congestion
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Sooner or later, it can happen in a romance: the two parties decide they're just not that into one another. The state of California dumped hybrid-electric vehicles on July 1, 2011, when it ended the rule that allowed them to use carpool lanes on freeways even with just one occupant. Now the city of London is ending its affection for hybrids, too—and there's even a date. It's June 24, just two weeks from today. DON'T MISS: CA To Hybrid Drivers: Sorry, We're Just Not That Into You Any More (Jun 2011) That's when hybrid drivers, who were previously allowed to enter central London's...
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China mulls congestion charge, quotas in Beijing for emission, traffic woes
Since the 1950s, California has been a global leader in efforts to limit and then eliminate emissions from motor vehicles. But with hazardous and choking air pollution in its major cities, not to mention traffic jams to rival any in the world, China may prove to be the Golden State's...
John Voelcker -
Milan Pays Drivers To Leave Cars At Home, Take Public Transit
Traffic often finds its own balance: Cars will flow onto less-crowded roads, while drivers will avoid congested routes or--to some degree--change their driving habits and times. But there's a limit to this flexibility, given how many people now drive to their jobs or other commitments. That means...
John Voelcker -
Does Nissan Leaf Supplant The Prius As Loathing Target For CA Drivers?
If you've never lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, you may not have heard of "Mr. Roadshow," the nickname of San Jose Mercury News reporter Gary Richards. Nor will you know how important his columns are, covering traffic, congestion, freeways, law enforcement, cars, and all the other topics...
John Voelcker -
Study: China Could Soon Find Itself In Traffic Jam Hell
The International Energy Agency's report "A Tale of Renewed Cities" predicts that global vehicle usage will increase sharply by 2050, with China leading the way.
Stephen Edelstein -
Electric Cars To Help 2050 Europe Goal Of Zero-Emissions Cities
When looked at in pure dollars and cents, there are many cases in which electric cars don't yet provide a payback. But other forces will boost their chances of adoption beyond pure payback. And government regulations are one of those forces. On Monday, the European Commission will issue a road map...
John Voelcker -
Why are many European carmakers now planning to build electric vehicles? Because many European cities are widely expected to ban high-emissions vehicles from their city cores over the next decade--perhaps even vehicles with any emissions at all. Now, Paris may be the first city to experiment with such a policy. Next year, it will begin to test restrictions on vehicles that emit more than a certain amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) per kilometer--the measure of a car's contribution to greenhouse gases. An official within the Parisian mayor's office, Denis Baupin, identified older diesel-engined...
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Would You Pay $10 A Day To Cut Your Commute By 35 Minutes?
How much is your time worth? If you live in southern California and drive to work, the answer for some of you seems to be more than $17 an hour. That conclusion is drawn from data contained in an Infrastrurist interview with Jack Finn, the head of toll services for HTNB, an infrastructure firm that...
John Voelcker -
Netherlands To Tax Miles Traveled, As Well As Gasoline
One problem with raising fuel efficiency is that unless total miles driven rises radically, receipts from gasoline taxes will fall over time. And that poses a major problem for the steady stream of revenue needed for road construction and repairs. Taxing vehicle miles traveled has been one proposed...
John Voelcker