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Questions tagged [transportation]

Questions involving the politics of means of transport, affecting automobiles, boats, trains, planes, as well as roads, railroad tracks, etc.

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16 votes
3 answers
3k views

Are any U.S. groups pushing for special licenses for large trucks and SUVs?

A French lawmaker has called for a requirement that drivers of consumer trucks and SUVs acquire a special license, in light of how large and dangerous the vehicles have become in recent years. https://...
Mayor of the Plattenbaus's user avatar
10 votes
2 answers
1k views

Uninsured motor vehicle drivers in the USA - why is the liability insurance requirement not enforced better?

In the USA, like in many other countries, liability insurance is mandatory for motor vehicles in almost every state. However, a significant number of drivers drive without insurance: Despite laws ...
sleske's user avatar
  • 2,281
5 votes
1 answer
382 views

Where is the support for remote work based on social and environmental benefits?

Work from home (WFH) vs in-office has been continuously debated since the start of the pandemic. Some articles report better productivity with WFH. Others report the opposite. Setting aside the ...
jrbe228's user avatar
  • 195
1 vote
1 answer
61 views

Which stations will be redeveloped by the Indian Railways in Amrit Bharat Scheme?

The Indian Railway ministry has announced the Amrit Bharat Scheme for redevelopment of railway stations across India. Which stations will be redeveloped exactly? Is there a list that I can check?
whoisit's user avatar
  • 6,508
-2 votes
3 answers
430 views

Why doesn't Russia have any share in the world's large passenger jet market? [closed]

I am talking about the pre-2014 situation of the Russian Federation, not sanction-ridden Russia. The world's passenger jet market has only two players: Boeing and Airbus. The Russian Federation has ...
user366312's user avatar
  • 19.1k
4 votes
1 answer
260 views

Would transporting parts for a military radar instead of "missile parts" aboard a passenger aircraft make any difference under international law?

According to Wikipedia: On 10 October 2012, Turkish Air Force F-16s intercepted a Syrian Air Airbus A320, flight RB442 from Moscow to Damascus, in Turkish airspace and forced it to land at Esenboğa ...
264 champagne bottles on ice's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
315 views

Has there been any push to hold airports responsible for large queues/delays at security?

It seems that every few years there are days or weeks where queues at airport security across whole countries or continents are huge, resulting in travellers missing flights, or at least being advised ...
user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
787 views

Why did Sen. Ed Markey's delegation to Taiwan fly aboard a USAF (passenger) jet?

I understand that Nancy Pelosi regularly gets a USAF passenger jet for long-distance abroad (C-40, a modified Boeing 737 if I'm not mistaken), because she's third in the "line of succession" ...
264 champagne bottles on ice's user avatar
4 votes
4 answers
335 views

Has any jurisdiction banned the use of internal combustion engine vehicle, either now or in the future?

I'm wondering if any place (city, country, etc.) has planned the end of the use of ICE vehicle - for professional and/or personal use - in a legally binding way (i.e. not just a vague promise but ...
awelkie's user avatar
  • 141
4 votes
5 answers
4k views

Why can't Ukraine ship grain from Mariupol?

Russia keeps repeating that they do not want to hinder the grain shipping in any way and that the port in Mariupol is safe to use. Why not to say, then, let's ship from Mariupol if that port is safe? ...
Stančikas's user avatar
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21 votes
4 answers
6k views

Can a country block its airspace to international civil flights without any reason?

Suppose, a country 'X''s civil airline wants to fly to another country 'Z'. There are three routes. However, the shortest route is 1000km which is through country 'Y'. Can the country 'Y' block its ...
user366312's user avatar
  • 19.1k
3 votes
2 answers
828 views

What's lacking about the Kerch Strait land bridge, between Crimea and Russia?

In this video, retired US Army General and former CIA Director David Petraeus tells CNN's Jake Tapper how the Ukrainian people have aided their army in killing multiple Russian generals. CNN has not ...
user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
329 views

How successful was Russia in fighting off the "private embargo" imposed by Maersk, MSC, and CMA CGM?

A month ago news was that 3 large global [naval] shipping companies were suspending routes to Russia for all but essentials. While Russia has been fighting back some of the sanctions with fairly ...
264 champagne bottles on ice's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
211 views

Is the number of attacks on civilian freighters in the Black Sea unusual for a war (well, past WWII)?

It seems not a day goes by without a report of an attack on yet another freighter in the Black Sea. Today an Estonian freighter sank. Earlier in the conflict a Moldovan tanker with Russian crew was ...
264 champagne bottles on ice's user avatar
7 votes
3 answers
487 views

Was anything comparable to the current ban on Russian civilian aircraft in various Western countries ever imposed during the Cold War?

I'm curious if there is some historical precedent for this or if this a rather new level of friction that didn't even exist during the Cold War: Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia and Romania said on Saturday ...
264 champagne bottles on ice's user avatar
11 votes
4 answers
905 views

EU ETS: if within-EU flight emissions are limited to climate goals, does a person choosing to fly add to emissions?

