On Monday, a new traffic law will force Londoners to buckle up their children or face stiff penalties. From September 18, all children under four foot five inches (about 135 cm) must be secured in a car seat or booster seat. Those who ignore this rule will face a mandatory traffic fine of £30 to £500 (if referred to court.) Although many parents strap their children in, many do so incorrectly and allow the children to use adult seat belts before they are big enough to do so. Air bags can also cause serious injury to children who are strapped into car seats in the front passenger seat. “Most people make sure that children use some kind of restraint when travelling on the road, but it is vitally important to use the right one; and not to use an adult belt before the child is big enough,” said Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman. The move aims to reduce the high number of serious injuries and deaths caused by improper restraints each year.
traffic
Stockholm Syndrome
The Toronto Star has an article about how Stockholm is dealing with traffic. They are going to vote on permanently implementing a congestion charge like London’s. They performed a pilot test for the charge and people hated the idea, then people saw the benefits of a congestion charge and opinion switched quickly.
The article does a bit of comparing and contrasting with Toronto, but concentrates on the good policies that Stockholm has adopted.
“”We have too many cars and too few roads,” says Soderholm. “We had to do something. Traffic was growing worse and people were getting more and more annoyed. For the Social Democrats, the environment was the primary concern. For the conservatives, it was to make Stockholm more attractive to business.”
The charges were in force from Jan. 3 to July 31. Though there were many exemptions, most drivers had to pay a fee ranging from $2 to $3.50, to a daily maximum of $10, every time they drove in and out of the designated zone. The fee applied Monday to Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The cost of the trial, about $500 million, was paid for by the national government.
Needless to say, the majority of Stockholmers were adamantly opposed to the fee when the idea was first raised last year.
“Resistance was highest before the program started,” says Gunnar Soderholm, Stockholm’s deputy chief executive officer. “Basically, the Green Party forced the ruling Social Democrats to support the congestion zone. A lot of Social Democrats thought it was political suicide. The media had also been strongly opposed to it, but switched immediately. People could see with their own eyes what the benefits were — better traffic and environmental conditions.”
Car Sharing in Toronto
The Torontoist has a great look at two car sharing companies that are fighting it out on the streets of Toronto. Car sharing has been around for years and is quickly becoming a staple of the urban experience. Yet, in North America car sharing is not nearly has strong as it is in Europe.
The Torontoist looks at the benefits of car sharing and how the two companies have slightly different strategies. I like how there is now competition in this market in Toronto because it has made more people aware of car sharing. Ever shared car equals to about 10 less cars on the road!
Minnesota Travels Hybrid-Style
Minnesota leads the other American states when it comes to using biofeuls, and they have taken one more step to maintain their lead. The state government is going to provide 150 hybrid busses for public transit.
“Our environment, Greater Minnesota’s economy and our transit budget all benefit when we use alternatives to regular gasoline and diesel,†Governor Pawlenty said. “Metro Transit’s ‘Go Greener’ initiative is a nation-leading effort to reduce tailpipe emissions and reliance on foreign oil, while also achieving fuel savings.â€
Metro Transit also intends to double the biodiesel content of its fuel supply from 5 percent – the standard implemented by Metro Transit on July 1, 2006 – to 10 percent in mid-2007. The State of Minnesota requires a 2 percent bio-additive in diesel fuel sold in the state.
“We have already begun an operational test of 20 percent biodiesel in a portion of our fleet,†said Peter Bell, Metropolitan Council Chair. “This could be a precursor to even higher concentrations of soy esther, further boosting the use of this renewable energy supply.â€
Higher Hybrid Puchases in the United States
The Green Car Congress is reporting that U.S. sales of hybrids top 25,000. This is good news, because it means less pollution. GCC points out that SUV sales have decreased, which is good news in itself considering the mayor of London thinks SUV drivers are idiots.
“Buoyed by strong results for the Prius and the Camry hybrid, sales of hybrids in the US hit a new high in July, with 25,626 units sold—a 32% increase from July 2006.”
It looks like more hybrid vehicles will be purchased next year too. General Motors will be debuting