San Francisco Pioneers Smart Parking Spots

Motorists balk at prospect of paying up to $5 to drive to city center

(NEWSER) - A plan to charge motorists for driving downtown in peak hours could be a step too far even for famously green San Francisco, the Los Angeles Times reports. City officials say the plan, which would be the first of its kind in the nation if it passes, would reduce traffic and pollution—but reactions so far have been mostly negative. More»

Drivers from NY to LA find lawns in place of their favorite spots

(NEWSER) - Signs of a movement to highlight the need for more urban green space sprouted in cities across the US today, the LA Times reports, turning parking spaces into bite-sized parks. The second annual Park(ing) Day may prove an inconvenience to commuters from San Francisco to New York, but that’s the point, one organizer says. More»

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»

But, city officials warn, you should pull over before using it

(NEWSER) - In busy San Francisco, city officials estimate that drivers looking for a parking spot account for 30% of all downtown congestion. Enter the iPhone: A new app could solve the parking problem. The city introduced SFpark last month, aiming to show drivers the areas that have open spots. Wireless sensors in thousands of metered parking spots and spaces in city garages detect within seconds when a spot opens up, then make that information available on the app within a minute, the New York Times reports. 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.