Archive for the ‘Traffic’ Category

The Bikes and the Fury

Tuesday, April 30th, 2013

NewYork Times reports on the city’s bike share program.

The city’s long-anticipated bike share program is scheduled to make its debut in May, allowing New Yorkers to pick up and deposit rental bikes at hundreds of locations, most of them, so far, in some of the wealthiest neighborhoods.

So is this really .Read more...

To Fight Gridlock, a City Synchronizes Every Red Light

Tuesday, April 9th, 2013

The New York Times reports on Los Angeles synchronizing all of its 4,500 traffic lights in an attempt to keep vehicles moving.

Los Angeles has synchronized every one of its 4,500 traffic signals across 469 square miles — the first major metropolis in the world to do so, officials said — raising the .Read more...

Mega-Commuters Take Manhattan

Friday, March 29th, 2013

WNYC looks at mega-commuters in Manhattan

Do you travel at least 90 minutes and 50 miles to get to work? The U.S. Census Bureau calls you a “mega-commuter” — and you’re not alone.

About 2 percent of workers in the New York Metro Area are mega-commuters, according to American Community Survey figures .Read more...

Innovations and Tricks in Parking Science

Wednesday, February 13th, 2013

The Wall Street Journal looks at innovations in parking methods and science with a great infographic.

Circling around a parking lot hunting for a space is one of life’s most irritating experiences, especially this time of year. Truth is, though, there are usually available spots—most mall lots fill to just 30% .Read more...

Start-ups Aim to Fix Transportation Problems (and Potholes)

Thursday, November 15th, 2012

The Wall Street Journal looks at start-ups using data and technology to address transportation conundrums and annoyances.

Entrepreneurs and investors are finding new ways to tap the predictive power of numbers, including ways to kill the traffic jam and other motorist scourges such as potholes.

The results are playing out inside a .Read more...

Austin Introduces Variable Toll Lanes

Thursday, October 25th, 2012

Freakonomics looks at the new toll lanes in Austin, Texas (a regional office for Armstrong):

In increasingly long rush hours, traffic barely moves on either north-south freeway. To solve the problem, the city is adding one lane in each direction to one freeway, but there will be tolls on that lane. .Read more...

Wisconsin Crash Calendar Provides Visual History

Thursday, October 25th, 2012

Wisconsin’s Governors Highway Safety Association created a rich info-graphic regarding all of the state crash data for 2011.

The unique display of crash statistics provokes interest and discussion among those who view it. The BOTS has brought the calendar to several multi-disciplinary meetings and have noticed how much conversation it generates as people .Read more...

Situational Crosswalk Ethics

Thursday, October 11th, 2012

Freakonomics looks at crosswalk ethics.

But some pedestrians press the button with a conditional intention to cross the street before the crossing light changes if there is a break in the traffic.  One often sees pedestrians approach an intersection, press the button, and then immediately cross the street, before the crossing .Read more...

Cameras Watching Cameras: Red Light Cameras Live!

Monday, October 1st, 2012

WTOP reports on new cameras used to watch…cameras.

Many people find speed cameras frustrating, and some in the region are taking their rage out on the cameras themselves.

But now there’s a new solution: cameras to watch the cameras.

One is already in place, and Prince George’s County Police Maj. Robert V. Liberati .Read more...

Taxing the Traffic Out of Sweden

Thursday, September 13th, 2012

How Sweden cut traffic, from the Washington Post.

Traffic congestion sometimes seems like an utterly in­trac­table problem. If a city suffering from gridlock tries to construct new roads to ease the pressure, traffic usually just increases to fill the extra space. Same thing when new bus and subway lines get built. Yet a .Read more...

Santa Monica Technology Eliminates Extra Time at Meters

Friday, August 31st, 2012

The New York Times highlights a new parking system in the city of Santa Monica, California.

Using new technology, the city has adapted a system that resets the time on each parking meter to zero the moment a car pulls out of a space. And if a sign shows a parking .Read more...

Raising Tolls and Raising Speeds

Tuesday, August 21st, 2012

The Seattle Times looks at the effects of raising the tolls on a Seattle area bridge.

New tolls on the Highway 520 bridge have reduced traffic so much that drivers are commonly traveling at 65 mph, maybe three times as fast as they’re used to.

“Clearly, 520 drivers’ adrenaline starts pumping when .Read more...