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soylent green is conformists!
Browsing All posts tagged under »road design«
3 reasons to explore road privatization
Americans are bombarded with rhetoric about the country’s failing transportation infrastructure. We hear horror stories about crumbling bridges, eroded pavement on highways, and a lack of sidewalks connecting communities. Peel away the partisan talking points and there is a common thread among most lobbying efforts: Government will own and operate some or all of the […]
the sad, sorry state of roads
October 4, 2012
HT @ASCETweets The topic isn’t new. “Sad, sorry state of roads” will almost guarantee an acknowledgment by American Society of Engineers and other road building advocacy groups. I wish this particular article had a user-friendly comments section, because I think the reader debate would be quite lively. http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2012/1002/The-sad-sorry-state-of-US-roads What I like is Richard Read’s parting […]
When design manuals trump engineering judgment
October 2, 2012
I recently drove past this example of conforming to road design manuals. Who needs common sense and engineering judgment when these manuals have all the answers?!
discussing contested streets, #JaneJacobs and more with planning students @VCU
October 2, 2012
A friend teaches “Introduction to the City and Urban Development” at VCU. The bad news is that he’ll be out of town for the next class that focuses on city transportation. The good news is that I get to substitute for him. We’re going to watch and discuss Contested Streets, an excellent documentary freely available online. […]
a failure to meet federal standards
August 27, 2012
From the Federal Highway Administration… A livable community is one in which people have multiple, convenient transportation and housing options as well as destinations easily accessible to people traveling in and out of cars. They also give this quick history… Livability builds off existing resources, policies, and programs: Context Sensitive Solutions Scenario Planning Planning and […]
bad streets for bicycling
August 20, 2012
The photo contest hosted by @EllyBlue at Taking the Lane has wrapped. Should I be thrilled or embarrassed that I won? I’m not going to waste my time with introspection. I’m going to give my award reception speech. Ahem… Thank you, thank you. I would first like to thank the bicycling academy. I now graciously […]
West Palm Walkability
June 3, 2012
The streets of West Palm Beach, FL took a beating recently. Physically, by hundreds of urbanists walking around during CNU20 and verbally, by many of the same urbanists reacting to what they encountered. The conversation is still going strong. The picture below is not unique to West Palm Beach. Despite the high volume of foot […]
flexible design is still not mainstream
April 28, 2012
Thanks in part to FHWA releasing this document, roadway design flexibility has become a popular catch phrase in professional transportation circles. The basic idea is that engineers are smart people who should use good judgment and common sense when designing streets and highways. At the philosophical level, the message has successfully spread. At the practical level, not so […]
evolution of highway decision making
February 19, 2012
From the FHWA archives: “Risking Success Through Flexible Design“. Over the past decade, through conferences, training, and new partnerships, FHWA and its partners have been working to bridge knowledge gaps and enable transportation planners and engineers to design with flexibility and employ context sensitive approaches with greater confidence and regularity. Understanding this evolving landscape of […]
imagine your new product creates jobs but kills 33,000 people per year
February 8, 2012
from the archive of @Brooklynspoke… In 2009, 33,000 people were killed by cars nationwide. [Randy] Cohen asked the crowd to think about that for a second. “Imagine you’re introducing a new transportation system,” Cohen said, “but there’s one catch: it will kill 33,000 people a year.” Cohen hardly needed to point out that few Americans […]
October 25, 2012
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