A Clouded Leopard in the Middle of the Road is an eye-opening introduction to the ecological impacts of roads. Drawing on over ten years of active engagement in the field of road ecology, Darryl ...Jones sheds light on the challenges roads pose to wildlife—and the solutions taken to address them. One of the most ubiquitous indicators of human activity, roads typically promise development and prosperity. Yet they carry with them the threat of disruption to both human and animal lives. Jones surveys the myriad, innovative ways stakeholders across the world have sought to reduce animal- vehicle collisions and minimize road-crossing risks for wildlife, including efforts undertaken at the famed fauna overpasses of Banff National Park, the Singapore Eco-Link, "tunnels of love" in the Australian Alps, and others. Along the way, he acquaints readers with concepts and research in road ecology, describing the field's origins and future directions. Engaging and accessible, A Clouded Leopard in the Middle of the Road brings to the foreground an often-overlooked facet of humanity's footprint on earth.
El presente escrito presenta una reflexión sobre el ciclismo de ruta como un fenómeno sociocultural de la realidad colombiana, a partir de tres interrogantes: ¿Es el ciclismo de ruta una práctica ...corporal?, ¿Es el ciclismo de ruta una práctica social?, y ¿Es el ciclismo de ruta una expresión?, los cuales se resuelven procesualmente para dar respuesta al interrogante central: ¿El ciclismo de ruta es un constitutivo de la realidad sociocultural colombiana? Para su desarrollo, se toma como base la discusión en torno al ciclismo como práctica corporal, práctica social y expresión, aspectos que hacen de este deporte un constitutivo de la realidad sociocultural colombiana. Se concluye que el ciclismo de ruta en Colombia es una construcción de la realidad de quienes se involucran con él, y a su vez, es constitutivo de la historia reciente de su sociedad, condición que hace posible su posicionamiento en la conciencia de los colombianos.
This writing presents a reflection on road cycling as a sociocultural phenomenon of the Colombian reality, based on three questions: Is road cycling a physical practice? Is road cycling a social practice? And Is road cycling an expression? Which are procedurally resolved to answer the central question: Is road cycling a constitutive of the Colombian sociocultural reality? For its development, the discussion around cycling as a body practice, social practice and expression is taken as a basis, aspects that make this sport a constitutive of the Colombian sociocultural reality. It is concluded that road cycling in Colombia is a construction of the reality of those who are involved with it, and in turn, is constitutive of the recent history of their society, a condition that makes possible it's positioning in the consciousness of Colombians.
Este artigo apresenta uma reflexão sobre o ciclismo de estrada como fenómeno sociocultural na realidade colombiana, a partir de três questões: o ciclismo de estrada é uma prática corporal? O ciclismo de estrada é uma prática social? E o ciclismo de estrada é uma expressão? Estas questões são resolvidas processualmente para responder à questão central: o ciclismo de estrada é constituinte da realidade sociocultural colombiana? Para o seu desenvolvimento, toma-se como base a discussão sobre o ciclismo como prática corporal, prática social e expressão, aspetos que fazem deste desporto um constituinte da realidade sociocultural colombiana. Conclui-se que o ciclismo de estrada na Colômbia é uma construção da realidade de quem o pratica e, ao mesmo tempo, é constitutivo da história recente da sua sociedade, condição que possibilita o seu posicionamento na consciência dos colombianos.
On Apr 27, 2024, the ITE Michigan Young Professional Committee (YPC) hosted their bi-annual Adopt-A-Road clean-up along Avon Road from Rochester Road to John R. Road in Rochester Hills MI. There was ...a fantastic turnout of volunteers from various engineering companies despite the morning rain. Following the clean-up, several of the YPC members put on their rollerblades and rolled around Stoney Creek Metro Park for 6 miles. The event was a great opportunity to give back to the community and environment as well as network with others in the industry. It also provided an opportunity for our members to experience non-motorized paths for themselves.
A challenge still to be overcome in the field of visual perception for vehicle and robotic navigation on heavily damaged and unpaved roads is the task of reliable path and obstacle detection. The ...vast majority of the researches have scenario roads in good condition, from developed countries. These works cope with few situations of variation on the road surface and even fewer situations presenting surface damages. In this paper we present an approach for road detection considering variation in surface types, identifying paved and unpaved surfaces and also detecting damage and other information on other road surfaces that may be relevant to driving safety. Our approach makes use of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) to perform semantic segmentation, we use the U-NET architecture with ResNet34, in addition we use the technique known as Transfer Learning, where we first train a CNN model without using weights in the classes as a basis for a second CNN model where we use weights for each class. We also present a new Ground Truth with image segmentation, used in our approach and that allowed us to evaluate our results. Our results show that it is possible to use passive vision for these purposes, even using images captured with low cost cameras.
Barrier effect is a road‐related impact affecting several animal populations. It can be caused by behavioural responses towards roads (surface and/or gap avoidance), associated emissions ...(traffic‐emissions avoidance) and/or circulating vehicles (vehicle avoidance). Most studies so far have described road‐effect zones along major roads, without determining the actual factor inducing the behavioural response. The purpose of the present study was to assess the factors potentially causing road‐effect zones in a heterogeneous road network (with variations in road width, road surface and traffic volume) and eventually to estimate the reduction of habitat quality imposed by roads within a protected area (Doñana Biosphere Reserve, Spain). As model species, we used two ungulates, red deer Cervus elaphus and wild boar Sus scrofa. We surveyed the presence of both species along 200‐m transects. All transects started and were perpendicular to reference roads (those with a traffic volume above 10 cars per day), often intersecting unpaved minor roads with virtually no traffic. The presence probability of both species was mainly affected by the distance to the nearest road (in most cases unpaved roads without traffic), but also by the proximity to reference roads. Red deer presence was also affected by the traffic volume of the nearest reference road. At a regional scale, the overall road network within the protected area imposes a reduction in presence probability of 40% for red deer and 55% for wild boar. A road network optimization, decommissioning unused and unpaved roads, would re‐establish almost entirely the potential habitat quality (91% for both species). Synthesis and applications. We found that both study species avoided roads regardless of their surface or traffic volume, suggesting a response due to gap avoidance which may be based on the association between linear infrastructures and the possibility of vehicles occurring along them. The overall behavioural response can substantially decrease habitat quality over large scales, including the conservation value of protected areas. For this reason, we recommend road network optimization by road decommissioning to mitigate the impact of roads at a regional scale, with potential positive effects at ecosystem level.
