Talking Traffic

The Boston Globe’s Big Picture has photo essays that are well worth your time.

Today’s is about animals. One of the pictures takes you to a (sad) shot of some very large roadkill.

I used to commute on I-88 in upstate NY. I saw roadkill turkeys, geese and deer all the time. Around here I see opossum, cats, dogs, squirrels, raccoons and the occasional armadillo. I’ve never seen anything like that link.

A protest over “‘motorway levels’ of cars and lorries on a road with no pavement for pedestrians” is taking the form of a series of people standing at a pedestrian pushbutton, continuously activating it and making a call for the pedestrian phase.

According to the Environmental Transport Agency in England, the activation of the pedestrian signal is “causing tailbacks up to four miles long in the process.”

I’m wondering what laws are being broken during this protest, if any? In Georgia, I can’t think of any specific laws that would prohibit me from continuously calling for a pedestrian signal. I’m sure there’s something in the GA Code (annotated) that would allow me to be cited, but I don’t know what it is off the top of my head. Public Nuisance?

An innovative protest using system resources against itself.

Traffic Congestion in India: American drivers are exceptionally tame and law-abiding compared to some of our brethren in other countries.

Transportation Alternatives Advocate for New York Non-Automobiles: Do you live or work in NYC? Do you walk or bike? Then read the Transportation Alternatives website.

Texas Transportation Institute Urban Mobility Report: The TTI Urban Mobility report for this year is out, dealing with 2005 data. Congestion is up; that’s no surprise. Time spent in traffic climbed to 4.2 billion hours in 2005, up from 4.0 billion. The full report can be found at the TTI website.

Green Vehicles in Frankfurt: I’m continually amused by the transition of the adjective “green” from “this thing is colored green” to “I’m a super-duper world-saving environmental process/vehicle/practice/industry”. Inhabit reports on green vehicles at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

I-35 Bridge Rebuilding Contract Awarded: Minnesota has awarded a contract to Flatiron Constructors Inc. to rebuild the collapsed I-35E bridge. The Price? $233.8 Million. A bargain.