Section: Roadways/Traffic

Cracking Up: Driving Canada’s Ice Road

Written By: Winding Road Staff

Filed Under: All News, Roadways/Traffic, Winding Road Features May 9th, 2008 12:30 PM 3 Comments

In many parts of the world, roads descend into chaos at the mere suggestion of ice. Not so in Canada. Piers Ward makes a tense, tentative trip along the ice road in the Northwest Territories, dodging trucks as he goes.

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Australian Prankster Posts “Blasphemous” Signs

Written By: Seyth Miersma

Filed Under: All News, Australia, Roadways/Traffic May 7th, 2008 4:30 PM 2 Comments

Someone with a rather fine sense of humor and plenty of spare time, has been torturing the funny bones of the Australian town of Frankston.

The Frankston Leader reported recently on a spate of weirdly humorous road signage appearing out of nowhere. Many of the locals get the joke and find the original signs just as funny as the mystery man responsible for them. But other Frankstonians aren’t quite so bemused, finding signs like the one picturing an amorous couple which reads “Hump,” both “blasphemous” and “obscene”.

Have a look at some of Frankston’s finest in our gallery below.

+ Autoblog: Mystery joker installing funny road signs

If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com

Chinese Drivers Outsmarting Speed Cameras

Written By: Seyth Miersma

Filed Under: All News, China, Gadgets, Government/Legal, Roadways/Traffic May 7th, 2008 10:35 AM 5 Comments

Chinese drivers are using number plate switching devices to get away with speeding in the south of the country. Drivers are employing remotely controlled devices that can switch the numbers on their license plates in seconds, to fool speed cameras and avoid fines.

The Beijing Youth Daily quoted one traffic policeman in the Chinese city of Yangjiang as saying, “More than 50 percent of cars caught on camera for speeding and other offences either cover up their plates or use a fake licence plate. Our chances of capturing them is next to nil.”

One salesman for license plate changing devices, which cost the equivalent of roughly $115, said that the hot-selling items are both “convenient and economical.” No mention of the devices being “illegal” or “satisfying” however.
+ Automotive News: Chinese drivers get away with speeding (Subscription required)

If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com

The Future is Now: Plasma Laser Traffic Lights

Written By: Seyth Miersma

Filed Under: All News, Design, Roadways/Traffic, Safety, Tech April 24th, 2008 1:00 PM 22 Comments

A strange yet nearly practical idea from designer Hanyoung Lee, this virtual wall could spell the way forward for increased pedestrian safety in large urban centers.

The virtual barrier is created using a plasma laser that, while not strong enough to damage humans or vehicles, provides a stunningly powerful visual effect that would seem to effectively communicate where vehicles should stop before crosswalks. The wall would clearly indicate to cars when and where to stop by projecting the laser “walkers” exactly where the crosswalk begins, making it easier for cars to see than the current system of stripes painted on the pavement (though we’d guess it to be abjectly more expensive as well).

Making the whole operation more plausible is the idea that the same laser walls could be used to project advertisements while commuters wait. Check out some renderings of the concept in our gallery below.

+ Concept Trends: The future of traffic lights

If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com

Severe Accident at Chinese Festival Begs Questions about Forged Military License Plates

Written By: David Yang

Filed Under: All News, China, Government/Legal, Roadways/Traffic April 11th, 2008 11:00 AM 2 Comments

Last weekend marked the Qingming festival (a.k.a. the Tomb Sweeping day), a traditional annual festival in China for people to pay homage to the dead and to taqing, the Chinese way to say “going out and enjoying the greenery of spring“. The quiet festival turned out to be a tragedy for some in Nanyang, Henan Province of China, as an out-of-control truck destroyed five cars, and resulted in eight casualties.

Though there’s not much evidence from these pictures, the truck was tagged by some people in Chinese web forums immediately as being a military lorry. Military license plates have long been considered a privilege in the Middle Kingdom, and have gained a notorious reputation by disobeying traffic regulations such as running red lights and ignoring traffic signs. This is largely because military drivers don’t have to face any form of traffic fine for their misbehavior.

(Click through the jump to read on.)

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‘No Honking Day’ in Mumbai

Written By: Seyth Miersma

Filed Under: All News, India, Roadways/Traffic April 7th, 2008 3:00 PM 1 Comment

From all accounts the streets of India’s Mumbai are a noisy place. With 1.5 million vehicles crowded together with bicycles and rickshaws (not to mention dogs, cows, and elephants) the level of noise from car horns alone can apparently get quite deafening.

But residents who are used to the bleating sound of midday traffic are getting a bit of a break today, as the city has organized a “no honking day” to go along with “World Health Day,” in the hopes that it will silently draw attention to the effects of noise pollution on personal well-being.

Mumbai police will team with an army of 2,000 volunteers to help enforce the no honking mandate. The volunteers will stand with placards that remind drivers about the ban, while police move out to put the screws to “illegal novelty horns and reverse horns.” Keep your fingers crossed that the Duke Boys aren’t jumping any closed bridges in the greater Mumbai area.

+ Motor Authority: Mumbai holds ‘No Honking Day’

If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com

Seinfeld Escapes Crash in Vintage Fiat

Written By: Seyth Miersma

Filed Under: All News, Fiat, Roadways/Traffic April 3rd, 2008 10:00 AM 9 Comments

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld was lucky to escape injury recently, when a brake failure in his vintage Fiat caused a rollover crash.

