Exploring various portals into technology and mythology, science and fiction...
Wednesday, December 27, 2023
Vancouver's little Canoe Bridge vs. much better examples
Monday, December 18, 2023
The Steel Bridge (Portland) and Washington Avenue Transit Bridge (Minneapolis)
The Steel_Bridge and the Washington_Avenue_Bridge, if only such bridges were allowed in Greater_Vancouver...
The Steel-Bridge is old, yet adequately functioning as a multi-model crossing.
Upper: 2 outer lanes for general traffic, 2 inner lanes solely for MAX Light Rail, and sidewalks on both sides
Lower: Union Pacific Railroad (incl. Amtrak toward Eugene) and walkway.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Amtrak_talgo_train_crossing_steel_bridge.jpg
"The bridge has two decks, with the lower deck designated for motor vehicle traffic and light rail trains and the upper deck used for pedestrians and bicycles (lanes specifically for bikes are on the north side)." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Avenue_Bridge_(Minneapolis)
Unfortunately, the Skybridge between NW & Surrey, has no bus & bike lanes. Thus, its another fine example of backward BC planning. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skybridge_(TransLink)
Even though the SkyTrain wasn't intended to run 24hrs, no adequate future capacity provisions were included into the design of the SkyBridge. Ideally, the bridge should have had at least 3 tracks on 1 deck. Plus, 2 bus & bike lanes on another deck, with 2 lanes for emergency vehicles that would all be open 24-7.
Apparently, it was better to funnel everything into the inept Pattullo_Bridge. A narrow 4 lane joke of a crossing with only 1 narrow sidewalk. Its so nice that the Sydney-Harbour-Bridge has 2 pathways. Surrey is set to become the largest city in BC. Thus, Surrey & NW should have had several bridges like Portland_OR by now.
In the 1930s, NSW already had a sense of Sydney being a substantial state capital on the Pacific for quite a while. In contrast, NW, BC emphasized its status of a former backwater provincial capital & perpetuated its small-minded city mentality.
Thus, the Sydney_Harbour_Bridge was originally built with six lanes, 4 sets of tracks & two sidewalks. Where as the Pattullo_Bridge was a fine example of backwater BC thinking & planning. Unlike the impressive Sydney_Harbour_Bridge, there is no comparable high level bridge in BC which is capable of carrying double deck passenger trains. Of course it should be noted that NSW has seen itself as a mighty state on the Pacific for quite a long time. Thus, the 1930s Sydney_Harbour_Bridge remains so far ahead of anything in backwater provincial BC.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Harbour_Bridge_cycleway Unlike the BC aproach, NSW didn't have to remove any traffic lanes. Ultimately, Vancouver will have traffic lanes removed from 3 of its bridges, because the city refuses to build anything like the magnificent Tilikum_Crossing in Portland, OR. Vancouver was one of the first cities to get rid of its streetcars & will likely be one of the last to ever bring them back. Well fortunately, there was nothing like the BC mentality to stop the Portland_Streetcar_or_the_Tilikum_Bridge.
The tram-train MAX_and_bus_on_Tilikum_the_Crossing. If only backward Vancouver, BC would allow such a fine transit bridge, then there would be less congestion on the existing narrow bridges. Indeed, Greater Vancouver refuses to build a series of bus-bridges, even though that would relieve some of the regional congestion.
Unlike in the largest urban area in BC, Portland,_OR was able to build many more bridges.
https://www.pattullobridgereplacement.ca Of course the bridge wasn't built with the provision for a lower deck similar to what's on the Tilikum Bridge. https://www.pattullobridgereplacement.ca/about/projectoverview It wasn't allowed to have 8 lanes like the Anzac_Bridge_in_Sydney. So no bus & HOV lanes, just have everything crammed into a 4 lane bottleneck. No emergency lanes, it will open with only 2 lanes each way, but with the potential to become a 6 lane bridge, some day. So, just like the Skybridge, it won't have 2 dedicated bus lanes.
