Commuter train has run for a month, mayor proposes subway system
Los Angeles Times Nov 18, 08 2:10 PM CST
(Newser)
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After years of destabilizing violence, Baghdad has a commuter train again, the LA Times reports. For about a month, the “Baghdad Metro,” as employees call it, has made two complete trips around the city in the morning and afternoon for the benefit of working Iraqis who have to suffer through traffic choked by checkpoints and convoys.
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Nabbed chatting on cell on country road
Sun (UK) Oct 14, 08 6:00 AM CDT
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Royal and apparently naughty girlfriend Kate Middleton was snapped by a photographer happily chatting on her cell phone while driving, in defiance of Britain's strict ban on using the devices behind the wheel, reports the Sun . Prince William's 26-year-old gal pal was deep in conversation as she tooled along a country road in her Audi A3. Had a copper instead of photog spotted Kate, she could have been slapped with a $120 fine.
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Germans fare better without crosswalks, curbs, and rules
Christian Science Monitor Sep 13, 08 6:29 PM CDT
(Newser)
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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.
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Countries that encourage self-propelled commuting see benefits instantly
Washington Post Aug 31, 08 3:34 PM CDT
(Newser)
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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."
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$40 a year gives locals access to cycles parked citywide
Los Angeles Times Aug 15, 08 12:11 PM CDT
(Newser)
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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.
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'Open-road' payment systems catch on nationwide
USA Today Jul 28, 08 7:00 PM CDT
(Newser)
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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.
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Move to clear noxious air in countdown
to Olympics
Associated Press Jul 21, 08 1:10 PM CDT
(AP)
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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.
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Wireless sensor network will alert drivers to open spaces
New York Times Jul 12, 08 7:48 AM CDT
(Newser)
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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.
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OPINION
A call for a return to
the days when driving was for rich jerks
Los Angeles Times Jul 11, 08 11:17 AM CDT
(Newser)
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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"?
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GLOSSIES
Less obesity, traffic, and accidents, for starters
Time Jul 2, 08 12:03 PM CDT
(Newser)
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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.
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After 50 years of sprawl, suburbanites gravitate toward cities
Wall Street Journal Jun 17, 08 3:53 PM CDT
(Newser)
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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.
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Needless idling in turn lanes irks Calif. drivers
Press-Enterprise Jun 11, 08 4:26 PM CDT
(Newser)
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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.
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OPINION
Too much information along roads may be creating a hazard
Atlantic Monthly Jun 11, 08 2:27 AM CDT
(Newser)
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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.
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Commuters, traffic reporters say famously congested freeways a bit less so
Los Angeles Times May 12, 08 4:55 PM CDT
(Newser)
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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.
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