London and Los Angeles among the worst places to drive... but Milan takes the top spot
THE WORST TRAFFIC CONGESTION IN EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA1. Milan, Italy 2. Brussels, Belgium 3. Antwerp, Belgium 4. Honolulu, US 5. Los Angeles, US 6. London, UK 7. San Francisco, US 8. Manchester, UK 9. Paris, France 10. Rotterdam, Netherlands 11. Austin, US 12. Nottinghamshire, UK 13. Ghent, Belgium 14. Montreal, Canada 15. Liverpool, UK 16. New York, US 17. Bridgeport, US 18. Stuttgart, Germany 19. Birmingham, UK 20. San Jose, US Milan has the worst traffic congestion of any city across Europe and North America, new data shows. Although London and Los Angeles remain frighteningly bad for congestion and are among the top 10 worst offenders, Milan, Italy, took top spot. Traffic data organisation INRIX used archived data to create a ranking of the worst cities and countries for traffic congestion. It also as detailed the average number of hours spent waiting in traffic at each centre. Drivers in London waste a staggering 83.4 hours a year in traffic - the worst of the top 25 cities. Those in Los Angeles waste a slightly less shocking 64.3. Drivers in Milan - the city ranked overall as the worst - only lose 57 hours a year. INRIX used a detailed formula to produce its data that involved comparing a 'free flowing' speed on a particular segment of road to real time traffic speeds taken during peak hours. Wasted driving minutes were created by placing wasted minutes in traffic against estimated typical trip lengths and the average number of trips taken each year. In its findings, INRIX said after seven years of only 'modest' congestion, its 2013 report showed it was the same offenders topping the list. 'Simply put, it appears that congestion acted like a magnet - where it existed, it had a tendency to attract disproportionately more of it. 'Traffic is back on the rise in 2013, even in countries showing continued declines. Traffic congestion was up in six of the 15 countries analyzed: the U.S., UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Italy.' And it is not good news for European drivers, with traffic congestion rising for the first time in two years. 'With traffic congestion increasing at 3 times the rate of employment, 10‐day long traffic jams like we've seen in China and the 2-3 hour daily commutes that are part of daily life for people in Sao Paolo, Brazil, today could become the reality for drivers in Europe and North America in the not so distant future.'
+20 The Milan Central Station pictured during rush hour traffic is just one part of a massive number of streets in the city to suffer from congestion
+20 Brussels, in Belgium, was named the second worst city in Europe and North America for its terrible traffic congestion
Antwerp, Belgium (left) and Honolulu, Hawaii (right) were placed third and fourth respectively in the list which ranked all the major cities in Europe and North America
Los Angeles and London were fifth and sixth in the traffic congestion ranking - with London drivers thought to waste 83.4 hours a year navigating traffic
+20 San Francisco was the second worst US city in the rankings pictured here as traffic tries to navigate the famous Golden Gate Bridge
Manchester, left, came eight on the rankings, while Paris, pictured as traffic circles its famed Arc De Triomphe, finished ninth
+20 Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, came tenth and was the only Dutch city to feature on the list
The city of Austin in Texas, left, was particularly bad, while the pictured traffic island on Maid Marian Way in Nottingham can be terrible during rush hour - helping put Nottinghamshire eleventh on the list
The illuminated cathedral in Ghent, Belgium, left, looks pretty - but the traffic trying to navigate the streets below it is less appealing. The city came thirteenth on the list. Meanwhile this aerial view of Montreal, Canada, pictured right, shows why the city came fourteenth on the rankings
+20 Liverpool was the next UK city to make the list - the home of the Beatles is also home to terrible traffic congestion
+20 It comes as no surprise New York is on the rankings - placed sixteenth - the grid lock traffic in downtown is synonymous with the Big Apple
Next on the list was US city Bridgeport, in Connecticut, which was seveteenth, while Stuttgart, in Germany followed closely behind it in eighteenth position
Birmingham, left, and the famous Silicon Valley's San Jose, right, rounded out the top 20 worst congested cities, placing ninteenth and twentieth respectively
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| One World Trade Center may have nabbed the title of the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, but a new structure isn't far behind. The Nordstrom Tower, at 227 W. 57th Street, will be the tallest residential structure in the world when it is completed in 2018 - when it will measure just one foot shorter than One World Trade Center. New information leaked to YIMBY reveals its dizzying measurements, showing that the glass-fronted building will rise to an eye-watering 1,775 feet at its spire, while the One World Trade Center measures a symbolic 1,776 feet tall. In fact, the roof of the Nordstrom Tower will overtake One World Trade Center as plans show its facade will stretch until 1,479 feet above street level. +6 High life: A look at how the Nordstrom Tower (fifth from left), which is currently being constructed in New York, measures up to the world's tallest buildings One World Trade Center's roof stops at 1,368 feet - which is the same height as the north tower of the original World Trade Center. Nordstrom's staggering height means it will push past other record-setting structures, including the 'The new height details will result in several superlatives,' YIMBY explained. 'Manhattan will finally retake the "tallest roof" in the United States from Chicago's Willis Tower, which stands 1,451', and 225 West 57th Street will become the tallest residential building in the entire world, surpassing both 432 Park Avenue and Mumbai’s World One Tower.' Once it is completed, the building will have a giant seven-floor Nordstrom department store on the lower levels and residences above.
Tall order: Pictured are renderings of what the building will look like when it is finished in 2018; it will be 300 ft higher than anything else in Midtown +6 Going up! Another rendering shows the top of the building - which will be higher than the Willis Tower's roof, which holds the current U.S. record +6 360 degree views: This drawing of the Nordstrom Tower was leaked by a tipster and shows the latest plan. The first seven floors will be Nordstrom stores SIZING UP THE COMPETITION: THE WORLD'S TALLEST BUILDINGSWhen it's finished, the Nordstrom Tower will become the world's tallest residential building at 1,775 ft. How does this compare with other structures around the world? 1. Burj Khalifa, Dubai: 2,717 ft (828m) 2. Shanghai Tower, China: 2,073 ft (632m) 3. Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel, Mecca, Saudi Arabia: 1,971 ft (601m) 4. One World Trade Center, New York: 1,776 ft (541.3m) 5. Taipei 101, Taiwan: 1,670 ft (501m) The most recent permits, which were partially approved on July 1st, reveal that the building could reach more than 1.2 million square feet. It will stand more than 300 feet taller than any other man-made objects in Midtown and will likely cast a few shadows on Central Park, which is near its base. The completion of 225 West 57th Street is slated for 2018, and is one of seven super-slim luxury high-rises currently under construction in Midtown. Another, the 1,350 foot 111 West 57th Street building. will be higher than the Empire State Building's observation deck once it is finished. Last year, a study conducted by the Municipal Art Society (MAS) sparked concern that the super tall buildings would leave park visitors in the shadows. The study found that on December 21, the winter solstice, the park will hit its darkest point, with shadows extending 20 blocks into the park - reaching the Lake and Ramble. In their report, the Municipal Art Society proposes a re-appraisal of zoning codes to ensure that there's more oversight and public involvement in making this new breed of skyscrapers. Advances in skyscraper engineering mean these buildings can be constructed super slim - about two townhouses wide in some cases - occupying plots of land originally suited for 40-story buildings. It has been designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, which was behind Dubai's massive Burj Khalifa, which is the tallest building in the world at 2,717 feet. +6 Still a way to go: A Google view shows West 57th Street where the building will be constructed; critics complain it will cast too many shadows |
No comments:
Post a Comment