•A novel road description using stochastic models in a hierarchical structure.•A method for how to generate data possible to simulate in a dynamic model.•Hilliness and stop intensity are the most ...prominent properties in the chosen range.•The statistical method is compared with real log data and the results match well.•Ideas discussed on how to make realistic predictions of CO2 emissions from vehicles.
We propose a novel statistical description of the physical properties of road transport operations by using stochastic models arranged in a hierarchical structure. The description includes speed signs, stops, speed bumps, curvature, topography, road roughness and ground type, with a road type introduced at the top of the hierarchy to group characteristics that are often connected. Methods are described how to generate data on a form (the operating cycle format) that can be used in dynamic simulations to estimate energy usage and CO2 emissions. To showcase the behaviour of the description, two examples are presented using a modular vehicle model for a heavy-duty truck: a sensitivity study on impacts from changes in the environment, and a comparison study on a real goods transport operation with respect to energy usage. It is found that the stop intensity and topography amplitude have the greatest impact in the sensitivity study (8.3% and 9.5% respectively), and the comparison study implies that the statistical description is capable of capturing properties of the road that are significant for vehicular energy usage. Moreover, it is discussed how the statistical description can be used in a vehicle design process, and how the mean CO2 emissions and its variation can be estimated for a vehicle specification.
Paving Our Ways covers the international history of road paving in an interesting, readable and technically accurate way. It provides an overview of the associated technologies in a historical ...context.
It examines the earliest pavements in Egypt and Mesopotamia and then moves to North Africa, Crete, Greece and Italy, before a review of pavements used by the Romans in their magnificent road system. After its empire collapsed, Roman pavements fell into ruin. The slow recovery of pavements in Europe began in France and then in England.
The work of Trésaguet, Telford and McAdam is examined. Asphalt and concrete slowly improved as paving materials in the second part of the 19th century. Major advances occurred in the 20th century with the availability of powerful machinery, pneumatic tyres and bitumen. The advances needed to bring pavements to their current development are explored, as are the tools for financing, constructing, managing and maintaining pavements.
The book should appeal to those interested in road paving, and in the history of engineering and transport. It can also serve as a text for courses in engineering history.
Water in and beneath a road pavement has a major impact on the road's performance and its survivability. This book provides a state-of-the-art on the topic of water in pavements and the adjacent ...ground. It includes coverage of the basic theory; where the water comes from; how it may (or may not) be drained; the effect of temperature on the movement; how movements may be modelled numerically; and the impact that water content has on pavement material and subgrade behaviour. Sections on instrumentation and monitoring are also provided. With increased concerns that road construction may introduce contaminants into the environment, the book also studies environmental aspects of water in roads and their immediate surroundings by describing the leaching action of pavement water; the opportunities for the pavement to sorb contaminants from pavement run-off; water sampling; and water quality needs. It draws on information from a wide variety of sources, particularly in Europe and the USA, both published and unpublished, having been written by a broad team of practising engineers, hydrogeologists, environmental scientists and researchers. This book is the principal output of a large collaborative study performed as part of the COST programme, managed by the European Science Foundation.
Carrying out repair works, reconstruction, and construction of new road surfaces is a permanent element of urban space. The quality of the new pavement for the adopted traffic category directly ...impacts the road infrastructure's durability. The choice of road surface structure depends on the adopted traffic category. The aim of the article is to assess the works carried out on selected road surfaces within the city of Płock (Poland) in terms of the technical specification requirements and the durability of road infrastructure. The paper presents the tests of three road layers: base layer, binding layer and wearing course. The tests were carried out on 11 streets, and 29 samples were collected.
Introduction: Little is known about how characteristics of the environment affect pedestrians’ road crossing behavior. Method: In this work, the effect of typical urban visual clutter created by ...objects and elements in the road proximity (e.g., billboards) on adults and children (aged 9–13) road crossing behavior was examined in a controlled laboratory environment, utilizing virtual reality scenarios projected on a large dome screen. Results: Divided into three levels of visual load, results showed that high visual load affected children’s and adults’ road crossing behavior and visual attention. The main effect on participants’ crossing decisions was seen in missed crossing opportunities. Children and adults missed more opportunities to cross the road when exposed to more cluttered road environments. An interaction with age was found in the dispersion of the visual attention measure. Children, 9–10 and 11–13 years old, had a wider spread of gazes across the scene when the environment was highly loaded—an effect not seen with adults. However, unexpectedly, no other indication of the deterring effect was found in the current study. Still, according to the results, it is reasonable to assume that busier road environments can be more hazardous to adult and child pedestrians. Practical Applications: In that context, it is important to further investigate the possible distracting effect of causal objects in the road environment on pedestrians, and especially children. This knowledge can help to create better safety guideline for children and assist urban planners in creating safer urban environments.
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