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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: public transit

public transit stories: 13 news summaries

 NYC Targets Subway Gropers 

Officials want offenders' photos on 'wall on shame'

Nov 20, 09 3:11 AM CST
(Newser) - Sexual harassment is on the rise in the New York City subway system and city officials are cracking down on gropers and flashers. Sexual harassment is the "No. 1 quality of life offense on the subway," the chief of the NYPD's Transit Bureau told a hearing yesterday. The... More »

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New York City • subway • sexual harassment • groping • New York City Subway • public transit

 Dubai Unveils 
 Gulf's First Metro 

Sheikhdom aims to get drivers onto public transport despite rock-bottom fuel prices

Sep 10, 09 1:26 AM CDT
(Newser) - Dubai yesterday opened its gleaming new $7.6 billion metro rail system, the first on the Arabian peninsula, AP reports. The sheikhdom's leaders hope the system will help clear Dubai's chronically traffic-clogged streets and provide some good press for the downturn-battered emirate.  Each 5-car train on the driverless system... More »

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subway • Dubai • United Arab Emirates • metro • New York City Subway • London Underground • UAE • public transit • mass transit

Honolulu Mulls Body-Odor Crackdown

City delays vote barring smelly people from riding public transit

Sep 3, 09 11:17 AM CDT
(Newser) - Honolulu's city council has delayed voting on a measure to bar stinky people from public transit, reports the Advertiser. The ordinance would crack down on people with “odors that unreasonably disturb others or interfere with their use of the transit system.” Part of the reason for the delay... More »

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smell • Hawaii • Honolulu • public transportation • body odor • public transit • ordinance

No-Car Suburb in Germany May Prove Tough
to Translate

Americans 'suspicious' of green model

May 12, 09 11:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - Will Europe’s assault on the American way of life stop at nothing? Vauban, a town in the southwest corner of Germany, is a working model of a leafy-green suburb without cars. People walk or bike, and a tram runs through the middle of town. “When I had a... More »

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Germany • Oakland • bicycles • suburbs • cars • public transit • Vauban

 'Human Gridlock' 
 Plagues Ceremony 

Inauguration spectators wait for hours to get in and out of Mall area

Jan 20, 09 3:16 PM CST
(Newser) - The record-breaking crowd—an estimated 1.8 million people—at today’s inaugural events is overwhelming Washington’s streets and mass-transit systems, creating long waits for spectators trying to exit the Mall area, the Post reports. Hours after the swearing-in, some were still waiting to enter Metro stations. “It’... More »

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Barack Obama • overcrowding • inauguration • Washington, DC • crowd • public transit • President Obama • inaugural events

Frisco Debates Downtown Traffic Fee

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

Dec 30, 08 4:27 AM CST
(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... More »

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California • San Francisco • congestion pricing • traffic • toll • congestion • public transit

DC Cuts in Half Inaugural Crowd Estimates

Transit survey shows about 2.5M are heading for the capital

Dec 22, 08 8:05 AM CST
(Newser) - Washington officials have sliced in half earlier estimates for the number of people expected to swarm Washington for the inauguration, the Washington Post reports. The original projections, as high as 5 million, were founded on the election’s historic nature, while revised numbers are based on talks with transport companies... More »

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transportation • inauguration • Washington, DC • crowd • public transit • President Obama • Inauguration Day

 Transit Ridership 
 Soars—for Now 

Plummeting gas prices haven't driven us back to cars ... but now fewer have jobs to commute to

Dec 8, 08 12:56 PM CST
(Newser) - Dramatic increases in public transportation ridership have outlived sky-high gas prices, but the souring economy could reverse the trend, USA Today reports. Nationwide, third-quarter ridership was up 7% compared to last year, spurred by $4-a-gallon gas in July. Some municipalities saw almost 20% more commuters on their trains and... More »

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subway • study • public transportation • gas prices • buses • light rail • public transit • financial crisis • economic downturn • American Public Transportation Association

 Public Transit 
 Returns to 
 Baghdad 

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

Nov 18, 08 2:10 PM CST
(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... More »

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Iraq • Baghdad • traffic • violence • commute • train • public transit

Financing Deals Make AIG
a Drag on Transit Agencies

With AIG sinking, banks are calling loans to transit agencies

Oct 24, 08 2:55 PM CDT
(Newser) - Transit agencies nationwide are facing the prospect of unexpectedly having to repay billions in loans to large banks under financing deals made years ago, the Washington Post reports. Because AIG guaranteed many of the agreements, the insurance behemoth's woes could potentially affect millions of public transit riders as banks worldwide... More »

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AIG • credit crisis • Washington Metro • MTA • public transit • financial meltdown

Engineer Sent Texts Just Before Crash

Feds find message 22 seconds ahead of fatal Sept. 12 train wreck

Oct 1, 08 3:36 PM CDT
(Newser) - The engineer steering the Metrolink train that crashed last month sent a text message 22 seconds before the fatal collision, the Los Angeles Times reports. Robert M. Sanchez sent 29 text messages Sept. 12, a federal investigation reveals. The commuter train ran through a red signal and hit a freight... More »

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cell phones • Los Angeles • commute • texting • train crash • public transit • Metrolink

Is Metrolink Up to the Job?
Train Crash Raises Doubts

AWOL execs slammed in aftermath of worst crash in decades

Sep 20, 08 2:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - The country's deadliest train crash in decades has focused attention on mass transit carrier Metrolink, which operates on a shoestring budget and has many wondering whether it's up to the job, the Los Angeles Times reports. Five Southern California counties chip in to run the system, set up with relatively... More »

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transit • Los Angeles • train • train crash • public transit • Metrolink

OPINION

 Goodbye, Autos; Hello, Podcar

Driverless taxis could transform public transit

Sep 8, 08 12:27 PM CDT
(Newser) - Forget alternative fuels and dump rusting gas guzzlers altogether for the driverless podcar, which offers "the convenience of an auto without the negatives," Catherine G. Burke writes in the Los Angeles Times. The sleek, electric-powered compartments seat four and use monorail-esque "guideways" to reach select destinations. It... More »

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innovation • public transportation • cars • automobile • podcar • personal rapid transit • public transit

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