Traffic and Transport Engineering - December 2019
Some brief observations about driving in the USA, from an Old Traffic Engineer
I recently visited the USA to attend a wedding in Atlanta, so I took the opportunity to also visit some old friends in California. I did two separate stints of driving:
1. From San Francisco Airport to and from Healdsburg in Sonoma County, via the Golden Gate Bridge
2. From Charlotte (North Carolina) to Atlanta via Asheville (NC), including a section of the Blue Ridge Parkway
In no particular order, here are some reflections from my driving ‘on the wrong side.
California
- The GPS unit as offered with our Dollar rental car was branded ‘Never Lost’ but we managed it.
- There is a long section of six lane arterial road (19th Avenue) in San Francisco (part of Highway 1 south of Golden Gate Bridge) that has all left turns and U-turns prohibited. I guess the locals are now adept at G-turns or P-turns.
- The Golden Gate Bridge toll was US$8.10 in the southbound direction only – makes the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Tunnel look like good value.
- Extensive use of ramp metering on Highway 101 north from San Francisco, and the ramps are very closely spaced.
- Many instances of peak period traffic delays and queueing, even on the widest sections of freeways.
- Right Turn on Red, unless otherwise signposted, so Aussie drivers are likely to be tooted until we get into the groove.
North Carolina and Georgia
- Forty-five minutes in the queue to pick up our pre-booked Avis rental car – could not believe how slow and cumbersome their systems were.
- No primary traffic signal lanterns at the intersection stop line – only overhead lanterns on the departure side. I managed to run a red light within five minutes of leaving Charlotte airport, thankfully without incident.
- Signalised intersections on high speed roads (in some cases 65 MPH) compared to NSW practice of no more than 80 km/h.
- Multi-lane zebra crossings, and not as well signposted or marked as Australian practice.
- Very high standard of maintenance on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and many opportunities for safe access to lookouts and scenic views.
General
- US drivers are mostly very courteous – giving way to pedestrians, allowing lane changes, letting people out of driveways, etc
- Roadworks speed limits have double the normal fine value, but not much evidence of speed enforcement.
Alan Finlay
7 November 2019
The Future of the Streetlight Might Be in the Past
The small NSW town of Tamworth, with a population of around 3000, was the first place in Australia to supply electricity to the public at large. Tamworth switched on arc and incandescent street lighting on the 9th of November 1888.
Since then, street lights have come in all shapes and sizes
Now a new competition from the L.A. mayor’s office invites designers to reimagine the rich history of civic illumination and create next-generation streetlights.
The hope is to elevate the look, as well as the utility of the lamps.
Potential new uses for street lamps could include electric vehicle charging stations, wifi hubs and housing systems to count traffic.
Optical Illusion
Here is a diagram from the Westconnex M4-M5 link Modification 3 papers (page 56) released today. The "Ventilation Outlet" (ordinary people call it a smokestack or chimney) is to be about 20m high. Yet it looks maybe only 20% higher than a single storey cottage.
https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/project/25861
They should have added some foliage to make it look like a tree – like the mobile phone towers around the Gold Coast.
Happy Birthday – you don’t look a day different
The Spit Bridge in Sydney providing one of only three road links to the Manly Warringah Penisular has celebrated its 61st Birthday
And they’re still manually changing lanes for the tidal flow system!