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MiTEG posted:There was a short movie made in the 1990's, Taken for a Ride, that claimed the mass dismantling of the American streetcar system in the 1940's was a deliberate move on the part of the US automakers to increase sales of buses and cars. It's sad that mass transit was so much more useable 70 years ago. It was absolutely a deliberate move, specifically by General Motors and Al Sloan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_American_streetcar_scandal "GM was found guilty of violating anti-trust laws, but the penalties imposed were nugatory, even for the time: a $5,000 fine for the company and $1 fines for each convicted executive."
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Jun 26, 2011 04:31
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Cichlidae posted:It was absolutely a deliberate move, specifically by General Motors and Al Sloan. Ugh, don't get me started. My city used to have this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_City_Rapid_Transit_Company 45 miles east to west by my count.
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Jun 26, 2011 06:11
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FISHMANPET posted:Ugh, don't get me started. My city used to have this: That map is also awsome for showing how much the cities have grown. Even the old suburbs of mac-grove and such are only partially built. St. Louis park is its own city.
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Jun 26, 2011 06:46
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This is Rotterdam's public transport map. You can pretty much go from anywhere to anywhere. (and we have a crazy city layout)
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Jun 26, 2011 10:40
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According to this thread, http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5giHrMC9wYlOzOkUg9wNC2jVKugkw?docId=371623ab59694aef9f0a02fe83faca8a, the utilities in the US plan on increasing the tolerance on the frequency of the electricity supply. Of course, they emphasize the impact on alarm clocks and other things that don't actually use the mains frequency to keep time. But what about traffic signals, how many of those still use mains frequency? Or have nearly all signals been upgraded to PLCs?
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Jun 26, 2011 14:48
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Jeoh posted:This is Rotterdam's public transport map. You can pretty much go from anywhere to anywhere. (and we have a crazy city layout) Wow, I think I've found a new wallpaper. That is one amazing network. Guy Axelrod posted:But what about traffic signals, how many of those still use mains frequency? Or have nearly all signals been upgraded to PLCs? Our TBC (Time-based coordination) signals all have internal clocks, so those will be fine. The normal signals, though, I'll have to check with our electrical unit. Our hardware is all based on incredibly old technology, so I wouldn't be surprised.
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Jun 26, 2011 17:07
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Cichlidae posted:That's an impressive network by any modern city's standards. Back in that time, even the tiny cities around here all had pretty extensive streetcar networks. It's amazing that almost none of them had the foresight to hold on to that right-of-way. There's a great book on the history of transit in LA that I'll need to dig up more info about when I get home, but it goes into the whole notion of LA city planners making a conscious choice to force car use. It was very much tied into the idea of mass transit being an outmoded concept that has no place in modern urban society. There was the explicit desire to erase it from the urban landscape. Holding onto a ROW was simply not going to happen.
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Jun 26, 2011 21:41
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Crackpipe posted:There's a great book on the history of transit in LA that I'll need to dig up more info about when I get home, but it goes into the whole notion of LA city planners making a conscious choice to force car use. It was very much tied into the idea of mass transit being an outmoded concept that has no place in modern urban society. Let us know when you find out what that book is, because I live here in SoCal and would love to check it out from a local library. e: a transportation museum would be badass
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Jun 27, 2011 19:46
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Mandalay posted:Let us know when you find out what that book is, because I live here in SoCal and would love to check it out from a local library. There are transportation museums all around, they're just not very comprehensive. For example, there's a streetcar museum down around Branford. Their collections are far outclassed, unfortunately, by what you'd find in the scrapyards near most major cities.
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Jun 27, 2011 21:46
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Cichlidae posted:There are transportation museums all around, they're just not very comprehensive. For example, there's a streetcar museum down around Branford. Their collections are far outclassed, unfortunately, by what you'd find in the scrapyards near most major cities. Those museums seem to focus on the vehicles of transport rather than the development of networks/infrastructure/planning that I find more interesting.  Then again, the Deutsche Bahn museum in Nurnberg is pretty drat sweet.
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Jun 27, 2011 22:34
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http://www.wfsb.com/story/14982827/arrigoni-bridge-to-be-reduced-to-single-lane Well, my project gets the #1 spot on Channel 3! I'm sure those of you who live in the area will be seeing a lot of it. I was out there today (walked across the bridge a couple of times, I'm probably in the video somewhere) and I'll be out tomorrow morning helping with the traffic control. Our smart work zone is at https://www.arrigonibridge.com - even if you don't live around here, it's worth checking out what we can do with a few sensors and message boards. This is the first smart work zone in the state.
