April 2011 Archives

The Michigan Department of Transportation added public transportation to its commuting initiative that is centered around a new MDOT commuter web site.

MDOT has posted an animated video (below) similar to a recently posted video plugging ride sharing. The video's main character, Wally, urges us to become "transportation trendsetters" by taking public transportation.

The department plans a third video but hasn't said what it will promote.

 

 

MDOT announced today that it has a new web page to help Michigan drivers deal with the stresses of the daily commute.

Called MI Commute, MDOT bills the site as "loaded with ideas, tips and tools to beat the cost of commuting." One of those ideas takes the form of a video (below) that promotes ride sharing.









FOX 17 Home

This Video Shots were featured today during my reports on FOX 17 Morning News:

Bubble-biting Dog Gets Baby To Laugh

VIDEO: Car's Fuel Is Pop Can Tabs

VIDEO: Machine Throws Ball For Dog








FOX 17 Home

Get In the Slow Lane

How To Park Like A Boss

Self-Sufficient Dog

There were a few fender benders, none of which slowed traffic the way things got slowed yesterday on I-96 and US-131.

The Drive began a little early, with a rollover that landed in someone's yard on Peach Ridge Avenue near 17 Mile. This happened around 4:20 a.m.

6:10 a.m. A small fire was reported in the ditch on eastbound I-96 at the Kent/Ottawa County line. Fire units found several small fires, put them out, and left. There was no indication how the fires started.

6:55 a.m. Five vehicles got involved in a crash that backed up traffic on eastbound I-96 near the Marne exit. One person complained of back pain; one SUV had to be towed away with front end damage. Two lanes were blocked, so drivers had to use the shoulder to get by.

7:30 a.m. A crash in Holland on Washington Avenue at 35th Street may have slowed down a few people.

7:45 a.m. A semi broke down on the ramp from westbound 28th Street to southbound US-131. Drivers had to inch their way around it until a mechanic got it rolling again around 8:10 a.m.

8:00 a.m. US-31 at Robbins Road, a fender bender.

VIDEO SHOTS:

Martin Jetpack outside flight

USS Carl Vinson flight deck fire

Semi Crash That Led To Fraud and Arrest

Amazing lucky escape for pedestrian as metal shack is blown on top of him

The picture says it all.

In a tragic irony, a teenager was killed in a crash Thursday along a stretch of South Carolina highway named in honor of his father, who had been killed in Afghanistan.

The boy wasn't at fault; a truck coming the other way crossed the center line and hit him head-on.

The story.

 

Driving conditions were varied at the beginning of the morning. Grand Rapids, Holland, and Muskegon were dry, but rain was already moving through Allegan, Kalamazoo, and Calhoun Counties.

6:15 a.m. Southeast of Allegan, there was a crash reported on M-89 between 24th Street and 26th Street, with one vehicle in the ditch.

6:30 a.m. A crash on westbound M-6 east of Kalamazoo Avenue had one vehicle in the ditch, but speed data never showed a slowdown while it was pulled out.

7:10 a.m. Fender bender on Port Sheldon Street did not block traffic between 144th Avenue and 152nd Avenue.

7:50 a.m. Units were sent to tend to injuries in a crash on M-46/Apple Avenue at Wolf Lake Road east of Muskegon, but parties there refused treatment.

Traffic volumes all week were reduced because so many people got out of town or stayed home during public schools' spring break.

I used these videos on FOX 17 Morning News today:

Yankee Stadium Cup Stack

Plank Through The Windshield

Party In An Elevator

Giant Wood Xylophone Plays Bach

George Takei Should Be Spider-Man!

Air Ambulance Take-Off Accident





FOX 17 Home

During Spring Break, traffic volume is reduced, and the number of accidents and traffic jams drops. Wednesday's commute was generally quiet. What mishaps there were did not apparently cause any traffic flow problems.

4:30 a.m. A crash midway between Zeeland and Hudsonville on westbound I-196 near 68th Avenue caused minor injuries but no traffic problems, given the time of the morning. One vehicle ended up in the median.

7:00 a.m. A pickup failed to negotiate the ramp from Skyline Drive in Muskegon to southbound US-31 in the area locally known as the "Spiderweb." The vehicle ended up in the median.

There was only one crash that affected drivers:

7:40 a.m. Someone spun out on eastbound I-196 right after Lake Michigan Drive, damaging the median turf, as you can see in the image from the MDOT cam.