Ant colonies direct traffic flows of millions of individuals along the best routes – army ants even manage inbound and outbound lanes – but how?
Geoff Gallice/Wikimedia
Insects aren’t known for having big brains, and slime moulds and fungi don’t have any. So how do they solve challenges that test the ingenuity of human transport engineers?
According to a recent report, New Zealand will need to increase renewable electricity generation, plant more trees and continue switching to electric transport more rapidly to achieve its zero carbon goal by 2050.
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New Zealand has set itself a goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, and a recent report by the Productivity Commission lays out how it could hit that target.
High-speed rail for Australia has been on the drawing boards since the mid-1980s but has come to nothing. Three states are developing medium-speed rail with federal funding, but NSW is missing out.
Smart bus use can transform public transport in cities, as EMBARQ is doing in Brazil.
EMBARQ Brasil/Flickr
Trains and trams get most attention, but ‘tweaking’ bus transit can transform cities. Buses can be more cost-effective and deliver better service, especially for small to mid-sized cities.
This month Sweden built the first road that charges electric vehicles as they drive.
eroadarlanda
Electric cars might be a quick fix to clean up transport, but the problems with cars go beyond just emissions.
The ‘Bicycle Snake’ in Copenhagen separates pedestrians and cyclists, allowing both to navigate the city more safely.
Cycling Embassy of Denmark/DISSING+WEITLING
New analysis reveals just how little is spent on cycling and walking projects around Australia. No state’s spending on cycling is more than 1.5% of its road funding.
Victorians who opposed the East West Link before the November 2014 election would have felt not much had changed when the new government announced the West Gate Tunnel in March 2015.
Courtney Biggs/AAP
Transport infrastructure has such an impact on what kind of city we become that more democratic planning is long overdue. But public consultation is typically limited and focused on design issues.
The congestion charge has helped to ease traffic and raise funds. But the rise of Uber and other private hire vehicles have raised unforeseen challenges.
Buses are set to be replaced by private and autonomous vehicles – but it’s not clear how society is going to deal with it.
Renault Zoé is currently the best-selling electric vehicle in the European Union (15% market share) and leader in France (with 70% of market share).
Wikimedia Commons
The overall analysis of the results of the new Energy Market Barometer confirms that the road to a change in the dominant mobility model is still long.
Australia could benefit from driverless car development and technology.
Shutterstock/chombosan
Traditional car manufacturing may have gone from Australia with a loss of jobs, but one senior figure in the motor industry sees a potential for new jobs thanks to driverless cars.
Share-bikes can litter our cities and be found in rivers, up trees, in gutters, and strewn around public places.
Obikes in unusual places/Facebook
A rethink in the approach to road freight transport safety is urgently required to reduce fatalities and injuries.
Transport Minister Andrew Constance and the Coalition government are under pressure to fix long-standing problems with Sydney’s train system which have now come to a head.
Daniel Munoz/AAP
The real challenge is finding appropriate ways to invest in public transport that will not only take pressure off the system but also support improved travel on all modes, including cars.
Sydney’s west is growing at a staggering pace.
Reuters
The future of Sydney is under constant scrutiny. But before we consider creating a ‘third city’ in Sydney’s west, we should ensure we get the current infrastructure up to international standards.
We are told driverless cars will be much safer, because human error causes more than 90% of crashes.
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