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Jun 28, 2011 00:35
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Glad my wife wants to move from Middletown, to East Hampton...my 20 minute commute to Wallingford would turn into 2 hours
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Jun 28, 2011 02:07
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v689fbird posted:Glad my wife wants to move from Middletown, to East Hampton...my 20 minute commute to Wallingford would turn into 2 hours It won't be nearly that bad. Heck, even if it is, just take 151 down to the swing bridge in Haddam and cut across on 80.
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Jun 28, 2011 03:20
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Except last time I had a commute that took me over that bridge, I would get to it just in time for it to open up for a boat at least every other trip. I drive all day for work, a little more traffic won't kill me.
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Jun 28, 2011 23:51
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Cichlidae posted:Our smart work zone is at https://www.arrigonibridge.com - even if you don't live around here, it's worth checking out what we can do with a few sensors and message boards. This is the first smart work zone in the state.
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Jun 29, 2011 00:45
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smackfu posted:That is pretty slick. Why are the further away message boards black now (8 PM)? Are they only used when there is a backup? Correct. The delay has to be over 10 minutes (5 minutes for the one on 91 SB, but we'll probably change it to 10) for any message to show up. If we show a placeholder message when there's no delay, people will ignore the sign when there is.
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Jun 29, 2011 01:16
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Quick question about the sensors that show the speed of traffic in the work zone. Is the speed that is shown an actual MPH reading of vehicles passing through, or does it show how fast you could go? It is about 4:45 AM, and the sensor nearest the bridge said 60 MPH, the other said 57.5 MPH. I can't picture someone going 60 down Main Street in Portland, but hey it is 4:45 in the morning! There is a lot of useful information on that site, good job.
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Jun 29, 2011 09:50
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porkfriedrice posted:Quick question about the sensors that show the speed of traffic in the work zone. Is the speed that is shown an actual MPH reading of vehicles passing through, or does it show how fast you could go? It is about 4:45 AM, and the sensor nearest the bridge said 60 MPH, the other said 57.5 MPH. I can't picture someone going 60 down Main Street in Portland, but hey it is 4:45 in the morning! There is a lot of useful information on that site, good job. They show actual speed, averaged over a 2-minute period to account for fluctuations caused by the signal cycles. If it's showing 60 mph, it's probably because of the streetscape project that's going on directly across the street. They occasionally take over one of the travel lanes, and the sensor gets pretty screwed up by the reflections. The streetscape project should be done in a few weeks. These speed sensors (heck, the whole system) is almost always used on freeways. This is the first time PDP has done an install on a road with signals. I would bet the sensors default to 60 mph when they're getting a lot of erratic data. Edit: I got them to fix it. Should be accurate now. Cichlidae fucked around with this message at 21:56 on Jun 29, 2011 |
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Jun 29, 2011 11:34
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Why is Dead Man's Curve in Cleveland so dangerous? It doesn't really seem that sharp, on the map or on the ground (except for the skid marks on the barriers), but there's still a lot of accidents there.
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Jun 29, 2011 22:26
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Sam. posted:Why is Dead Man's Curve in Cleveland so dangerous? It doesn't really seem that sharp, on the map or on the ground (except for the skid marks on the barriers), but there's still a lot of accidents there. As far as I can tell from driving it regularly, people are stupid. I can take it without drama at 65 MPH in a company Kia Spectra on Wal-Mart tires, so it's not like any passenger cars should have any problem with the corner (though I'm sure it could be hairy for a truck or bus that ignored the signs). Just combine a decent amount of traffic with a much tighter corner than you'd expect on an interstate, add idiots and you have a recipe for accidents. The first time I drove it I actually thought I had somehow ended up on the wrong road because I couldn't see how it could have earned its name.
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Jun 29, 2011 22:35
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Sam. posted:Why is Dead Man's Curve in Cleveland so dangerous? It doesn't really seem that sharp, on the map or on the ground (except for the skid marks on the barriers), but there's still a lot of accidents there. It's between two long straightaways. Drivers will naturally drive at a speed they consider safe. If they're not paying attention, they could end up going very fast on the straightaway, and not be able to slow in time for the curve. We have similar problems on the S-curves in Pawtucket for the same reason. The curves themselves aren't that bad, but drivers don't pay enough attention to slow down appropriately. The solution is to introduce gentle curves when designing roadways, as it helps avoid the high speeds on straightaways and keeps the drivers more attentive.
