traffic news stories on Newser

City Deploys Mimes to Tame Traffic

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:03:28 CDT

In Venezuela’s capital, motorcyclists have been known to drive down sidewalks, and cars frequently speed through red lights. So the mayor is dealing with the problem by deploying … mimes. About 120 of them hit the streets last week in an attempt to shame drivers and pedestrians alike into behaving....

Interchange Design Eliminates Left Turns

Sarah Whitmire — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 14:54:58 CDT

Traffic engineers hate left turns because they slow everybody down and are dangerous to boot. Solutions such as dedicated lanes or routing traffic over intersections don't truly solve the problems. What to do? Slate takes a look at an emerging idea called the "diverging diamond interchange," which eliminates left turns...

Wrong-Way Drivers in Lagos Must Go See a Shrink

Tim Karan — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 16:29:58 CDT

Psychiatrists in New York would probably love to see this legislation passed in the US. In Lagos, Nigeria—where traffic has reached epidemic levels—if you're caught going the wrong way on a one-way street, you face a $160 fine, but you also have to receive a psychiatric evaluation, reports...

'Carmageddon' Commences

Polly Davis Doig — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 07:26:14 CDT

It's too early yet to declare victory over Carmageddon, notes the LA Times, but Los Angeles' normally traffic-choked Interstate 405 closed at midnight without incident, converting into what the AP calls a "ghost road." "When I left work, it was like a no man's land," says one commuter who breezed...

Wary LA Braces for 'Carmageddon'

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 07:22:30 CDT

LA residents are planning to flee or hunker down this weekend as a 10-mile stretch of the 405, one of the nation's busiest freeways, shuts down for 53 hours. For non-Angelenos: This is a big deal, hence the nicknames "Carmageddon" and "Carpocalypse." Some of the most amusing developments: Some businesses...

Snow, Wreck Strand Hundreds in Western NY

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 09:30:24 CST

Hundreds of motorists were stranded on a western New York highway today after an accident caused a backup and the idling cars became stuck overnight in heavy snow. A 10-mile section of Interstate 90 was closed in both directions in Buffalo's eastern suburbs, a state trooper said. The highway was...

Relax: 3 Thanksgiving Travel Myths

Matt Cantor — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 13:26:29 CST

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: It’s the busiest time of year to travel. “Actually, the summertime is...

America's 75 Worst Commutes

Emily Rauhala — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 09:46:20 CDT

We all know LA has a traffic problem, but Honolulu? It's No. 2 in the nation, finds the Daily Beast , which crunched the numbers to rank America's 75 worst commutes. Some of the highlights: No. 3, Capital Beltway, Washington, DC: This slow moving route totals an average of 194 hours...

62-Mile Traffic Jam Enters 9th Day

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:34:00 CDT

A 62-mile-long traffic jam in China enters its ninth day today, and could continue for at least a month. The expressway leading to Beijing has been clogged with thousands of trucks since Aug. 14 due to construction, a jam made worse by accidents and broken-down cars, the Global Times reports....