On Thursday, the [US] Department of Transportation announced it has approved the design for the first advanced female crash-test dummy, named THOR-05F. The agency hopes the new dummy will help show how air bags, seat belts, and …
Continue readingCategory: Roads
Self-healing asphalt could solve UK pothole challenge (TheEngineer)
Bio-based microcapsules have been added to asphalt to make roads that self-heal when cracks occur, an advance that could address the UK’s £143m pothole problem. Scientists from King’s College London and Swansea University, in collaboration …
Continue readingA weighty dilemma: What to do about heavy trucks pummeling roads & bridges? (CityLab)
Heavy tractor trailers strain highway bridges and deliver noise and pollution to urban communities. But cities… also depend on trucking. Since the late 2010s, it’s been clear that the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, a key arterial for freight and …
Continue readingApplying Safe System Approach to Transport Planning, Design, & Ops (NationalAcademies)
The Safe System paradigm represents a pivot away from the “Responsibility” paradigm, which emerged in the 1980s in the United States. Whereas until recently, speed was considered safe—assuming drivers were responsible—and other road users were …
Continue readingTfL Proves Recycled Asphalt Works for London Roads (TheEngineer)
Transport for London (TfL) has successfully run a nine-year trial mixing 50 per cent of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) into the top layer of new road surfaces. This approach reduced construction waste and the need …
Continue readingStudy on non-exhaust emissions (NEE) in road transport (EITUrbanMobility)
More than 96% of the European population was exposed to PM2.5 concentrations exceeding the World Health Organization’s annual air quality guideline limit in 2022. Road transport is a primary source of particulate matter in urban …
Continue readingThreatened bike lane gets more rush hour traffic than the car lane (CarbonUpfront)
Bike lanes are under threat in many cities, even when they work. Two studies dropped last week, which should give politicians like Ontario Premier Doug Ford something to think about, if he could think. One …
Continue readingDiana, Queen of Pavement Princesses, eviscerates One-More-Lane Bros
One day in 2023, Diana Regan started her workday as an account executive and search engine optimisatoin (SEO) analyst – working a tech dream job for a San Francisco Bay area millennial. However, the shrinking …
Continue readingRethinking Congestion as Lost Access (Sciety)
Abstract Urban congestion is a persistent problem in large cities worldwide. However, congestion is typically assessed from a mobility perspective using traffic performance measures, with limited attention to its impact on urban accessibility. Here, we …
Continue readingWhat Would ‘Transportation Abundance’ Look Like? (CityLab)
Fans of the abundance movement say that adding supply solves big problems in housing and health care. But when it comes to getting around, things get complicated. Abundance seems poised to be the policy literati’s favorite term of 2025, …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 21 July 2025
• Highgate Archway – Two Bridges and a Tunnel (A London Inheritance) • How to write the UK railway timetable, Part Two: Video (Network Rail) • Will Mumbai’s New Aqua Line Metro Fix the City’s …
Continue readingI’m not saying traffic engineering is junk science, but: Video (CityNerd)
No matter what city you live in, there’s a traffic model that has absolutely massive influence on what kinds of transportation projects your region spends money on. Let’s peel the layers on this:
Continue readingUS Freeways Without Futures 2025 (CongressForNewUrbanism)
For over 20 years, CNU’s Highways to Boulevards work has been at the vanguard of removing unnecessary freeways from cities. Ramming freeways through city neighborhoods did astronomical damage to cities in the 20th Century and continue to burden communities with …
Continue readingBrake wear particles the greatest health threat from road transport emissions (AirQualityNews)
A new study commissioned by EIT Urban Mobility, TfL and the Greater London Authority has found that brake wear releases more particulate matter into the atmosphere than tyre wear and exhaust emissions combined. Studies in …
Continue readingBarcelona launches automated bus lane & bus stop enforcement pilot with AI (UrbanTransport)
Barcelona tests an artificial intelligence system for automatic control of reserved lanes and stops to improve bus circulation. This is a pilot test resulting from the challenge launched and financed by the Barcelona City Council, …
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