OPINION
Driverless taxis could transform public transit
Los Angeles Times Sep 8, 08 12:27 PM CDT
(Newser)
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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 sounds futuristic, but England, Sweden, and the UAE are already investing in it.
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40 cities considering resurrecting the humble streetcar
New York Times Aug 14, 08 3:56 AM CDT
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Most American cities dismantled their streetcar lines over 50 years ago but a major comeback is gathering speed, the New York Times reports. Cincinnati, Houston, Denver, Salt Lake City and Charlotte have streetcar systems in the works to revive sagging downtown areas. A dozen cities already have streetcars and at least 40 more are exploring the option.
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Americans drove 29.8B fewer miles through May '08 than same span in '07
Washington Post Jul 28, 08 2:57 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Driving in the United States continued to drop, the Washington Post reports, with May marking the steepest dip in vehicle-miles traveled for that month in the 66 years statistics have been tallied. Americans drove 9.6 billion fewer miles in May 2008 than May ’07; in the first five months of 2008, they drove 29.8 billion fewer miles than the same period in 2007.
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Officials scramble to clean the air for athletes
Reuters Jul 20, 08 5:34 AM CDT
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Beijing has launched tough new anti-pollution measures this week in a bid to clean the air for Olympic athletes in time for the games. Officials expect to force nearly half of the city's 3.3 million cars off the road, which will drive commuters onto already-crowded public transport, Reuters reports. "It will bring some real difficulties in transportation for ordinary people," warned a driver.
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TRAVEL
Stretch your vacation dollar with these tips
Travel Leisure Jul 6, 08 5:19 PM CDT
(Newser)
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With airline and entertainment prices rising, “free stuff isn’t just a bonus, it can be a vacation-saver,” writes Jeryl Brunner in Travel + Leisure , which offers 11 ways to beef up your trip on a budget. House-swapping: Cancel the hotel, and vacation in someone else’s home for free while they reside in yours.
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OPINION
NYT writers ruminate on what the effects of spiraling prices will be
New York Times Jun 29, 08 12:27 PM CDT
(Newser)
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How does really expensive fuel affect you? The New York Times Op-Ed page asked 10 writers to ruminate on that question, and the responses are all over the map: The lure of staying home could have workers demanding tax changes that benefit telecommuters, thinks Nicole Belson Goluboff. Say goodbye to suburbia, says Allison Arieff: cities are more efficient.
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Development of green political clusters starts at the beach
Economist Jun 19, 08 8:55 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Nowhere in California is the power of green consumerism more apparent than the Prius-packed city of Berkley. The Economist takes a look at a "greenery by zip code" study that, somewhat unsurprisingly, places Palo Alto near the top and Bakersfield near the bottom of locales packed with certified green buildings and hybrids. But why?
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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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Diesel expenses eat up shrinking budgets even as commuters abandon cars
Wall Street Journal May 30, 08 4:29 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The same agencies that stand to benefit as commuters turn to public transit to escape high gas prices are finding themselves hamstrung by rising fuel costs, the Wall Street Journal reports. Ridership is up by as much as 35% for some bus lines, but the cost of diesel has doubled and economic woes are slowing sales-tax revenue, the main source of transit funding.
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Bus runs into tree, killing bystander and injuring 19
Times (UK) May 20, 08 9:14 AM CDT
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A double-decker bus crashed into a tree this morning near Tower Bridge, one of London's most famous landmarks, leaving one woman dead and 19 people injured. The victim was believed to be a pedestrian in her early 20s. Bystanders told the Times of London that the bus windows had been smashed and that the top deck of the bus had "pretty much caved in."
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Opinion
Dense, connected Berlin, not car-centric Atlanta, is better model
New York Times May 19, 08 2:04 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Gas costs more than $8 a gallon in Germany—a sum that might cause riots in the US but hardly ruffles most Europeans. Their secret is simple, Paul Krugman writes in the New York Times : They drive fuel-efficient cars, and they don’t drive very often. America can easily imitate the first part, but the second part will be tough.
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Mass transit winning converts across the country as gas price soars
New York Times May 10, 08 6:10 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The soaring price of gas is driving people across America out of their cars and onto mass transit, the New York Times reports. Buses and trains are up 5% or more in cities like Boston and New York, where mass transit is already a popular alternative, but the biggest leap in rider numbers—10-15%— has been in cities in the South and West where car culture is strongest.
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Tolls for high-traffic areas had been mayor's pet project
New York Times Apr 7, 08 5:23 PM CDT
(Newser)
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New York state legislators today killed a plan that would have brought congestion pricing—higher fees at peak traffic hours—to parts of Manhattan, a major defeat for Mike Bloomberg, the Times reports. The mayor and a coalition of environmental groups backed the idea, but legislators from the city's outer boroughs and elsewhere opposed the fees, which would have been as high as $8, as regressive.
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EU giant starts US plant, takes 200
rail orders from congested cities
Der Spiegel Feb 22, 08 8:34 PM CST
(Newser)
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Siemens is importing eco-friendly trams and light-rail transport to gas-guzzling America, Der Spiegel reports. The conglomerate has been making them in Sacramento for 2 years, and is seeing a brisk increase in demand from the almost 30 tram-loving US cities. The California plant has 200 orders already and expects more when another 50 US cities finish building new rail lines.
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They're sick and tired
of being groped
Associated Press Jan 25, 08 3:15 AM CST
(Newser)
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Women in Mexico City will now have the option to ride buses that only allow female travelers after an outcry against groping and ogling by male passengers. The city already offers women-only subway cars during rush hour traffic, but bus travel is far more popular. Several cities around the world have similar services.
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City rallied to track down mystery woman glimpsed on train car
Reuters Nov 9, 07 10:28 AM CST
(Newser)
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New Yorkers eagerly took up the cause of Patrick Moberg, who spotted the woman of his dreams across a crowded subway car, lost her in the crowd when they both exited the train, and set up a website dedicated to finding her, Reuters reports. Thanks to a citywide outpouring of interest, the woman has now been identified.