24
votes
Accepted
Do more roads lead to fewer traffic jams?
TL;DR No. Roads do not lead sustainably to less traffic jams. In the extreme short term they can do but it can be disastrous for the rest of the traffic network and they increase congestion in the ...
- 3,546
23
votes
Accepted
How could Bangladesh protect itself from Indian dams and barrages?
How can Bangladesh protect itself from Indian dams and barrages in the
long run?
Enter into a treaty with India, that is binding and effective on both parties, governing the matter, and/or
Build ...
- 88.3k
19
votes
Accepted
Are there political structures that are fundementally different?
A useful approach, I think, is to look at the notable categories.
Western style legal and political systems in the tradition of either England or Continental Europe (e.g. South Korea, Argentina, ...
- 88.3k
19
votes
When can "civilian, including commercial, infrastructure elements in outer space" be legitimate military targets?
Civilian infrastructure can be a legitimate military target if two clauses are simultaneously fulfilled:
it is used for military purposes and its destruction will offer a definite military advantage;
...
- 3,983
15
votes
Why are dams so controversial in Pakistan?
While damming a river can provide a large population with a reliable source of drinking water and an environmentally friendly source of electricity, it often has several negative consequences for the ...
- 78.9k
14
votes
Accepted
Why isn't there public pressure to increase the highway speed limits given that most drivers speed on a daily basis?
Essentially you have conducted a rough poll of motorway drivers and concluded that many would like to see a rise in speed limits. This may be true among people who often use the motorway It is less ...
- 124k
14
votes
Why can't the British government pass a law allowing the Heathrow expansion to proceed, rather than bothering with an appeal to the Supreme Court?
Chiefly because pundits seem to agree that current government doesn't actually want the Heathrow expansion to proceed. It should be noted that the Government is not pursuing an appeal to the Supreme ...
CDJB♦
- 109k
13
votes
Has the UK government stated how Heathrow expansion will be financed?
Has the UK government stated how Heathrow expansion will be financed?
See Policy paper, Heathrow north-west runway economic regulation: financing and affordability explanatory briefing, Published 21 ...
- 9,081
13
votes
How could Bangladesh protect itself from Indian dams and barrages?
Conflicts between nations that seem unable to solve them on their own can sometimes successfully be addressed by international mediation. The idea is that a neutral arbiter would lend more credibility ...
- 10.8k
12
votes
Accepted
Why can't London increase the Congestion Charge to the point where congestion is reduced to reasonable levels?
London Traffic Congestion / Pollution control measures
In just over ten years, the Congestion charge increased from £5 to £11.50 a day with an additional £10 Toxicity-charge for older/more polluting ...
- 9,081
10
votes
How do leaders cross the language barrier during phone calls?
Phone calls between world leaders are much more complicated and are thoroughly planned. It's not one would imagine -- pick up a phone and say Hi President Putin! I'm Trump and I would like to talk to ...
- 46.7k
9
votes
Accepted
Why is the Gravina Island bridge held up as an example of wasteful pork-barrel spending?
Bridges are expensive. Some don't like government spending large sums of taxpayer money where they cannot see the value. To that end, it is necessary to hold up an expensive example with a catchy ...
- 36.6k
9
votes
Accepted
Are there any proposals for a significant electrification of US railroads?
Are there any proposals for a significant electrification of US railroads?
There seem to be few electrification projects; but a group that hopes to promote more.
This article, Electrifying freight ...
- 36.6k
9
votes
Accepted
How people are supposed to commute from home to work and do errands under the libertarian system?
Essentially, you wouldn't agree to live in a house where this was a possibility. Instead, you'd insist either:
That the road is owned by a home-owner's association or similar that you would be a part ...
- 729
9
votes
Why isn't recycling counted as part of infrastructure
(I get to leverage my experience working in the MSW (Municipal Solid Waste) sector as a recycling educator here, neat!)
First off, we have to acknowledge that "recycling" is an extremely ...
- 19.4k
9
votes
When can "civilian, including commercial, infrastructure elements in outer space" be legitimate military targets?
When sides are at war. Russia and USA are not.
Under the laws of armed conflict, a Russian strike on a private US company’s satellite could be seen as an act of war to which the US could respond. ...
- 23.1k
8
votes
How people are supposed to commute from home to work and do errands under the libertarian system?
Libertarians believe that the government is a necessary evil that does perform some limited functions. Often times, building and maintaining roads is an accepted function of government that ...
- 16.1k
8
votes
Why can't the British government pass a law allowing the Heathrow expansion to proceed, rather than bothering with an appeal to the Supreme Court?
As is true most everywhere, the answer is likely political cost.
Courts are not inherently political bodies, and are thus insulated somewhat from the political process. There's no political cost to ...
- 53.1k
8
votes
What is the difference between funds being "authorized" and funds being "appropriated" in the IIJA?
The Congressional Research Service published a document back in 2012 that explains the difference. They describe authorization as:
An authorizing measure can establish, continue, or modify an agency,...
- 2,313
7
votes
Accepted
Is there continued movement towards unification of electric power wall socket/plug standards?
Lets only consider the ~230V systems; the ~110V systems seem to have largely standardised on the American plug.
guess earlier examples of this are the spread of F plugs, and the combination F-and-E ...
- 482
6
votes
Do more roads lead to fewer traffic jams?
Yes and No
Many answers already cover part of this, so i won't enter in detail in the data. This answer covers how one does reduce traffic jams with more roads/lanes, with an efficient design and ...
- 671
6
votes
Accepted
What's lacking about the Kerch Strait land bridge, between Crimea and Russia?
The bridge is easily sufficient for combat vehicles themselves.
Russian tanks weigh 46-48 mt (a very narrow range all of them fit into). Trucks are generally limited to 80,000 lbs, or 36 mt. It's not ...
- 6,745
5
votes
Why are the most densely populated areas generally underserved by government services?
How well a particular city serves its population's needs is determined by the extent of those needs, and the amount of resources (taxes) available to fill them.
For a small city/village, needs are ...
- 3,050
5
votes
Why would a state reject federal funding for infrastructure?
Michael's answer is definitely correct for that specific circumstance. I would provide another example to help round out the answer to your question.
Currently, the state of Illinois is looking at ...
- 151
5
votes
Who were these people during the US President's press conference on infrastructure the other day?
From left to right:
Steve Mnuchin, Secretary of the Treasury
Donald Trump, President of the United States
Elaine Chao, Secretary of Transportation (also the wife of Mitch McConnell)
- 90.3k
5
votes
Why is Germany increasing its reliance on Huawei despite the security risks?
CGTN tells us in a Sep 2022 article that
German firms lead a shrinking group of European investors in China [...]
Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and France make up 87 percent of the total ...
5
votes
Why is Germany increasing its reliance on Huawei despite the security risks?
Essentially the German government does not blindly follow the American assessment. The US government has claimed security risks in Huawei technology for years and did a lot of research into it. ...
- 9,317
4
votes
How people are supposed to commute from home to work and do errands under the libertarian system?
This question is a variation of But without government who will build the roads?
First, there is no consensus among libertarians on the role and scope of government. Many believe some form of minimal ...
- 435
4
votes
Why isn't there public pressure to increase the highway speed limits given that most drivers speed on a daily basis?
The speed limit in the United States used to be 55 mph (a little less than 90 km/h). 65 mph (105 km/h) is the increased limit in New York.
Western states often have higher limits, e.g. 70 mph (112 ...
- 90.3k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible