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Interstate Derailment, Maybe on the Road!
Ok, maybe a car can’t technically derail, but it sure as hell can’t be used in icy weather around Portland very well.
As we rode the MAX out to the west side for some snow photo ops I couldn’t help but notice the complete void of any significant traffic on Highway 26. The road was basically empty, with all but 2 or 3 cars all the way to Sunset Transit Center. Literally, the MAX was carrying vastly more throughput - SAFELY - than the Interstate was carrying or could handle right now.
Downtown was a similar craziness, with most cars having chains on. The Streetcar though guided along with zero issue. No sliding off the road and bumping into the curbs like the buses do. No sloshing forward on the icy spot. Just smooth problem-less movement. This is one area of transport that rail vastly exceeds the ability of road based transport.
It also got me thinking, roadways tear up with snow chain usage at a rate that is most likely 3-10x as fast as normal. I don’t know what this rate is, but would love to see any research available, and will at some point pull out the sleuth hat and go for some transit sleuthing. Rail on the other hand, I would expect loses some duration in weather extremes, but very little compared to roadway.
…and for another thought…
I wonder what the maintenance is like on the Transiberian Express. With the rail being in freezing temperature year round I wonder what the life span is on the line segments.
Now, back to watching more snow.
New York Housing Commissioner to Head HUD
Planetizen - Urban Planning, Design and Development Network
New York City Housing Commissioner Shaun Donovan has been picked to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Blocked Church Expansion into Greenbelt Challenged
Planetizen - Urban Planning, Design and Development Network
Church officials in Ventura County, California, are challenging a decision barring them from expanding into protected open space, arguing that federal law allows them exemptions from zoning controls.
Streets, Reconquered
Planetizen - Urban Planning, Design and Development Network
This piece from Worldchanging looks at recent efforts by cities to “reconquer” streets by making them (temporarily, at least) pedestrianized and closed off to car traffic.
IEA sees peak oil in 2020
ASPO International | The Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas -
Global oil output could peak by 2020 - much earlier than expected - amid a collapse in investment due to the financial crisis, the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) chief economist Fatih Birol claimed.
In an interview published today Birol told London-based newspaper the Guardian that conventional crude output could plateau in 2020, a development that was "not good news" for a world still heavily dependent on petroleum.
The IEA has never before been specific about the point at which conventional oil would peak, although last month it said total crude output could peak in 2030.
Birol’s comments follow other signs that the IEA is rapidly changing its view. In its 2007 World Energy Outlook, the IEA predicted a rate of decline from the world’s existing oilfields at 3.7%, only to admit 12 months later that the speed of the fall was more likely 6.7%.
Read more: Upstream Online
Bottom-Up Urban Revival in America
Planetizen - Urban Planning, Design and Development Network
America’s growing regional metropolises can be the guiding light for America’s urban revival, according to Manuel Pastor, Jr.
Maryland Uses GIS To Track Open Space
Planetizen - Urban Planning, Design and Development Network
The State of Maryland has created a new internet-based mapping system, which it hopes will help target conservation funds.
Seattle Freeway Replacement Plans Whittled to Two Options
Planetizen - Urban Planning, Design and Development Network
Planners and officials in Seattle have whittled down the list to just two ideas for replacing the city’s damaged inner-city viaduct. Washington Governor Christine Gregoire reportedly wants a final decision by the end of the year.
Rural Economies Imprisoned by Prison Building
Planetizen - Urban Planning, Design and Development Network
Prison construction is flourishing under the assumption that it boosts rural economies, but as Eric Lotke points out, investing in other types of building would yield greater returns to society.
Rapid Buses To Serve Suburbs?
Planetizen - Urban Planning, Design and Development Network
A local leader in the suburban Maryland/Washington DC area proposes aggressive use of “rapid buses” in dedicated lanes to accommodate growth, like other jurisdictions in the U.S.
