In an effort to improve gas mileage, 400 drivers in Denver participated in an experiment that tracked and reported the bad driving habits -- idling, rapid accelerating and braking -- that waste fuel. Faced with the data, driving habits have changed.
"For nearly a year, every time a group of Denver drivers stomped on the gas pedal, slammed on the brake or spent an extra minute idling at the curb, the actions were recorded by a device called an accelerometer and assessed for effects on gas consumption."
"The drivers -- half of them city employees and half residents who volunteered for the constant surveillance -- were subjects in a city experiment to see whether motorists would drop aggressive driving habits when they saw how much gasoline they were burning."
"Over seven months, the 400 drivers cut their tailgating, hard braking and speeding -- and improved their gas mileage by 10%, according to results released last week."
FULL STORY: The high cost of bad driving habits
So Far, Higher Parking Fees Not Reducing Denver Traffic
The city’s efforts to reduce driving and parking downtown by raising parking fees and ticket fines seem to have little effect on driving habits.
Drive-Thru Pollution
Leaders in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, are studying how to reduce pollution generated by idling cars at drive-thru windows.
Colorado Officials Plan Denver-Fort Collins Rail Service by 2029
About $40 million a year in state funding from new transportation fees could be the key to getting a short passenger rail line from Denver to Fort Collins up and running in the next four years, Colorado officials said last week.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”
Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.
Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?
TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.
Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events
Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”
Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan
The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)