Unlike the Skybridge in NW, at least the North-Arm-Bridge to Richmond has 1 bike lane, but there should have been 2 as well as 2 bus lanes & even 2 emergency vehicle lanes on the North_Arm_Bridge. Since the North_Arm_Bridge doesn't have 24hr train service & no bus lanes, late-night buses only have the 4 lane bottlenecks that are the Oak_Street_Bridge, Knight_Street_Bridge & the Queensborough_Bridge. Of course there are no emergency vehicle lanes, because even they should be subjected to the overall congestion of the region.
The Sydney_Harbour_Bridge, the Anzac_Bridge & the Tilikum_Crossing were all possible, simply because they aren't subjected to anything like the restrictions impose in Greater_Vancouver or BC in general. The BC part of Canada is trapped in some kind of a stagnation loop or a series of restrictions to stiefel or thwart infrastructure upgrades & progress. However, so many other cities around the world just aren't subjected to anything like the BC approach to things.
https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Portland
https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Tilikum+Crossing
https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=transit+bridges
Monday, February 12, 2024
The Abraham Lincoln Bridge, JFK Bridge and the Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges
"The Abraham Lincoln Bridge is a six-lane, single-deck cable-stayed bridge carrying northbound Interstate 65 across the Ohio River..." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln_Bridge
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln_Bridge#History
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy_Memorial_Bridge 6 lanes
Such a 12 lane river crossing always has the potential for bus & HOV_lanes.
The Sir_Leo_Hielscher_Bridges also form a 12 lane crossing.
https://nacto.org/docs/usdg/tcrp_rpt_90_case_studies_volume_1_levinson.pdf
https://wanderlog.com/list/geoCategory/867273/best-bridges-in-brisbane
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - HOV METROPOLIS?
https://trid.trb.org/view/721772
https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/safety/rules/road/special
https://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/tcrp/tcrp90v1_cs/Brisbane.pdf
Even though it would provide proper bus & HOV lanes, Vancouver is one of the most reluctant cities about allowing bridge duplication or twinning. Thus, everything is funneled into absurdly narrow bridges.
The old Fraser_Street_Bridge was never replaced with a bus & bike bridge. The Oak_Street_Bridge, Knight_Street_Bridge & the Arthur_Laing_Bridge are classic 4 lane Vancouver chokepoints. Unless new HOV & bus bridges are built, these 3 bridges will remain quintessential bottlenecks. The ridiculously narrow Lions_Gate_Bridge is a three lane joke. There should have been a bus, HOV & train tunnel built around there decades ago.
The Second_Narrows_Crossing is also too narrow to accommodate proper bus & HOV lanes. Thus, any new parallel train bridge should also have bus & HOV lanes. Otherwise, it will just become another SkyTrain-bridge.
Unlike stubborn Vancouver, Montreal was able to build the new Champlain_Bridge. Indeed, the New_Champlain_Bridge has 4 lanes each way & 2 train tracks in the middle.
Such is the gatekeeper mentality of Vancouver, a city that wants to perpetually excel in congestive transportation planning. Fortunately, this thwarting Vancouver mentality hasn't spread to most other cities around the world.
Monday, June 19, 2023
Multimodal Bridges and Tunnels
There used to be a time, especially in the mid 20th century, when several bridges were built with narrow sidewalks, or none at all. Forget about emergency lanes & especially not allowing for bus & bike lanes. Just have the crossing get all plugged up, so you are still punished, even if you use public transit.
http://waterlooarchitecture.com/bridge/blog/2018/09/14/multimodal-manila
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-08-19/why-portland-is-building-a-multi-modal-bridge-that-bans-cars This is one of the best bridges of its type in the world. The Interstate bridges in downtown Portland,_Oregon have no bike and pedestrian access. However, the Tilikum_Crossing was intended to be a nice counterbalance. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilikum_Crossing#Design
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Providence_Bridge_Pedal
Vancouver, BC could have really benefited from something like the Tilikum_Crossing_in_Portland. However, no such streetcar or tram-train bridge exists in Vancouver, BC. Fortunately, Portland & Seattle were able to revive some of their old streetcar lines. Cities like New Orleans, Philadelphia, Boston, Toronto, SF & Melbourne retained some of their streetcar or tramlines, unlike Vancouver.
