highways

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  • California carpool exemptions expire, quashing yellow-sticker envy

    by 
    Christopher Trout
    Christopher Trout
    07.02.2011

    It looks like it's time to kiss that sweet HOV goodbye for lone California hybrid drivers. No, there hasn't been a spike in Clean Air Vehicle sticker thievery -- this time it's official. According to the California DMV, those little yellow stickers that once gave hybrid owners the right to ride solo in carpool lanes have expired, leaving some 85,000 drivers to fall in line with the rest of the state's commuters. You'll forgive us if we don't shed a tear over this announcement.

  • Proposal would put a solar garden on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway

    by 
    Laura June Dziuban
    Laura June Dziuban
    11.26.2010

    If you've ever spent any time on New York City's finest roadway, the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, garden is not one of the first words that comes to mind. That could change on one particular strip in Brooklyn if a concept -- which you see above -- gets approved and built. The concept is part of a project calling for solutions to a trench that runs from Carroll Gardens to the Columbia Street Waterfront in Brooklyn. Starr Whitehouse Landscape architects floated three possible solutions for improving the stretch, which would cost between about $10 and $18 million, very cheap in comparison to other projects of this type. The Green Canopy proposal calls for a massive plant covered canopy with solar panels to stretch over top of the entire area making it self-sustaining and reducing noise in the area. Hit up the source to check out the other proposed projects.

  • MotionPower speed bump installed at NJ Burger King, McDonald's and Wendy's feel slighted

    by 
    Darren Murph
    Darren Murph
    09.10.2009

    We can't say we doubted that New Energy's MotionPower speed bump would actually be installed at a New Jersey Burger King, but it's always refreshing to see a plan morph into reality. As of now, those in Hillside heading to have it their way will cruise over the kinetic energy harvester before retrieving their grub, which has the potential to create around 2,000 watts of electricity from a car hitting it at five miles per hour. As of now, the hump is simply there to test storage potential, but New Energy is hoping that the next generation of the tech could be placed at a variety of fast foot eateries, parking lots, toll booth plazas and anywhere else where folks need a little assistance in maintaining a sensible speed. Check out the read link for a plethora of shots, and feel free to splurge on a #4 combo today if you're in the area -- Ma Earth will thank you.

  • IBM researching intelligent, reflexive vehicles

    by 
    Darren Murph
    Darren Murph
    06.27.2007

    Count IBM in as one of the many companies looking to skyrocket the cost of our future cars, er, protect our lives by developing must-have active safety systems that are sure to become the standard fare in vehicles of the future. Dubbed a research initiative to "equip cars with technologies that can help reduce traffic congestion and prevent accidents," IBM is looking into driver assist technologies that "exchange information with other cars and with the road infrastructure, take corrective action where appropriate, and provide essential feedback to the drivers to help avoid dangerous situations." These electronic reflexes are said to be much quicker than those possessed by humans, and while the team is not trying to replace the need for driver judgment entirely, it is hoping to provide adequate feedback to help the motorist avoid potential perils. No word on when IBM plans on ushering its marketing team into automakers' headquarters, but we'd enjoy the feel of personally steering and accelerating while you still can.[Via Physorg]

  • Proposals would turn highways into wind farms

    by 
    Darren Murph
    Darren Murph
    04.30.2007

    Clogged highways and frustratingly waiting while your gas needle plummets to empty usually doesn't conjure up thoughts of green, but it seems like these very roads could become the source of a lot more energy. Several recent student designs have proposed that major roadways be retrofitted with various forms of wind energy collection devices, ranging from overhead turbines that collect energy from quickly-moving cars below to barrier panels (pictured after the jump) that harness the wind from closely passing vehicles moving in opposite directions. Ideally, the wind energy could then be sent back out to the grid to power nearby communities, light-rail transportation systems, or even intelligent billboards. Of course, most of these ideas are still in the research phase, and even if proven feasible, we can't imagine the up-front costs (or inconveniences of installing these things) to be minor, but we're sure that government subsidies should be able to to lend a helping hand.Read - Barrier panel prototype, via InhabitatRead - Overhead turbine design, via Inhabitat

  • Thieves swiping HOV exemption stickers from hybrids

    by 
    Darren Murph
    Darren Murph
    04.22.2007

    For those of you enjoying the free-flowing high-occupancy vehicle lane on the Capitol Expressway (in your HOV-exempt hybrid, no less), stay sharp, as it looks like those oh-so-valuable stickers that reside on your ride appear as gold to thieves. Apparently, "two to three dozen" victims per month are surfacing in California, where the now-extinct stickers are presumably fetching a pretty penny on the underground markets. The labels -- which were handed out to some 85,000 hybrid owners in years past to give them the same speedy privileges are carpoolers -- are no longer being administered by the DMV, which means that those that were able to take advantage are now targets. Interestingly, hybrid vehicles that are up for sale in the area are fetching "nearly $4,000 more" than comparative models so long as they come with the coveted sticker pre-installed. Notably, the DMV claims that the "carpool stickers are treated chemically so they crumble apart if tampered with," but that wee tidbit isn't likely to slow down a desperate bandit.[Via Fark]

  • Traffic reports to derive from cellphone location data

    by 
    Darren Murph
    Darren Murph
    11.06.2006

    Intelligent roadways and traffic monitoring systems have been available (albeit not always entirely accurate) for some time now, but if IntelliOne and AirSage have their way, finding out about real-time roadblocks (and voyeurism lawsuits) could become a more fleshed-out reality. The firms are looking to utilize that oh-so-telling "anonymous" location data from each traveler's cellphone to pinpoint locations and overlay that information with maps. If wireless companies open up that data at a rate of "twice per second" while users are conversing and "once every 30 seconds" when not on a call, the entrepreneurial duo hopes to offer more detailed information and pragmatic advice than "radar, helicopters or cameras" currently do. While keeping a keen eye on traffic developments certainly has its benefits, the real issue here is privacy (or the lack thereof); while government uses have already been in place, carriers are (understandably) more hesitant to turn over consumer data for locating purposes. While the service would be marketed free of charge to wireless carriers, interested customers not enraged by such intrusions could purchase the data for a monthly fee, and if all goes as planned, the Tampa pilot that is currently ongoing will lead to "40 other markets" being invaded by this time next year.[Via The Wireless Report]