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Fear of traffic snarls led to easier commutes in Seattle

We tend to think of traffic as an immutable -- that there's literally nothing we can do in our day-to-day lives to drive less.

But Seattle's continued and mostly unexpected free-flowing traffic -- in the midst of a major construction project that some feared would trigger a morass of congestion throughout Puget Sound -- shows that this is simply false. Far from being rigid and incompressible, traffic and travel patterns are surprisingly fluid. Seattle's experience demonstrates that, when drivers are given good travel choices and the right kinds of information and incentives, they can get out of their cars. And in Seattle's case, when lots of people got out of their cars, it made getting to work a relative breeze.

From Lohan to Lovin’

Paparazzi can you hear me? “I feel like the asshole, the idiot, because I feel like I’m distracting from the other things that are important, like global warming and that kind of stuff.” We hear ya, Lindsay — we had that same problem, until we listened to Leo. Photo: Tony Barson / WireImage.com Raising the […]

Except not really

I don’t do much writing about peak oil here. It’s horrifically depressing, for one thing, and for another I doubt I could add to the comprehensive work being done at the Oil Drum and elsewhere. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. If you’re like me and you only tune in to the issue […]

‘The fact is climate change is real,’ he says

John McCain says global warming would be one of three key issues in his presidency, The Aspen Times reports. That’s sure to endear him to the GOP base as much as his stance on immigration.

Sorry, Grandchildren

Climate tipping points could happen sooner than expected, says research You thought the predictions of climate chaos by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change were scary? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. The IPCC predicted that the massive Greenland ice sheet could completely melt in 1,000 years, raising sea levels by almost 23 feet. But in […]

This Gives Us Paws

Flame retardants linked to thyroid disease in house cats Thyroid disease in house cats may be linked to common flame retardants called PBDEs, according to U.S. EPA researchers. In a small study of 23 cats, all the felines had blood concentrations of the chemical 20 to 100 times higher than average U.S. adults — who, […]

So That’s What Those Trains Are For

Beijing enacts four-day ban on vehicles, pushes public transportation Today marks the start of an experimental four-day vehicle ban in Beijing, China. While the motivation for the scheme is finding ways to clear the air for next year’s Olympics, its execution is a lovely reminder that change is possible. Home to 16 million people, Beijing […]

Scaling Down

Another judge rules that hatchery fish don’t count when determining ESA status The federal government does not have to count hatchery fish along with wild fish when deciding whether to protect dwindling Northwest populations under the Endangered Species Act, U.S. District Judge Michael Hogan ruled yesterday. In 2001, Hogan had ruled in favor of builders […]

All So You Can Have Cheap Electricity

Three workers killed, six injured in Utah coal-mine rescue effort Three rescue workers were killed and at least six others injured when a section of Utah’s Crandall Canyon coal mine caved in Thursday night. The workers were involved in the nine-day effort to reach six miners trapped deep within the mine. Seismic activity has caused […]

The tragedy grows

Two Three rescue workers were killed and at least seven six others injured when a tunnel collapsed in Crandall Canyon mine, the site of a rescue operation attempting to reach six miners that have been trapped inside for what is now 11 days without contact. Mine officials are discussing whether to shut down the rescue […]