Bay Area

A police sergeant displayed his mediation skills at a regional planning meeting by temporarily replacing the facilitator after 20 tea party activists disrupted the meeting.

The U.S. Supreme Court turned down a request by the National Association of Home Builders to hear their lawsuit against the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District's use of the 'indirect source rule', better known as a 'smog fee'.

A promotion by Shell Oil and Lucky supermarkets conflicted with a regional alert to reduce driving due to an ozone alert. Motorists lined up in the morning for free gasoline at a San Francisco Shell station during a 'Spare The Air' Day on Sept. 28.

Philip Langdon criticizes the 'corporate isolationism,' of Apple's new donut shaped headquarters in Cupertino, California.

A follow-up to last month's story, BMW Group DesignworksUSA released three interior concepts - each one more posh and modern than the last - for BART's "Fleet of the Future." No spy shots needed.

Two Bay Area planning agencies have jointly released what they call their "Initial Vision Scenario", a first step in implementing the Sustainable Community Strategy required by state law (SB 375, 2008) to reduce climate emissions from transportation.

A federal appeals court upheld a federal district court ruling that the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Bay Area's transportation planning and funding agency, does not discriminate against minorities in the way it funds buses and trains

A new company is bringing battery switch stations to the San Francisco-San Jose corridor, laying the groundwork for an electric vehicle taxi fleet.

The Bay Area has long resisted freeway toll lanes of any sort - but that is about to change Sept. 20 when 14 miles of the southbound lane of I-680 from Sunol (East Bay) to Milpitas (South Bay) open as an Express or High Occupancy Toll lane.

Peak period pricing on the Bay Bridge, enacted by the regional Bay Area Toll Authority on July 1, is the first application of congestion pricing for driving in the Bay Area. Officials in San Francisco feel the outcome is favorable for their project.

KALW's transportation reporter takes a ride across the Bay Bridge during the peak period to experience the new travel patterns brought on by the Bay Area's first experience with congestion pricing - she interviews a UC specialist in human behavior.

July 1 marked the $2 premium, commuter toll on the Bay Bridge, as well as new first-time charges for car pools on all Bay Bridges, and increased tolls ($5) on seven state-owned bridges. Congestion on Bay Bridge reduced by half during morning peak.

The Bay Area's 104-mile heavy rail system, BART, is planning major expansions. But many transit supporters, rather than cheering the new service and ridership the extensions would produce, are sounding alarms.

Famed architect Peter Calthorpe has designed several large developments planned for the San Francisco Bay Area, but some local environmentalist groups aren't satisfied that they are green enough.

The Bay Area's first experience in peak-hour road tolling starts July 1. At 10 am, the Bay Bridge toll decreases to $4 from the $6 commute toll that starts at 5 am - will motorists intentionally slow to save $2 as they approach the tolls at 10 AM?

The Federal Railroad Administration does not allow for the mixing of train types for safety reasons, which proved a key obstacle for Caltrain's plan for electrification. As a pilot project,they are allowing the line to utilize electric multiple units

The NYT looks at a provision in a state assembly bill to restore transit funding to beleaguered CA transit agencies by allowing voters in regions to approve gas fees. Not only was the provision dropped by the Senate - the governor vetoed the bill.

Palo Alto is where Silicon Valley started, yet locals eagerly pick up the Daily Post, the Daily News, as well as read PaloAlto-Online. The New York Times investigates why print media flourishes here while regional and national papers struggle.

First proposed in 1993, a higher peak toll may finally be applied to the Bay Bridge: $6 would be charged 5-10am and 3-7pm, while $4 charged off-peak. Weekends will see a $5 toll, the same as the other state-owned regional bridges if approved 1/27.

The Bay Area's air pollution regulatory agency may approve in January the nation's first guidelines to limit greenhouse gas emissions for new developments, but it would be up to local governments to enforce them.