codyg1985’s Think Tank

High-speed rail travel is very lucrative. The prospect of hopping on a train in Chicago and arriving in New York City an hour later is all but a pipe dream at this point. For one, the train would have to make a bee line from Chicago to NYC without stopping. Second, the train would have […]

I am in the thinking mood tonight.
The candidates for President are on the campaign trail talking about the usual talking points. For the Republicans it is all about national security, family values, immigration, and lowering taxes while for the Democrats it is about health care, the economy, the war in Iraq, education, and tax breaks […]

I was sitting at the Sonic near the intersection of Jordan Lane (Alabama Highway 53) and University Drive (US Highway 72) eating and watching the traffic flow (or not) through the intersection during the evening rush hour. I sat and watched as many as fifteen cars turn from Jordan left onto University even as […]

…well, maybe not exactly. However, after seeing a car with an Alabama handicap license plate, it is almost guaranteed that at least one of the following things can be readily observed:
1. The handicapped motorist will be driving along in front of you at least a quarter slower than the posted speed limit.
2. The motorist […]

Mexico is planning to build a network of bullet trains (Tren Bala) that will eventually connect Mexico City with the U.S. border at Nuevo Laredo and Tijuana.
My question is simple: how on earth does Mexico get to put money into a high speed train network, which will be the first in the Western Hemisphere […]

Scottsdale, AZ will become the first city in the United States to enforce speed laws through the use of radar detectors and cameras. The devices will be installed along an eight-mile stretch of Arizona State Highway 101 which creates a freeway loop around Phoenix, AZ.
The camera will capture the license plate number and send […]

I know I am guilty of this. When a busy road has a center turn lane, I tend to pull out into the center turn lane and accelerate with traffic instead of trying to pull directly into traffic.
This is technically against the law, but police in Huntsville encourage people to do it anyway. […]

Yes, it is a given that Winchester Road is one of the most dangerous in Madison County, Alabama. Many would like to see it widened from its current two and three lanes between Moores Mill Road and Buckhorn High School, but would it really help? Sure it may reduce the number of accidents […]

The paving work on a section of future I-22 between the Walker/Jefferson County Line and west of US 78 is near completion. Guardrails on the main lanes of the freeway are up also, which was part of the paving contract.
However, it will be a while before this opens to traffic. Two additional segments […]

An article at Damn Interesting (a new favorite site of mine) talks about a proposal to build a futuristic train in Houston, Texas.
The train has no rails, or even a support platform to speak of. Instead, columns with a hollow top are put at even intervals along the path the train will take. Inside […]