Fast Company contemplates whether it is time to inject the Eisenhower Interstate System with some new design and improved technology.
But the most radical components of Manual’s redesign can be found when you’re getting off the highway. The group’s proposal calls for every exit sign to be fitted with a wireless transmitter, connecting it to a smartphone app provided by the Department of Transportation. As drivers zoom down the interstate, the app would update dynamically with information on restaurants, gas stations, and local points of interest found at the exits ahead. It’s like a high-tech version of those signs that tell you what restaurants you can expect at the next exit, except instead of just announcing every McDonald’s and Cracker Barrel across the country, the app would feature independent businesses that lack highway visibility. Aside from the whole issue of fumbling with your smartphone while you’re hurtling down the highway at 80 miles per hour, this part of Manual’s redesign is especially compelling.
