London Punishes Gas Guzzlers

Meet the 'diverging diamond' approach, which is catching on

(NEWSER) - Traffic engineers hate left turns because they slow everybody down and are dangerous to boot. Solutions such as dedicated lanes or routing traffic over intersections don't truly solve the problems. What to do? Slate takes a look at an emerging idea called the "diverging diamond interchange," which eliminates left turns altogether. The first one in the US went up in 2009 in Springfield, Missouri, and others are now in the works. More»

How does your 'highway to hell' rank?

(NEWSER) - We all know LA has a traffic problem, but Honolulu? It's No. 2 in the nation, finds the Daily Beast , which crunched the numbers to rank America's 75 worst commutes. Some of the highlights:

• No. 3, Capital Beltway, Washington, DC: This slow moving route totals an average of 194 hours of congestion per week. "It's a rough road," says a local transportation reporter.

Ringling Bros. circus animal apprehended on congested highway

(NEWSER) - An escaped Ringling Brothers circus zebra led police on a mile-long high-speed chase yesterday in Atlanta, interfering with traffic on the city’s already congested Interstate. The episode lasted about 40 minutes, the AP reports. “All of a sudden a freaking zebra comes running down the street like a car,” a bystander recalls. “Five or six police cars were in hot pursuit.” The police apprehended the rogue animal, who was unharmed but for some minor cuts. More»

(NEWSER) - The Abbey Road crosswalk made famous by the Beatles' album cover may be eliminated because hordes of fans are making it unsafe, say legislators. Accidents at the London intersection have climbed as an increasing number of fans pose on the striped crosswalk for photos, reports the Telegraph. “Maybe it is time to end this once and for all and move the zebra crossing," said a local politician. Help! More»

US sees two-year congestion decline for first time ever

(AP) - Drivers are spending less time stuck in rush-hour traffic for a second straight year, the first-ever 2-year decline in congestion. Blame high gas prices and the economic downturn, which have forced many Americans to change how they commute. In individual cities, Los Angeles traffic is getting better but is still the worst in the nation. Washington's is getting worse and now ranks second. More»