Transport activity across Europe is high, and set to continue growing – estimates suggest that passenger transport will increase by 42% by 2050, and freight transport by 60%. This is good news for passengers and …
Continue readingAuthor: Long Branch Mike
Air quality in enclosed railway stations (ICE Lecture)
In 2012, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reclassified diesel engine exhaust and related ambient air pollution to be carcinogenic and associated with increased mortality from lung cancer. This could …
Continue readingStarving the bus network kills transit (CityLab)
Streetcar, bus, and metro systems have been ignoring one lesson for 100 years: Service drives demand. One hundred years ago, the United States had a public transportation system that was the envy of the world. …
Continue readingInside the TNC data tug of war (OverheadWire)
[TNC stands for transport network companies, the generic term for companies like Uber and Lyft et al] The newest disagreement revolves around the data these companies collect in cities. Cities want access to this data …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 25 March 2019
Do not adjust your screen – we’re starting a twice weekly Friday Reads as we have a backlog of great stories and links. • Moquettes as razzle dazzle camo (CityLab) • Cities are recycling car …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 22 March 2019
I’d rather be a prisoner of a gentleman than a free man in a world gone mad. • Bunker reuse ideas (BusinessInsider) • London’s original zero-emissions buses (TheEngineer) • Disused rail stations comeback plans (LiverpoolEcho) …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 5 April 2019
• Designing wayfinding for the 2012 Olympics (CityWayfinding) • LNER 1939 suburban lines map (MappingLondon) • Paris’ 1900 moving sidewalk (TreeHugger) • Historic & modern transit system maps compared (Guardian) • Seattle’s Waterfront, minus expressway, …
Continue readingHS2 plans waste heat recovery scheme (ConstructionIndex)
Engineers for HS2 Ltd are looking at tapping heat from the brakes and engines of high speed trains for a district heating scheme. Under the plans, hot water and central heating for 500 new homes …
Continue readingWhy Tube tunnels don’t have WiFi (Wired)
Want a quick digital detox? In London, all you need to do is take the Tube. But, from next year, Transport for London (TfL) says it will roll out 4G coverage on the Underground. It’s …
Continue readingBerlin giving women public transport discount (CityLab)
The German capital is celebrating Equal Pay Day with the Frauenticket, a discounted fare that reflects the gender pay gap. Women traveling around Berlin on Monday will find that public transit costs them quite a …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 15 March 2019
Ides of March edition • Decluttered Tube and Rail map (EveningStandard) • Quirky solution for feets on seats (GoNorthEast) • Emitted but omitted: runaway runways (Isonomia) • Cities & transit can fail the most vulnerable …
Continue readingAutonomous surprises in Boeing 737 MAX & in cars (Slate)
Pilots usually have to understand their autonomous planes. We should understand our autonomous cars. Recently, I asked my colleagues if they had ever been startled by a robotic driving feature. One described the unpleasant sensation …
Continue readingIntercontinental commuting in Constantinople (DailySabah)
Connecting Istanbul’s east and west, Marmaray suburban rail line officially opens. The long-awaited Marmaray project, revamping the existing suburban rail line with a tunnel connecting the sections separated by the Bosporus, finally came into service …
Continue readingDrones to scout for rail incursions (SunSentinel)
You may one day see drones flying over railroad tracks across South Florida: Tri-Rail plans to adopt this technology to spot trespassers and prevent suicides as well as accidents on the railway. The South Florida …
Continue readingSneak preview of NYC robot UWB comms (SignalProblems)
The New York City MTA IT department hosted an “executive demonstration” to show the installation of ultra-wideband sensors on the 42nd St shuttle track “via a robotic arm”. As a refresher, ultra-wideband, or UWB, is …
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