Interesting transportation things

[Busy Bee]

Those rural people do kind of have a point about the blinking lights if I'm being honest.

[202_Cyclist]

Check out this shit! Your commute can be fueled by Chipotle booty.

https://www.mlive.com/news/2023/05/renew...some-the-rapid-buses.html?outputType=amp

[SFBruin]

^ Yet another contribution C.M.G. has made to modern, civilized society.

[UrbanImpact]

Originally Posted by SFBruin

^ Yet another contribution C.M.G. has made to modern, civilized society.

I create their architectural plans for their restaurants here in Florida

[202_Cyclist]

Originally Posted by UrbanImpact

I create their architectural plans for their restaurants here in Florida

That's awesome! The Chipotle world headquarters is about a half mile from where I lived during high school in Newport Beach.

[202_Cyclist]

Well, this is interesting...

Report of ‘poop rain’ in Burnsville prompts U.S. Rep. Angie Craig to request investigation
https://www.twincities.com/2023/05/18/burnsville-poop-rain-angie-craig-faa-investigation/

[Busy Bee]

An interesting transportation thing...

https://www.railwayage.com/podcasts/rail-electrification-council-part-1-rail-group-on-air/

[SpongeG]

New monorail opened in Thailand. I find the first few minutes interesting as he walks into the station etc at just how close the station is to the apartments/housing, I don't think I've seen housing that close to something like a station before.

• Video Link

[Busy Bee]

American elevated rapid transit in NY, Philadelphia, Chicago have many many areas where the trains and stations are literally just outside the windows of the buildings as it passes through dense neighborhoods. Sometimes its over a major commercial street or an alleyway like in Chicago but in many cases the building is mere feet from the elevated structure.

Here's the Jamaica line in Brooklyn:


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[mrnyc]

road use tax instead of gasoline tax —




As fuel taxes plummet, states weigh charging by the mile instead of the tank

By JULIE CARR SMYTH


COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Evan Burroughs has spent eight years touting the virtues of an Oregon pilot program charging motorists by the distance their vehicle travels rather than the gas it guzzles, yet his own mother still hasn’t bought in.

Margaret Burroughs, 85, said she has no intention of inserting a tracking device on her Nissan Murano to record the miles she drives to get groceries or attend needlepoint meetings. She figures it’s far less hassle to just pay at the pump, as Americans have done for more than a century.

“It’s probably a good thing, but on top of everybody else’s stress today, it’s just one more thing,” she said of Oregon’s first-in-the-nation initiative, which is run by the state transportation department where her son serves as a survey analyst.

Burroughs’ reluctance exemplifies the myriad hurdles U.S. states face as they experiment with road usage charging programs aimed at one day replacing motor fuel taxes, which are generating less each year, in part due to fuel efficiency and the rise of electric cars.


more:
https://apnews.com/article/gas-tax-highw...er-fees-15abaae7e6097946f900e87be95214e1

[202_Cyclist]

This is great to see. BETA Technologies is based in South Burlington, VT. I was at a University of Vermont happy hour on Tuesday evening and someone from the alumni office mentioned all the good jobs BETA has provided for UVM graduates.

Electric plane chargers being installed at Elmira-Corning Regional Airport


By Nicolas Dubina
Posted: Jun 28, 2023
WETM


Image courtesy of WETM.

"ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) – Elmira is known as the soaring capital of America. Now, it could also be known for being at the center of the electric aviation revolution. The Chemung County Legislature’s Aviation Committee approved an agreement to plug new charging stations for electric planes into NYSEG’s power grid at the Elmira Corning Regional Airport. The “charging cubes” are being installed by BETA Technologies, an aerospace company based in Vermont that was founded in 2017. The project is a partnership with Atlantic Aviation, a company that specializes in aircraft ground support. The first fully electric planes could start landing later this summer as part of an ongoing test flight program. Pending final certification from the FAA, the first passenger flights are expected to begin in 2025..."

https://www.mytwintiers.com/news-cat/ele...lled-at-elmira-corning-regional-airport/

[TowerDude]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

road use tax instead of gasoline tax —




As fuel taxes plummet, states weigh charging by the mile instead of the tank

By JULIE CARR SMYTH


COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Evan Burroughs has spent eight years touting the virtues of an Oregon pilot program charging motorists by the distance their vehicle travels rather than the gas it guzzles, yet his own mother still hasn’t bought in.

Margaret Burroughs, 85, said she has no intention of inserting a tracking device on her Nissan Murano to record the miles she drives to get groceries or attend needlepoint meetings. She figures it’s far less hassle to just pay at the pump, as Americans have done for more than a century.

“It’s probably a good thing, but on top of everybody else’s stress today, it’s just one more thing,” she said of Oregon’s first-in-the-nation initiative, which is run by the state transportation department where her son serves as a survey analyst.

