Comments on: Warning: Hologram Ahead

By: Mikael Colville-Andersen

Mikael Colville-Andersen — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 09:18:35 +0000

If there were a series of stickers that were regularly switched, using a variety of images to keep people guessing, it might be more effective. But road design is the better, more permanent solution.

A similar, albeit smaller, 3D image is used near a Danish school: http://nyhederne.tv2.dk/video/index/id/32744456/

By: Michele

Michele — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 13:52:44 +0000

I think this is a terrible idea. So now we will be running over holograms during a yellow light ! and what about those who have had the unfortunate reality of hitting a child on the road, this will truly trigger PTSD.

By: DoctorJay

DoctorJay — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 12:19:28 +0000

Looks pretty dumb to me. It’s a sticker on the road and there’s now a video posted showing the approach. Just what we need; fake hazards that distract you from the real hazards of the immediate environment.

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/09/09/child-in-the-road-il.html

By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 00:47:30 +0000

My favorite idea is one that I heard about a while ago: retractable speed bumps.

A radar device measures the speed of approaching vehicles and raises the speed bump out of the road if they are speeding. The bump stays retracted in the road for vehicles traveling within the speed limit.

By: Susan

Susan — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 18:03:14 +0000

I was discussing this yesterday, and came up with a much better idea than a holographic child – a holographic speed bump! Makes drivers slow down, but no maintenance issues with plough trucks.

By: Jack

Jack — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:03:26 +0000

Exactly what I was thinking Scott. Relative to infrastructure changes, this idea is cheaper but raises other risks with misinformation.

By: Edward

Edward — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 08:01:38 +0000

I agree with the other posters. It is not a good idea. Motorists will soon get used to it and ignore it. Change the layout of the street so that cars have to slow down, eg: chicanes (with bike paths on the outside of them) and dead-ends.

By: Scott

Scott — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 23:52:57 +0000

TERRIBLE idea. I wonder how long it will take for people to just start running over everything: “Oh, look. There’s another one of those ‘kid chasing a ball in the road’ holograms…” **SPLAT**

By: Nick

Nick — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 22:01:49 +0000

This is just another case of over-engineering: one invention (like fast cars that kill) makes another invention (like airbags) necessary. It’s in the same bag as the pedestrian flags found in Port Angeles (among other cities): were the street in front of the ferry terminal not built like a highway in the first place, they wouldn’t need to install special flags at cross walks for people to carry to get across the road safely.

Here’s a better over-engineered solution: a speed trap activated by cars that travel above the speed limit that fires a paintball at your car from a cannon mounted at the side of the road. Now driver’s would have a direct way of measuring the cost of their speeding (car washes) rather than the indirect cost of human life and community destruction. An added bonus would be that every else would know, at least until the car were washed, that the occupant is a bad driver (shame).

Facetious jokes aside, I agree with Brent that designing the road to make slower driving necessary would be wiser.

By: Traci

Traci — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:17:31 +0000

That’s just crazy!! Someone might seriously have a heart attack when one of those things pops up suddenly. Although I do have to chuckle a bit at the thought of Ryan’s idea of just driving through one with passengers aboard – they would be completely aghast for sure!