Salt Lake Transit News Thread - Page 132

s.p.hansen · #**2621** Posted **Dec 5, 2010, 11:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Martin

What, you don't like the floating rock?

You were able to capture my subconscious

!

SLC Projects · #**2622** Posted **Dec 6, 2010, 5:11 PM**

Cool pics of the street car. Also I didn't even know the ice ring was finish. The new ring looks bigger then the old. I could be wrong.

s.p.hansen · #**2623** Posted **Dec 8, 2010, 1:47 AM**

The new LED street lights are starting to find their way around SLC!

I noticed them tonight while driving down 1300 East just off the U of U campus.

If I'm not mistaken it looks like there are some down 700 East was well.

Future Mayor · #**2624** Posted **Dec 8, 2010, 1:57 AM**

Actually nearly all of 7th East from at least 21st S to S. Temple has the new lights, minus just a few here and there.

i-215 · #**2625** Posted **Dec 8, 2010, 3:53 AM**

Any chance we'll see some LED back-lit street signs in the future?

SLCdude · #**2626** Posted **Dec 8, 2010, 4:21 AM**

Does anyone know when we can expect to see the new TRAX trains? Will they begin use when the West Valley and Mid-Jordan lines open up?

I'm also wondering if they're planning on removing the wheelchair ramps at existing stations, since the floor of the new trains will be lower. Will they even run the new trains on the University line?

i-215 · #**2627** Posted **Dec 8, 2010, 4:51 AM**

I doubt it. Portland still had quite a few wheelchair ramps (if I remember correctly), even though most of their fleet is low-entry.

I'm hearing next August as the rumor for Mid-Jordan and West Valley lines. Airport shortly after that. Maybe 2012?

goldcntry · #**2628** Posted **Dec 8, 2010, 8:22 PM**

I've gotta give a round of applause for the new LED lights on 7th East. I come in that way every morning after dropping the kids off at Cottonwood, and I'm pleasantly pleased with how well they light the road — without excess glare! It's amazing how the old yellow-orange light actually hurt your eyes they glare so much. One interesting factor is that there are still a few of the old-style orange lights spaced along 7th East. The glare around the old light is atrocious, while the road underneath is dimmer than under the LED style...

s.p.hansen · #**2629** Posted **Dec 8, 2010, 9:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by goldcntry

I've gotta give a round of applause for the new LED lights on 7th East. I come in that way every morning after dropping the kids off at Cottonwood, and I'm pleasantly pleased with how well they light the road — without excess glare! It's amazing how the old yellow-orange light actually hurt your eyes they glare so much. One interesting factor is that there are still a few of the old-style orange lights spaced along 7th East. The glare around the old light is atrocious, while the road underneath is dimmer than under the LED style...

LED street lights really do such a better job of actually illuminating the areas underneath them. I'm very excited about the prospect of SLC's light pollution dramatically decreasing thanks to these LED fixtures eventually replacing all street lights.

Also, in doing some more research on the subject of LED street lights, I noticed that a company is already working on getting to market LED high mast street lights (like those on the newer segments of I-15). I'm sure it will take quite a bit of time, but eventually those jumbo center lights on I-15 will have all their current benefits for drivers without the light pollution as well.

How exciting it will be to have the population in Utah almost double in the next 30 years and yet the visibility of the stars will become clearer!

H4vok · #**2630** Posted **Dec 8, 2010, 9:54 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by s.p.hansen

LED street lights really do such a better job of actually illuminating the areas underneath them. I'm very excited about the prospect of SLC's light pollution dramatically decreasing thanks to these LED fixtures eventually replacing all street lights.

Also, in doing some more research on the subject of LED street lights, I noticed that a company is already working on getting to market LED high mast street lights (like those on the newer segments of I-15). I'm sure it will take quite a bit of time, but eventually those jumbo center lights on I-15 will have all their current benefits for drivers without the light pollution as well.

How exciting it will be to have the population in Utah almost double in the next 30 years and yet the visibility of the stars will become clearer!

Now we just need all of the other cities around SLC to start implementing LED street lights.

Stenar · #**2631** Posted **Dec 9, 2010, 1:41 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by s.p.hansen

Quote:
Originally Posted by John Martin
What, you don't like the floating rock?

You were able to capture my subconscious

!

If it even remotely looked like it was floating it might be slightly interesting. The creator could've chosen a more interesting rock itself, too, instead of one that looks like a potato.

