London to trial “intelligent” pedestrian crossings
London to trial “intelligent” pedestrian crossings – Time allowed changes with number of people waiting to cross.
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Ever walk halfway across a road only to have the light change and force you to make an undignified rush to the other side? The answer is almost certainly yes. If you’re in London, that may soon be a thing of the past however, with Transport for London (TfL) announcing upcoming trials of an “intelligent” pedestrian crossing. Called the Pedestrian Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Technique (SCOOT), it’s part of a £2 billion to £4 billion (US$3.3 billion to US$6.6 billion) program to improve roads over the next ten years and decrease traffic fatalities in the capital by 40 percent by the year 2020.
SCOOT addresses the problem of how to properly time pedestrian crossings in such a way as to make sure as many people as possible cross with the lights, as well as keeping traffic flowing as smoothly as possible. This is especially difficult in high traffic areas. Ideally, the light should be timed to allow everyone to cross, but pedestrian traffic isn’t uniform and what might work for two people might not work for a dozen. Worse, there’s the problem of pedestrians pressing the request button and then crossing against the lights or simply walking away, which creates needless delays.
Pedestrian SCOOT seeks to remedy this by using video cameras to count the number of people in a digital “box” on the crossing pavement. If a large number of people are detected, the system alters the timing of the green walk light to allow more people to cross safely. In addition, if no one is at the crossing, or if someone presses the request button and then crosses against the lights or walks away, the system switches to “call cancel” and doesn’t activate the walk light.
GizMag: Garden designer Dan Pearson on London’s planned Garden Bridge
GizMag: Garden designer Dan Pearson on London’s planned Garden Bridge
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Interview: Garden designer Dan Pearson on London’s planned Garden Bridge
By Stu Robarts
Plans for London’s Garden Bridge are beginning to flourish. Conceived by Joanna Lumley, designed by architect Thomas Heatherwick and to be planted by renowned horticulturist Dan Pearson, the bridge will provide a green public space and a link between the bohemian South Bank and lively Covent Garden.
The design won a TfL tender to improve pedestrian access across the Thames and will span the river between Temple Station and the South Bank. It is currently awaiting the results a pre-planning consultation carried out by TfL, which are due in the next few months. Application for planning consent is anticipated to be submitted in May 2014 and assuming it is successful, construction will begin in 2015.
London is one of the greenest cities in the world and the Garden Bridge will create a green link across the river that will allow people to journey across London and never be far from plants. London has excellent public parks but few gardens open to the public. I think it will become a new iconic destination attracting people from all over the world
Floating farms for coastal megacities – Planned modules are cheap, expandable, eco-friendly
Floating farms for coastal megacities – Planned modules are cheap, expandable, eco-friendly
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floating farms are no new invention and small-scale farmers have used this technique for centuries the modules of SeaLeaf take it to a new level by making floating farms compact, nearly self-sustainable and, thus, future mass food production at all possible. Each module covers one cubic meter of cultivatable land and can be connected to other modules via a walkway pontoon, which makes it less difficult for farmers to have an eye on their floating crops – a crucial aspect as crops are meant to expand and expand. The modules itself are made of recycled HDPE and the design is based on kayak and pontoon manufacturing technology for an optimum stability. Each unit is meant to go on sale for $90 or will be rentable on an annual basis for an entire farm (140 units), which, eventually, pays for itself.
GoProGreen.com 