Infographic: Distracted Driving: Moral Hazards of Motoring Muddled

June 28, 2013 at 6:27 pm

In a country with nearly 300 million vehicles and an equal number (or more?) of mobile devices distracted is fast becoming a big issue.  this infographic by IFA Auto Insurance, designed to raise public awareness about the dangers of distracted driving, shows you how the extent of the problem, the consequences, etc.  Worth sharing with your peers.

Image Courtesy: IFA Auto Insurance via Business2Community.com

Source: business2community 

This is Why Post-Sandy New York City Should Seriously Consider Bus Rapid Transit (and all things Transit)

October 31, 2012 at 5:33 pm

Saw this picture below tweeted out by joanna coles @JoannaColes Editor-in-Chief Cosmopolitan Magazine. She shot this gridlocked thoroughfare from her office (located on the 38th floor of the building where Cosmopolitan mag. is located).  With its subway system crippled by Sandy, this pic. shows how badly NYC needs to reconsider its transportation strategies and prioritize implementing any/all strategies that moves people away from cars.  It is going to be once heck of a recovery until the subway limps back to normal!   

View of a Gridlocked New York City

 

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Traffic Management in North Korea – Picture of a traffic warden/constable at duty

October 19, 2012 at 9:58 pm

Saw this image on a Reddit forum, courtesy of elfmachine100 who recently returned from a trip to North Korea.. Among all the pictures I saw this one – a North Korean Traffic Warden at an intersection. Amazing how disciplined she looks, as if she in a military parade, rapt in attention. And I’m also digging the aesthetically-pleasing sunshade she is standing under.

Source: reddit.com via Andy on Pinterest

Awesome chart breaks down state by state statutes for motorists passing bicyclists

August 7, 2012 at 5:27 pm

(via TRB)

The National Conference of State Legislatures has released a chart that highlights those states that have statutes regarding motorists passing bicyclists and provides a brief summary of each state’s statute on motorists passing bicyclists. Click image below to learn more.

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Social(media) Policing! Facebook Used by Delhi Police to Catch Lawless Drivers

August 2, 2010 at 2:33 pm

Nice work Delhi Police.. Glad to see citizens actively participating in keeping their city safe. Its is amazing to see how social media has transformed our communities and the way we live (and even police ourselves).

Amplify’d from mashable.com
he tr

The traffic police of Delhi, India, are using citizen submissions on a Facebook page to catch and ticket misbehaving drivers.

The New York Times says officials have issued 665 tickets based on photographs of license plates posted to the Delhi Traffic Police Facebook page, which has almost 18,000 fans.

The police didn’t initially solicit these photos, but citizens took the initiative to help the authorities because Delhi, a sprawling metropolis that’s home to more than 12 million people, has only 5,000 traffic cops.

This method will only become more useful. The 2010 Commonwealth Games will take place in Delhi in early October, bringing a huge influx of travelers to the roads. Now the info panel at the Facebook (Facebook) page says: “Managing traffic in Delhi during the Commonwealth Games will be a big challange as well as a great opportunity. Delhi Traffic Police cannot possibly succeed without the active cooperation, participation and support of all the citizens.”

Read more at mashable.com

 

Horrible Commute? Now you have a way to tell your lawmakers about it

May 15, 2009 at 1:20 pm

(Source: Wheels Blog – New York Times)

There are bad work commutes. Then there are blood-boiling commutes that need to be vividly rehashed to unwitting co-workers, friends, anyone. Now there’s another option: The Washington-based nonprofit groupTransportation for America has launchedthis Web site as a home base for people who want (or need) to vent about their miserable trips to and from work.

“Sitting in a metal box on a sea of asphalt surrounded by the toxic gases that are cooking our planet sounds like a lousy way to start and end your day,” says the site. “It’s time to stop silently seething and muttering curses under your breath — we’re inviting you to let it all out!”

James Corless, the group’s director, says his own commute isn’t really so bad right now — he takes the Metro into Washington — but he does complain that there are too many cars, which break down frequently.

“We’ve been doing town hall meetings around the country, and there’s a lot of general frustration not only with high gas prices, but with road congestion, poor maintenance and the lack of transit options,” Mr. Corless said. “Americans can finally turn their frustration and rage into real action,” the group says, urging mad-as-hell straphangers and highway crawlers to tell their members of Congress about their awful commutes: “Stop pouring billions into a broken system. Fix it, clean it, make it work!”

Commuters can post a comment, photo or video at the site, send an e-mail or express themselves via Twitter. Here are two of the earliest tweets: “You know what would make this day end perfectly? A 90-minute commute through dense traffic…” and “The more I have this commute the more I vote to develop teleport capabilities.”

The site is being launched today, which is Bike to Work Day (also celebrated in some places on May 14, and part of Bike Month). And Congress is preparing to debate the transportation bill, which appropriates billions of dollars for both highway infrastructure and public transportation (usually much more of the former, which is why it’s also called “the highway bill”). The current legislation expires September 30.

Freakonomics Special: Los Angeles Transportation Facts and Fiction – Driving and Delay

March 12, 2009 at 6:43 pm

(Source: Freakonomics,New York Times via Planetizen; Photo Courtesy: respres@Flickr)

 TransportGooru recommends reading Eric Morris’s  six-part series that discusses stereotypes about Los Angeles transportation.   So, start with the Introduction first and read up the rest.

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Here is the article on Driving and Delay:

Time to bring the quiz to a close. We’ve seen in past posts that, by the standards of U.S. cities, Los Angeles is not sprawling, has a fairly extensive transit system, and is decidedly light on freeways. The smog situation has vastly improved. The final two stereotypes await.

Thanks to the great distances between far-flung destinations, and perhaps Angelenos’ famed “love affair” with the car, Angelenos drive considerably more miles than most Americans. 

Answer: False.

 According to the Federal Highway Administration, Angelenos drive 23 miles per resident per day. This ranks the Los Angeles metro area 21st highest among the largest 37 cities. The champions (or losers) are probably Houston, followed by Jacksonville and Orlando, all of which are over 30 miles per day. New Yorkers drive the fewest miles (17 VMT per resident per day), thanks in large part to relatively high transit ridership and lots of walking trips.

Despite our reputation, we Angelenos don’t exhibit any particularly great predilection for freeway travel either. Los Angeles ranks 14th out of the 37 largest metro areas in terms of highway miles driven per resident per day. To be sure, this is above the median, but it hardly points to the sort of unique freeway fetish Angelenos are accused of harboring.

Click here to read th entire article.  

A Silver Lining to the Downturn: Less Traffic

February 27, 2009 at 11:41 am

(Source: Wall Street Journal)

For people who still have jobs, there’s finally some relaxing news: new data showing commutes are getting easier.

trafficOn average, Americans spent 13 fewer hours stuck in traffic in 2008 than in 2007, according to an annual road traffic reportreleased Wednesday by Inrix. Inrix collects data on road congestion, in part, from a million vehicles equipped with GPS-enabled devices like cellphones and car navigation systems. Inrix cited volatile fuel prices as one reason for the decline in road travel, along with the economy. Some of the findings from the report:

– Riverside, Calif., with the third-highest level of home foreclosure activity last year, saw the highest drop in traffic congestion.

– Detroit, where unemployment rose about 21%, saw the second largest decrease in congestion, tied with San Diego.

Click here to read the entire article and watch the video of Inrix CEO Bryan Mistele talking about the annual traffic report.