From way out in western New York (though not far enough away for my money), comes the story of this genuis — a guy who, while driving, was texting on one phone while talking on another.

Guess what happened. Or just read the report here, courtesy Read more of this entry »

When you drive on the New York State Thurway near Sleepy Hollow you’ll notice new signs that let you know the area is home to a cluster of historic sites.

The recently erected signs highlight the Rockefeller estate Kykuit, Union Church of Pocantico Hills, Philipsburg Manor, Van Cortlandt Manor, and Sunnyside, the one-time Read more of this entry »

A public workshop will take place at 7:30 p.m. this Tuesday to discuss design improvements to the intersection of Route 303 and Erie Street in Blauvelt.

The state Department of Transportation plans to add a median barrier with landscaping, and left turn lanes at the intersection in the next few years.

The purpose of the meeting is to solicit ideas from business and property owners, and residents on the improvements. The design will build from recommendations made in the Route 303 Sustainable Development study done in 2000.

The project, estimated to cost $3- to $4-million, is in the preliminary design phase. It is expected to be put out for bid in June 2011.

The meeting will be held at Orangetown Town Hall, 26 Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg. For information, call Suzanne Barclay at 845-359-5100 Ext. 2293.

As part of an exhibition at the Historical Society of Rockland County, Roger Panetta, curator of the Hudson River collection at Fordham University, will discuss how the Tappan Zee Bridge transformed Rockland in “The Tappan Zee Bridge: Forging the Rockland Suburb.” The presentation will take place from 3 to 5 p.m. tomorrow at the museum, 20 Zukor Road, New City. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for museum members and $3 for children 11 and younger. For more information, call the Historical Society at 845-634-9629.

I took the train on Monday from Rockland to the new Meadowlands station, via Secaucus Junction, as part of a ceremonial inaugural ride meant for New Jersey top dogs and the press (aka, bottom dogs).

The public gets its turn, and the service it’s first real-world test, on Sunday when Giants Stadium hosts an international championship soccer match.

As of early this week, only 20,000 tickets had been sold to the game, so it’s not likely the trains will be packed. That will likely also be the case when they run during Jets and Giants pre-season games next month. However, the runs should give NJ Transit officials an opportunity to work out any glitches. Read more of this entry »

Check out what’s happening with the Throgs Neck Bridge, hobbled by fire, at the press conference going on now, and streaming live on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Web site.

Two Bronx-bound lanes leading to the bridge are open, but only Read more of this entry »

It looks like it will soon be illegal to send someone a text message while you’re driving. And really, talk about something that should be common sense.

The state Senate voted today to make it illegal to text, play video games or surf the Web while behind the wheel. The Assembly had passed it earlier.

Well, we did it first. That’s the word from County Executive Andrew Spano’s Read more of this entry »

One of my favorite surprises is when I get books in the mail. Well, the one that came recently is not so much a literary treasure (though the writing is perfectly fine) as it is of practical benefit.

It’s Build Your Own Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle, by Briarcliff Manor resident Seth Leitman.

I know Leitman. I wrote a column about him last October, when he came out with the latest version of Build Your Own Electric Vehicle, which was originally published in 1993 by another author.

Plug-in hybrids are cars that Read more of this entry »

The bus stop that faces Route 59 at Palisades Center in West Nyack will be temporarily relocated starting Thursday due to parking lot construction.

The new, temporary stop will be near the lower level Macy’s entrance, also facing Route 59, the county’s Department of Public Transportation said today.

Bus riders who use the mall’s commuter parking lot (Lot J, across from the Home Depot) will not be affected during the construction.

The new bus stop is served by eight routes – Transport of Rockland (TOR) 59, 91, 92 and 97; the Tappan ZEExpress; the Clarkstown Mini Trans Routes A and D; and the Rockland Coaches (Red & Tan Lines) 20.

All of these routes will switch to the temporary stop, but bus schedules will not be affected by this change.

Buses will continue to use the stop for the duration of the construction project.

It is not known how long the project will last.

The firstAmtrak coach car to be refurbished by federal stimulus dollars will be back on the rails and carrying passengers next week, the railroad announced.

It’ll get back on track at an Amtrak maintenance yard in Bear, Del., and Amtrak is celebrating the event with a press conference Monday. The car cost $687,000 to renovate. Read more of this entry »

There’s a certain tortise-and-the-hare irony to this. A runway at JFK Airport was shut down temporarily yesterday because a few dozen turtles ambled onto the tarmac, the Associated Press reports.

Pilots at the airport on Jamaica Bay reporting seeing the first turtles about 8:30 a.m.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey rounded up the Diamondback terrapins in about 35 minutes and placed them back in the water, farther from the airport, AP said. But flights were delayed up to an hour and a half.

Well that was quick.

Every cause, it seems, needs an association. Or many associations. Well now, a few weeks after President Barack Obama announced national plans for high-speed rail, a newly formed U.S. High Speed Rail Association has announced itself.

You can take a look at the organization’s ambitious plan Read more of this entry »

NJ Transit made it official today, announcing train service to the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, N.J., will begin on July 26 for an international soccer championship game.

For Rockland residents, it means they can take a train to Jets and Giants games for the first time, as well as other major sporting events and concerts at the Meadowlands.

The Pascack Valley, Port Jervis and Main/Bergen lines stop at Secaucus Junction, N.J., where they can catch a shuttle to the stadium. Read more of this entry »

Traffic congestion dipped ever so slightly in 2007 — even before the current recession — but don’t take heart, says the Texas Transportation Institute, which studies traffic nationwide. Those maddening traffic jams robbed us of $87.2 billion in wasted fuel and lost work time.

That was more than 2.8 billion gallons of wasted fuel, or three weeks’ worth of gas for all of us drivers. And the time wasted came out to 4.2 bilion hours, or a full work week for every traveler.

All this is in Read more of this entry »

Sometimes you just have to reward persistence. Somehow, I’ve gotten on the e-mail list of Iceland Air, and I am constantly getting their service updates.

So, fine. I’ll pass on the latest news. The airline is starting new flights to Manchester, England and Glasgow, Scotland. And if you ever find yourself at Keflavik airport — I’m sorry, Keflavik International Airport (and, really, what other type of airport would you expect in a country the size of Ohio?) — then you can avail yourself of this beefed-up service.

But wait, I’m having a little too much fun with this. You really can take advantage Read more of this entry »