Friday Digest: July 27, 2012

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has revealed a new light display for its Bleecker Street station. The Arts for Transit program has developed this latest piece that incorporates LED lights in the form of a honeycomb along the ceiling. Inspired by the mathematical formula “Game of Life,” the lights flash and move in different directions representing the process of life. This art not only brightens the station but also leads riders to a new platform in the station where the new Bleecker Street transfer will soon be. Read more about this artwork at NY1.

Raleigh, NC, is taking public health seriously and plans to ban smoking at five of their most congested transit centers and bus stops. This means that smoking is prohibited within 25 feet of the boarding locations, but the city does intend to create designated smoking areas for those who want a quick cigarette before their trip. There will be a warning period, but after that police or transit officers will issue citations similar to parking tickets. This follows Raleigh’s action last year to ban smoking in public parks for fear of secondhand smoke within the communities. Read more at NewsObserver.

Dunkin Donuts is using the transportation industry as a new marketing tool in South Korea. To get people in the mood for coffee, they have begun scenting buses with the smell of Dunkin Donuts coffee.  The angle of this campaign is to have customers think of coffee every time they think of Dunkin Donuts. Dunkin Donuts has discovered that their donuts are outselling their coffee in South Korea, and this a technique is projected to boost coffee sales. Would you enjoy this on your morning commute? Read more at The Inquisitr.

In England, three design students at Royal College of Art (RCA) have created Canopy, a display system that would attach to the ceiling of a subway car. Each panel would have different digital landmarks displayed as the train passes by, giving the passengers a view of life above. This technology has a variety of uses, displaying landscapes and scenery but also advertisements, weather conditions and transit information. This concept was shown off at RCA’s annual summer show in London and has not yet been incorporated into any subway cars. Read more at CNET.