Seinfeld was alone at the wheel of his 1967 Fiat BTM in East Hampton, New York last Saturday, when the car’s brakes suddenly failed. The comic attempted to use the emergency brake to stop, without success, and was forced to swerve to keep from driving into an intersection. The swerve caused the car to roll over and come to stop just yards from the highway. East Hampton Town Police Chief Todd Sarris said that Seinfeld’s quick thinking, “probably avoided a very serious accident.”

While Seinfeld was reportedly “a little shocked” when he returned home, his sense of humor was evidently undamaged. In a message of warning to all the “kids out there,” Seinfeld said, “I want to make sure they all know that driving without braking is not something I recommend, unless you have professional clown training or a comedy background, as I do.”

+ CNN: Crash fails to put kibosh on Seinfeld (via Jalopnik)

If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com

Chinese Traffic Light Poles, Made of China

Written By: David Yang

Filed Under: All News, Art, China, Roadways/Traffic March 26th, 2008 12:00 PM 1 Comment

For the welfare of its citizens, Jingdezhen, a small city in China’s Jiangxi Province with over 1700 years of history producing china, rolled out its new traffic lights on the 10th of March. As we can see in the picture, the new traffic lights poles are made of sheer porcelain. The patterns on the poles are from Qingming Shanghe Tu (Along the River during the Ching-ming Festival), a famous Chinese artwork painted by court painter Zhang Zeduan from the Northern Song Dynasty (960 to 1127 A.D.).

The new traffic lights will, no doubt, give the local drivers and tourists some refreshment and pleasure. But guys please bear in mind that it’s porcelain. So do drive carefully!

(Click on the images below to see parts of the painting that inspired the new Chinese traffic poles as well as a few other examples of civic china.)

If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com

Njection Brings Speed Trap Awareness to Garmin

Written By: Seyth Miersma

Filed Under: All News, Roadways/Traffic, Tech March 26th, 2008 11:00 AM 5 Comments

A while back we reported on an innovative new service from website Njection.com, which mapped local speed traps and red light cameras for the benefit of drivers.

Now, in what seems like a natural pairing for both companies, Njection and Garmin GPS Systems are teaming up to provide ticket-stopping data for users on the go. Drivers will be able to download speed trap information onto their Garmin unit, and then set it to sniff out potential traps before they arrive. The system will give a warning when a driver comes within a preselected distance from the potential hazard.

The Garmin and Njection system, especially if used in conjunction with a traditional radar detector, would seem to give another useful and portable layer of protection against tickets to speedy motorists. Now, if only they could program it to disable cell phone signals, and force a driver’s hands to stay on the wheel…

Thanks to Marty for the tip.

(Click through the jump to read Njection’s press release or check out a selection of Garmin products below.)

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Disastrous 200 Car Accident this Morning on Abu Dhabi Highway

Written By: Seyth Miersma

Filed Under: All News, Roadways/Traffic March 11th, 2008 5:30 PM 8 Comments

Sad news out of Abu Dhabi today, as one of the worst traffic accidents we’ve ever heard of took place on a highway there this morning.

Around 200 cars were involved in the mass pileup on a highway that connects Abu Dhabi with Dubai, when thick morning fog caused motorists driving at full speed to crash in quick succession. The massive accident has reportedly left six people dead, and hundreds injured. The fog continued to foul the situation by making it impossible for helicopters to be used to bring crash victims to area hospitals. Doctors and nurses were brought to the scene instead.

Reports are that 25 cars caught on fire, and that six buses were involved in the horrifying scene. Our thoughts, and wishes for a speedy recovery, go out to everyone involved.

+ Autoblog: Accident involving 200+ cars occurs on Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway

If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com

McElroy Says Seatbelt Regulations Misguided at Best

Written By: Dustin P. Walsh

Filed Under: Government/Legal, Roadways/Traffic, Safety March 7th, 2008 2:00 PM 10 Comments

Earlier we reported on the cost of auto accidents to the American public. Well, John McElroy over at Ward’s Auto has an insightful and true take on the subject.

He said, “Every year, almost like clockwork, 42,000 people are killed in motor vehicle accidents in the U.S. Several million more are injured, many of them badly. Our reaction to this problem is to write even more regulations. It’s not working.”

He noted that it comes down to one determining factor; seatbelts. That’s right, seatbelts. We, here in America, can force the automaker to produce the safest cars and crash-test the hell out of them, but if no one’s wearing a seatbelt, what’s the difference?

McElroy pointed out that while we do have laws in place, we have the weakest laws compared to countries with far better safety records. The difference is stricter seatbelt requirements. If an accident occurs causing serious injury, and the person wasn’t wearing their seatbelt, in other countries, that’s their fault. No reasonable blame can be thrust on the automaker and insurance companies are stricter on seatbelt-less insureds.

(More details after the jump)

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Priviledged Parking Causes Outcry Over NYC Congestion Charge

Written By: Dustin P. Walsh

Filed Under: Government/Legal, Parking, Roadways/Traffic March 7th, 2008 12:00 PM 4 Comments

New York City’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg is coming under fire lately. His plan to charge an $8 congestion charge for the city’s traffic has not gone over lightly. In fact, people are outraged.

Now, parking scandal is fueling the fire. It seems that the city has issued 142,000 free parking passes to its employees – 500 of which belong to the Mayor’s office.

The congestion charge was proposed to fight the city’s traffic and emissions, but for who? Environmentalists and congestion charge fighters are furious. They claim the free parking passes encourage the city employees to drive everywhere instead of utilizing the public transit systems the Mayor urges everyone to use. So, who’s the traffic being cut down for? The city’s employees?

The Mayor has since said that they will be reducing the number of free parking passes. But, do you think he’ll still have one?

+ Wired: Privileged Parking Provokes an Outcry in New York. Watch It Spread