Burroughs’ reluctance exemplifies the myriad hurdles U.S. states face as they experiment with road usage charging programs aimed at one day replacing motor fuel taxes, which are generating less each year, in part due to fuel efficiency and the rise of electric cars.


more:
https://apnews.com/article/gas-tax-highw...er-fees-15abaae7e6097946f900e87be95214e1

Hell no.

[Swede]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

road use tax instead of gasoline tax —




As fuel taxes plummet, states weigh charging by the mile instead of the tank

By JULIE CARR SMYTH


COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Evan Burroughs has spent eight years touting the virtues of an Oregon pilot program charging motorists by the distance their vehicle travels rather than the gas it guzzles, yet his own mother still hasn’t bought in.

Margaret Burroughs, 85, said she has no intention of inserting a tracking device on her Nissan Murano to record the miles she drives to get groceries or attend needlepoint meetings. She figures it’s far less hassle to just pay at the pump, as Americans have done for more than a century.

“It’s probably a good thing, but on top of everybody else’s stress today, it’s just one more thing,” she said of Oregon’s first-in-the-nation initiative, which is run by the state transportation department where her son serves as a survey analyst.

Burroughs’ reluctance exemplifies the myriad hurdles U.S. states face as they experiment with road usage charging programs aimed at one day replacing motor fuel taxes, which are generating less each year, in part due to fuel efficiency and the rise of electric cars.


more:
https://apnews.com/article/gas-tax-highw...er-fees-15abaae7e6097946f900e87be95214e1

It's pretty obvious that this is what will be needed, yes. But not instead of gas taxes, but rather in addition too.
Gas taxes need to pay for the costs created by all the exhausts in terms of health & environmental damage.
A km-tax scaled by weight of vehicle to pay for the construction & maintenance of roads & freeways.

[202_Cyclist]

Air Taxis, Hyped for Years, May Finally Take Off

By Niraj Chokshi
18 July 2023
New York Times

"Federal regulators released a plan that would allow a new generation of small aircraft to transport people short distances.

For years, flying taxis have represented an exciting but distant dream, fueled in part by industry hype. Now they have a rollout plan and a target arrival date: 2028.

In a document published on Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration outlined the steps that it and others need to take to usher in a competitive air taxi market in at least one location by 2028 with limited operations starting as early as 2025. The vehicles look like small airplanes or helicopters and can take off and land vertically, allowing them to operate from the middle of cities, whisking people to airports or vacation destinations like the Hamptons in New York or Cape Cod in Massachusetts..."

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/18/business/air-taxi-faa.html

[Busy Bee]

"Federal regulators released a plan that would allow a new generation of small aircraft to transport very wealthy people short distances."

FIXED.

[202_Cyclist]

I don't know where they will find the pilots to fly these vehicles. We already have a shortage of pilots and I would expect the passengers probably don't want to crash and die, so these companies are going to need to hire experienced pilots.

I also think these companies are significantly underestimating the costs of these flights.

[Paniolo Man]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

I don't know where they will find the pilots to fly these vehicles. We already have a shortage of pilots and I would expect the passengers probably don't want to crash and die, so these companies are going to need to hire experienced pilots.

I also think these companies are significantly underestimating the costs of these flights.

Stuff like this simply isn't practical, yet pro-innovation bias consumes everyone on the internet. Anyone capable of making a cool render of some gadgetbahn will get millions of views on Facebook and Youtube and potentially even catch the eye of some sucker investors keen to be parted with their cash.

[Busy Bee]

The "always pregnant with the future" culture at work.

[mrnyc]

very good — especially fulton street —



COMMUNITY & COMMERCE|Jul 21, 2023
PARTS OF DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN TO GET A $40 MILLION MAKEOVER

Wider sidewalks, new public art, better bike lanes and more benches are said to be coming soon

By Brooklyn Magazine


Downtown Brooklyn could be getting a $40 million face-lift that includes redesigned public spaces, new art and improvements for walkers.

Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday that the multiagency project is part of his efforts to “reimagine our city, reinvigorate our neighborhoods, and revitalize our business districts: with more room to walk, to bike, and to enjoy retail and restaurants safely,” he said.

Roughly $8 million of the project is focused on Fulton Street, which NYC Parks announced will be reinvigorated with new street trees and additional seating that is “contributing to a more attractive streetscape,” the agency said in a release.

The remaining $32 million is being spent on a Department of Transportation-led project that adds wider sidewalks for pedestrians and improves traffic safety at five intersections along Flatbush Avenue between Livingston Street and Pacific Street. More protected bike lanes and a dedicated bus-only lane are also being built in that area.


more:
https://www.bkmag.com/2023/07/21/parts-of-downtown-brooklyn-are-getting-a-40-million-makeover/

[mrnyc]

wut?


https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cuqab8fIdnY/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==