https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2012/tc/T41-1-50-eng.pdf
The George_Massey_Tunnel in BC, Canada is a sad joke. It wasn't designed to accommodate 2 bus & bike lanes. No footpaths & no emergency lanes. It is a fine example of BC bottleneck planning. The Louis-Hippolyte_Lafontaine_Bridge-Tunnel in Montreal, is slightly a little better.
https://www.highway99tunnel.ca While this new tunnel will have 2 bus - HOV lanes & a bike path, there is no provision for a train connecting the airport to the ferry terminal. https://www.delta-optimist.com/local-news/interurban-rail-not-on-the-horizon-for-delta-6448841 This means that eventually some day, a new train tunnel or bridge will have to be built to provide a rail link between the Tsawwassen_ferry_terminal and the Vancouver_International_Airport.
Some day, when enough sensible people can implement proper big city regional planning, a train could run from Waterfront_station_(Vancouver) to the Park_Royal_Shopping_Centre and onto the Horseshoe_Bay_ferry_terminal. Unfortunately, backward & slow-moving Vancouver is only just starting to think about having its own version of a North_Shore_railway_line.
https://www.websiteplanet.com/blog/best-green-web-hosting-services
Whether its for environmental reasons or just for overall efficiency, transportation corridors that are designed for various modes of of transit, can effectively move more people.
https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=BC
Monday, November 27, 2023
The Pattullo Bridge saga in BC
The old Pattullo_Bridge was built with a narrow sidewalk on only one side & a road deck that can barely hold 4 narrow lanes. It's all part of the narrow mindedness of the BC mentality.
https://www.pattullobridgereplacement.ca/about/projectoverview/
https://604now.com/new-pattullo-bridge-completion-updated-photos-renderings/
"The new Pattullo Bridge is on track for completion in 2024, but business leaders in Surrey are calling for six lanes to be open to vehicle traffic on day one, instead of four as currently planned." https://globalnews.ca/news/9489375/pattullo-replacement-six-lanes-debate
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/pattullo-bridge-surrey-board-of-trade
https://604now.com/like-cross-pattullo-bridge-1937 Why build a wide bride that also has 2 wide sidewalks when the bare minimum can be done instead? Then try to build an inadequate replacement bridge with only 4 lanes, no bus & HOV lanes & no emergency lanes. That's the BC way in the 1930s & the 2020s. At least it will have a couple of bike lanes.
https://www.delta-optimist.com/local-news/delta-says-new-pattullo-wont-ease-traffic-woes-3088329 Of course just like the old bridge, there won't be any provision for a lower rail & express bus deck.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/45379817@N08/9660269876 Just the idea that there could be 1 waggon road each way was amazing for BC back then. Somehow, the narrow bridge had just enough width to eventually have 4 waggon roads.
Wide+bridges, twinning or duplication can allow for express bus lanes and more HOV_lanes in general.
http://archives.newwestcity.ca/Results.aspx?AC=NEXT_RECORD&XC=/Results.aspx&BU=http%3A%2F%2Farchives.newwestcity.ca%2Fsearch.aspx&GI=&TN=internet&SN=AUTO26198&SE=1232&RN=51&MR=100&TR=0&TX=1000&ES=0&XP=&RF=WebRelevance&EF=&DF=WebFull&RL=0&EL=0&DL=0&NP=255&ID=&MF=GENERICENGWPMSG.INI&DT=&ST=0&IR=4333&NR=0&NB=0&SV=0&SS=0&BG=&FG=&QS= Of course there was no provision to have a lower deck for trucks & trains.
http://archives.newwestcity.ca/Results.aspx?AC=NEXT_RECORD&XC=/Results.aspx&BU=http%3A%2F%2Farchives.newwestcity.ca%2Fsearch.aspx&GI=&TN=internet&SN=AUTO26198&SE=1232&RN=49&MR=100&TR=0&TX=1000&ES=0&XP=&RF=WebRelevance&EF=&DF=WebFull&RL=0&EL=0&DL=0&NP=255&ID=&MF=GENERICENGWPMSG.INI&DT=&ST=0&IR=4333&NR=0&NB=0&SV=0&SS=0&BG=&FG=&QS= While a narrow bridge can easily become inadequate, the provision for a lower deck can make all the difference.
