Italy-based students Domenico Diego and Cristina Corradini think potholes need to be more visible, and your car's suspension probably agrees. Their "Street Safe Initiative" is a program that wants to take the transportation network / organism comparison to another level by "comparing the road surface to the human skin".
When someone gets a scrape, you see red underneath; Diego and Corradini think the same principle can be applied to roads.
"[The concept] comprises a brightly-coloured layer of asphalt a few inches beneath the surface of the road, which becomes visible when the road surface breaks up, making potholes easier to see and avoid."
The Street Safe Initiative will be tested later this year in Italy. If it proves cost effective and feasible, the program may be popping up in other European countries.
That is, unless Mike Conway has anything to say about it. As Managing Director of FM Conway (a highway-fixin'-and-buildin' company), he doesn't think it's realistic:
"It's a novel idea but it's not the right solution for the UK right now. To make layers of tarmac stick together we use a bituminous coating that acts as a glue and you'd have to go right back to the manufacturing stage and work out how to make it bright yellow. We should be looking at how to reduce costs by doing the job right in the first place, rather than creating expensive solutions that only have an effect once the pothole is already there."
Sure, doing things right the first time may be "cheaper". And "smarter". But where's the fun in that?
- By Phil Alex
10 Comments:
Excellent idea... great for cyclists too!
'It's an ingenious solution to a problem that should never have existed in the first place.'
- J. May
Potholes will exist whilst lazy bastards with lollipop signs and councils with yearly expenditure budgets run the road networks. You don't think they would actually lay a maintenance free road do you?
And because of that, I think this is a very simple, "why didn't they do that in the first place?", practical and ingenious idea.
A+
If this existed in NYC, people would be blinded by a sea of day-glow yellow. In fact, in some areas, there would be more yellow than black. Like the FDR highway, and coming of GW Bridge. Appallingly bad roads to the point of hilarity.
"Its an ingenious solution to a problem that should have never have existed in the first place."
- Problems do not ask and arrive. Please appreciate this stunning idea.
Um,how about inventing road asphalt that clings to the surface and sticks forever so potholes become a thing of the past?
Guys, come to Poland. If we would apply it here, our roads would be yellow.
Just go back to all gravel roads. Filling in a hole would be easy. Plus, you'd have the fun of following a semi down the interstate slinging gravel at 70 to 80 mph!! Oh yeah, everybody would have a beat up vehicle so there would be no worries about exterior maintenance.
"Problems do not ask and arrive. Please appreciate this stunning idea."
In this instance, they do. Proper asphalt chemistry wouldn't allow for the formation of potholes in the first place.
Perhaps in the areas where the streets become yellow brick roads, the quantity and highly visible nature of the poor conditions would shame the local authority into action?
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