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World's Worst Commutes
 World's Worst Commutes 
Jul 2, 2010 11:31 AM CDT

World's Worst Commutes

Beijing and Mexico City lead the way

(Newser) - IBM surveyed drivers in 20 of the world's biggest cities to find the worst commutes. The bottom 5 (based on a slew of factors including time stuck in traffic and stress) in the commuter pain index are:
  1. Beijing (99 on a scale of 100)
  2. Mexico City (99)
  3. Johannesburg (97)
  4. Moscow
...

Loose Zebra Causes Havoc in Atlanta

Ringling Bros. circus animal apprehended on congested highway

(Newser) - An escaped Ringling Brothers circus zebra led police on a mile-long high-speed chase yesterday in Atlanta, interfering with traffic on the city’s already congested Interstate. The episode lasted about 40 minutes, the AP reports. “All of a sudden a freaking zebra comes running down the street like a...

Aircraft Makes Emergency Landing on NJ Turnpike

Single-engine craft likely handling traffic reports, no one injured

(Newser) - A single-engine aircraft has made an emergency landing on the New Jersey Turnpike this morning, and no one is injured. A Turnpike Authority spokesman says the plane with two people aboard landed in the northbound lanes in Cherry Hill, about 5 miles east of Philadelphia.

Road Noise Drives Blood Pressure Up

Stress, sleep interruptions may be at fault: researchers

(Newser) - People who live close to noisy roads may face a greater threat of developing high blood pressure than residents of quieter areas, researchers in Sweden say. People experiencing average daily noise exposure above 60 decibels have a more than 25% higher risk of hypertension, a study shows. The researchers link...

Road Rarity: Samoan Drivers Moving to Left Side

Drivers will stick to left as country becomes first in 40 years to change

(Newser) - There’s upheaval in Samoa as a cultural shift changes the country’s direction—on the road. On September 7, Samoa is set to become the first country in 40 years to switch the side of the road used for driving, writes Tom Vanderbilt in Salon. The Pacific island nation...

Abbey Road Crosswalk May Hit the Road

(Newser) - The Abbey Road crosswalk made famous by the Beatles' album cover may be eliminated because hordes of fans are making it unsafe, say legislators. Accidents at the London intersection have climbed as an increasing number of fans pose on the striped crosswalk for photos, reports the Telegraph. “Maybe it...

Judge Lets Off Man Who Helped Geese Cross Freeway

(Newser) - A judge went easy yesterday on the Virginia man who pulled over to help geese cross a highway only to be slapped with a jaywalking ticket, the Washington Post reports. The judge said Jozsef Vamosi probably broke the law, but said he’d drop the case if the 60-year-old remained...

Traffic Congestion Dips as Economy Falters

US sees two-year congestion decline for first time ever

(Newser) - Drivers are spending less time stuck in rush-hour traffic for a second straight year, the first-ever 2-year decline in congestion. Blame high gas prices and the economic downturn, which have forced many Americans to change how they commute. In individual cities, Los Angeles traffic is getting better but is still...

Jackson Traffic Threatened to Break Internet

(Newser) - The surge in Internet traffic yesterday as Michael Jackson fans searched for information about his death had a deep impact on the Web, Ars Technica reports. Sites as diverse as Twitter and the iTunes Store slowed to a crawl, but perhaps the most profound effect was on Google. The search...

Huffington Post Helps Left Dominate Right Online

(Newser) - In the battle for the blogosphere, left-leaning sites are clobbering their conservative counterparts, thanks mostly to the Huffington Post, David Kaplan writes for paidContent. Liberal sites attracted 6.4 million unique visitors in April, to 4.8 million for conservative sites. Of those, 5.6 million were Huffington Post hits,...

Pedestrians Drive Cars From Times Square

New York begins experiment with car-free intersection

(Newser) - Times Square was transformed yesterday from a crush of traffic into a pedestrian mall, as New York began a months-long experiment at the city's busiest intersection. Cars have been banned along Broadway from 42nd to 47th streets, as well as in Herald Square to the south. Tourists and locals were...

400K Churn Through DC Transit
 400K Churn Through DC Transit 
Jan 20, 2009 10:19 AM CST

400K Churn Through DC Transit

Woman hits tracks

(Newser) - Passengers swarmed Washington’s subway and bus system today, with Metro reporting more than 409,000 entries into the system as of 9am, pushing the public transit system to its limits, the Washington Post reports. At one point, service on the Red Line was disrupted when a 68-year-old woman fell...

Frisco Debates Downtown Traffic Fee
Frisco Debates Downtown Traffic Fee
Dec 30, 2008 4:27 AM CST

Frisco Debates Downtown Traffic Fee

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

(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...

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...

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...

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’...

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...

Bike Sharing Debuts in DC
 Bike Sharing Debuts in DC 
Aug 15, 2008 12:11 PM CDT

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...

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...

Beijing Forces Half of Drivers Off the Road

Move to clear noxious air in countdown to Olympics

(Newser) - 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...

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