How do you tell the story about big agenda issues like environmental impact and emissions in a city like New York? One way to do this is by taking all the relevant data you can get and stitching it together in a graphic format that visually demonstrates the scope of the problem. Let’ s see how its done. Let’s start with the problem.
Carbon Visuals and the Environmental Defense Fund created an animation showing giant blue balls standing in for New York’s greenhouse-gas emissions in 2010 (the last year data were available). Each sphere represents one ton of carbon-dioxide vapor. Added up, they represent 54 million metric tons of climate-toasting chemicals, which is the amount of emissions that NYC recorded in 2010. It is quite arresting when you visually see a huge mountain (Everest-sized) of blue balls blanketing your entire city. Check it out.
Today’s NY TIMES article reports that Netherland is upping the ante with more investment in upgrading its biking infrastructure – €120 million, or about $150 million, in
cycling infrastructure over the next eight years, with almost half of that sum be spent in just the next four years.
Saw this picture below tweeted out by joanna coles @JoannaColes Editor-in-Chief Cosmopolitan Magazine. She shot this gridlocked thoroughfare from her office (located on the 38th floor of the building where Cosmopolitan mag. is located). With its subway system crippled by Sandy, this pic. shows how badly NYC needs to reconsider its transportation strategies and prioritize implementing any/all strategies that moves people away from cars. It is going to be once heck of a recovery until the subway limps back to normal!
As you (or the kids in your household) venture out trick or treating tonight, I want to remind you of a few things regarding safety. Today’s press release from insurance giant StateFarmshowed how dangerous
trick or treating can be for younger children. StateFarm says that its research with Bert Sperling’s BestPlaces, analyzed four million records in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) Database revealed the following
Halloween Was Deadliest Day of the Year for Child Pedestrian Accidents
One hundred and fifteen child pedestrian fatalities occurred on Halloween over the 21 years of our analysis. That is an average of 5.5 fatalities each year on October 31, which is more than double the average number of 2.6 fatalities for other days.
The “Deadliest Hour”
Nearly one-fourth (26 out of 115) of accidents occurred from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. Over 60% of the accidents occurred in the 4-hour period from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Middle of the Block Most Hazardous
Over 70% of the accidents occurred away from an intersection or crosswalk.
Ages Most at Risk on Halloween
Most of the fatalities occurred with children ages 12-15 (32% of all child fatalities), followed by children ages 5-8 (23%).
Drivers Who Posed the Greatest Risk
Young drivers ages 15-25 accounted for nearly one-third of all fatal accidents involving child pedestrians on Halloween.
Drivers Who Posed the Lowest Risk
Drivers ages 36-40 and 61-65 were involved in the fewest child pedestrian fatalities on Halloween. Together, these age groups accounted for nine child pedestrian fatalities (8%) in the 21 years of the study.
Fatalities Declining
Each of the last six years of the study (2005 – 2010) has seen Halloween child fatalities below the 21 year average of 5.5.
Also, California Department of Public Health today said that on Halloween between 4PM- 10PM, more than 2 times as many kids die in pedestrian/vehicle incidents than during the same time on other days during the rest of year. Scary, right?
One more thing you may want to know is this: Last Halloween, more than 24,700 drivers received a red light violation, according to the Safer Roads Report 2012: Trends in Red-Light Running. So, tonight when you venture out with (or without) your kids, be careful. Dress to be SEEN and do not become a statistic!
The Transportation Research Center (TRC) at the University of Florida is soliciting applications for the position of Director of the Technology Transfer (T2) Center. The appointment will be at the Assistant/Associate Engineer level based upon qualifications and experience. The salary and benefits package are competitive. This is a non-tenure track faculty appointment reporting to the director of the TRC.
An interesting competition announced by the U.S. Department of Transportation encourages college students to design a better way to help consumers make smart decisions when booking their bus travel. This is what you need to know about the challenge:
Who: Creative college students with imaginative ideas.
What: A mobile app or web-accessible tool that presents our safety information in a simple, intuitive way that would help the average person choose the safest bus available.
Not often you see a guy get hit by a car and walk away unscathed.. That is exactly what happened in Russia.. Here is a video of the indicent, according to NBC, which showed the footage on the “Today” show, the car was being pursued by police who later released the video.. This man will have some cool stories to share with his grand children..
To put it in simple terms, we blow up a lot of money sitting in traffic day in and day out. Traffic congestion not only takes a toll on your mental & physical well being, but it also brings home a lot of economic pain. It is nice to see someone layout all this important statistics in an easy to understand, colorful visual.
So, how do we fix this mess? A good start would be to move towards transit-oriented development and provide good, cost-effective transit connectivity to the suburbs.. And add some bike lanes; etc, etc. The solutions are plenty but we have to start somewhere before we go bankrupt.. soon!
Provided by Nationwide Insurance
ITS America is looking for a dynamic leader to be our new Communications Director and we wanted to reach out and see if you know of any qualified candidates who may be interested in applying. Among other responsibilities, the Communications Director manages ITS America’s outreach to mainstream and trade media; serves as media spokesperson and functions as communications liaison to ITS America’s staff, state chapters and 400+ member companies and organizations; researches, writes and edits articles, press releases, online content and other promotional materials; and assists with the planning and promotion of meetings and events for the transportation industry, news media, policymakers and other key audiences. Candidates should have at least 4-5 years of relevant experience, plus exceptional writing skills and attention to detail. The position description is online at http://www.itsa.org/aboutus/itsamericapositionopenings, and candidates can submit their resume and writing samples to pfeenstra@itsa.org.
