Toll Roads Do Not Pay!

Toll roads just do not pay. At least in Australia they don't. Councils and states have praised projects before they begin construction, boasting of the benefits of new toll roads. At best such schemes can only expect to break even.

Drivers use it for a while with low introductory tolls. When the tolls are raised people change back to the old route. A toll is a dinner for a truck driver. Ordinary people just do not calculate the extra cost of petrol to avoid a toll road.

AECOM Technology did a feasibility study for a toll road. It grossly overestimated traffic flow. In short, it knew the numbers were inflated and knew the report was full of lies.  The company said if the court challenge to them is upheld it will bankrupt the business. The claimants are seeking three times the whole yearly earnings of the company which is based in the U.S. This is gross earnings, before depreciation, tax and amortization.

This amount is based on the bankruptcy of the RiverCity Motorway groups that built a toll road based on the AECOM report. AECOM is in trouble because several large banks financed the project and when it comes to legal cases they have bottomless pockets.

The initial report was superficial and done quickly at a low price of A$2.5 million. Banks say they have lost more than A$1.68 billion. When RiverCity failed the toll road was bought at the bargain basement cost of only A$618 million from the receiver, KordaMentha .

Other toll roads are now preparing their own court challenges to inaccurate reports that go back many years. Feasibility studies are notoriously incorrect. It is about time things were put right and governments took on the full responsibility of building new road. They take a large slice of tax from road users and spend it on other things.
Construction by Ty Buchanan
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Duck Wing

"Yes you are flying and I am having a rest on wing."
Funny Animal Pictures by Ty Buchanan
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Cat Cafe Opens in Australia

Do you like cats? Of course you like cats. Some people actually love cats, going so far as to set up a temple of cats, namely a cat cafe. These cafes originated in Japan where they are still popular.

Australia has opened its first cat cafe. The building is laid out in an open fashion. Signs show you too a bathroom where you are instructed to thoroughly wash your hands. There is an "airlock" of rooms to go through. Finally the Cat Foyer is reached. People have cameras and are busy taking snaps of cats.

Everything inside has a cat theme and is created for cats. Cat photos, pictures and books are spread throughout. Bean bags proliferate. Every cat has its own favorite place and do not move when you enter the room. You can touch the cats if they are ready to let you. Some cats look forward to contact.

Just why would a person come to a place like this? They obviously do not have a cat at home. Do they live in apartments? Maybe so. People come here to relax and calm down from a stressful workplace. It could become popular. If you get a cat of your own, however, that is the end of the experiment.
Culture by Ty Buchanan
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Penguins Lost

"Are you sure this is the right way, Fred?"
Funny Animal Photos by Ty Buchanan
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Efficient Solar Panel Paint Developed

There is about to be a revolution and it is not wearable technology. A spray on paint to quickly make solar panels has been perfected. The paint's main ingredient is perovskite - a calcium titanium oxide mineral. Furthermore, it costs very little.

Soon cheaper solar panels will be flooding out of factory production lines. They will be used everywhere - even on wearables! Perovskite is twice as effective as current spray-on solar collectors.

The environment will be "covered all over" with this new effective paint. Every surface facing upward whether on something mobile or static will have this coating.

Dramatic change will seen on buildings. Indeed, it will be available in many colors and will become an important part of the designed environment. Battery powered cars will have the paint completely covering the vehicle. It will become as common as ordinary paint is today.
Technology by Ty Buchanan
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