US Slow to Hop On Global Biking Boom

Beijing and Mexico City lead the way

(NEWSER) - IBM surveyed drivers in 20 of the world's biggest cities to find the worst commutes. The bottom 5 (based on a slew of factors including time stuck in traffic and stress) in the commuter pain index are:

1. Beijing (99 on a scale of 100)
2. Mexico City (99)
3. Johannesburg (97)
4. Moscow (84, with 2½-hour traffic jams common)
5. New Delhi (81)

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.

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»

Developer strikes deals with countries, cities for broad charging infrastructure

(NEWSER) - An Israeli entrepreneur bets you’ll be willing to pay to fuel up your car like you pay your monthly cell phone bill. If Shai Agassi is right, Jim Motavalli writes in Yale Environment 360, it could be the charge electric cars need to succeed. Partnering with nations, cities, and automakers, his Better Place is trying to establish infrastructure for an electric-powered automotive future. More»

Wis. school offers freshmen free cycles for no-car pledge

(NEWSER) - Incoming freshmen are jumping on a Wisconsin college’s offer of a brand-new bike in return for leaving their cars at home, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Ripon College aims to save parking spots, and perhaps the planet, with its Velorution Project. The initiative, one newly minted student cyclist says, shows that Ripon is “innovative and changing with the times.” More»