Stenar · #**2632** Posted **Dec 9, 2010, 2:02 AM**

Meeting’s focus: Sugar House streetcar
The Salt Lake Tribune

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/50...south.html.csp

Utah Transit Authority and the Federal Transit Administration have scheduled an open house about the planned Sugar House streetcar project on Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. at Sprague Library, 2131 S. 1100 East.

The meeting will focus on findings of an environmental assessment that recommends building the line along a UTA-owned right of way at approximately 2300 South.

The project would provide service between the Central Pointe TRAX Station at 250 W. 2100 South and Highland Drive at 2100 South, a distance of about two miles.

Plans call for seven stations: Central Pointe, State Street, 300 East, 500 East, 700 East, 900 East and McClelland Street. Stations may also be considered at 600 East and 800 East instead of at 700 East and 900 East.

SLCdude · #**2633** Posted **Dec 9, 2010, 2:51 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by s.p.hansen

How exciting it will be to have the population in Utah almost double in the next 30 years and yet the visibility of the stars will become clearer!

That is, if we do something about the air pollution

i-215 · #**2634** Posted **Dec 9, 2010, 5:49 AM**

I suspect we'll make huge strides over the next 30 years. The Leaf and the Volt are just the beginning, imo.

delts145 · #**2635** Posted **Dec 9, 2010, 2:01 PM**

I agree. The advent of electric cars and their continued advancements is very exciting.

Future Mayor · #**2636** Posted **Dec 9, 2010, 4:41 PM**

So how much energy is required to run a Volt, as compared to a gallon of gas? What I am trying to get at is, aren't we going to be requiring a substantial amount of additional power from our power plants in order to run our electric cars?

How much pollution will these power plants cause and how much of a reduction will it be per vehicle, compared to gasoline? Yes I know natural gas emits less than coal, but it still emits carbon dioxide into the air.

s.p.hansen · #**2637** Posted **Dec 9, 2010, 9:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Future Mayor

So how much energy is required to run a Volt, as compared to a gallon of gas? What I am trying to get at is, aren't we going to be requiring a substantial amount of additional power from our power plants in order to run our electric cars?

How much pollution will these power plants cause and how much of a reduction will it be per vehicle, compared to gasoline? Yes I know natural gas emits less than coal, but it still emits carbon dioxide into the air.

The impact will be the construction of more nuclear power plants and the pollution will be minimal.

Stenar · #**2638** Posted **Dec 9, 2010, 9:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Future Mayor

So how much energy is required to run a Volt, as compared to a gallon of gas? What I am trying to get at is, aren't we going to be requiring a substantial amount of additional power from our power plants in order to run our electric cars?

How much pollution will these power plants cause and how much of a reduction will it be per vehicle, compared to gasoline? Yes I know natural gas emits less than coal, but it still emits carbon dioxide into the air.

Most electric cars use far less equivalent energy than gasoline engines. The Tesla, for example, gets the equivalent of 250mpg. The pollution output from electrical power plants will be far less than from cars.

Also, most power companies have excess electric capacity at night when most cars will be charged. Plus, a lot of people who are buying electric cars are also installing solar panels to help charge them. Mayor Becker is leading the charge to change city ordinances to allow solar panels in more places and windmills in residential areas: SLC mayor pushes greenhouses, solar and wind

Reachforthesky · #**2639** Posted **Dec 9, 2010, 10:52 PM**

Speaking of high mast street lights and lighting in Utah...Does anyone know what company makes the current design for traffic lights in Utah? If you notice, for some reason every states traffic lights look different. I could always do a pretty good job of telling what state someone was in based on the traffic light they were standing by in their picture.

i-215 · #**2640** Posted **Dec 10, 2010, 1:29 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Future Mayor

So how much energy is required to run a Volt, as compared to a gallon of gas? What I am trying to get at is, aren't we going to be requiring a substantial amount of additional power from our power plants in order to run our electric cars?

How much pollution will these power plants cause and how much of a reduction will it be per vehicle, compared to gasoline? Yes I know natural gas emits less than coal, but it still emits carbon diox

ide into the air.

It's a good question to ask. And I agree that Nuclear is certainly in our future. But even if we are still burning fossil fuels (which we will be), it's much faster to deploy new efficiency-related innovations on a couple of power plants than it is to slowly phase the technology into new cars (which take decades).

The key is still storage. The Volt and Leaf are huge strides over the EV-1, but the range is still quite lousy. I agree that it's important to remember that "Electric" (along with "Hydrogen") is not a fuel source, not an energy storage mechanism. The future of human progress will be with our power plants.