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Seattle Grapples with Pothole Paloozza 2011 February 2011
In a city known more for grunge bands, coffee, rain and Nordstrom’s, there emerges a new phenomenon that has the citizenry buzzing.
Yup, it’s potholes. All that rain – and this winter, a good dose of snow as well – has to go somewhere. Where there are cracks in the pavement, that includes in and under the asphalt, leading to a proliferation of potholes that required filling 91 percent more chuckholes in January 2011 than January of last year. Unbowed, the city launched a new pothole-repair tracking website to keep motorists informed on the progress.
The problems with pothole-riddled pavement began earlier in December, when MyNorthwest.com reported the city was doubling the number of pothole repair crews, from two to four. The website reported on December 23 that city spokesperson Rick Sheridan place the blame on two factors: excess rain and aging infrastructure.
Young people driving less now – but what about in 5 to 10 years? June 2010
Advertising Age magazine reports (May 31, 2010) statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation that show an overall decrease in driving by Americans under the age of 30. For example, in 1978 no less than 92 percent of 19-year-olds had a driver’s license; by 2008, that number slipped to 77 percent.
The magazine also reports the share of miles driven by younger people has fallen over the past 15 years. In 1995, the percent of automobile miles driven by people aged 21 to 30 was 20.8 percent. But by 2009, that share fell to 13.7 percent even while the demographic segment grew disproportionately (data is from the Federal Highway Administration’s National Household Travel Survey, released in 2010).