Here is a look at some of the transportation headlines gathered by us and the Metro Library. The full list of headlines is posted on the library’s blog.

The evolution of street design.

Debunking the Cul-de-sac (The Atlantic Cities)

The suburban cul-de-sac is a ubiquitous part of American life, but it wasn’t always that way – and there’s a number of researchers that feel we went down the wrong urban design path. Compared to the traditional grid, the cul-de-sac feels safe, but is likely a more dangerous living arrangement since it by default requires driving a car. This is because cul-de-sacs lack “location efficiency” – they are isolated from jobs, stores and other activities humans might do when they’re not at home.

The top five transit technologies for the low-carbon economy (Fast Company)

Spoiler alert! Here’s the list: bike-sharing, bus rapid transit, electric vehicles, high speed rail and smart grids. Fast Company posits that embracing these technologies will “make a huge dent in our global carbon emissions.” Read the full story to find out why.

Futuristic pods whisk travelers around Heathrow airport (MSNBC)

Last Friday London’s Heathrow airport unveiled it’s new system for transporting travelers around the terminals. The system uses laser-guided driverless pods – a form of Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) – to move passengers at an average speed of 25 mph with an average wait time of 34 seconds and zero emissions. Here’s a video of the pods in action.