John LattaRoadbuildingThe downtown parking/housing dynamicLots of words out there, especially recently, on the role that downtown parking plays in the life of a city. We’re seeing debates about who lives in the city with the biggest parking deserts, which city parking structures and lots create the worst heat islands and the emergence of “elastic parking spaces” where daytime parking […]April 2, 2013RoadbuildingWeigh to fly.It’s a revolutionary idea in the airline field, at least in practice (there’s no way it hasn’t been thought of before). And since it’s about profitability, you know it will be considered all over the world. But which airlines outside of a few smaller ones will be game to try it? Samoa Air now charges by […]April 2, 2013RoadbuildingNYC suburbs getting stoned againIt was Dickens, or maybe Arthur Conan Doyle or Stephen Crane that had me, as a boy, intrigued by cobblestones. I’d never seen them, my hometown wasn’t old enough, but they read well. I could hear them under the horses and carriages. You can see where this going. We are about to run head-on into […]April 1, 2013RoadbuildingSituated Street RhymesJay Shells does street art in New York. This one he calls Rap Quotes. He takes song lyrics that mention a specific part of town and puts up a sign with those lyrics at that spot. There’s a visual/audio/emotional sort of connection built, especially if you know the songs. It’s probably something any number of street […]March 29, 2013RoadbuildingDon’t cry for me, cross the road nowYou want to walk across the road. A car approaches. You stare into the blue eyes of Evita, uncertain. From behind those eyes comes a soft voice telling you, “Go ahead. I see you. I’m stopping, and it’s safe to cross the road.” But the car is driverless. The eyes and the voice are computers. […]March 28, 2013RoadbuildingThis gadget gives clunkers smart car capabilitiesFrom clunker to smart car in seconds! So says the ad for something called Car Connection. If you don’t have the latest in wizardry and gadgetry in your car, if you feel it’s the rolling equivalent of one of those old mobile phone “bricks” while everyone else has iPhones, maybe this is for you. You […]March 28, 2013RoadbuildingKeep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheelDo texting-while-driving bans save lives? Sometimes. That’s not the answer I was expecting, nor frankly the answer I wanted to hear, but some serious research, which The Atlantic Cities reported on, seems to have come to this conclusion. The problem doesn’t seem to be the concept – that part works – but enforcement problems are […]March 28, 2013RoadbuildingWhat Pittsburgh’s potholes can tell us.Are potholes prime indicators of street health in a city? Or just one of a number of indicators? And does how they are managed and repaired tell you a lot about the agency responsible? I’d say “maybe” and “yes.” A detailed study of this work in Pittsburgh is worth looking at if either or both […]March 27, 2013RoadbuildingHeadbanging. Safely.They slam their heads into trees thousands of times a day. No brain damage and, as far as we know, no headaches. Woodpeckers. Now industrial designer Anirudha Surabhi has created a new, super-strong bike helmet, which protects cyclists’ heads by mimicking features of the woodpecker’s distinctive anatomy. The woodpecker is not built like other birds; […]March 27, 2013RoadbuildingFrank Sinatra, pothole croonerPotholes. Sinatra. C’mon, you gotta watch this video. The Worcestershire (pronounce it like the sauce) County Council in England is promoting its work fixing potholes. And who better to inspire them than the Chairman of the Board, Ol’ Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra? To let people know how hard they work at it and how […]March 27, 2013Previous PagePage 11 of 43Next PageTop StoriesWheel LoadersLiebherr Debuts World's First Large Wheel Loader with a Hydrogen EngineThe L 566 H's hydrogen reciprocating piston engine is the "optimal power source" for larger equipment, offering comparable performance to diesel, Liebherr says.DozersHyundai Breaks into the Dozer Market with HD100The DirtTest Run & Review: The Market's First Electric Mini Excavator, JCB’s 19C-1ECompact equipmentTakeuchi's TCR50-2 Crawler Dumper is Coming to North AmericaCompact Track Loaders“There’s Something for Everyone” – Compact Track Loaders Continue to Evolve