time to relax a bit....

Onion fake news tell us something funny... i think the ironic funny picture really gets my attention...maybe we could do something like that for the second stage of our sustainable project.

have a read....

DOT Creates New Lane For Reckless Drivers

WASHINGTON—Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters unveiled a new $270 billion federal project Monday to build special lanes for dangerous and careless drivers on most major U.S. highways.

"These new lanes are for the millions of drivers who can't be bothered with speed limits, turn signal use, or not careening madly out into oncoming traffic," Peters said during the opening ceremony for the first reckless-driving route, a steeply banked, guardrail-lined on-ramp to I-395 outside Arlington, VA. "Whether hell-bent on putting themselves and everyone around them in danger or just drunk off their gourds and out for a simple joyride, America's reckless will no longer be forced to putter along with careful, conscientious, considerate citizens."

Enlarge Image

A cocaine-addled commuter pops a wheelie on his way to work.

Peters then cut the ribbon on the inaugural lane by speeding through it in a rusted-out 1984 Chevy Cavalier, steering with her knees as her left hand held a cup of hot coffee aloft and her right hand slapped her 4-year-old daughter sitting in the back seat.

Peters said the Department of Transportation plans to construct some 1,400 of the new lanes over the next four years, all of which will feature a special bowl design to keep cars in the lane while drivers are sleeping, drunk, applying makeup in the rearview mirror, receiving or performing oral sex, or drumming along on the steering wheel while singing "The Immigrant Song" at the top of their lungs. Padded concrete embankments and steel-rail barriers will line the lanes in urban areas, and rumble strips will be cut into the pavement every 100 feet in an attempt to help keep drivers alert.

All of the lanes will also feature ramps.

"We wanted to make these reckless-driving lanes as convenient as possible," said Harold Bovy, chief engineer on the project, who added that his team's main priority was containing drivers while allowing emergency vehicles the easy and frequent access they will require. "So we made sure that once reckless drivers are in these lanes, they can only leave them by designated funnel-shaped ramps or in the full- service hearses that will be stationed 24 hours a day at any number of convenient rest areas."

Amid mounting pressure from drivers, the DOT decided to start planning for the new lanes last fall. The department sought out input and suggestions from motorists who, according to Peters, "really know how to drive" or simply believed traffic laws to be for "suckers."

"We made sure to interview a broad spectrum of dangerously incompetent and inconsiderate pricks," said Peters, who stressed that the DOT sent questionnaires exclusively to drivers who have had five or more accidents in as many years or have been issued at least three 100-mph-plus speeding tickets in the last six months, as well as all members of the Corvette Club of America. "Their feedback was invaluable—so much so that we hired many to drive test sections of the highway. Several of those drivers will have sections of the new lanes named after them in memoriam."

While some have raised concerns that law-abiding citizens will be tempted to try the new lanes and get into life-threatening situations, DOT officials claim they will be self- enforcing, self-regulating, and, with proper drainage and fluid grooves, self-cleaning. Nevertheless, steps are being taken to prevent their use by non-reckless drivers.

Signs will be posted to warn regular drivers that they must drive either under 30 mph or over 90 mph, and that their auto insurance is void in the special lanes. Additional wordless signs, intended for the reckless drivers themselves, will feature the icon of a swerving 1988 Mercury Grand Marquis with subwoofer lines emanating from the body and a mattress tied to the top with a single length of twine.

Praise for the new lane from drivers has been widespread and immediate.

"This is something real drivers have wanted for years," said Kevin Louden, who has received 17 moving violations in his nine years of driving. "Now I can haul ass the way God intended without worrying about the safety of others."

Let's get serious about public transport - economic side

Let's get serious about public transport

• John Legge
• February 28, 2008

IN ALL the discussion about public transport, nobody seems to have seriously tackled the question: What is it for?

Alan Moran, of the Institute of Public Affairs, writes as if public transport is some sort of concession to latte-sipping social engineers, hell-bent on forcing people to give up car driving and live in flats or townhouses. Moran extols American cities such as Atlanta and Houston, where public transport carries a negligible proportion of the total number of journeys, mainly schoolchildren and the infirm aged.

The Public Transport Users Association treats the provision of public transport as a moral and environmental issue. This does not directly contradict Moran, and may even give his supporters some comfort. In fact, there is a solid economic reason for public transport: the rail backbone of Melbourne's public transport system is critical to the survival of Melbourne as an economic entity.

In cities without public transport, where all commuters use private cars, three times as much space must be made available for car parking as is required by office and retail workers. If parking in an all-car city is mainly at ground level, the city becomes a few office buildings in a sea of car parks; and as the city grows, people have to walk increasing distances from where they parked their car to where they work; while more of the available space is needed for roads.

