Draft #2 Summary_Reader Response_New paths for the roads of tomorrow

Last updated on October 11th, 2019

In a post from JCDecaux’s blog, "New paths for the roads of tomorrow” (2017), the author listed out several trends for road developments that could bring about positive impact to human lives and greater sustainability. First example the author gave was substituting the material that is used on the road surface. He listed the undesired effects “asphalt” brings and cited separate projects developed by engineers to replace the material. The author also mentioned incorporating technology into roads which include developing roads that could harvest electricity and planting panels into roads that generate heat, melting down snow and ice that has accumulated on the surfaces. Improving the safety of roads. The last trend mentioned by the author was “Smart Highways” which uses sensors to detect motion that activates the light when cars are present thus saving electricity. The author also remarked that the concept of road development projects being "tangible".

The author presented several creditable projects for road improvements. However, the article lacks more concrete examples that could better demonstrate the project’s feasibility on real-life roads. The limitations of these project are not mentioned in the blog post either. 

In the JCDecaux’s blog post, for each strategy, feasibility could be discussed in a more comprehensive manner.  More concrete evidence of its feasibility can be shown. Instead of only mentioning the benefits of using the new materials, the author could have included the example of the project being implemented in a country such as India. Where India had already built "one lakh kilometres of roads" in more than 11 states as stated by Professor Vasudevan who have helped to develop the process of using “recycled plastics" for roads. Take another project as an example, transforming roads into a source of energy,  There are numerous projects that have yielded great results such as the "SolaRoad pilot project" initiated in the Netherlands. At least 10,000 kWh of energy was generated, achieving remarkable progress. It also helps kickstarted a handful of other relevant projects. With such information provided, readers would be more aware of the benefits these projects could yield.

Secondly, besides its strengths being spoken about in the blog, its constraints should have been examined as while. For example, replacing the material used in roads, the blog post could have included the drawbacks from using these alternatives. There are articles disagreeing with the use of using "recycled plastics" to built roads as people are unsure of the effects of the new material in the long run. Floriane Boyer (2017) claimed that "recycled plastics" would decompose to release harmful waste that could affect "biodiversity". Additionally, the process of generating the new material from these plastics itself isn't environmentally friendly, argued by Nityanand Jayaraman (2015). In France, sensors being installed to generate power has been deemed a failure by Le Monde (2019). Within a span of three years, signs of poor conditions have been observed. Cracked were found and in the year before and "part of the road had to be demolished" as a result of "wear and tear". The energy produced by the road fails below the anticipated value even as its height. Without knowing the limitations of these projects, readers may develop an inaccurate depiction of them, perceiving those projects to be faultless.

Conclusion:

A variety of road improvements projects were highlighted in the blog post. The blog post briefly mentioned the benefits these projects could yield. Evidence of these projects implemented in various countries could be discussed to further support its practicability. Furthermore, the constraints of the projects were not touched on. Although the trend of "recycled plastics" is imposed upon widely, there are still questions and concerns surrounding the use of "recycled plastics". These references can be provided to give readers the opportunity to develop a well-informed opinion rather than something that is superficial.

References:

JCDecaux.(2017, October). Re: New paths for the roads of tomorrow. Retrieved from

https://www.jcdecaux.com/mobility-trends/new-paths-roads-tomorrow

Jayaraman, N.(2015, December). Heard about miracle "plastic roads"? Here's why it's not a solution to our plastic problem, TheNEWSMinute. Retrieved from https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/heard-about-miracle-plastic-roads-heres-why-its-not-solution-our-plastic-problem-36927

Boyer, F. (2017, September). Eco-friendly roads made out of 100% recycled plastic, EVI. Retrieved from http://eco-volontaire-international.com/en/eco-friendly-roads-made-out-of-100-recycled-plastic/

Karelia, G., Bhaskar, S. (2018, October). One Lakh Kilometres Of Roads In India Are Being Made From Plastic Waste, Is This The Solution To End Plastic Crisis? NDTV. Retrieved from https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/plastic-waste-roads-one-lakh-kilometre-india-20274/

Pasley, J. (2019, August). Photos show the world’s first solar road that’s turned out to be a colossal failure because it’s falling apart and doesn’t generate enough energy,  Business Insider US. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.sg/first-solar-road-france-failure-photos-2019-8/

Harsono, H. (2019, January). Why the world’s first smart highway will most likely be in China, TechCrunch. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/24/why-the-worlds-first-smart-highway-will-most-likely-be-in-china/