Hoboken, N.J., launched the country's first large-scale -- 42 automobiles in 21 pickup locations -- car sharing program, known as "Corner Cars." The Hoboken government, the state of New Jersey, and Connect by Hertz launched the program, which will roll out in stages. The first stage is expected to remove up to 750 vehicles from the city's already-packed roads. The Infrastructurist
Newark Red Light Cameras Rake in $500K
Since red light cameras went online in Newark in mid-December through the middle of April, the city has cited over 20,000 motorists with running red lights and other moving violations. The resulting $85 tickets have generated revenue for the state, for the camera vendor and for the city, which gets $39.50 per ticket, the largest cut. Newark received $492,802 during that period. New Jersey Star-Ledger
Subway Rats Signal Approaching Trains
City Passes out Drink Coasters That Reveal Date-Rape Drugs
The Aspen Police Department and Response have teamed together to distribute 2,500 drink coasters in response to concern about date-rape drugs being slipped around town. By putting a few drops of a drink on to the coasters, users can see if their cocktail has been spiked if the coaster changes colors. Denver Post
City Inaugurates Two-Way Bike Lanes
Vancouver, Canada, has been steadily increasing the number of kilometres designed to encourage cycling. But with the success of the Burrard Bridge lane, fully separated from passing traffic, Council gained the confidence to move forward to introduce "cycle tracks" into downtown. Now it is possible to cycle on Dunsmuir Street from Main Street to Howe on a two-way track, separated from sidewalks and vehicle lanes, in comfort and safety. Pricetag
County Builds its Own Fiber Network
San Francisco Requires Cell Phone Radiation Levels
San Francisco could soon start requiring retailers to post notices showing how much radiation is emitted by the cell phones they sell. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 10-1 to give preliminary approval to the ordinance, which would require stores to provide each phone's "specific absorption rate" - a measure of radiation registered with the Federal Communications Commission. Sacramento Bee
Los Angeles' Economy is Not Dead Yet
For the better part of the last century, Los Angeles has been, as one architect once put it, "the original in the Xerox machine." It
largely invented the blueprint of the modern American city: the car-oriented suburban way of life, the multi-polar metropolis around a largely unremarkable downtown, the sprawling jumble of ethnic and cultural enclaves of a Latin- and Asian-flavored mestizo society. New Geography
California Law Analyzed on Denser City Development
A California law that encourages home building that is both compact and close to public transit has the potential to help the state accommodate future growth in ways that are economically and environmentally sound, a report by the Urban Land Institute says. General plans that encourage redevelopment within a city's core and squeeze more residences onto smaller lots are an important component of Senate Bill 375, which was enacted in 2008 to help the state meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals, according to the report released earlier this month. The institute is a nonprofit education and research group made up of 30,000 planners, architects, developers and scholars. Los Angeles Times
