Draft #2: Summary Reader Response: New paths for the roads of tomorrow

New path to the road of tomorrow

In the article “New paths for the road of tomorrow” (2017), JCDecaux mentioned several technological enhancements on road infrastructure. ‘Asphalt’ is conventionally used on roads pavement, where it is portrayed to be neither durable nor cost-efficient and contributes greatly to the formation of “heat island”.

The author is certain that “recycled materials” are much beneficial than the latter. For instance, he explained that 1.3 million cigarettes butts were implemented in the mixture with asphalt, which minimises the surface temperature and waste management. Decaux also further elaborated on the first trail of “solar roadway”, implemented in France (2016); renewable energy is harnessed as thermal conductance, eliminating snow during winter, facilitating a smooth and safer traffic. Lastly, “Smart highway” introduced by the author, integrates automatic light sensors that are placed within close proximity of approaching vehicles. This saves energy while serving its intended purpose.

While it may seem that a revolutionary change of road infrastructure is a necessity, the author has failed to prove pragmatic sustainability of the mentioned ideology, where asphalt is still widely used despite the controversial. In a recent article by Mike Colargrossi (2019), “First solar roadway in France turned out to be a total disaster”. In the source, the author exclaimed that the ‘trial’ was a catastrophe where France is situated in a region and sunlight is limited. Besides, the panels were also found to be deteriorating at an alarming rate, where it comes loose and breaks into pieces. This shows an evident sign of poor sustainability within a mere three years of implementation.

In the article, Decaux (2017) also mentioned that ‘recycled plastics’ are much more beneficial than conventional asphalt paving. Nonetheless, this was never the case as evidenced in one of Rachelle Adelante’s (2018) article; Bitumen is a plastic compound needed through combustion which is a desired byproduct for road construction. “Bitumen is a crude oil compound found to be harmful to the marine ecosystem & human health.” Furthermore, the process of combustive recycling contributes to air pollution, which in turns affects the food-chain like a vicious cycle. The source has indeed aroused skeptics of the reality of our future road.

Contradictory, asphalt was found to be road safe & cost-effective. This was mentioned in Asphalt Pavement Alliance (2010). It’s unique “open-graded friction course” which prevents water retention that deters skiing and accidents. Asphalt’s ‘perpetual pavements’ means structure remains intact indefinitely while top layers periodically remove & replaced for maintenance, which is extremely cost-effective.

“It is estimated that recycling of asphalt pavements saves the American taxpayer $1.8 billion per year. It also saves hundreds of acres of landfill space each year.”  

In conclusion, being innovative and radical in a sustainability context is extremely critical in this Information age. However, this also comes at the great expense of an entire nation’s economy. Staying resilience and having the ability to leverage “already in place” infrastructure might be an uprising strategy for the government to apprehend. Thus, this reduces the need for demolition and construction costs.

Reference:

JC Decaux. (2017, October 23). New paths for the roads of tomorrow. Retrieved from https://www.jcdecaux.com/mobility-trends/new-paths-roads-tomorrow

Colagrossi, M. (2019, August 21). France's failed solar roadway . Retrieved from https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/france-solar-road?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1

Adelante, R. (2018, September 19). Can Plastic Roads Pave the Way to Sustainable Future? Retrieved from https://medium.com/green-zine/can-plastic-roads-pave-the-way-to-sustainable-future-260b4909f02f.

Asphalt Pavement Alliance. (2010, September). The Role of Asphalt in Livable Communities Retrieved from http://www.asphaltroads.org/assets/_control/content/files/livablecommunities_whitepaper_september2010.pdf.