Transportation
NPR
CHICAGO — Millions of Americans returning to the office but getting there primarily by driving instead of taking public transit led to a significant increase in traffic congestion last year, according to a new report.
The typical U.S. driver lost 51 hours to congestion in 2022, about an hour each week. That's 15 more hours lost to congestion than in 2021, and all that time wasted in traffic jams hit pocketbooks hard, costing the average American driver $869 in lost time, according to 2022 Global Traffic Scorecard by the mobility analytics firm Inrix.
But traffic congestion across the country is still only about half of what it was before the Covid-19 pandemic, as the report indicates the amount of time drivers lost on average in bumper-to-bumper gridlock was about 50 percent below 2019's.
Amid backlash, consumer safety commission chair says he’s not seeking gas stove ban | The Hill
The chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), a Biden appointee, said on Wednesday that he is not seeking to ban new gas stoves.?
The statement from CPSC Chairman Alexander Hoehn-Saric comes amid significant backlash from both Republicans and some conservative Democrats.?
“I am not looking to ban gas stoves and the CPSC has no proceeding to do so,” said?Hoehn-Saric in a written statement.?
He clarified that the commission is “researching gas emissions in stoves and exploring new ways to address health risks.” He also said it is engaged in “strengthening voluntary safety standards” for the appliances.?
The Madison Hill – Indiana Transportation History
Rush Hour
I really find it hard to understand why they call it rush hour when traffic moves so slow… 🚗 🚕 🚙 🚌 🚓 🚚 🚗
The Rise and Fall of Car Companies Building Refrigerators
NPR
Eclipse, the Seattle dog known for riding a city bus herself, died on Friday. The news was posted on her owner-run Facebook account.
She was 10 years old and died in her sleep, according to the account. Prior posts shared that she had been diagnosed with cancerous tumors.
Eclipse gained attention in 2015 when she began to take the bus alone. Her owner, Jeff Young, says the two of them would regularly take the bus to visit their local Belltown Dog Park. One day, he was still smoking a cigarette when the bus arrived — so, she boarded without him.
Within weeks, the black lab-bullmastiff mix was a consistent commuter in her signature red harness. Bus drivers recognized her and she knew her stop by looking out the window, her fellow passengers told Seattle's KOMO News in 2015.