Transport
Discover facts about transport. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Transport
Los Angeles engineers spent over four hundred million dollars to fully synchronize every single one of the four thousand five hundred traffic signals across the city in a desperate bid to alleviate infamous gridlock.
Los Angeles engineers spent over four hundred million dollars to fully synchronize every single one of the four thousand five hundred traffic signals across…
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Washington State operates the largest fleet of passenger and automobile ferries in the United States, effectively running a massive aquatic highway system through the notoriously tricky waters of the Puget Sound.
Washington State operates the largest fleet of passenger and automobile ferries in the United States, effectively running a massive aquatic highway system…
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Highest paved international road in the world is nestled in the mountains of Bolivia and is so fundamentally terrifying it claims dozens of vehicles a year.
Highest paved international road in the world is nestled in the mountains of Bolivia and is so fundamentally terrifying it claims dozens of vehicles a year.…
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Ferries operating in the famous Sydney Harbour occasionally run on a biofuel blend made entirely from recycled cooking oil sourced from local restaurants.
Ferries operating in the famous Sydney Harbour occasionally run on a biofuel blend made entirely from recycled cooking oil sourced from local restaurants. In…
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Car tires are actually black entirely by design, as the natural color of vulcanized rubber is a rather unappealing milky white.
Car tires are actually black entirely by design, as the natural color of vulcanized rubber is a rather unappealing milky white. Early automobiles rolled…
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Vatican City possesses its own entirely self-contained, completely functional international railway station, making it the shortest national railway system on the planet.
Vatican City possesses its own entirely self-contained, completely functional international railway station, making it the shortest national railway system on…
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Federal transit authorities strictly require all modern locomotive windshields to be strong enough to withstand a direct impact from a standard cinder block dropped from a highway overpass.
Federal transit authorities strictly require all modern locomotive windshields to be strong enough to withstand a direct impact from a standard cinder block…
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New York City officially outlawed all non-emergency car honking with a threat of a massive three hundred and fifty dollar fine, a rule that is aggressively and universally…
New York City officially outlawed all non-emergency car honking with a threat of a massive three hundred and fifty dollar fine, a rule that is aggressively…
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French inventors launched the world's very first hot air balloon passengers in 1783, consisting of a highly confused sheep, a duck, and a rooster.
French inventors launched the world's very first hot air balloon passengers in 1783, consisting of a highly confused sheep, a duck, and a rooster. The…
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Helicopters are kept in the air by a single, critical component ominously referred to in aviation mechanics as the 'Jesus nut.' This large retaining nut holds the entire main…
Helicopters are kept in the air by a single, critical component ominously referred to in aviation mechanics as the 'Jesus nut.' This large retaining nut holds…
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Municipalities that heavily rely on zero-emission trolleybuses constantly suffer from severe visual pollution caused by the chaotic, tangled spiderweb of overhead electrical wires required to power them.
Municipalities that heavily rely on zero-emission trolleybuses constantly suffer from severe visual pollution caused by the chaotic, tangled spiderweb of…
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Air traffic controllers use a highly specific, standardized vocabulary called aviation English to prevent catastrophic miscommunications between pilots of different nationalities.
Air traffic controllers use a highly specific, standardized vocabulary called aviation English to prevent catastrophic miscommunications between pilots of…
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School buses are painted a highly specific shade known as 'National School Bus Glossy Yellow' because the human eye notices the color yellow faster than any other color on the spectrum.
School buses are painted a highly specific shade known as 'National School Bus Glossy Yellow' because the human eye notices the color yellow faster than any…
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Zeppelins were filled with highly flammable hydrogen gas not because it was the safest option, but because the United States legally refused to sell non-flammable helium to Germany.
Zeppelins were filled with highly flammable hydrogen gas not because it was the safest option, but because the United States legally refused to sell…
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Canal locks operate as massive, aquatic elevators that allow boats to essentially climb up and down hills by flooding enclosed chambers with thousands of gallons of water.
Canal locks operate as massive, aquatic elevators that allow boats to essentially climb up and down hills by flooding enclosed chambers with thousands of…
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Tractors were historically engineered with massive, heavily weighted rear wheels designed specifically to prevent the machine from dramatically flipping backward and crushing the farmer.
Tractors were historically engineered with massive, heavily weighted rear wheels designed specifically to prevent the machine from dramatically flipping…
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Modern Formula 1 race cars generate so much aerodynamic downforce that theoretically, they could drive completely upside down on the ceiling of a tunnel if going fast enough.
Modern Formula 1 race cars generate so much aerodynamic downforce that theoretically, they could drive completely upside down on the ceiling of a tunnel if…
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Nursing homes in Germany often build fake, fully functional-looking bus stops outside their facilities to safely wrangle dementia patients who wander off.
Nursing homes in Germany often build fake, fully functional-looking bus stops outside their facilities to safely wrangle dementia patients who wander off. The…
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Sailors originally measured the speed of their ships by throwing a literal piece of wood tied to a rope off the back of the boat and counting how many knots in the rope slipped through their hands.
Sailors originally measured the speed of their ships by throwing a literal piece of wood tied to a rope off the back of the boat and counting how many knots…
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Statistical studies consistently show that white cars are involved in significantly fewer accidents than vehicles painted in darker colors like black, blue, or grey.
Statistical studies consistently show that white cars are involved in significantly fewer accidents than vehicles painted in darker colors like black, blue,…
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Pan-American Highway holds the Guinness World Record for the longest motorable road, stretching roughly nineteen thousand miles from Alaska down to the tip of Argentina.
Pan-American Highway holds the Guinness World Record for the longest motorable road, stretching roughly nineteen thousand miles from Alaska down to the tip of…
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Walt Disney World operates one of the most heavily utilized monorail systems on the planet, carrying over fifty million passengers a year across its Florida resort.
Walt Disney World operates one of the most heavily utilized monorail systems on the planet, carrying over fifty million passengers a year across its Florida…
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Contrails left behind by high-altitude jet airplanes are not chemical mind-control sprays, but simply artificial clouds created by hot engine exhaust instantly freezing in the frigid upper atmosphere.
Contrails left behind by high-altitude jet airplanes are not chemical mind-control sprays, but simply artificial clouds created by hot engine exhaust…
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Allowing cars to turn right on a red light was not originally adopted for traffic efficiency, but as a desperate fuel conservation measure during the 1970s oil crisis.
Allowing cars to turn right on a red light was not originally adopted for traffic efficiency, but as a desperate fuel conservation measure during the 1970s…
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