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BMW’S HYDROGEN 7 Not as Green as it Seems
Christian Wüst, Spiegel Online
BMW is manufacturing the first series of hydrogen fueled cars. They’re not as green as they seem. For a start, they’re incredibly thirsty — and they will put more strain on the environment than a heavy diesel truck.
…BMW has created an energy-guzzling engine that only seems to be environmentally friendly — a farcical ecomobile whose only true merit is that of illustrating the cardinal dilemma of a possible hydrogen-based economy.
The problem is that hydrogen is in scarce supply and producing it requires vast amounts of energy. Climate-friendly production of liquid hydrogen on a large scale presupposes a virtually unlimited supply of ecologically produced electricity — not something likely to materialize in the near future. That’s why energy experts from the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy believe forcing the transition to a hydrogen-based economy within the next three to four decades is “not an ecologically sound” idea.
(17 Nov 2006)
Controlled Chaos: European Cities Do Away with Traffic Signs
Matthias Schulz, Spiegel Online
Are streets without traffic signs conceivable? Seven cities and regions in Europe are giving it a try — with good results.
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“We reject every form of legislation,” the Russian aristocrat and “father of anarchism” Mikhail Bakunin once thundered. The czar banished him to Siberia. But now it seems his ideas are being rediscovered.
European traffic planners are dreaming of streets free of rules and directives. They want drivers and pedestrians to interact in a free and humane way, as brethren — by means of friendly gestures, nods of the head and eye contact, without the harassment of prohibitions, restrictions and warning signs.
A project implemented by the European Union is currently seeing seven cities and regions clear-cutting their forest of traffic signs. Ejby, in Denmark, is participating in the experiment, as are Ipswich in England and the Belgian town of Ostende.
…”The many rules strip us of the most important thing: the ability to be considerate. We’re losing our capacity for socially responsible behavior,” says Dutch traffic guru Hans Monderman, one of the project’s co-founders. “The greater the number of prescriptions, the more people’s sense of personal responsibility dwindles.”
…Drivers will force the accelerator down ruthlessly only in situations where everything has been fully regulated. Where the situation is unclear, they’re forced to drive more carefully and cautiously.
…Now traffic is regulated by only two rules in Drachten: “Yield to the right” and “Get in someone’s way and you’ll be towed.” Strange as it may seem, the number of accidents has declined dramatically.
(16 Nov 2006)
Fascinating article -AF
Motorists face new costs for highways
Larry Copeland, USA Today
Frustration over traffic gridlock and inadequate gasoline-tax funds are prompting state and local governments to try alternative ways to finance road building.
Oregon is charging some motorists a road-user fee based on miles traveled instead of the state gas tax. Georgia is considering replacing its state gas tax with a 1% statewide sales tax dedicated to road and transit projects. New Jersey is looking at converting more freeways into toll roads.
Americans spend 3.7 billion hours a year stuck in traffic delays, according to the Texas Transportation Institute’s study of 85 metropolitan areas. Yet road and transit projects are languishing across the country because there’s not enough money to pay for them.
The 18.4-cent-per-gallon federal gas tax — which has funded major road projects since 1956 and transit projects since 1983 – was last raised in 1993 and has not kept pace with inflation.
(19 Nov 2006)
Asphalt prices have been rising, puting serious strain on road maintenance budgets. But why put the burden on sales taxes? Increased gasoline taxes would help lower congestion and reduce the need to build soon-to-be-seen-as-criminally-wastful major road projects. -AF
Cycling enthusiasts hope that they’ll see Congressional gains
Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. — Cycling enthusiasts have visions of bicycle paths dancing in their heads after some of their biggest Congressional supporters – including two from Oregon – swept into powerful new positions after the Democrats took control of the U.S. House.
(19 Nov 2006)
Shippers seek cheaper ways to get from A to B
Jeff Buckstein, The Globe and Mail
Rising prices for oil and gas have hurt exporters and the transport firms they deal with. But they’re starting to adapt.
Rising fuel costs and shipping charges will spur companies to seek out alternative suppliers, says Wernel Knittel, Vancouver-based vice-president in the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters’ B.C. division.
“It’s quite a hot issue with us as well as other CME members right now because we’re watching our costs carefully. Everybody who has goods coming in and out of their organization has to react to the steep increase in fuel costs,” says Paul Boileau, director of operations at Soprema in Chilliwack.
(18 Nov 2006)