I've been trying to fly less and less because it seems the right thing to do. But I can't quite counter this thought: The EU Emission Trading System (ETS) covers commercial aviation. So passenger ...
J.H.'s user avatar
  • 111
9 votes
0 answers
145 views

What caused the momentum for EU directives on blind-spots of vehicles in the last 20 years

During the last 20 years European laws on blind-spots, areas of road the driver cannot see, have become more strict. The original directive is from 1971 (71/127/EEG). But then there are changes in ...
Ivana's user avatar
  • 553
1 vote
1 answer
226 views

Why aren't railways being used to help ease the shortage of fuel in the UK? [closed]

Currently the UK is experiencing a shortage of fuel for road vehicles, this being driven by panic-buying by millions of motorists, which in turn has been driven by a shortage of HGV drivers to deliver ...
Boolean's user avatar
  • 1,029
4 votes
0 answers
147 views

Why doesn't the Paris agreement cover emissions from international shipping?

Why doesn't the Paris agreement include emissions from international shipping? According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO): Note: The Paris Agreement on climate change was agreed in ...
user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
281 views

When the US government activates a Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF), can it activate the civilian crew as well, or are they always volunteers?

CNN's Pentagon activates US airlines to assist with evacuation efforts from Afghanistan says: The Pentagon announced Sunday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the commander of US ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 16.9k
3 votes
1 answer
232 views

Why does British Indian Ocean Territory follow RHT?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-_and_right-hand_traffic Why do cars in the British Indian Ocean Territory drive on the right-hand side of the road (as in the US) instead of on the left-hand side of ...
Gary 2's user avatar
  • 2,363
3 votes
1 answer
163 views

Does the US officially acknowledge that Iran diverted a flight from Dubai to Kyrgyzstan in 2010?

Iran and Kyrgyzstan have claimed that a flight from Abu Dhabi to Bishkek was forced to land in Iran in 2010, leading to the arrest of Abdolmalek Rigi, who was later executed. Interestingly, US ...
264 champagne bottles on ice's user avatar
15 votes
2 answers
4k views

Why does Russia choose to depend on the Bosporus Strait for shipping?

According to the Wikipedia article on the proposed Istanbul Canal, it is said that the Bosporus has nearly 3 times the amount of ship traffic as the Suez Canal. Presumably this ship traffic comes ...
Betterthan Kwora's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
184 views

Why did the Pakistan government put more importance on road communication rather than railways?

NHA (Background) Roads in Pakistan National Highways of Pakistan Motorways of Pakistan Expressways of Pakistan It is recognized that Pakistan has one of the most developed road networks in South/...
user366312's user avatar
  • 19.1k
6 votes
2 answers
836 views

Why hasn't the UK government nationalised the rail service in England?

Four months after Wales nationalised their rail services, Scotland has announced that it will nationalise it's railways, obviously this has been an outcome of the slump in passenger numbers due to the ...
Mozibur Ullah's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
177 views

How is Massachusetts' requirement to sell only zero emissions vehicles by 2035 being implemented?

Several news outlets are reporting on this story this week: The Hill: "Massachusetts to require 100 percent of car sales to be electric by 2035" Car and Driver Magazine: "Massachusetts ...
LShaver's user avatar
  • 1,765
3 votes
0 answers
49 views

What does the U.S.A. Green New Deal propose on railway electrification? [duplicate]

What role does railroad electrification have in proposal (or various proposals) for an American Green New Deal? In coverage of the American Green New Deal there has been much attention to electric ...
gerrit's user avatar
  • 49.3k
0 votes
1 answer
140 views

Would it be constitutional for Congress to pass a law making (future) taxi licenses non-transferable?

There's almost certainly no political appetite for this in the US right now, but (in theory) would it be constitutional for a federal law to prohibit state and local governments from selling taxicab ...
264 champagne bottles on ice's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
93 views

Why did France start issuing non-transferable taxi licenses in 2015?

According to a 2016 EU document taxi licenses issued in France before 2015 remain transferable, but those issued thereafter are not. Under the French system, the licences are called “parking ...
264 champagne bottles on ice's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
114 views

How are London's cabs licensed?

Is there any similarity between the medallion system predominant in US cities, in which taxicab licenses once (and seldom) issued are forever sold on the open market, with a large secondary (and ...
264 champagne bottles on ice's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
203 views

Is the transferable medallion system backed predominantly by a political party (or wing thereof)?

For those who don't know, in the US in many cities taxicabs use a transferable licensing system (aka "medallion"), with artificially limited supply: Most medallion owners never interact ...
264 champagne bottles on ice's user avatar
5 votes
0 answers
196 views

What happened to "Mobility Package 1" (new EU lorry driver regulations)?

After many news pieces covering protest of Eastern EU firms/drivers and some on subsequent parliamentary exhortations, I can't figure out what if anything was adopted from "Mobility Package 1" and if ...
264 champagne bottles on ice's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
252 views

Did Norway reduce Electric Car Incentives (Policy) because they were so costly?

