BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

they won't ever take me alive.

Interesting article. Of course they're trying to figure out how to keep the traffic moving rather than eliminate the traffic.

" In New Jersey, premature births, a risk factor for cognitive delays, in areas around highway toll plazas dropped 10.8% after the introduction of E-ZPass, which eased traffic congestion and reduced exhaust fumes"

Two things bug me about that article:

"There are more and more scientists trying to find whether and why exposure to traffic exhaust can damage the human brain..." Whether? yes, it does. It's not a matter of whether, it's a matter of how much. Like most things, in a small enough dose I'm sure no harm is done. I understand their point, but would expect the english major who wrote it to word it a little better.

The worst one: "Scientists believe that simple steps to speed traffic are a factor in reducing some public-health problems."

Look, no offence, but it doesn't work that way. Scientists can have all the beliefs they want, but that doesn't make their beliefs relevant to the discussion at hand or the science behind it. That's what makes it science. Keep beliefs out of it.

Leave the engineering to the engineers, the public policy to... whoever is supposed to own it, and scientists should stick to science. I think this is another idiotic author error, not an actual departure from science of a bunch of scientists.

That way we'd have more solutions like getting people out of their cars, not just keeping cars moving (which would probably just get more people IN cars, since "now it's so convenient that they fixed the traffic...").

sorry. having a ranty day.

It *could* be interesting to leave science to the scientists and engineering to the engineers.

Unfortunately, the studies & development seem rather constrained by who is willing to fund them. & the funding is often driven by beliefs &/or potential for profit. The history of birth control in the US is a good case study in this regard. Development of weaponry & its conversion to other purposes is another one.

we need the porn industry to take a keen interest in cycling infrastructure. we'd have bicycle highways in 6 months.

@ejwme: I look forward with great anticipation to the industry-funded PSAs and ads.

Get the porn industry, iphone hackers, and people who don't want to pay for creative works together and we could have it all in a week. Sad how much more effort goes into entertainment than actually improving actual lives. Yay brave new world.