US experience suggests that when an all-car city grows beyond a population of about 400,000, it chokes on car traffic and the result is that conurbations such as Los Angeles have no CBD in the sense that Melburnians understand it. Rather, there is a necklace of mini-cities, each smaller than Adelaide, connected by a network of overcrowded freeways.

The Melbourne CBD generates more than $ billion a year in net annual value from buildings worth, in total, more than $25 billion. If we converted Melbourne to Moran's vision of an unplanned, all-car city, at least two-thirds of this value would be destroyed: the loss of rental income in the CBD would be greater than the entire operating cost of the public transport system.

Put slightly differently, every worker who uses public transport to get to his or her job in the CBD or St Kilda Road frees up sufficient car parking space to provide office accommodation for three further workers and doubles the value of the land converted from parking to production.

This is the logic that has led American cities such as Dallas and Los Angeles to invest heavily in both light and heavy rail projects. These projects link their suburbs to their centre, reversing the urban blight that turned large areas of these cities into bombsite car parks.

This same logic causes Melbourne's public transport planners to concentrate on increasing the speed and efficiency of the radial train network. Triplication allows a route to support more express trains, with the potential of halving travel times on longer journeys. Abolition of zone 3 forms part of the same pattern. By making long-distance commuting cheaper, the CBD and St Kilda Road can draw on a larger pool of workers, while shortening travel times will make commuting to the city attractive to workers who might otherwise take suburban jobs. The proposed north-south rail link (Caulfield-Windsor-St Kilda Junction-Domain Interchange-City/Flinders Street-City/Melbourne Central-Haymarket-Melbourne University) will add nothing to the reach of the network unless it continues from Melbourne University to Doncaster. But it will add a lot to its attraction for commuters and to the network's support of real estate values in the city and its St Kilda Road extension.

Translating US experience to Australia needs to be done with care. Most Australians, when they think of the US, think of New York or San Francisco. Both these cities have substantial public transport infrastructure and a real CBD. Moran's fixation on Houston is idiosyncratic at best.

Moran should take some comfort from the fact that when the Government refuses to extend the tram/light rail network, or consider an orbital railway, it is singing from his hymn sheet. Tram and light rail extensions, and an orbital railway, offer paths to serious increases in public transport use, and the Government's refusal to consider either shows how shallow its commitment is to environmental sustainability.

The Public Transport Users Association would be more effective if it took the economic significance of the radial rail system more seriously. The prosperity of the CBD is one of the reasons that Melbourne can afford to invest in environmental sustainability.

John Legge is a teaching fellow at Swinburne University.

case study US

http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/progs/view_ind_mtx.cgi?in/EXEM/CA/0

California Exemptions from Requirements/Restrictions

Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) and Zero Emission (ZEV) Vehicle Parking Incentive - San Jose
The City of San Jose has developed a Clean Air Vehicle Parking Program to encourage reduced auto emissions, stimulate activity in the downtown, and increase sales of clean-air vehicles at San Jose auto dealerships. For eligible vehicles, the program allows free parking at participating municipal off-street parking facilities, on-street meters, and regional park and recreation parking lots. Clean-air vehicles must display the Clean Air Vehicle Parking Permit, which is available for a $30 application fee. Only eligible vehicles purchased in San Jose after January 1, 2000, can obtain a permit. ZEV’s purchased outside San Jose are also eligible to apply as long as the vehicle is registered in San Jose.

Point of Contact
Pamela McAnallyDepartment of TransportationCity of San JoséPhone (408) 535-3850pamela.mcanally@sanjoseca.govhttp://www.sjdowntownparking.com/clean_air_program.php

High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lane Exemption
Qualified alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) can use HOV lanes regardless of the number of occupants in the vehicle. An identification sticker and FasTrak account must first be obtained from the California Department of Motor Vehicles; only 85,000 decals will be made available. Until January 1, 2011, qualified AFVs are limited to the following: 1) Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (SULEVs) or Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) which also meet the federal Inherently Low Emission Vehicles (ILEV) evaporative emissions standards; 2) Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEVs) produced during Model Year 2004 (MY2004) or earlier that also meet the federal ILEV standard; 3) HEVs produced during MY2004 or earlier that have a fuel economy rating of 45 miles per gallon or greater and also meet the state ULEV, SULEV, or Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (PZEV) standards. Enactment of the 2005 Federal transportation bill Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), Public Law 109-59) allowed full implementation of this incentive. Additionally, certain vehicles registered to an address in the 9-county San Francisco Bay region are permitted to use the toll-free and reduced-rate passage privilege on specified bridges if the owner of the vehicle has obtained an automatic vehicle identification account. (Reference Assembly Bill 2600 and 1407, 2006, and California Vehicle Code Sections 5205.5 and 21655.9)

Point of Contact
Motor Vehicle Information HotlineCalifornia Air Resources BoardPhone (800) 242-4450http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/carpool/carpool.htm

Electric Vehicle (EV) Parking Incentive - Sacramento
Sacramento offers free parking to individuals or small businesses certified by the city's Emerging Small Business Development that own or lease EVs with an EV parking pass in downtown parking lots C, G, H, I, K, P, and R. Free charging stations are located in lot C,G, H, and I.

