public transportation

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Boa Lost on Boston Subway Is Found—After 4 Weeks

Penelope the snake is safe and sound

(Newser) - Cancel that heebie-jeebie alert in Boston: A 3-foot boa that went missing on a subway train 6 weeks ago has finally been found and returned to her happy owner, reports WHDH-TV . The snake, named Penelope, turned up in the same set of cars where she first slithered away from her...

DC Subway Plans Random Bag Checks
DC Subway Plans
Random Bag Checks

DC Subway Plans Random Bag Checks

Follows Boston, NYC in long-planned move

(Newser) - Following the lead of Boston and New York City, the Washington, DC, subway system will begin random bag inspections, the AP reports. The move isn’t a reaction to any particular danger; it’s been planned for years, said an official. The past few months, however, have seen a few...

America Will Grow by 100M —and High-Speed Rail Is Bad?

Blogger: We're going to need to build some kind of new infrastructure anyway

(Newser) - Economics blogger Ryan Avent picks apart the arguments against high-speed rail, including the fact that opponents don't seem to take into account the costs of accommodating America's population growth in coming years. We're going to have to build some kind of infrastructure so people can get around, whether it's highways...

Ohio, Wisconsin Spurn $1.2B to Build Train Lines

Stimulus funds will go to other states

(Newser) - The US is redistributing $1.2 billion in federal stimulus money that had been headed to Ohio and Wisconsin, after both states' Republican governors-elect called for an end to proposed train projects, arguing they were unnecessary and would cost millions to operate. “Wisconsin taxpayers were victorious today in defeating...

Relax: 3 Thanksgiving Travel Myths

It's not as busy as you think

(Newser) - If you’re traveling this Thanksgiving, you’re likely bracing yourself for major delays on the road, rails, or in the sky. But take courage: your worries may be unfounded—or at least exaggerated. NPR provides some turkey-related travel myths:
  1. It’s the busiest time of year to travel.
...

YouTube Fight Vid Sparks New Safety Fears

Racial row on Oakland bus erupts into violence

(Newser) - A disturbing racial confrontation on an Oakland bus is raising renewed fears about the safety of public transportation. Like a scene straight from the racial conflict movie Crash, a heated exchange between a young black man and 67-year-old white passenger quickly devolves into blows as passengers scream. "He hit...

Once-Profitable Services Are Killing Local Budgets

Utilities, transport, even gambling, are now $3.5B drains

(Newser) - Municipally owned businesses like utilities, public transportation, and betting parlors used to bring in much-needed cash flow, but the recession has done its predictable work. State and local governments nationwide will likely hemorrhage $3.5 billion this year running these concerns which brought in upwards of $120 billion during the...

Boston Subway Just Misses Woman
 Boston Subway 
 Just Misses Woman 
WATCH THE VIDEO

Boston Subway Just Misses Woman

Driver, another employee honored for quick action

(Newser) - A Boston subway train came to a screeching halt just before hitting a woman who had fallen onto the tracks. She told authorities afterward she'd been drinking. Both the train's driver and another Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority employee have been hailed as heroes for their quick action.

Brothel Goes 'Green' With Bike Discount

Public transit passengers get a price break, too

(Newser) - A Berlin brothel that offers a discount to patrons who arrive by bicycle or public transportation is touting itself as the first “green” sex stop. Clients simply present their helmet, bike lock, or bus ticket at the Maison d’Envie, which just happens to be in a district where...

Honolulu Mulls Body-Odor Crackdown
Honolulu Mulls Body-Odor Crackdown

Honolulu Mulls Body-Odor Crackdown

City delays vote barring smelly people from riding public transit

(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...

Green Berlin Brothel Offers Cyclists Discount

(Newser) - A Berlin brothel is trying to boost business and make the red-light district a greener place with a new discount program, Reuters reports. Patrons who cycle to the brothel or who can prove they got there on public transport will get $7 off the usual $100 price, according to the...

Poverty, Heat, Infrastructure Make Southerners Fat

(Newser) - The American South is the most obese region in the country because of a “perfect storm” of factors, Claire Suddath writes for Time. Mississippi, whose 33% adult obesity rate makes it the fattest state, is also the poorest, with 21% of people living under the poverty line. That means...

Michael Moore: 9 Ways to Rise From GM's Ashes

Let's use their facilities to overhaul America's transit

(Newser) - The end of General Motors is an opportunity for an America that now owns 60% of the company, writes Michael Moore. Let’s take advantage of the death of a firm that built poor cars, battled environmental rules, and shipped jobs away by using its facilities to implement a new...

Avoid Planes, Trains, Closed Spaces: Biden

It's too late to close Mexico border, he says

(Newser) - Joe Biden is advising his family to avoid confined places where swine flu could spread easily, including airplanes, subways, classrooms, and malls, the VP told the Today Show today. A single sneeze "goes all the way through the aircraft," he noted. Biden also said it's too late to...

Human Waste Helps Oslo's Carbon Footprint

Buses in Norway's capital will run on methane distilled from feces

(Newser) - Norwegian officials have hit on a novel, if gassy, alternative to carbon-spewing gasoline, Dave Demerjian writes in Wired. Starting in September, Oslo will capture methane, a byproduct of the process at its sewage treatment plants, and use it to power city buses. Norway hopes to use the gaseous human contribution...

Inaugural Crowds Strain DC Transport

Commuters trapped inside station for more than 30 minutes

(Newser) - Washington’s public-transportation system is stretched to breaking today as crowds arriving on the Metro and commuter trains choke the exits at L’Enfant Plaza, the main disembarkation point for the National Mall. At 8:15am, a medical emergency forced officials to slow crowds leaving the station, and packed platforms...

More Families Ditch the 2nd Car

Analysts see rare year-over-year drop in US vehicle fleet

(Newser) - As more US families give up second vehicles in favor of public transportation, “it’s very likely the fleet will shrink next year,” an industry analyst tells Bloomberg. The number of cars on the road has gone down only nine times in the past century, and another decrease...

Inauguration Will Overwhelm DC Transport

Even if only 1M show, expect 'a lot of walking, a lot of waiting'

(Newser) - If you’re one of the 2 million to 4 million expected to converge on Washington for Barack Obama’s inauguration, be warned: Neither public transportation nor local roads will be able to handle the influx, the Washington Post reports. With road restrictions and packed subways, “it’s going...

Transit Ridership Soars—for Now

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

(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 buses....

Goodbye, Autos; Hello, Podcar
 Goodbye, Autos; Hello, Podcar
OPINION

Goodbye, Autos; Hello, Podcar

Driverless taxis could transform public transit

(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...

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