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Jun 29, 2011 22:50
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This is in the U.K but I hope you can help. Why does the crossing here go in between two lanes that go the same way? It makes crossing the road remarkably dangerous as you think it is safe one direction then you nearly get run over half way across. Also I saw this on the BBC. Are roundabouts really that good?
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Jul 1, 2011 13:48
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Antinumeric posted:This is in the U.K but I hope you can help. Why does the crossing here go in between two lanes that go the same way? It makes crossing the road remarkably dangerous as you think it is safe one direction then you nearly get run over half way across. Looks like separating the red and normal-colored lanes is more important to the designers than separating different directions. Not the way I'd have done it. What is the red lane for? Antinumeric posted:Also I saw this on the BBC. Are roundabouts really that good? Yup, though I'd say that France is more influential than Britain in the design and spread of roundabouts. Recently, France had more than half of the roundabouts in the entire world. Keep in mind that Carmel is a very special case; it's probably the most roundabout-friendly town in the country. The benefits are tremendous, all the same, and we're starting to see more and more everywhere.
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Jul 1, 2011 21:25
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What the gently caress is going on here? The highway adds a lane going south, but instead of simply widening the left lane and then adding a new lane separator like normal, the new lane seems to grow out of the opposing traffic lane. Street View and Satellite.
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Jul 2, 2011 06:34
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Cichlidae posted:Looks like separating the red and normal-colored lanes is more important to the designers than separating different directions. Not the way I'd have done it. What is the red lane for? The red lane is a Bus lane. just before the crossing there is a bus stop. The road on the left of the streetview is a bus depot. Just down the road going west the bus lane turns into a regular left hand turn lane for the bigger intersection ahead. Only one of the 5 busses that stop at the bus stop goes left the rest carry on ahead. Could it be to do with stopping people prematurely using the bus lane for left hand turns? Choadmaster posted:Future accident hotspot
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Jul 2, 2011 10:56
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It looks like someone knew it would be confusing, so they added the arrows to show which way traffic was going.
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Jul 2, 2011 14:14
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Choadmaster posted:What the gently caress is going on here? The highway adds a lane going south, but instead of simply widening the left lane and then adding a new lane separator like normal, the new lane seems to grow out of the opposing traffic lane. Striping error. You can see the white marks where the opposing lane line was supposed to continue, making a painted island. Whoever was painting the stripes wasn't paying attention. Antinumeric posted:The red lane is a Bus lane. just before the crossing there is a bus stop. The road on the left of the streetview is a bus depot. Just down the road going west the bus lane turns into a regular left hand turn lane for the bigger intersection ahead. Only one of the 5 busses that stop at the bus stop goes left the rest carry on ahead. Could it be to do with stopping people prematurely using the bus lane for left hand turns? That's what I figure. Putting the island between the two opposing lanes might cause people to merge into the bus lane even sooner, or cut in front of the bus stop. It provides some extra protection to pedestrians darting out from behind a stopped bus.
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Jul 2, 2011 14:21
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Mandalay posted:Let us know when you find out what that book is, because I live here in SoCal and would love to check it out from a local library. I didn't forget! Los Angeles and the Automobile: The Making of the Modern City Mandalay posted:e: a transportation museum would be badass Boston has an library devoted entirely to mass transit. It's open to the public 5 days a week, and very few people know it's there.
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Jul 2, 2011 19:56
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Crackpipe posted:I didn't forget! Los Angeles and the Automobile: The Making of the Modern City What's it called? Does it have any cool exhibits? The Institute of Transportation Library at Berkeley has some really cool books: literally more than I can ever hope to read. (They also have a copy of SimCity 4 on their shelves)
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Jul 3, 2011 09:51
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Crackpipe posted:I didn't forget! Los Angeles and the Automobile: The Making of the Modern City NYC has a transit museum in an old unused subway station in the Bronx. Apparently you can have kid's birthday parties there? I feel like that would be the coolest thing ever.
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Jul 4, 2011 02:43
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In Eugene, OR they are in the process of replacing a bridge on I5. They built a temporary bridge, and are using it currently. Then they plan to build a permanant bridge and tear down the temporary one. Isn't that a giant waste of time and money? Why not just build a new permanent bridge? They claim here:http://willametteriverbridge.blogspot.com/2011/01/replacing-temporary-bridge.html that they couldn't design a bridge fast enough. Aren't bridge designs pretty standard by this point?
