transportation

Twitter's usefulness can most often be measured during times of disaster, when the quick spread of important information can really make a difference. And guess what--that works for traffic jams too. CommuTweet is proof of that, with a new service that lets those who are unfortunate enough to get stuck in traffic, or a long-delayed bus or train line to share that information with others.

The service revolves around the use of a specially formatted tweet that can be localized to whatever state you're in, and what kind of transportation you plan on riding. To get things narrowed … Read more

The wheel is being reinvented yet again, this time in the form of the eniCycle by Slovenian inventor Aleksander Polutnik. Think of the foot rests as handle bars, with directional steering done by pressing on the left or right foot rest, and the speed controlled by leaning forward or backward.

Less of a Segway clone than the Orbis Urban Mobility Vehicle, this self-balancing electric unicycle is said to be so intuitive, the average new rider just needs a maximum of 30 minutes to master it. But don't take our word for it. Check out the video after the jump to make up your mind as The Gadget Show takes up the challenge. In fact, you may get to try out the eniCycle in person sooner than you can say "gyroscopic stabilization," as Polutnik's on a one-wheel crusade to get this mass-produced early. … Read more

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) have unveiled new energy-efficient bus shelters for the city.

The first of these bus shelters has been put up on the corner of Geary Boulevard and Arguello Boulevard with plans for four more to be rolled out in the coming weeks. The city plans to evaluate the five bus shelters throughout the summer to see what, if any, changes need to be made to the existing design.

Following the evaluation, SFMTA plans to replace a minimum of 1,100 existing bus shelters throughout San Francisco beginning this … Read more

High-tech bus stops so cool they might actually entice you to take a ride will be installed next year in Florence, Italy.

The urban fixtures have been designed by a group of researchers led by Carlo Ratti, head of the Senseable City Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The EyeStop is a touch-screen bus shelter that monitors environmental conditions and real-time bus movement and also provides information and communication tools that can interact with your cell phone.

The EyeStop, which has touch sensitive e-Ink screens as well as LEDs, features a bus map plotting locations in real-time, e-mail and … Read more

Ever since I had my first taste of an English Channel crossing on a hovercraft and puking my guts out, it's been a mighty long wait to see a more personal form of flying saucer materialize for public use. Now, thanks to Entecho, we could someday join the Jetsons zipping around in a world teeming with air cars.

Aside from wondering if these are as fun as bumper cars at carnivals if one accidentally knocks another flying pod off its axis, Entecho's application utilizes fan-forced flight. Huge hidden blades spin to give the craft lift, with the skirt … Read more

The European Investment Bank, backed by European Union member states, approved 866 million euros ($1.2 billion) more in loan money to the auto industry on Tuesday.

The loans are specifically directed to "help design and build cleaner cars with lower carbon dioxide emissions," according to an EIB statement.

The package includes 400 million euros ($531 million) to Nissan's European division for the purpose of developing and building more fuel-efficient vehicles in Britain and Spain. Jaguar Land Rover was approved for a loan of 340 million pounds ($499 million) from the EIB to "to help cut … Read more

First, a confession: I am not much of a car aficionado. I truly appreciate the beauty of sports and luxury cars of different vintages, but when it comes to buying, I think about practicality.

So when I received a media alert on Friday that GM was going to unveil a "revolutionary vehicle to help people move through crowded cities" and solve other urban driving ills, I got excited.

The actual news was a bit of a letdown. GM and Segway showed off a two-wheel prototype vehicle based on Segway's scooter platform that lets two people tool around … Read more

General Motors and Segway plan to take a two-wheel concept vehicle for a spin around New York City on Tuesday.

The prototype vehicle, called Project PUMA (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility), is designed to ease congestion and pollution problems in cities. It is based on the Segway Personal Transporter but holds two people, instead of one, and lets them sit, instead of stand.

A PUMA runs on lithium ion batteries, can reach 35 miles per hour, and can travel up to 35 miles between charges.

It includes some high-tech touches, including GM's wireless OnStar communications technology that lets a … Read more

A freeway overpass connecting two parts of Microsoft's Redmond headquarters has become a well-traveled road for critics of how the federal government is spending its stimulus dollars.

The "Microsoft Bridge," as it has been dubbed, is slated to receive $11 million in stimulus dollars--money that critics say is a waste, but local and state officials have praised as a prudent use of transportation dollars.

The overpass indeed connects two parts of Microsoft's campus. But as proponents point out, it also connects two parts of Redmond's business community with each other and with the local … Read more