Also see from the US: Public Transportation’s Impact on Rural and Small Towns: A Vital Mobility Link And from Laura Bliss at City Lab, 10 Oct 2017: For rural Americans who don’t have access to cars, basics like grocery shopping and doctor’s appointments can turn into an arduous struggle. With few transit options at low densities, the expense and hassle …
How planners are chasing better traffic flow with design and how Oxford and Helsinki are steering residents away from driving
Kim Slowey@kimslowey Construction Dive and Smart Cities Oct 2017 Few things are more frustrating than being stuck in traffic. Yet Americans spent an average of 42 hours waiting out gridlock in 2016, costing commuters a total of $300 billion, or about $1,400 per driver, according to connected car services and analytics company Inrix. Sitting in traffic can also take a psychological toll on commuters, say researchers …
Daimler self-driving snow removal trucks built for plowing at airports initially
October 19th, 2017 by James Ayre on Clean Technica As part of its embrace of self-driving vehicle tech, and following earlier demonstrations of self-driving semi trucks, Daimler has now demonstrated fully self-driving snow removal trucks on the site of the former Pferdsfeld airbase. The demonstration follows a specific customer request for self-driving snow removal trucks to be used for the clearance of airfields …
Why earlier, bigger steps are needed to transition our transportation and energy systems
The 1.5 – 2 C path is still possible but requires a dramatic and rapid shift. The U.S. is the largest cumulative emitter of greenhouse gases, and the electric and auto industries account for nearly half of the country’s annual output. Fossil fuel combustion accounts for 95 percent of those industries’ emissions. Sarang D. Supekar, Steven J. Skerlos. Analysis of Costs …
One quarter of the US driving population might be better off using ride services rather than owning a car
Up to one-quarter of all U.S. drivers might be better off using ride-sharing services instead. SHARE from CityLab Every day there’s more news about the inevitable arrival of autonomous vehicles. At the same time, more people are using ride-hailing and ride-sharing apps, and the percentage of teens getting their driver’s license continues to decline. Given these technologies and social changes, it’s worth asking: Should Americans stop …
Transportation Engineers Are Ethically Bound to Protect Public Safety. Too Many Do Not.
Excellent conversation on StreetsBlog, following an article by Angie Schmitt, 11 Oct 2017. A further question is safety from air pollution. See whole category on that on this website. Transportation engineering practices have produced too many environments that fail to take public safety into account. Licensed transportation engineers are supposed to abide by an ethical code of conduct that places the …
Did you know? Facts related to urban mobility
Did you know? Around half of the urban population is exposed to levels 2.5 times higher than the WHO Air Quality Guideline and Air pollution deaths cost global economy USD$225 billion. (WHO, 2016) If unchecked, transport CO2 emissions could increase 60% by 2050. The provision of walking and cycling infrastructure is among the least expensive elements in changing land use …
The Kaohsiung Strategies for the Future of Urban Mobility
The Kaohsiung Strategies for the Future of Urban Mobility Final draft as of 21 September 2017. Announced 2-4 October 2017 We, the representatives of cities and entities that support implementing sustainable urban mobility, assembled in Kaohsiung on 2-4 October 2017 for the Third EcoMobility World Festival and EcoMobility World Congress 2017. Following the Congress themes of liveable, shared, and intelligent, …
India committed to the transport transition, in Delhi, 85% of the city’s 700,000 rickshaws are electric
Anuradha Sengupta in Yes! Magazine, 4 Oct 2017 It is about 6 p.m. in New Town, a satellite township of Kolkata, India. As the daylight dims, streetlights flicker on. Chintu Mondal has parked his blue-and-red electric rickshaw near a new, swanky glass-and-steel building. Very soon, the offices inside will disgorge hundreds of employees looking for rides home. Taxis here are hard to …
Pace of the EV transition likened to Model-T (10-15 years)
October 7th, 2017, By Charles Morris, Originally published on EV Annex How long will it take for electric vehicles to replace fossil-burners? Observing the current auto market, one might conclude that it will take quite a long time. Of over a billion vehicles on our planet’s roads today, only two million are electric, and half of those are in China. Many consumers …