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/driving-and-transportation/reports-and-reference/reports-and-studies/frontier_to_freeway.pdf It was quite a thing for BC to have waggon roads & then eventually some were doubel width. Unfortunately, even today, there is a mentality to just have 1 or 2 lanes each way. Yet, such thoroughfares will be marked as a major route when it's not much wider than a country road.
https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Multimodal+Bridges+and+Tunnels
https://thedigitallabyrinth.blogspot.com/search?q=Urban+Bus+and+Bike+Lanes+and+Bridges
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapses
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Scott_Key_Bridge_collapse
Fortunately, most times ships don't crash into bridges.
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/the-deadliest-bridge-collapse-in-modern-history
https://libguides.lindahall.org/bridges/failures/collapses
https://www.history.com/news/deadly-bridge-collapses
http://www.historyofbridges.com/facts-about-bridges/bridge-failures/
http://www.bridgesdb.com/bridge-history-facts/famous-bridge-collapses/
Francis+Scott+Key+Bridge+in+Baltimore+collapses+after+being+struck+by+cargo+ship
Saturday, September 16, 2023
Bridges-in-Singapore
https://www.holidify.com/pages/bridges-in-singapore-2385.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helix_Bridge
Such impressive infrastructure, overall.
Tuesday, November 14, 2023
The very narrow The Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lions_Gate_Bridge
"The 1933 bylaw authorizing construction included a provision mandating that "no Asiatic person shall be employed in or upon any part of the undertaking or other works". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lions_Gate_Bridge#History
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/221026/dq221026b-eng.htm While Canada has allowed for more diversity over the decades, Canada has nowhere near even 1% of the world's' population. It's been a struggle just for Canada to accommodate half of 1% of the human population.
Unfortunately for most of the 20th century, Vancouver was to remain as just a provincial backwater for as long as possible. For had the city been allowed to flourish onto the scale of the likes of Sydney, San_Francisco or even Seattle, that would mean there would be a lot more people. Which means more non-white people and that was just too uncomfortable a notion for the White colonial mindset.
Of course the colonial mindset could be seen all over the world, but so many other cities weren't thwarted like Vancouver and Victoria. You will never find any official BC mandate revealing that it was to remain as a provincial backwater for as long as possible.
Thus, the local power structure continually tried to hold things back for most of the cities history. A multigenerational stunted growth policy is a clever way to slow a city and province down. Calgary and Seattle became big business cities, because they aren't under any BC type restrictions.
One only look at what Alberta and Washington_(state) have been able to do, because they aren't in BC.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberta#Transportation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_(state)#Transportation
The 12 lane Ship_Canal_Bridge in Seattle is the closest big & wide bridge to V-BC. Although the Port_Mann_Bridge is much closer, it only has 10 lanes. Unfortunately, both bridges don't have any existing rail component.
Fortunately, Vancouver, WA wasn't forced to indefinitely endure a 3 lane bottleneck like V-BC has.
The planners of the Sydney_Harbour_Bridge didn't have a backwater BC mindset. However, after several decades, the SHB was augmented by the Sydney_Harbour_Tunnel. Unfortunately, there was no provision for a 3rd lane each way to allow for express buses.
https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/projects/current-projects/western-harbour-tunnel-and-warringah-freeway-upgrade How is this possible? Of course NSW isn't under any backwater BC type restrictions.
https://caportal.com.au/rms/wht
The Western_Harbour_Tunnel should have had an extra section for future express busses or even another train line.
While something like the Sydney_Metro should have already gone under the harbour decades ago, at least it's not as late to the party like Vancouver is.
