Category: Transportation

May is EcoDriving Month in the USA

The nation that brought the world the Hummer is bringing the world EcoDriving Month. The Auto Alliance (whoever they are) is sponsoring the month to promote a more efficient use of transportation. Heck, if you want to be really nice to environment clean the air while getting to work by biking 😉

During National EcoDriving Month, the Auto Alliance and its 11 global automakers are working to educate consumers about the benefits of EcoDriving through www.EcoDrivingUSA.com. Practicing EcoDriving produces the highest mileage from every single vehicle, regardless of size or age—potentially affecting the United States’ entire fleet of 245 million automobiles. As a result, the possible benefits of the program are significant, and many fuel-saving EcoDriving practices are surprisingly simple, such as:
• The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that using cruise control for 10,000 of the miles driven in a year could save a driver nearly $200 and more than 60 gallons of fuel.
• Observing the speed limit and not exceeding 60 mph, where legally allowed, can improve mileage by up to 23 percent.
• Traffic lights are often synchronized so that a motorist driving at a specific speed will pass through a series of green lights without stopping. Driving at a steady speed can help drivers avoid red lights, therefore keeping their vehicles moving more efficiently.

Rush Hour in Portland: Almost All Bicycles

Streets Bloog has a great video about rush hour in Portland and how bicyclists have to ‘endure’ bike jams. I thought it was crowded on College Street in Toronto during the summer, but even the traffic on College can’t compare to Portland’s Hawthorne bridge. Unfortunately I can’t find a way to embed the video here so you’ll have to watch it on their blog.

As Greg Raisman from Portland’s Bureau of Transportation pointed out: 20 percent of all traffic on the Hawthorne Bridge is bikes, while the number of cyclists in Portland has risen 600 percent in the last 15 years and shows no sign of letting up.

Norway May Ban Gasoline Cars by 2015

Norway is looking at the option to ban gasoline-powered cars to be sold in Norway. Under the proposal hybrids, flex-fuels, and biofuel powered cars can still be sold, which means that the plan is quite reasonable. I really hope they go forward with this plan – and hopefully other countries will follow.

“This is much more realistic than people think when they first hear about this proposal,” she told Reuters, defending a plan by her Socialist Left Party to outlaw sales of cars that run solely on fossil fuels in six years’ time.
…
Halvorsen denied that her proposal would undermine the economy — Norway is the world’s number six oil exporter.

“Not at all … we know that the world will be dependent on oil and gas for many decades ahead but we have to introduce new technologies and this is a proposal to support that,” she said.

Asked what she would say if she met the head of a big car producer such as General Motors, she said: “develop new and more environmentally friendly cars. And I know they are working on that question.”

Denmark Blogs About Bikes

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On the official blog of Denmark (yes you read that right, the country has an official blog!) they have a nice post on the facts of the bike culture in Denmark.

7. The busiest bike stretch in the nation is Nørrebrogade in Copenhagen. 35,000 cyclists use the street each day.
8. The average speed of cyclists in Copenhagen is 15,3 km/h.
9. Danes cycle just over 1000 km a year per capita. The Dutch occupy second place, just under 1000 km.
10. There are 1.7 million people in Copenhagen and 1.7 million bicycles.
11. Only 40% of Copenhageners own a car.
12. 36% of Copenhageners ride a bicycle, 35% take public transport and the rest drive or walk.