10/10/2011
Oh ok! – We’ll title this post ‘Trunk Road’
Usually when there’s a traffic jam it’s because there are road-works or an accident ahead, but that isn’t always the case.
Recently in West Midland Safari Park, Worcs, motorists driving through the animal enclosure had their root blocked by a five and a half ton (about 785 stone) elephant.
Twenty year old pachyderm, Five, must have decided that enough was enough and it was time for a rest on the nice soft…tarmac.
The head keeper said, “There was a bit of a traffic jam which lasted a fair amount of time as Five was out for the count and there are rocks along the road to stop drivers leaving the track.
“I think the sun was getting a bit too much for him and he simply had no energy left and just settled down where he was.
“When I arrived there was a queue of traffic forming and it just got bigger – he's a bit of a character so I'm not surprised he decided to crash out on a road.
“When he eventually woke up I don't think he knew what all the fuss was about. There was a big cheer and he just wandered off looking for somewhere else to sleep.
“We all had a good laugh about it for the rest of the day.”
Well, they did come to see animals. They probably didn’t think they’d be seeing so much of one flank of one elephant for the majority of the visit though.
Recently in West Midland Safari Park, Worcs, motorists driving through the animal enclosure had their root blocked by a five and a half ton (about 785 stone) elephant.
Twenty year old pachyderm, Five, must have decided that enough was enough and it was time for a rest on the nice soft…tarmac.
The head keeper said, “There was a bit of a traffic jam which lasted a fair amount of time as Five was out for the count and there are rocks along the road to stop drivers leaving the track.
“I think the sun was getting a bit too much for him and he simply had no energy left and just settled down where he was.
“When I arrived there was a queue of traffic forming and it just got bigger – he's a bit of a character so I'm not surprised he decided to crash out on a road.
“When he eventually woke up I don't think he knew what all the fuss was about. There was a big cheer and he just wandered off looking for somewhere else to sleep.
“We all had a good laugh about it for the rest of the day.”
Well, they did come to see animals. They probably didn’t think they’d be seeing so much of one flank of one elephant for the majority of the visit though.
Photo © Trubble via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: accident, animal, driving, elephant, motorist, road-works, tarmac, traffic jam, West Midlands Safari Park
15/07/2011
Up, up and away
Have you ever wished that, when stuck in a traffic jam or waiting at the longest red light you’ve ever witnessed, you could just press a button and take off Chitty Chitty Bang Bang-style?
Well, we certainly have – and now there’s a car which may one day reach UK shores which could let us do just that.
The Terrafugia Transition has been “sky legal” for more than a year in America already, and now it’s been made “road legal” too it is set to hit USA showrooms next autumn.
It’s going to cost American motorists $200,000 to buy, that’s around £123,800, and it can only go up to 65mph on the road but it speeds over the land below at 115mph once it unfolds its wings and is in the air.
Now, you know how we said that we might be able to one day fly out of traffic jams – well we lied – sorry. The fact is that this “roadable aircraft” needs 1,700ft (around 500 meters) of road for take-off – so you’re unlikely to be able to escape with only 30cm moving space either end of the vehicle…
Ideally someone will create a flying car which can take off vertically like a Harrier Jump Jet, then we’ll really be happy!
Well, we certainly have – and now there’s a car which may one day reach UK shores which could let us do just that.The Terrafugia Transition has been “sky legal” for more than a year in America already, and now it’s been made “road legal” too it is set to hit USA showrooms next autumn.
It’s going to cost American motorists $200,000 to buy, that’s around £123,800, and it can only go up to 65mph on the road but it speeds over the land below at 115mph once it unfolds its wings and is in the air.
Now, you know how we said that we might be able to one day fly out of traffic jams – well we lied – sorry. The fact is that this “roadable aircraft” needs 1,700ft (around 500 meters) of road for take-off – so you’re unlikely to be able to escape with only 30cm moving space either end of the vehicle…
Ideally someone will create a flying car which can take off vertically like a Harrier Jump Jet, then we’ll really be happy!
Photo by bucket072 via photobucket
Labels: car, motorists, red light, road legal, Terrafugia Transition, traffic jam, UK
19/05/2011
Laser traffic jam removal
When people say the word “laser”, you probably think of eyes, hair removal, exciting museum robbery scenes and Star Wars.
But from now on – be prepared to also think of road traffic-flow improvements.
A new type of high-tech laser is going to be used by investigating officers to help them take key measurements of crash sites quickly and get vehicles moving again.
At the moment when a road needs to be closed after an accident, officers need to painstakingly go about with a tape-measure so that later they can better determine the cause of the crash and, potentially, who is liable.
However, these new lasers, which sit on top of a tripod and cost about £250,000 each, will hopefully speed up the process and will lead to a better traffic flow across the UK.
The British Roads Minister stated, “There is nothing more frustrating than being stuck in a traffic jam for hours on end.
“But even worse than that is the shocking £1billion cost of those lost hours for our economy. That is why we are determined to improve clear-up times following accidents so we can get our motorways re-opened as quickly as possible.
“Motorway closures in England cost the economy around a staggering £1 billion a year. That is an unacceptable brake on the country's economic recovery and must be reduced.”
Anything that makes going from point A to point B smoother, we like.
But from now on – be prepared to also think of road traffic-flow improvements.
A new type of high-tech laser is going to be used by investigating officers to help them take key measurements of crash sites quickly and get vehicles moving again.
At the moment when a road needs to be closed after an accident, officers need to painstakingly go about with a tape-measure so that later they can better determine the cause of the crash and, potentially, who is liable. However, these new lasers, which sit on top of a tripod and cost about £250,000 each, will hopefully speed up the process and will lead to a better traffic flow across the UK.
The British Roads Minister stated, “There is nothing more frustrating than being stuck in a traffic jam for hours on end.
“But even worse than that is the shocking £1billion cost of those lost hours for our economy. That is why we are determined to improve clear-up times following accidents so we can get our motorways re-opened as quickly as possible.
“Motorway closures in England cost the economy around a staggering £1 billion a year. That is an unacceptable brake on the country's economic recovery and must be reduced.”
Anything that makes going from point A to point B smoother, we like.
Image by dmuth via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: accident, crash, motorway, road traffic, traffic jam, vehicle
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