"Stage 1 (Metro North West) operates with 6-car trains running on 4-minute headways. After the addition of the Stage 2 extension to Bankstown, the stations’ platforms will be configured to allow for future use of 8-car trains and the signalling system designed to allow for 2-minute headways, both of which are planned to be introduced once sufficient patronage demands it. Eight-car trains have a design capacity of 1,539 customers and increasing the running frequency to ultimately 30 trains per hour (2-minute headway) would provide a maximum capacity of 46,170 passengers per hour per direction." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Metro#Capacity
"In the event that extensions to 8 cars happens if sufficient demand warrants the contract, two infill carriages will be added between cars 05 and 06." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Metro_Metropolis_Stock#Service_formation This allowace for such expansion just isn't part of the BC mentality, but for NSW, it's not a problem.
With the Lions_Gate_Bridge being so narrow, it's impossible to have proper HOV & express bus lanes. Yet for decades, the city refuses to build a bus & HOV tunnel.
Although Portland is a stunted city when compared to Seattle, Portland still has a much better set of bridges than Vancouver, BC.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Vancouver_Regional_District
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_metropolitan_area,_Oregon
https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=bridges
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Monday, August 5, 2024
Some Bridges Are like Doorways or Portals into Other Dimensions
https://medium.com/@johnwhye1967/bridges-are-doorways-9c5aace137ac
One can walk, bike or drive across a bridge in minutes & you arrive at the other side a few minutes or so later, in your sense of local time.
A Wormhole is like a bridge or conduit into another point in space.
https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/20/16797960/bridge-constructor-portal-review-iphone-android-pc
https://kotaku.com/bridge-constructor-portal-is-actually-pretty-good-1821484252
https://www.britannica.com/science/wormhole
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wormhole#Einstein-Rosen_bridges
https://www.space.com/20881-wormholes.html
https://i4is.org/einstein-rosen-bridge/#gsc.tab=0
https://www.quantamagazine.org/physicists-create-a-wormhole-using-a-quantum-computer-20221130/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wormhole#Time_travel Unfortunatly, there isn't an app for that, yet.
https://academic.oup.com/book/36753/chapter-abstract/321854123?redirectedFrom=fulltext
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wormholes_in_fiction#Stargate_franchise
Saturday, April 6, 2024
NYC earthquake MTA subway-bridges-tunnels-closures-delays
Of course it takes time to assess if there was any significant earthquake damage.
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/earthquake-new-york-city-aging-buildings
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-world-s-10-most-earthquake-prone-countries.html
Urban earthquakes can be the most dangerous & disruptive, simply because of the concentration of people & infrastructure.
https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/which-country-has-most-earthquakes
Saturday, March 16, 2024
17 Ave. S.E. Bus Rapid Transit, Cushing Bridge, Calgary
https://www.calgary.ca/council/ward-9/h-17-av-se-bus-rapid-transit.html Of course Calgary would get around to doing this type of crossing, long before Vancouver would. The BRT bridge next to the Cushing+Bridge
The 4 lane Cushing+Bridge could have easily remained as a Vancouver type bottleneck or chokepoint, but building a bus-bridge next to it, makes all the difference. The Greater Vancouver area has so many narrow streets & bridges. Its as if there is a different set of physics in BC than in Alberta. Fortunately unlike slow moving Vancouver, Calgary was able to get the 17_Avenue_Transitway mostly completed, years ago.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calgary_Transit#Bus_rapid_transit_and_future
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAX_(Calgary)#BRT_routes
Of course Calgary seems to have a better system of bike bridges than Vancouver as well.