Point of Contact
Parking Facilities DivisionCity of SacramentoPhone (916) 808-5110http://www.cityofsacramento.org/transportation/parking

Electric Vehicle (EV) Parking Incentive - Los Angeles Airport
The Los Angeles Airport (LAX) offers free parking and recharging for EVs in the lower/arrivals level of Parking Structures 1 and 6.

Point of Contact
LAX Parking Services DivisionPhone (310) 646-9070http://www.lawa.org/lax/laxframe.html

Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) License
In order to equalize the vehicle license fee between AFVs and conventional fuel vehicles, the incremental cost of purchasing an AFV is exempt from the vehicle license fee (of 2%) when the costs are more than the most comparable conventional fuel vehicle, as determined by the California Energy Commission. This reduction applies to new, light-duty AFVs that are certified to meet or exceed Ultra Low Emission Vehicle standards. This program expires January 1, 2009. (Reference California Revenue and Taxation Code Section 10759.5)

Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) and Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) Parking Incentive - Los Angeles
Los Angeles allows free meter parking for selected HEVs and AFVs powered by electricity, compressed natural gas, and hydrogen. To qualify, the vehicle must display California Department of Motor Vehicles High Occupancy Vehicle lane access stickers. The program for HEVs expires December 31, 2007; after this date only HEVs with the California Clean Air Vehicle Decal will qualify for free parking. All other parking restrictions, including posted time limits, no parking during street cleaning times, and peak hour tow away periods, must be obeyed.

Point of Contact
Department of TransportationCity of Los AngelesPhone (213) 972-8470http://www.lacity.org/ladot/freepark.htm

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Taxi Incentive
The San Francisco International Airport, in partnership with the San Francisco Taxicab Commission, allows drivers of CNG taxis a front-of-the-line incentive allowing them one jump and one trip fee waiver per shift.
Clean Vehicle Parking Incentive - Hermosa Beach
Downtown Hermosa Beach offers free metered parking at silver poled meters for vehicles with the California Clean Air Decal and electric vehicles, including GEM vehicles. Vehicles may park for the maximum time limit designated on the meter.

Point of Contact
Ennis JacksonHermosa Beach PolicePhone (310) 318-0249ejackson@hermosabch.org

Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) and Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) Parking Incentive - Santa Monica
The City of Santa Monica offers free meter parking for dedicated electric and compressed natural gas, or hybrid electric vehicles carrying the Clean Air Decal. Vehicles may park for the maximum time limit designated on the meter per trip.

Point of Contact
Lynne TaffertSanta Monica Police DepartmentPhone (310) 458-2226lynne.taffert@smgov.net

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_electric_vehicle

Hybrid electric vehicle
States and local
1. Certain states (e.g., New York, California, Virginia, and Florida) allow singly-occupied HEVs to enter the HOV lanes on the highway. Initially, the Federal Highway Administration ruled that this was a violation of federal statute[49] until August 10, 2005 when George W. Bush signed the Transportation Equity Act of 2005 into law.

2. Some states, e.g. California, exempt hybrid electric cars from the biennial smog inspection, which costs over $50 (as of 2004).

3. The city of San Jose, California issued a free parking tag until 2007 when it became issued for a fee annually for hybrid electric cars that were purchased at a San Jose dealership. The qualified owners do not have to pay for parking in any city garage or road side parking meters.

4. City of Los Angeles, California offers free parking to all HEVs starting on 1 October 2004. The experiment is an extension to an existing offer of free parking for all pure electrical vehicles.

5. In October, 2005, the City of Baltimore, Maryland started to offer discount on monthly parking in the city parking lots, and is considering free meter parking for HEVs. On 3 November 2005, the Boston Globe reports that the city council of Boston is considering the same treatment for hybrid electric cars.

6. Annual vehicle registration fees in the District of Columbia are half ($36) that paid for conventionally vehicles ($72).

