Europe’s Longest Bicycling Tunnel Opens in Norway
Three nice tales we discovered on the web this week.
Tunnel imaginative and prescient
Norwegians within the coastal metropolis of Bergen have a brand new, Instagram-worthy car-free commuting choice: the world’s longest purpose-built bicycling and pedestrian tunnel. The 1.8-mile path cuts by Løvstakken mountain and might shave 20 minutes off a typical bike commute.
The colorfully lit, art-lined tunnel, known as Fyllingsdalstunnelen, was constructed alongside a brand new tram line to encourage extra fossil-fuel-free journeys. Midway by, a sundial exhibits the time. Two outlined lanes maintain bicyclists separate from walkers and runners. (Psychologists had enter on the design to make sure the house feels welcoming and secure.)
“We Norwegians are often modest folks, however on this occasion we’d say that the tunnel is one hundred pc state-of-the-art,” the rail firm rep instructed CNN.
Learn extra at Bicycling and CNN
Hit the gasoline
After years of false begins, New York Metropolis formally launched curbside pickup of natural waste for composting in March. However the metropolis hit one other notable reuse milestone in relation to diverting waste from landfills: On March 31, the primary gasoline processed from New Yorkers’ decaying meals scraps was fed into the grid — sufficient renewable vitality for about 2,500 houses.
Ideally, citywide composting will sooner or later yield helpful fertilizer for farms. In the meantime, rotting meals emits gasoline that may be captured for vitality. The purpose for the Brooklyn plant the place the gasoline flowed to the grid is to finally present sufficient gasoline for warmth, scorching water and stoves in 5,200 houses. In response to officers, The New York Instances studies, “this would scale back annual carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels by greater than 90,000 metric tons, the equal of eradicating practically 19,000 vehicles from the street.”
Read more at The New York Times
Younger at coronary heart
Drones might seize awe-inspiring footage of metropolis skylines, however new planning software VR95 provides city design professionals a distinct form of street-level view: how a metropolis appears to be like in the event you’re about three toes tall. The digital actuality expertise shows site visitors, sidewalks and public house at that top — the dimensions of a median three-year-old — to encourage decision-makers to think about children when planning.
Crushed by destructive information?
Join the Causes to be Cheerful e-newsletter.
Design firm Arup produced an accompanying information to child-friendly design. Working with organizations world wide, they examined interventions like raised crosswalks and multisensory play tools.
The workforce behind VR95 believes the recent perspective will profit everybody. “A constructed surroundings that helps a nurturing relationship with caregivers, households and neighbors has a huge effect on their well-being,” says one of many software’s builders.