https://www.visitcalgary.com/things-to-do/stories-from-calgary/10-epic-bike-pathways-in-calgary
Friday, February 16, 2024
Evolution of the Vancouver SkyTrain 1985-2035
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3kzHlQQSeg
The Surrey-Langley Skytrain segment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx5GBKjiw2c
Just because it's considered light rail, there still should have been a provision to easily have 152 m stations, like with the Montreal Metro stations. Instead, the first 2 lines only can handle 80 m trains & the C Line has a ridiculous 50 M station maximum. This, not properly building for the future agenda, is utterly foolish & inept. In spite of many cities opting for long trains & wide bridges, the BC approach is to provide half sized infrastructure for a half-assed approach to things. Nevertheless, there is still the potential to upgrade it to eventually becoming like a proper big city metro train system. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_Line_(SkyTrain)#Capacity_upgrades
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/SkyBridgeThis is one of the best examples of BC bottleneck planning so far. The SkyBridge_for_SkyTrain should have had at least 3 tracks, not just 2 & only a maintenance track. The old inadequate 4 lane Pattullo_Bridge has only 1 narrow sidewalk & no bike or bus lanes. Thus, the Skybridge should have had 2 bike lanes & 2 footpaths. There also should have been 2 bus lanes, because when the train shuts down for maintenance or an emergency, a 24hr busway there is vital. The narrow SkyBridge really should have had a provision for a 2nd level, but that would go against the multigenerational congestive planning agenda of BC.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skybridge_(TransLink)
If the very narrow & inept old Patullo-Bridge had much better foundations, it could have become a great foot & bike+bridge, once its replacement opened. Unfortunately, even the new Pattullo_Bridge is already set to be a modern example of BC bottleneck planning. While it will at least have a bike & footpath on both sides, it will open without any proper bus & HOV lanes.
Even if the Expo_Line_(SkyTrain) was somehow open for 24hrs, there would still be the occasional emergency situation requiring the train bridge to close. Yet, even the new 4 lane Pattullo-Bridge will open without any bus, HOV lanes or emergency lanes. Thus, it will become another fine example of BC bottleneck planning.
The new Pattullo-Bridge should open with 6 lanes & a provision to have at least 8 lanes. This would not only allow for 2 general lanes each way, but a bus & HOV lane each way & a truck lane each way. https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/pattullo-bridge-surrey-board-of-trade
Of course there also should have been a provision for a lower or upper deck, which could provide additional bus & train capacity. Unfortunately, it will start out as another 4 lane backward BC bridge.
Monday, December 18, 2023
The Ship Canal Bridge in Seattle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_Canal_Bridge The SCB should have HOV & bus-lanes in all of its three 4 lane sections, or at least on the lower deck.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ajGMRXlYmg
It's not amazing to have a 12-lane section of highway in Ontario and even in Queensland. 10 lanes in Alberta, but it would take until 2015 for all 10 lanes to open up on the new Port_Mann_Bridge in BC. The 8 lane Fremont_Bridge_in_Portland,_Oregon opened in 1973 with 2 levels. Far beyond the 4 lane joke that was the old Port_Mann_Bridge of the 1960s.
https://historylink.org/File/3312 For Seattle to have a 12 lane structure so close to BC in the early 1960s, was amazing, but so was the Space_Needle.
https://mynorthwest.com/3931367/when-i-5-ship-canal-bridge-became-13-million-parking-lot/
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/prioritize-fixing-i-5s-ailing-ship-canal-bridge/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bridges_in_Seattle
Of course the decades of simply building more & more traffic lanes have become quite evident for the induced demand argument. However, today it should be about making streets, roads & highways much more efficient. More bus & HOV lanes & alternate powered vehicles can really help. While the EV option can be a good thing, there should also be more hybrid vehicles.
Monday, January 29, 2024
The Greatest Bridges
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDuvDi7LYhY
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Harbour_Bridge , https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/how-to-climb-sydney-harbor-bridge
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco-Oakland_Bay_Bridge
The $1BN Race to Save The Golden Gate Bridge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcV1btTEAVg
A Barrier_transfer_machine has made the bridge safer.
https://www.goldengate.org/bridge/bridge-operations/traffic-management/
https://mtc.ca.gov/whats-happening/news/special-features/golden-gate-bridge-moveable-median-barrier
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrier_transfer_machine#Permanent_locations
Tuesday, December 26, 2023
Tilikum Crossing in Portland vs. other bridges
The Tilikum_Crossing is the type of transit structure that should be in various parts of Greater Vancouver, BC. While such planning isn't a problem in Oregon, for BC, it might as well be something out of science fiction story.
