When some cities put in bike lanes, they don't account for how roads are actually used, leading some bikers to drive in car lanes instead. Infrastructurist
Failing Transit System Hurts U.S.
The United States is saddled with a rapidly decaying and woefully underfunded transportation system that will undermine its status in the global economy unless Congress and the public embrace innovative reforms, a bipartisan panel of experts concludes in a report released Monday.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/money/50411056-79/transportation-report-per-federal.html.csp Salt Lake Tribune
Mayor Wants Air Tested Around New Gas Wells
Arlington, Texas, Mayor Robert Cluck wants to test the air near every new gas well in town, and a neighboring city has started its own air-quality study. Current testing is handled by the state, but questions about those studies are causing local leaders to take matters into their own hands. Cluck said he feels comfortable with natural gas drilling, but added, "I think we have to just make sure that what we're doing is OK." Dallas Morning News
Cities Turn to Solar-Powered Traffic Signs
Growing numbers of cities and towns are turning to solar-powered road warning and school safety signs to inform the public and save money and energy. In the past year, cities including Baton Rouge, Branson and Kansas City, Mo., and Lyndhurst, Wayne and Ringwood, N.J., have adopted the technology. USA Today
Building Burns Visitors
The Vdara Hotel in Las Vegas is beautiful, but the south side of the building collects and focuses sun rays near the pool, and "can singe your hair and melt your plastic drink cups and shopping bags." So can this death-ray phenomenon be converted to energy production? BldgBlog
The Transformation of East Germany in Photos
Feds Call for 62 MPG Vehicles by 2025
New cars and trucks sold in 2025 may be required to average 62 miles per gallon as a group. The mileage gains would be the equivalent of an annual decrease in carbon dioxide emissions per mile of 3 to 6 percent. Fox News
Website Shows Prices for Individual Health Coverage
The Department of Health and Human Services is now posting http://www.healthcare.gov/ pricing information for 4,400 individual and family health plans offered by more than 225 insurance carriers. Plan information will be updated monthly. USA Today
Smart-Grid Information Clearinghouse Launched
Virginia Tech released the Smart Grid Information Clearinghouse (SGIC) web portal Sept. 30. The http://www.sgiclearinghouse.org/ Web portal is the platform for direct sharing and dissemination of relevant smart grid information. The clearinghouse contains information about more than 200 smart-grid projects in the United States and more than 50 projects overseas. The portal has upwards of 1,000 smart-grid-related documents and multimedia. Virginia Tech
Photo: Shannon Henry, Creative Commons 2.0 Generic
