Photo by gregor_y on Flickr.

One way to reduce the number of cars: People are torching their own cars in increasing numbers, in places like Capitol Hill’s “Car-B-Que Alley”. Even abandoned cars not on fire pose a nuisance, but DC’s law makes it difficult to remove them. (Post, City Paper, Infosnack)

You could have driven to San Francisco: The average Washington commuter spent 60 hours in traffic last year, the second most behind only LA and tied with Atlanta and San Francisco. With 60 hours, they could instead have driven to Atlanta and San Francisco, plus Spokane along the way. (Post via Get There)

Motorist intentionally hits cyclist, runs: SWDCBlog‘s roommate was cycling down 14th Street in downtown DC when a motorist screamed “get the f**k off the road,” then revved up and crashed into him. We look forward to criminal charges being filed.

And across the nation: “Smart meters,” which tell homeowners how much electricity they are using in real time, are growing in numbers and creating jobs; Sarah Palin’s political career started by opposing zoning in Wasilla. While she opposed any government intervention in land use, she built lots of roads, spending lots of government money in ways that influenced land use. Via Planetizen.