https://trimet.org/tilikum , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIYPA7jyELs
https://www.tylin.com/work/projects/tilikum-crossing-bridge-people
The North_Arm_Bridge should have had similar features to what the Tilikum_Crossing would have. Unfortunately, as part of the Canada_Line_and_Skytrain, it had to be symbolically underbuilt. Even with first phase budget limitations, the bridge could have been designed to eventually be at least as wide as what the Tilikum would be. Just because it's a light rail train line, all the stations could have been designed to eventually be 152m, like the high capacity Montreal Metro stations are, instead of the 50m joke that it has become. Thus, the Catheter_Line is one of the best examples of infrastructure financial drainage. Indeed, for all of its cost, the bridge should have been twice its width by now & the stations at least 3 times longer, simply by designing it with the potential to become a proper big city train.
https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Tilikum+Crossing
Tuesday, November 7, 2023
The very narrow 1st Tacoma Narrows Bridge (1940)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacoma_Narrows_Bridge_(1940) Just a 2 lane blunder.
Of course a stronger & wider bridge should have been designed in the first place.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacoma_Narrows_Bridge_(1940)#Collapse
It was such a narrow & inadequate bridge that it rivaled the very narrow Lions_Gate_Bridge.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacoma_Narrows_Bridge_(1940)#Cause_of_the_collapse
Eventually, a bigger & better bridge was built.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacoma_Narrows_Bridge_(1950)
Then eventually twinned, something that's almost unheard of in BC.
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
The Steel Bridge in Portland vs. the New Westminster Rail Bridge
The current Steel_Bridge opened in 1912 with tremendous capacity well over a century later. Perhaps the designers looked at the narrow New Westminster Rail Bridge & decided to avoid the BC bottleneck approach to things.
Upper: 2 outer lanes for general traffic, 2 inner lanes solely for MAX Light Rail, and sidewalks on both sides
Lower: Union Pacific Railroad (incl. Amtrak toward Eugene) and walkway.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel_Bridge#History - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r02EbmjuNfw
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Westminster_Bridge Opened in 1904 and like so much infrastructure in BC, it wasn't built for any significant future capacity.
http://www.gvgc.ca/v_Rail.aspx
https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/biens-property/construction/new-westminster-eng.html
https://thetyee.ca/News/2009/06/01/RailFix
Unlike Portland, NW never seemed to ever want to become a big bustling river city, just another provincial backwater. There was a time in the 1800s when NW could have acquired what would eventually become known as the Tri-Cities. However, that wouldn't fit within its backwater BC mentality.
Indeed, to this day, the former BC capital & Victoria are quite small when compared to Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg & Q. City. However, since little NW is in the middle of Greater_Vancouver, it has been gradually encouraged to take on more big city attributes.
Saturday, June 12, 2021
A.I. Simulates the Universe and Dark Matter...
What if AI discovers that the universe is like a cosmic movie theater, a planetarium or something like a ST Holodeck?
https://thenextweb.com/news/ai-could-help-astronomers-unravel-the-mystery-of-dark-matter-syndication
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Holodeck Even that become an analogy to what the big picture is.
https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2021/may/machine-learning-cosmology.html
https://ca.startrek.com/database_article/holodeck Would AI reveal to people that this is all some kind of an interactive recording of space & time?
https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/dark-matter-bridges-future-galaxy
https://theconversation.com/star-treks-holodeck-from-science-fiction-to-a-new-reality-74839
https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/star-trek-discovery-holodeck-season-3
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/05/210504191602.htm
https://screenrant.com/star-trek-holodeck-accidents-malfunction-every/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190918100223.htm
https://screenrant.com/star-trek-questions-holodeck-answered/
https://www.livescience.com/65832-ai-creates-model-universe-mysteriously.html
https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/baseball-sherlock-holmes-top-10-star-trek-holodeck-episodes
https://www.cbr.com/star-trek-animated-series-holodeck-tng