Tuscaloosa got a $10m federal grant for multi-modal and pedestrian transport on through downtown on University blvd, pretty much the only road with shops on. They rejected it and one of the reasons was because to comply with the grant they needed to go down to 1 lane in each direction
That's a shame! Not knowing much about the U of A campus, it looks like University is just 1 lane for a good portion of it, and I bet would be just fine with that capacity reduction for the whole length. An odd decision because I assume the application for the grant would have included plans to make that lane reduction (hence why it would have been awarded), but sometimes the jurisdictional regimes change (i.e. a new elected or appointed official comes in with different opinions).
imo probably better to have continuous center islands that only break up for turn lanes instead of continuous turn lanes to discourage dangerous overtaking. also I don't see a reason not to have raised crossings. but I'm no traffic engineer, so I wouldn't know if those ideas have any merit in practice
Agreed! An improvement like this wouldn't need a continuous two-way left turn lane, especially if there is significant consolidation of side streets and driveways. Raised crossings are also great, and I just created one in a recent video about Blacksburg Virginia. Unfortunately they are hard to get installed on higher-speed arterials due to pushback from City/Emergency services.
@@InspiredInfrastructure those suicide lanes should never exist in the first place, but in combination with high speeds (I bet they'll still allow 40+ mph…), high traffic volumes (what are the actual numbers on that?) and bi-directional bike paths on both sides, they are a recipe for disaster. Because drivers will only care about not being hit from another car when turning left.
Great question! I'm not an urban planner by trade - most of my career is roadway design - but I may have some opportunities in this series to envision streets within fully built-out urban centers. Just from my own personal experiences - housing density, zoning, and parking minimums are all critical issues that tend to strangle walkable urbanism. Transit-oriented development and carefully-planned freight routes would vital to moving people and goods in and out of that walk-first town.
It's not a game; it's professional 3D visualization software specifically for transportation projects called Beyond Typicals. beyondcad.com/beyondtypicals
This is awesome! Thanks for illuminating the safe streets for all grant as I'm looking through the document too.
Tuscaloosa got a $10m federal grant for multi-modal and pedestrian transport on through downtown on University blvd, pretty much the only road with shops on. They rejected it and one of the reasons was because to comply with the grant they needed to go down to 1 lane in each direction
That's a shame! Not knowing much about the U of A campus, it looks like University is just 1 lane for a good portion of it, and I bet would be just fine with that capacity reduction for the whole length. An odd decision because I assume the application for the grant would have included plans to make that lane reduction (hence why it would have been awarded), but sometimes the jurisdictional regimes change (i.e. a new elected or appointed official comes in with different opinions).
imo probably better to have continuous center islands that only break up for turn lanes instead of continuous turn lanes to discourage dangerous overtaking. also I don't see a reason not to have raised crossings. but I'm no traffic engineer, so I wouldn't know if those ideas have any merit in practice
Agreed! An improvement like this wouldn't need a continuous two-way left turn lane, especially if there is significant consolidation of side streets and driveways.
Raised crossings are also great, and I just created one in a recent video about Blacksburg Virginia. Unfortunately they are hard to get installed on higher-speed arterials due to pushback from City/Emergency services.
@@InspiredInfrastructure those suicide lanes should never exist in the first place, but in combination with high speeds (I bet they'll still allow 40+ mph…), high traffic volumes (what are the actual numbers on that?) and bi-directional bike paths on both sides, they are a recipe for disaster. Because drivers will only care about not being hit from another car when turning left.
I'm curious how you would design a walkable town/neighborhood from scratch? Maybe you can do a video about that later
Great question! I'm not an urban planner by trade - most of my career is roadway design - but I may have some opportunities in this series to envision streets within fully built-out urban centers. Just from my own personal experiences - housing density, zoning, and parking minimums are all critical issues that tend to strangle walkable urbanism. Transit-oriented development and carefully-planned freight routes would vital to moving people and goods in and out of that walk-first town.
Such a great channel would you be interested at looking at a few roads and intersections in the UK?
@@mickadile6275 Sure! Reach out via the Contact page at inspiredinfrastructure.com
What benefit do HAWK signal have over a regular traffic light?
For pedestrians? No benefits at all. For people driving? Instead of waiting for a green, you just have to wait for the crosswalk to be empty.
This video does a great job explaining it! ua-cam.com/video/AHX8ezW2XGs/v-deo.html
The discussion of using regular stop lights starts at about 6:20
game name?
It's not a game; it's professional 3D visualization software specifically for transportation projects called Beyond Typicals. beyondcad.com/beyondtypicals
It appears to be a software called "Beyond Typicals" from Beyond CAD.