http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/?cxntfid=blogs_the_cone_zone Post reporter Chuck McGinness navigates the South Florida commute. en-us 2008-08-12T14:16:12-05:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/entries/2008/08/12/pay_me_now_or_pay_me_later.html?cxntfid=blogs_the_cone_zone Tolls and taxes. Drivers don’t like shelling out cash for either one. But the money to build new roads and fix crumbling bridges has to come from somewhere. So what are transportation agencies to do? Here’s an idea that’s quickly... 5956403@http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/ 2008-08-12T14:16:12-05:00 http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/entries/2008/08/11/traffic_web_site_now_has_more.html?cxntfid=blogs_the_cone_zone The state has redesigned its SMART SunGuide web site, making it more user-friendly for the tens of thousands of commuters in South Florida. The web site now has a route planner, allowing motorists in Broward and Palm Beach to get... 5922503@http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/ 2008-08-11T13:08:55-05:00 http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/entries/2008/08/08/chatting_on_the_phone_while_fl.html?cxntfid=blogs_the_cone_zone Safety experts discourage people from talking on the cell phone while driving. No secret about that. Well, what about in the air? A new report shows that Americans are split on whether cell phones should be allowed during flights. Those... 5876103@http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/ 2008-08-08T15:26:30-05:00 http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/entries/2008/08/07/getting_ready_for_the_start_of.html?cxntfid=blogs_the_cone_zone Students and parents are getting in the back-to-school mode. Drivers should be too. On Aug. 18, many of the roads where you’ve been cruising this summer will become school zones. They will be flooded with kids riding bikes, walking home... 5833603@http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/ 2008-08-07T10:24:42-05:00 http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/entries/2008/08/06/highways_signs_aid_in_police_s.html?cxntfid=blogs_the_cone_zone In May, Gov. Charlie Crist signed an executive order creating the Florida Law Enforcement Officers Alert Plan. The order calls for the use of the electronic message signs found along I-95, Florida’s Turnpike and other highways to broadcast information to... 5801303@http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/ 2008-08-06T10:05:23-05:00 http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/entries/2008/08/05/another_shutdown_on_i95_coming.html?cxntfid=blogs_the_cone_zone Late-night and early-morning drivers on I-95, take notice: The highway will be closed for two nights early next week. To prepare for a traffic shift, all I-95 lanes will be closed from 9 p.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday and... 5766603@http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/ 2008-08-05T10:01:49-05:00 http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/entries/2008/08/04/stupidity_takes_over_the_roads.html?cxntfid=blogs_the_cone_zone Nothing like a couple of really dumb stunts to start off the week. I’m heading south on Congress Avenue toward Belvedere Road when a small white Toyota speeds past me on the right, swerves in front of me and pulls... 5733503@http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/ 2008-08-04T09:17:33-05:00 http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/entries/2008/07/31/using_transit_saves_big_bucks.html?cxntfid=blogs_the_cone_zone Commuters can save more than $8,000 a year by riding the bus or train instead of driving, according to a report released today by the American Public Transportation Association. That’s almost $2,000 more than the average household spends on food... 5651703@http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/ 2008-07-31T10:50:50-05:00 http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/entries/2008/07/30/wills_bolivian_cone.html?cxntfid=blogs_the_cone_zone Question. Do you prefer the traditional orange traffic cones that line Palm Beach County streets, warning us that closed lanes and delays are about to thrown a damper on our commute? Or is the two-tone yellow and black traffic control... 5631403@http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/ 2008-07-30T16:49:15-05:00 http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/entries/2008/07/29/commuting_by_bike_gets_easier.html?cxntfid=blogs_the_cone_zone More and more people are hopping on their bikes as a way to beat high gas prices. And to help them get to work, school and other destinations, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has launched an on-line trail-finder, called TrailLink. The free... 5599503@http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/ 2008-07-29T16:24:00-05:00 http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/entries/2008/07/28/bill_for_bridge_repair_140_bil.html?cxntfid=blogs_the_cone_zone One out of every four of the 600,000 bridges in the United States needs to be modernized or repaired. Making all of the necessary repairs would cost at least $140 billion. Those two staggering facts are the premise of a... 5555603@http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/ 2008-07-28T10:56:06-05:00 http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/entries/2008/07/25/hybrids_pose_a_threat_to_the_b.html?cxntfid=blogs_the_cone_zone The increasing number of electric and gas-battery hybrid cars on the road today is definitely good for the environment. And hybrids help drivers strike back in the battle against high gas prices. But there’s also an unintended consequence with these... 5516903@http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/ 2008-07-25T14:14:03-05:00 http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/entries/2008/07/24/five_reasons_for_not_speeding.html?cxntfid=blogs_the_cone_zone According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, speeding is one of the few aspects of highway safety where little progress has been made. About 13,500 people are killed annually in the United States from speeding-related crashes and other incidents. With... 5494203@http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/ 2008-07-24T16:41:59-05:00 http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/entries/2008/07/22/traffic_fatalities_down_high_g.html?cxntfid=blogs_the_cone_zone Finally, some good news from the insanity of $4-plus gas prices. According to the National Safety Council, motor vehicle deaths are down 9 percent for the first five months of the year, compared to the same period in 2007. In... 5437003@http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/ 2008-07-22T16:13:42-05:00 http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/entries/2008/07/22/is_it_a_decoy_or_a_real_cop.html?cxntfid=blogs_the_cone_zone I know a lot of folks who drive Florida’s Turnpike have a hard time keeping it under the speed limit. Every time I use the highway, which I admit isn’t that often, it seems like the average speed is 80... 5422203@http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/conezone/ 2008-07-22T13:08:22-05:00