Interesting transportation things

[M II A II R II K]

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[M II A II R II K]

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[M II A II R II K]

Link Light Rail will run on wind power starting in 2019

http://seattle.curbed.com/2017/4/18/...carbon-neutral

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- Sound Transit announced Tuesday afternoon that starting in 2019, the Link Light Rail trains will run on entirely carbon-neutral energy sources. The transit agency just signed a 10-year deal with Puget Sound Energy (PSE) to buy wind energy through the Green Direct program.

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[electricron]

Originally Posted by M II A II R II K

Link Light Rail will run on wind power starting in 2019
http://seattle.curbed.com/2017/4/18/...carbon-neutral

An easy task to accomplish in Seattle. Per https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_City_Light

"The most recent official fuel mix statistics by the state of Washington for Seattle City Light show approximately 89.6% hydroelectric, 4.3% nuclear, 3.6% wind, 0.9% coal, 0.9% other (including biomass, natural gas, petroleum and waste), and 0.7% landfill gases."

Only 2.5% of Seattle's electricity comes from fossil fuel sources. Bumphing 3.6% to 6.1% isn't that hard a task to accomplish.

[Swede]

Originally Posted by electricron

An easy task to accomplish in Seattle. Per https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_City_Light

"The most recent official fuel mix statistics by the state of Washington for Seattle City Light show approximately 89.6% hydroelectric, 4.3% nuclear, 3.6% wind, 0.9% coal, 0.9% other (including biomass, natural gas, petroleum and waste), and 0.7% landfill gases."

Only 2.5% of Seattle's electricity comes from fossil fuel sources. Bumphing 3.6% to 6.1% isn't that hard a task to accomplish.

Swedish passenger rail is afaik running on 100% renewable ('cept for the few diesel lines). Not hard at all considering the amount of hydro we've got.

[ssiguy]

Calgary's CTrain has been powered by wind for 20 years.

[M II A II R II K]

How Car-Free is New York City?

http://blog.tstc.org/2017/04/21/car-free-new-york-city/

[M II A II R II K]

New UK speeding fines are based on what you earn

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/worl...earn-1.3059372

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- Drivers in the UK face speeding fines equivalent of 1½ times their weekly salary under new laws in place from Monday. The British Sentencing Council said the move aims to ensure there is a “clear increase in fine level as the seriousness of offending increases”. --- The maximum fines allowed by law remain the same, so speeding drivers cannot be fined more than £1,000 (€1,180) unless the offence takes place on a motorway, where the limit is £2,500 (€2,950).

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[M II A II R II K]

9 radical changes that are coming to transportation

Read More: https://www.vox.com/new-money/2017/4...cex-innovation

We’ve gotten used to transportation technology improving at a glacial pace. Today’s cars and airplanes look and work about the same as they did 25 and even 50 years ago. But two announcements this week made it clear that the pace of innovation in transportation is about to accelerate dramatically.

- On Monday, Google’s Waymo unit announced it was opening its self-driving car program to members of the general public in Phoenix. Waymo has ordered 500 Chrysler Pacifica minivans and will provide free rides to hundreds of customers who are accepted into the company’s pilot program. --/ Then on Tuesday, Uber announced that it was aiming to launch a network of small, vertical-takeoff electric aircraft — essentially, flying cars — in the Dallas area by 2020.

- Those are just the two most recent examples of a dramatic transformation in how we move ourselves and our stuff around. We’re also seeing rapid progress on delivery drones, self-driving trucks, supersonic airplanes, and even rockets. In all, there are major transportation breakthroughs being developed today. Almost all of these technologies already have working prototypes. And all of them have well-funded companies aiming to bring them to market by the early 2020s.

- It looks like the world is on the verge of a supersonic renaissance. A startup called Boom is designing a prototype and says it will begin flying test flights next year, and it will face competition from a partnership of Aerion Supersonic with Airbus. These companies say technological advances have allowed modern supersonic airplanes to be more fuel-efficient than the Concorde was. Both companies are aiming to introduce supersonic airplanes in the early 2020s. Eventually, Boom would like to start flying over land as well as over water.

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[electricron]

Originally Posted by M II A II R II K

9 radical changes that are coming to transportation
Read More: https://www.vox.com/new-money/2017/4...cex-innovation
Both companies are aiming to introduce supersonic airplanes in the early 2020s. Eventually, Boom would like to start flying over land as well as over water.

As long as supersonic aircraft cause sonic booms, they will never be allowed to travel that fast over any lands of many countries.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by electricron

As long as supersonic aircraft cause sonic booms, they will never be allowed to travel that fast over any lands of many countries.

That's not necessarily true. There are mitigation techniques that could very well change perceptions and laws around supersonic travel over land.

[electricron]

Originally Posted by emathias

That's not necessarily true. There are mitigation techniques that could very well change perceptions and laws around supersonic travel over land.

Where? I can't imagine any European or North America. Country allowing constant sonic booms. How? Except for flying very, very high, I can't think of a mitigation technique that would work. There's is a limit to how high you can fly, oxygen in the air is needed for combusting fuel. Even U2 jets have a ceiling height.

[M II A II R II K]

Underground tunnels carrying cars at 200 KHP


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[emathias]

Originally Posted by electricron

Where? I can't imagine any European or North America. Country allowing constant sonic booms. How? Except for flying very, very high, I can't think of a mitigation technique that would work. There's is a limit to how high you can fly, oxygen in the air is needed for combusting fuel. Even U2 jets have a ceiling height.

First, sonic booms aren't as loud as people think when flights are high, and second, a lot of research has gone into sharing the sound so the energy is disbursed over a longer time so the intensity is less. Both of the companies developing supersonic craft have information about that on the website if you want to read up on it.

[M II A II R II K]

Japan's luxurious Shiki-shima sleeper train

https://www.theguardian.com/world/ga...in-in-pictures

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- The futuristic champagne-gold Train Suite Shiki-shima, operated by East Japan Railway, has five-star lounge, dining and observatory cars and features a menu devised by a Michelin-starred chef. The 10-car train accommodates just 34 passengers in 17 suites, and the most expensive room, the Shiki-shima, costs ¥950,000 (£6,600) per person for two sharing. The train embarked on its maiden journey on 1 May and seats have already been booked up until March 2018.

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[M II A II R II K]

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[Busy Bee]

I watched that 1987 video the other day... holy cow young Michael Musto!

[M II A II R II K]

Was that the gay guy that showed up later in the video.

[M II A II R II K]

An NYC think tank has a surprisingly simple solution for fixing Penn Station

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Biometric markers could replace physical payment methods, speeding entry for passengers (and discouraging fare evaders)

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[ssiguy]

What I don't understand is how insurance will work with self-driving cars.

If the computer screws up and gets in an accident, how can the individual be held responsible if they weren't driving the car? Isn't that like holding a passenger liable for an accident that the driver got into? If the "driver" is held responsible for a car he/she wasan't driving does that give them the right to sue the car manufacturer?

I think self-driving cars are going to be a non-stop insurance nightmare. The lawyers will love it but I think this is opening up a whole can of legal worms.