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December 3, 2008 1:18:31 PM CST


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 Public Transit 
 Returns to 
 Baghdad 

Commuter train has run for a month, mayor proposes subway system

(Newser) - 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. More »

More about:  Iraq Baghdad violence train traffic commute public transit

 Kate Busted 
 Driving While 
 Yakking 

Nabbed chatting on cell on country road

(Newser) - 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. More »

More about:  cell phones Prince William traffic Kate Middleton traffic accident

Accidents Drop After Town Pulls Traffic Lights

Germans fare better without crosswalks, curbs, and rules

(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 »

More about:  Germany traffic traffic light

US Slow to Hop On Global Biking Boom

Countries that encourage self-propelled commuting see benefits instantly

(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 »

More about:  pollution cars traffic bicycling green transportation commuting bikes

 Bike Sharing Debuts in DC 

$40 a year gives locals access to cycles parked citywide

(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 »

More about:  environment gas prices traffic Washington, D.C. bicycle


 Cash Tolls Race 
 Toward Extinction 

'Open-road' payment systems catch on nationwide

(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 »

More about:  Texas traffic highways gas tax tollbooth

Beijing Forces Half of Drivers Off the Road

Move to clear noxious air in countdown
to Olympics

(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 »

More about:  China 2008 Beijing Olympics air pollution Asia cars traffic

San Francisco Pioneers Smart Parking Spots

Wireless sensor network will alert drivers to open spaces

(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 »

More about:  San Francisco smartphones traffic parking space congestion urban planning parking meters sensor

OPINION

Why $8 Gas Would Be Awesome

A call for a return to
the days when driving was for rich jerks

(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 »

More about:  gas prices gas fuel costs traffic energy costs

GLOSSIES

 The Good in $4 Gas 

Less obesity, traffic, and accidents, for starters

(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 »

More about:  gas prices oil obesity gas traffic commute auto insurance

The New Generational Shift: Suburban Flight

After 50 years of sprawl, suburbanites  gravitate toward cities

(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 »

More about:  air pollution traffic public transportation commute suburban sprawl light rail

Waiting for Green Has Gas-Conscious Seeing Red

Needless idling in turn lanes irks Calif. drivers

(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 »

More about:  gas prices fuel costs traffic fuel highways traffic accident traffic light

OPINION

Surplus Signs Driving Motorists to Distraction

Too much information along roads may be creating a hazard

(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 »

More about:  driving car accident traffic highways highway safety

More Is Less: High Gas Equals Quicker Drives in LA

Commuters, traffic reporters say famously congested freeways a bit less so

(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 »

More about:  California Los Angeles gas prices traffic

Assembly Sinks NYC Congestion Pricing Measure

Tolls for high-traffic areas had been mayor's pet project