Case Study: Geel, Belgium

Education and Awareness Raising in Schools - Geel, Belgium

A campaign was set up, targeted at 6 to 12 year old pupils of primary schools. The campaign slogan was 'Give us some space' and addressed the issue of young vulnerable road users asking for some space to travel and learn by experiencing daily traffic. The initiative consisted of five main actions:

1. pre-campaigning: information meetings, support, consultation,
2. awareness raising: campaign stimulating the use of bicycle routes and promoting cycling to school: action week with many events,
3. education: including themes of mobility plan in mobility education, encourage safe and sustainable transport behaviour with pupils, teachers and parents,
4. transport organisation: development of school travel plan, traffic education routes, bicycle pooling, walking buses
5. infrastructure measures.

A number of tools were developed for the campaign:

• popular version of the mobility plan in PowerPoint, made available for open forums,
• commitment declaration to be signed by participating schools,
• free package of educational materials to work with in the schools (campaign incentive),
• demonstration day 'teach the teacher', to work with new educational goals,
• leaflet to stimulate cycling on safe routes,
• development of 7 green school travel plans as part of the educational curriculum,
• elaboration of a traffic education route,
• 'project week' with a car free school day, traffic event with free gadgets, stage performance, education and awareness raising actions in schools.

Sustainable Travel to the University - Karlstad, Sweden

Karlstad University in Sweden is an expanding university faced with the problem of having too many students, teachers and other staff commuting by car. Demand for parking places exceeds supply. The main aim within MOST was to create conditions for students, teachers and other university staff that would enable them to commute to university without being dependant on solo car use. A first measure that was introduced was a pre-trip information package with good transport information and a free ticket offer for all new students.

Costs of this measure, which has become permanent in the meantime, are shared between the university, PT companies and the municipality. In addition, personal travel advice is given twice a year to students and staff at a temporary mobility office by local and regional bus companies, the railway company and the municipal transport advisory service. A dedicated website also provides all information. An annual bike to work campaign was established, a bus station was rebuilt and a new train line and train stop with a bus connection is being developed.

Target groups:

Case Study: Nancy, France

Cycle lane patrols - Nancy, France

The municipality of Nancy together with the urban community of Grand Nancy has defined an Urban Transport Plan (Plan de Déplacements Urbains - PDU). The PDU defines principles for a sustainable development based on the organisation of the journeys of people, the transport and delivery of goods, the traffic flows and parking. The municipality of Nancy with the collaboration of the urban community of Grand Nancy has also established a Plan for the Development of Transport by Bicycle. The network of cycle routes has been expanded, and there are now 125 km of cycle lanes in the urban community of Grand Nancy. The promotion of bicycle use has involved, amongst other initiatives, a partnership with the "Réciprocité-Cyclotop" association. Conceived within the context of two plans - the Urban Transport Plan and the Plan for Job Placement and Employment in the Urban Area of Nancy - the "Réciprocité-Cyclotop" association has two objectives:

• to establish itself as a new urban service for the promotion of the bicycle as a mode of transport in its own right,
• to create job placement schemes and to make the bicycle more accessible to the most disadvantaged sections of the population (special rates, student participation, humanitarian operations, donations of equipment, etc.).

The association is much more than simply a "lender of bicycles". Beyond the environmental and road traffic aspects of the project there is also the social dimension. An original way of maintaining cycle routes and increasing cycle awareness has also been successfully introduced by the association: cycle lane patrols. Grand Nancy's 125 km of cycle routes are kept clean and tidy by two small three-wheeled Vespa trucks. A patrol team, much in the style of motorway patrols, monitors safety aspects of the routes and removes debris (such as branches, hubcaps, cans, wrappers, plastic bottles and broken glass) which could be dangerous for cyclists. Everyday, six 100 litre rubbish sacks are collected from Grand Nancy's cycle route network. The patrols are trained in first-aid and cycle maintenance, and also play a mediating role, offering advice to cyclists and increasing environmental awareness.

Case Study: Bristol, UK

City Car Club - Bristol, UK

The principal objectives of Bristol's transport policy are:

• to develop the integration of all individual modes to ensure that the transport system serves the function of the city,
• 
  
to ensure that the transport system contributes towards the promotion and development of a successful economy in Bristol by improving access to jobs and creating a more attractive environment for business,
• 
  
to provide quality alternatives to the car and encourage their use,
• 
  
to foster a cultural climate that is receptive to alternative methods of transport to the private car,
• 
  
to reduce emissions of and human exposure to air and noise pollution from transport to levels safe for human health and well being.

The Local Transport Plan incorporates a range of initiatives, actions and projects designed to reach the above mentioned objectives. One of them is the City Car Club scheme (pay-as-you drive car club) which was launched in July 2000, in conjunction with the Bristol Community Car Club Association. Members pay an annual fee and hourly charge/mileage for the use of cars based close to where they work or live. The scheme provides a cost effective alternative to private car ownership. At present there are 85 members sharing six cars, with plans to expand the scheme across the whole of the city.