Posted on 09/13/2017 7:18:02 AM PDT by posterchild
Sixty years ago, a 1957 Chevy moved slowly down U.S. 77 near the Nebraska 2 intersection guided by wire coils buried in the highway.
It was the first real highway demonstration of a system its inventor and promoters believed would allow cars to be guided by signals from electronic wiring buried in the highway, rather than by human drivers.
Promoters hoped the Nebraska experiment would usher in an era of “electronic chauffeurs,” which would eliminate accidents caused by driver drowsiness or carelessness.
The experiment took place because of the persistence of one man, a state traffic engineer, Leland Hancock.
(Excerpt) Read more at journalstar.com ...
Years ago, when I was known to imbibe a time or two, I piloted a driverless car. Sometimes wondering how the hell it got parked in the driveway. Or maybe it was living an hour from my workplace and working 12 to 14 hour shifts and leaving work and suddenly being home. With no clue how I got there. Either case is spooky in retrospect.
No way that would fly around here.
TXDOT is a work program - they get a road done, they start at the beginning tearing it up again.
The guide wires would be a continuous state of broken.
HISTORICAL PING!.....................
That was the only way they could imagine doing it back then.
Wonder if Mr. Hancock was also the one who dreamed up the traffic roundabouts/traffic circles?
No.
I grew up in Nebraska. We had few, if any, roundabouts until ten years ago.
There was one put in on Highway 77 near Oakland, because to many people were getting killed there. Trucks would blow through the four way stop and t-bone the guy going the other way.
A friend of mine was one of the people killed there. It made the news about the install of the roundabout being a way to slow traffic down.
I used to drive an hour to and from work. Around halfway through the trip, I would have to leave one highway and get on another. Quite often, I would be driving, and not remember which highway I was on...or I’d see a sign that let me know which highway I was on...yet have absolutely no recollection of entering that highway.
Yup. A lot of my commute was on open stretch with zero distractions for quite a way. Seriously do not remember a lot of those trips. And the road was not straight.
Same here.....waking up feeling confused then suddenly sitting bolt upright running to the window and looking out relieved.
ah the good old days.........
It wouldn’t work at all in Oklahoma.
First, the roads are in such terrible condition there is a permanent state-wide speed bump encountered upon crossing the state line from any adjacent state into Oklahoma.
Second, the loops in the highway would quickly be cut by potholes and then covered with globs of hot-mix-cold-lay asphalt heaped at least 4” above the adjacent pavement.
Oklahoma DOT seems to be a model of inefficiency and waste with limitless excuses usually centering around lack of money.
Lack of money seems to be the favorite excuse for anything in government but especially here In Oklahoma.
Remember when every County Commissioner was indicted, for corruption? Henry Campbell was only one that was not convicted or plead out for some kind of deal.
#10 Easy to navigate freeways
http://pastmycurfew.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Freeway-Interchange.jpg
Sure do. I figure at least one now should be indicted for the same reason.
David Hall anyone?
The plague of power I guess.
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