Rail fans, rejoice. Federal rules no longer bar US passenger rail systems from using modern, lightweight train cars. This week, the Federal Railroad Administration finalized new safety rules that bring American standards more in line …
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Friday Reads – 23 November 2018
Welcome to Reconnections’ Friday Reads: • Victorian railway viaduct transformed into home (TreeHugger) • Unofficial Paris Metro map improvement process (SmashingMag) • NYC subway mosaics tell visual stories (99%Invisible) • Chicago L card game (MassTransit) …
Continue readingDoes LRT reduce traffic? LA Expo Line case (TransfersMag)
Policymakers can focus too much on congestion relief and not enough on urban mobility and accessibility. Light rail is an attractive idea, especially in famously congested Los Angeles. Why sit stuck in traffic while the …
Continue readingWayfinding greatly helps public space (CityWayfinding)
Public places are essential to the prosperity of sustainable cities. According to the UN they are “the banner of urban civility and our urban commons”. They promote income, investment and wealth creation, enhancing environmental sustainability, …
Continue readingElectric mobility: charging, surges & the grid (Passion4Transport)
With fossil fuel vehicles on the way out and electric on the way in, developing mobility for the 21st century is posing urban challenges. How to develop reliable and efficient charging networks? City authorities or …
Continue readingAre Uber & public transit friends or foes? (UToronto)
Falling transit ridership across big North American cities – including Toronto – has raised concern that Uber, Lyft and other ride-hailing services may be leeching passengers. But a new study in the Journal of Urban …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 16 November 2018
Welcome to Reconnections’ Friday Reads: • Map of London’s 1947 tram & trolleybus routes (MappingLondon) • Will new larger Thames Clipper increase ridership? (BBC) • Thames Path opens between Woolwich & Charlton (FromTheMurkyDepths) • Pay …
Continue readingFirst Ever 3D Printed Bridge In Amsterdam (PopUpCity)
Tech startup MX3D, specialized in robotic additive manufacturing technology, presented the world’s first 3D printed stainless steel bridge at last week’s Dutch Design Week. The groundbreaking technique opens up opportunities for large-scale application of 3D …
Continue readingUber & Lyft want to create walled gardens (FastCo)
As ride-hailing apps begin to control scooters and bike shares, they’re making it harder for people to make the best decisions about how to move around their cities. If you’re not a techie, you may …
Continue readingBird sidesteps law to bring eScooters to UK (Forbes)
Bird became the first electric scooter service to launch in the UK today, after finding a legal loophole in an 1835 law that has so far blocked the popular scooters from Britain’s streets. The launch …
Continue readingLaw Commission asks if driverless cars can nudge pedestrians (Forbes)
Never is not answer when Law Commission asks whether driverless cars can nudge pedestrians Rather amazingly, a legal look into the future governance of autonomous vehicles has asked when it might be “required” for driverless …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 9 November 2018
Welcome to Reconnections’ Friday Reads: • How London became centre of the world (NatGeo) • War pigeons & their double decker buses (MessyNessy) • Ocean liner style exhibit (scroll down page) (V&ADundee) • France’s optical …
Continue readingChanging role of stations: meetings to groceries (Railway-Technology)
Train stations are no longer just a point of connection between two places; they are in many cases becoming the beating heart of a city. With thousands of people using the train to go to …
Continue readingFuture Dutch trains fuse work, home & transit (PopUpCity)
During Dutch Design Week, the Dutch national railway company NS showcased their outlook on the future. It involves the fusion of work, home, and transit on board the trains of the future. Working part-time or …
Continue readingWho owns the space under cities? Mapping underground (Guardian)
The space under cities is getting busier – from transport excavations to billionaire’s mega-basements. So how to keep track of what’s down there? In London, a city with 150 years of trenching, digging and boring …
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