Free Republic

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said federal efforts to encourage replacing car lanes with bike lanes is “the height of stupidity,” as well as joining other GOP lawmakers in expressing skepticism over proposals to incentivize e-bike purchases. “I’m not going to spend money on buying e-bikes for people like me who have bought them — they’re expensive,” Romney told Insider in an interview. “Removing automobile lanes to put in bike lanes is, in my opinion, the height of stupidity, it means more cars backing up, creating more emissions.” Romney’s comment comes after Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) introduced...

CHICAGO — The Illinois Tollway is examining the possibility of embedding equipment into I-294 that would charge electric vehicles as they drive along the road. The agency is at the start of a $4 billion project to rebuild and widen a 22-mile stretch of I-294, also known as the Tri-State. As part of the project, the Tollway wants to add infrastructure to charge electric vehicles. Off the highway, that could include both conventional charging stations and "super-charger" stations that power up electric cars and trucks more quickly. The agency also is studying "smart-powered lanes," a type of technology being tried...

Only two Idaho drivers have been cited for driving too slowly in the fast lane since the state’s new “slowpoke” law took effect July 1. Three other drivers got warnings that they better go the speed limit in the left lane or scoot over. Those numbers, current as of July 27, are from the Idaho State Police, which patrols the state’s highways. Tickets for speeding during that time frame — numbering 2,495 — far surpass these five cases of impeding fast-lane traffic. Even so, the new law gives troopers another tool to keep roads safer, said bill sponsor Rep. Lance...

The Ontario lottery corporation recently started advertising its newest scratch-and-win lottery: tickets cost $30 (the highest price among its lotteries), and the top prize is a cool $2.5 million. Now, if you want an indication of how bad traffic is in the GTA, consider that Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca announced a lottery of his own on Thursday: tickets cost $180 each, though you only pay if you win. The prize? One of 1,000 permits to drive in an uncongested highway lane for 16 kilometres between Burlington and Oakville. The ad copy writes itself: Imagine the freedom of cruising at...

A pregnant woman in Phoenix, Arizona is staging a personal protest after she was ticketed for driving in the carpool lane during restricted hours. http://us.video.aol.com/video.index.adp?mode=2&guideContext=65.491&pmmsid=1431212"

Under criticism for missing a rare chance to help secure $400 million for a coveted car-pool lane on the 405 Freeway, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger stepped up Wednesday and promised to support the project -- if Van Nuys Rep. Howard Berman can deliver the federal money. Schwarzenegger came through none too soon for Berman, a Democrat, who has been lambasting the governor for failing to commit to the state's 20 percent in matching funds, which are needed to get the project eligible for consideration in the $300 billion federal highway bill now being negotiated on Capitol Hill. "We support your effort...

OSLO, Norway (AP) -- Because affections could interfere with afflictions, a Norwegian hospital opened "kiss and drive" lanes Monday so staffers can kiss loved ones goodbye without blocking ambulances. "A kiss is a good way to start the day," said a brochure that urged staff not to "get in the way" while they were doing it. Staff at the St. Olavs Hospital in Trondheim often stopped their cars outside the entrance to kiss loved ones goodbye as they were dropped off. But that caused traffic jams near the emergency entrance. So the hospital opened special lanes on both sides of...

HOV lanes, shown here onInterstate 5 near North 130thStreet, require two or moreoccupants. One driver, one passenger. That's all it takes to drive in almost all of the Seattle area's 205 miles of HOV lanes. Are they too crowded? Should HOV-2 become HOV-3? Last year traffic in five of 14 HOV (high-occupancy vehicle) lanes monitored by University of Washington researchers failed to meet the state Department of Transportation's 11-year-old performance standard. The threshold: an average rush-hour speed of at least 45 mph at least nine weekdays out of 10. Banning two-person car pools is one option the department is...