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Jul 4, 2011 05:26
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modig posted:Then they plan to build a permanant bridge and tear down the temporary one. Isn't that a giant waste of time and money? Why not just build a new permanent bridge? Are you sure they are going to demolish the old bridge? When they built the Scheldt storm surge barrier they had a very long temporary workbridge, when work was done the bridge was sold and shipped to Hong Kong.
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Jul 4, 2011 10:27
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FISHMANPET posted:NYC has a transit museum in an old unused subway station in the Bronx. Apparently you can have kid's birthday parties there? I feel like that would be the coolest thing ever. Yeah!  When I visited New York, I didn't end up visiting any of the touristy stuff (Statue of Liberty, Empire State, etc.) but gently caress I didn't miss the chance to go to the transit museum. 1/4 of the photos from my trip are in that museum. 
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Jul 4, 2011 10:45
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NihilismNow posted:Are you sure they are going to demolish the old bridge? When they built the Scheldt storm surge barrier they had a very long temporary workbridge, when work was done the bridge was sold and shipped to Hong Kong. They claim they will recycle the materials from it, which is hard to do without pulling it down.
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Jul 4, 2011 14:29
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less than three posted:Yeah! I was there for a day so no time to make it all the way to the Bronx, but they have a little thing in Grand Central Station that I checked out. Mostly a gift shop, but there's a little bit of history stuff to read in there.
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Jul 4, 2011 16:56
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Mandalay posted:What's it called? Does it have any cool exhibits? The Institute of Transportation Library at Berkeley has some really cool books: literally more than I can ever hope to read. (They also have a copy of SimCity 4 on their shelves) Right now it's simply "The State Transportation Library" (might be renamed soon) and it's located in an impossible-to-just-stumble-upon-it part of the State Transportation Building in Park Plaza. It's filled with documents and photos, and plans for crazy poo poo that never came to pass because Massachusetts decided to go all "gently caress mass transit, unless it's the commuter rail or buses" some time ago. Boston Goons: Go to the food court in the State Transportation Building, go up the escalator, present your driver's license to the guard at the top and tell him where you want to go. FISHMANPET posted:NYC has a transit museum in an old unused subway station in the Bronx. Apparently you can have kid's birthday parties there? I feel like that would be the coolest thing ever. It's incredible. Absolutely incredible. I felt kinda rushed going through it when I visited because I had to catch a bus home, but I could have spent most of the day there if I had the time. You don't have to be a spergy train nerd to completely geek out over the amount of cool stuff on display. Crackpipe fucked around with this message at 19:36 on Jul 4, 2011 |
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Jul 4, 2011 19:34
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Crackpipe posted:Right now it's simply "The State Transportation Library" (might be renamed soon) and it's located in an impossible-to-just-stumble-upon-it part of the State Transportation Building in Park Plaza. It's filled with documents and photos, and plans for crazy poo poo that never came to pass because Massachusetts decided to go all "gently caress mass transit, unless it's the commuter rail or buses" some time ago. This sounds incredible. I'll try to make it out to the East Coast from California later this year to check this poo poo out 
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Jul 5, 2011 06:38
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Mandalay posted:This sounds incredible. I'll try to make it out to the East Coast from California later this year to check this poo poo out Be sure to check out every model of turnstile ever used in NYC ever:  And yes, each one gets an entire wall panel of text explaining all sorts of stuff about them. But the best part is below. You've got one of almost every subway car ever used in NYC. And they're open and powered-up.
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Jul 5, 2011 07:12
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Crackpipe posted:Be sure to check out every model of turnstile ever used in NYC ever: And be sure to have a Metrocard handy for their trivia things: 
less than three fucked around with this message at 08:36 on Jul 5, 2011 |
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Jul 5, 2011 08:24
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modig posted:In Eugene, OR they are in the process of replacing a bridge on I5. They built a temporary bridge, and are using it currently. Then they plan to build a permanant bridge and tear down the temporary one. Isn't that a giant waste of time and money? Why not just build a new permanent bridge? Perhaps the existing bridge was in such bad shape that they needed a temporary structure to safely carry traffic. Keep in mind the temporary bridge has been carrying traffic for 6 years. I'm sure that reduction in travel time more than paid for its cost. Also, depending on the project, "temporary" bridges can end up staying in place for 10 years or more. And as for bridge designs being standard, though there are a lot of pre-fab parts and relatively unchanged designs, there is a ton of customization and fine-tuning involved. Larger bridges like this one have to be more or less designed from scratch.
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Jul 5, 2011 13:13
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