The 2010 Urban Mobility Report found that Americans burned 3.9 billions gallons in wasted fuel while waiting in traffic on U.S. roadways. Photo by Steve Minor.
Welcome back to TheCityFix Picks, our series highlighting the newsy and noteworthy of the past week. Each Friday, we’ll run down the headlines falling under TheCityFix’s five themes: mobility, quality of life, environment, public space, and technology and innovation.
Mobility
United States transportation infrastructure is in desperate need of repair, according to House Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica.
The U.S. Federal Transit Administration cleared the way for construction of Honolulu’s first rail system. The 20-mile elevated rail system will include 21 stations that will connect communities to the Hawaiian capital’s downtown.
Snow storms pounded many east coast cities in the United States this week, hitting New York City’s transit systems particularly hard.
Cars and buses do not rule Jakarta’s streets. Instead, motorcycles are king of the Indonesian capital’s roadways. With private vehicle use on the rise, one Jakarta Post writer fears the death of public transportation in the city.
Quality of Life
Your odds of dying in a motor vehicle crash vary dramatically based on where you live. A United States road safety study found that urban roads are much safer than rural roads.
Congestion pricing is possibly back on the table as a solution for New York City’s clogged streets. “Politicians are quietly resurrecting plans to charge drivers up to $10 to enter lower Manhattan on weekdays,” the NY Daily News says.
“Things have to change,” Texas lieutenant governor David Dewhurst says on how to deal with the clogged urban roadways of the Lone Star state. He suggested congestion pricing may help but is not a panacea.
Environment
The United States would derive no meaningful military benefit from increased use of alternative fuels to power its jets, ships and other weapons systems, according to a recent study.
Major world cities such as New York, London and Shanghai contribute less pollution per capita than places like Denver and Rotterdam, especially if those cities have public transportation systems.
American drivers wasted 3.9 billion gallons of gas stuck in traffic congestion in 2009, according to a new study from Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University.
Public Space
Detroit is suffering from a plague of potholes brought on by bad weather and unaided by bruised budgets.
A New York firm’s design submission for a wildlife crossing over Interstate 70 near Vail, Colo. was selected at the Transportation Research Board’s 90th Annual Meeting this week. The ARC International Wildlife Crossing Infrastructure Design Competition aims to help prevent collisions between cars and wildlife wandering onto the highway.
Technology and Innovation
A new camera-based “Find Your Car” system in a Santa Monica, Ca. shopping center helps shoppers locate their vehicles, but some people have raised concerns about privacy.
Mazda will now enter the electric vehicle game. The Japanese automaker showcased the Demio in Tokyo. The vehicle can travel 200 kilometers on a full charge.
The U.S. Department of Transportation launched a competition seeking new ideas on how cars should talk to each other in an effort to increase safety, sustainability and congestion.
More than 6,300 bus stops displaying 10,000 posters were equipped with QR codes allowing passengers to search the streets of Seoul, track real-time bus arrival times and find downtown sightseeing information.
A British energy firm made a breakthrough in synthetic fuel production and predicts fuel costs could fall to $1.50 per gallon in the United States as a result of using the new zero-emission fuel.
Toyota is adding new members to its Prius family with the expansion of a five-passenger minivan, a smaller hatchback and a plug-in Prius. But, the company asks, “what exactly is the plural for Prius…Prii, Prium, Priuses, Prien, or is it just Prius?” Vote for your favorite name here.
