities
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011
• The AP’s Matt Friedman has a video report (above) about how Washington’s bikeshare program has grown in popularity, and how many other U.S. cities can adopt similar programs. • Republican Senator Mark Kirk presented a plan on Tuesday that Read more ›
China’s British-Style Ghost Town
Tuesday, June 21st, 2011
New meaning to tea time. China’s ghost towns may be empty, but they’re not alone. Earlier this year we wrote about the uninhabited city of Ordos. Now Business Insider brings us a look at another ghost town built to capture Read more ›
The Morning Dig: Investigating the True Cost of Gasoline
Tuesday, June 21st, 2011
• A great video from the Center for Investigative Reporting looks into the actual cost of gasoline, which is far higher than the price you pay at the pump. • A passenger plane crashed in northwestern Russia on Monday night, Read more ›
Why Don’t We Value Emergency Readiness? A Q&A With Marshall Watson
Monday, June 20th, 2011
It’s been a disaster-laden year, to put it mildly. From tornadoes to tsunamis to floods to earthquakes, 2011 has hit nearly every part of the world with a brutal vengeance. The news is littered with stories of people forced to Read more ›
What’s Stopping Driverless Cars? (Hint: Not Technology)
Monday, June 20th, 2011
The arrival of autonomous vehicles — cars driven by artificial intelligence — is not as far away as some might imagine. Last we checked, several types of driverless cars around the world had completed successful test runs. Though the notion Read more ›
