Month: November 2013

  • What Driverless Vehicles “See”

    A few weeks ago we had a comment thread debate about whether autonomous vehicles would drive more safely than humans. The question was posed whether a driverless car could ‘see’ a pedestrian in dark clothes on a rainy night. This tweet claims that Google’s vehicle gathers about 1GB of data each second. I’m pretty sure…

  • Thanksgiving 2013 Open Thread

    Have a happy holiday, everyone!

  • What Are We Going To Do With All That Parking?

    It’s an interesting juxtaposition. As reported on Bike Portland, the City of Portland is trying to determine how much parking we need in corridors and centers. At the same time Atlantic Cities is reporting on efforts by architects to figure out how to re-purpose unneeded parking into other uses, with the theme that we need…

  • More Work on Replacing LOS

    We continue to look for alternatives to the dreaded, auto-oriented “Level of Service” as the way to measure the performance of our streets… PSU Transportation Seminar: Speaker: Shaun Quayle, Kittelson & Associates, Inc. Topic: Piloting Portland’s MultiModal Arterial Performance System When: Friday, November 22, 2013, 12-1 p.m. Where: PSU Urban Center Building, SW 6th and Mill, Room 204 Summary: Shaun…

  • Shedding Some Light on “Be Seen, Be Safe”

    Along with the shortening of the days and the return of the rain, it appears that the parade of retro-reflectivity brought about by campaigns such as Tri-Met’s “Be Seen Be Safe” is becoming an autumn tradition in these parts. The award-winning initiative, which encourages people walking and riding to dress for maximum visibility, probably sounds…