I wonder whether there is an official statement that some electric car incentives in Norway were stopped, because they were too costly. I came across this document, that states at the very bottom (I ...
canIchangethis's user avatar
23 votes
1 answer
5k views

Who determines when road center lines are solid or dashed?

A two lane state highway I regularly travel was recently re-paved, and the last step was to paint the center lines. Seeing the freshly painted lines prompts this question: Who determines when the ...
ThiccBlissey's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
302 views

Are Mexican trucks presently allowed beyond a buffer zone around the US southern border?

The US was involved in a long-running NAFTA dispute with Mexico over trucking: Although the charter of the North American Free Trade Agreement established a schedule that would have opened the ...
264 champagne bottles on ice's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
681 views

Why does the 25 year import rule for cars still exist in the USA?

A motor vehicle that is at least 25 years old can be lawfully imported into the U.S. without regard to whether it complies with all applicable FMVSS. Why does that 25 year import rule for cars still ...
IllinoisMan's user avatar
27 votes
3 answers
9k views

Why did it take so long for Germany to allow electric scooters / e-rollers on the roads?

According to Telegraph Germany has just issued a law that allows electrical scooters on the roads: Germany has become the latest country to approve the use of electric scooters on its roads as ...
Alexei's user avatar
  • 53.5k
9 votes
4 answers
1k views

Why are so many countries subsidizing the electrical vehicle industry?

I am creating a presentation about main subsidies and taxes for the EV (electric vehicle) market. When I dived deep into this — the question became: why do governments invest in this market? What ...
Rostislav Dugin's user avatar
88 votes
27 answers
31k views

What is the capitalist answer to rail passenger transportation being non financially profitable?

In developed countries, rail transport is usually provided at financial loss, and needs to be subsidised by governments. In countries who have refused to do so (mostly on the American continent), ...
Bregalad's user avatar
  • 7,391
0 votes
1 answer
285 views

Is Belt and Road Initiative cost-effective?

Does the geopolitical advantage of China's Belt and Road Initiative outweigh the financial costs of the loans? Would the loan be better spent internally or kept unused?
Michael's user avatar
  • 31
5 votes
2 answers
488 views

Can a EU country refuse to allow a car to circulate with plates from another EU country?

A spat between Sweden and Romania; a car with an insulting plates (when read in Romanian) caused the Swedish embassy to release this rather ambiguous statement: The Embassy of Sweden in Romania would ...
264 champagne bottles on ice's user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
2k views

Does EU freedom of speech allow a license plate that taunts a political party?

A few weeks ago a Romanian bought a personalized number plate from Sweden that seemed perfectly fine for Swedish Transport Agency is usually very vigilant when approving such plates. However, this ...
Alexei's user avatar
  • 53.5k
3 votes
2 answers
323 views

What prevents states and counties in the US from combining drivers license and registration data?

When stopped for a traffic infraction in the United States most (all?) officers ask for license and registration. They are legally allowed to demand this information on request as a condition of ...
Freiheit's user avatar
  • 239
2 votes
1 answer
464 views

Why was the Kerch strait bridge built along a long route?

Russia just completed construction of a very long bridge across the Kerch strait - 23km. I was wondering - why didn't it build the bridge along the shorter route, from Chushka port, where the ferry ...
einpoklum's user avatar
  • 9,146
2 votes
0 answers
108 views

What would be the social and political consequences if a major country decided to prohibit driverless cars? [closed]

In the news, there's been talk of countries banning petrol and diesel cars by 2030-2040, but what if a major country - say for example; Canada, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and South Africa; decided ...
avenas8808's user avatar
54 votes
12 answers
20k views

Why is US rail passenger transportation less important than in other countries?

Reading this article about the fastest trains in the world, I found no US train. This makes sense since high speed rails is quite limited: (..) Amtrak's Acela Express (reaching 150 mph (240 km/h)) (...
Alexei's user avatar
  • 53.5k
26 votes
2 answers
7k views

Why do so many US States have a relaxed vehicle inspection policy?

According to Wikipedia, many US states have a relaxed policy for car inspection regulations: Maryland requires an inspection prior to registration or transfer of ownership only. Several states ...
Alexei's user avatar
  • 53.5k
1 vote
2 answers
385 views

Why is Modi establishing bullet train from Mumbai to Ahmedabad?

A special and expensive project like this is usually undertaken to connect the capital and the other most important city (e.g. a financial center, or a port city, or a strategically important city.). ...
user avatar
25 votes
1 answer
10k views

What do British people think about female-only carriages on trains?

I read that one politician in British Labour party suggested implementing a women-only carriage but immediately got backlash (here or here). I tried accessing some of these articles but all of them ...
Blaszard's user avatar
  • 2,721
8 votes
1 answer
352 views

Can Bahrain prevent Qatar Airways from flying?

The Washington Post writes: If not for a gesture of goodwill from Bahrain, whose airspace practically encircles Qatar, the airline would have to cease operations. But is it really a gesture of ...
ugoren's user avatar
  • 2,689