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October 7, 2008 6:46:43 PM CDT

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Stories related to: traffic

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Stories 1 - 20 of 23

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  • September 2008

    • Accidents Drop After Town Pulls Traffic Lights

      Christian Science Monitor  |  Sep 13, 08 6:29 PM CDT

      Accidents Drop After Town Pulls Traffic Lights

      (Newser) - Would life be better without stop lights? The people of Bohmte, Germany think so. The little town has not only removed traffic lights from its busy main drag, but curbs and crosswalks as well. All that’s left is one simple rule: Yield to the person on your right. It’s a daring gamble on Bohmte's busy thoroughfare, but amazingly, it’s working, the Christian Science Monitor reports. More »

      Tags

      Germany  • traffic  • traffic light

  • August 2008

    • US Slow to Hop On Global Biking Boom

      Washington Post  |  Aug 31, 08 3:34 PM CDT

      US Slow to Hop On Global Biking Boom

      (Newser) - The US remains uninspired by nations that have prodded people to save money by biking to work, the Washington Post reports. Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands installed infrastructure years ago to benefit bikers and discourage cars, but America—along with Canada, Australia, and Britain—have not. "It is very clear how to do this," one expert said. "It is not rocket science." More »

      Tags

      pollution  • cars  • traffic  • bicycling  • green transportation  • commuting  • bikes

    • Bike Sharing Debuts in DC

      Los Angeles Times  |  Aug 15, 08 12:11 PM CDT

      Bike Sharing Debuts in DC

      (Newser) - With its residents battling high fuel prices and heavy traffic, Washington, DC, has instituted a bike-sharing program: pay $40 a year, and you can borrow wheels from one of 10 stands across the city. Inspired by similar schemes abroad, SmartBike DC is using technology keep the system running smoothly, keeping the bikes in electronic racks that require  swiping a smartcard for access, the LA Times reports. More »

      Tags

      environment  • gas prices  • traffic  • Washington, D.C.  • bicycle

  • July 2008

    • Cash Tolls Race Toward Extinction

      USA Today  |  Jul 28, 08 7:00 PM CDT

      Cash Tolls Race Toward Extinction

      (Newser) - Cash toll booths are going the way of the Model T as "open-road tolling"—which lets drivers pay electronically without having to slow for booths or gates—gains traction, reports USA Today . Supporters say killing the cash-based system cuts down on everything from congestion to pollution to the amount of land required to build toll plazas. More »

      Tags

      Texas  • traffic  • highways  • gas tax  • tollbooth

    • Beijing Forces Half of Drivers Off the Road

      Associated Press  |  Jul 21, 08 1:10 PM CDT

      Beijing Forces Half of Drivers Off the Road

      (AP) - Half of Beijing's drivers left their cars at home today and took public transportation on the first workday under new restrictions meant to clear the city's notoriously polluted skies before the Olympics. Under the plan that kicked in yesterday, half of the capital's 3.3 million cars will be removed from city streets each day, alternating odd and even license plates. Those caught driving on days they shouldn't will be fined $14, a pricey penalty even for China's capital. More »

      Tags

      China  • 2008 Beijing Olympics  • air pollution  • Asia  • cars  • traffic

    • San Francisco Pioneers Smart Parking Spots

      New York Times  |  Jul 12, 08 7:48 AM CDT

      San Francisco Pioneers Smart Parking Spots

      (Newser) - The streets of San Francisco will be getting smarter this fall, reports the New York Times . The city is pioneering a program to add sensors to thousands of parking spaces; drivers will be alerted to empty spaces through displays on street signs or via their smartphones. City officials hope the experiment will help clear Frisco's clogged traffic by cutting down on drivers circling to look for a place to park. More »

      Tags

      San Francisco  • smartphones  • traffic  • parking space  • congestion  • urban planning  • parking meters  • sensor

    • Why $8 Gas Would Be Awesome

      Los Angeles Times  |  Jul 11, 08 11:17 AM CDT

      Why $8 Gas Would Be Awesome

      (Newser) - Gas, as you may have heard, has topped $4 a gallon, and Joel Stein of the LA Times loves it. "Cheap gas is unfair," he argues, tongue mostly in cheek. Heck, why not make it $8 or even $10 a gallon, as in Europe, "where they have fewer road deaths even though they drive like complete idiots"? More »

      Tags

      gas prices  • gas  • fuel costs  • traffic  • energy costs

    • The Good in $4 Gas

      Time  |  Jul 2, 08 12:03 PM CDT

      The Good in $4 Gas

      (Newser) - The rest of the world may have thought it would never happen, but energy prices are beginning to change Americans' behavior. Time notes some positive aspects: Jobs lost to globalization return, because energy costs make international shipping unattractive. Suburban sprawl is slowing as people choose to live closer to cities. Many firms are switching to four-day workweeks—the practice saved Florida's Brevard College $268,000 over a summer session. Less pollution as motorists drive less … …and more frugally, both in how they drive and what they drive. More »

      Tags

      gas prices  • oil  • obesity  • gas  • traffic  • commute  • auto insurance

  • June 2008

    • The New Generational Shift: Suburban Flight

      Wall Street Journal  |  Jun 17, 08 3:53 PM CDT

      The New Generational Shift: Suburban Flight

      (Newser) - Changes in lifestyles, economic conditions, and demographics are leading to a reversal in urban flight, The Wall Street Journal reports. Four-dollar-a-gallon gasoline and the subprime crisis have driven many to cities from suburbs, where commutes are longer and houses have lost the most value. Boomers are simplifying their lives with urban condos, while millennials seek to abandon their cul-de-sac upbringings.  More »

      Tags

      air pollution  • traffic  • public transportation  • commute  • suburban sprawl  • light rail

    • Waiting for Green Has Gas-Conscious Seeing Red

      Press-Enterprise  |  Jun 11, 08 4:26 PM CDT

      Waiting for Green Has Gas-Conscious Seeing Red

      (Newser) - Though their safety value in heavy traffic isn't disputed, some Californians are starting to see left-turn arrows as a drag on ever-pricier gas and an avoidable threat to the environment, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports. The California Energy Commission estimates that idling for 2 minutes (often a needless waste of time, some say) uses the same amount of fuel as driving 1 mile. More »

      Tags

      gas prices  • fuel costs  • traffic  • fuel  • highways  • traffic accident  • traffic light

    • Surplus Signs Driving Motorists to Distraction

      Atlantic Monthly  |  Jun 11, 08 2:27 AM CDT

      Surplus Signs Driving Motorists to Distraction

      (Newser) - Drivers in America are often confronted with a forest of signs reminding them of speed limits and traffic control measures—but the overwhelming information may be making roadways more dangerous, John Staddon writes in the Atlantic . The glut of reminders can take drivers' attention away from the road and dull their judgment, resulting in more accidents. More »

      Tags

      driving  • car accident  • traffic  • highways  • highway safety

  • May 2008

    • More Is Less: High Gas Equals Quicker Drives in LA

      Los Angeles Times  |  May 12, 08 4:55 PM CDT

      More Is Less: High Gas Equals Quicker Drives in LA

      (Newser) - Sure, gas prices are unreasonable and the economy is hurting, but, the Los Angeles Times reports, at least now the infamous traffic isn't so bad. Hard data shows that traffic may be thinning out along LA’s freeways; accidents and commute times are also falling. Talking with local drivers, the Times got plenty of anecdotal evidence to support the theory. More »

      Tags

      California  • Los Angeles  • gas prices  • traffic

  • April 2008