Tuesday, 15 October 2019

Draft #3: Summary Reader Response: New paths for the roads of tomorrow


New path to the road of tomorrow

In the blogpost “New paths for the road of tomorrow”, Decaux (2017), mentioned several technological enhancements on road infrastructure. ‘Asphalt’ is conventionally used as road pavement and it is portrayed by the author to be neither durable nor cost efficient, which also promotes the formation of “heat islands”.
He elaborated on various sustainable projects that could curb with the replacement of Asphalt. For instance, Decaux cited the first trail of “solar roadway”, which was implemented in France (2016). In that case, renewable energy is harnessed as thermal conductance, eliminating snow during winter, facilitating a smooth and safer traffic. The final example was introduced by the author, which 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 the sustainability and cost effectiveness of the mentioned ideologies. In a recent article by Mike Colargrossi (2019), 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. “First solar roadway in France turned out to be a total disaster”. This shows an evident sign of poor sustainability within a mere three years of implementation.

In the blogpost, Decaux (2017) mentioned that ‘recycled plastics’ are much beneficial than the conventional asphalt paving. However, this was never the case as evidenced in one of Adelante’s (2018) article, where Bitumen is a plastic compound needed through combustion which is a desired byproduct for road construction. The compound is also found to be hazardous to both the marine ecosystem & human health. Furthermore, through 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 to the reality of our future road.

Despite the controversy, Asphalt is still proven to be widely used and was found to be road safe & cost-effective. This was mentioned in Asphalt Pavement Alliance (2010), where the source cited that Asphalt is equipped with friction course that prevents water retention which deters skiing and accidents. In addition, the author also mentioned the recycling of asphalt pavements saves the American taxpayer $1.8 billion per year, where Asphalt requires low maintenance due to its perpetual structure that remains intact indefinitely, while only the top layers periodically remove & replaced.

In conclusion, being innovative and radical in a sustainability context is extremely critical in these Information age. However, Decaux has outweighed the pros of implementing conceptual technologies on road infrastructure and overlooked on the great expense that may incur on an entire nation’s economy. Staying resilience and having the ability to leverage “already in place” infrastructure might be a much more pragmatic strategy to apprehend. Thus, reduces the needs for demolition and construction costs.


References:

Adelante, R. (2018, September 19). Can Plastic Roads Pave the Way to Sustainable Future? Retrieved from 

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

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

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


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