Finns have serious traffic fines.

http://www.globalmotors.net/finnish-millionaire-gets-111888-euro-speeding-ticket/

OMG. That is about $200,000US for going about 30kph over the speed limit!

Though not popular, MORE traffic cops would deter speeding.
The odds of getting caught plus the punishment would deter.
Right now, people gamble.

Given that accidents are hugely costly to society, and represent a negative externality the driver does not pay, this merely evens the finances.

air pollution steals away our lives prematurely. tanker ship pollution. boxfish car.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090121/air_study_090121/20090121?hub=Health


"LOS ANGELES -- Cleaner air over the past two decades has added nearly five months to average life expectancy in the United States, according to a federally funded study.

...

Scientists have long known that the grit in polluted air, or particulates, can lodge deep in the lungs and raise the risk of lung disease, heart attacks and strokes. The grit -- made of dust, soot and various chemicals -- comes from factories, power plants and diesel-powered vehicles."

D: there will always be some trace background levels from natural sources.
But we are killing ourselves prematurely.
Perhaps worse, we are causing complications and aggravating conditions prior to that.
Asthma in younger people. Heart attacks in middle age.


http://www.reuters.com/article/basicindustries-SP-A/idUSSP18474220070405

D: a particularly bad source is tanker ships.

"SINGAPORE, April 4 (Reuters) - Oil tanker owners are urging the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to lay out a plan by next year for switching all ship engines to use diesel instead of dirty but cheap fuel oil, an industry group said on Wednesday.

As governments worldwide attempt to curb pollution by putting limits on sulphur, the shipping industry -- which contributes up to 7 percent of airborne sulphur emissions -- faces a potentially confusing array of disparate national regulations."

D: when people go on about how alternative fuels and pollution-scrubbing tech is not cost-effective, they tend to ignore these pollution costs.

And economy powered by misleadingly 'cheap' petroleum fuels is simply subsidizing that drag on the economy of the pollution costs.

Similarly, the obsession with a suburban home and resulting long automobile commute to work ignores the cost of traffic accidents to society.

This is a problem with fuel MPG standards. With more fuel efficient cars.
They're still cars. They'll still be used with an average of 1.x passengers for long commutes on a regular basis.

Having said, boy do I like this one car prototype!

http://www.worldcarfans.com/2050607.004 (pic)

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/06/daimlerchrysler.php

Inspired by the boxfish, DaimlerChrysler's new concept car is a super-aerodynamic (drag coefficient of 0.19, while the Toyota Prius is 0.26

. Even more impressive is how the concept car only used 2.8 liters per 100 kilometers during a test at a constant speed of 90kph (56mph), which translates to 84 mpg (US).

I want one...

amsterdam spends more on public transit, less on roads

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/02/amsterdam-overtake-copenhagen-in-bike-love.php

The Danes, on the other hand, want to increase their bike commuters to 50 percent by 2015. According to Copenhagenize, a new Danish traffic plan launched January 29 promises that 2/3rds of a $16 billion budget will go towards bikes and public transport, while the other 1/3 will be dedicated to asphalt and roads. Via Dutch Bike Council and Copenhagenize...

D: that is much more than we spend.

motorcycles are highly polluting

http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/12/the-greening-of.html

"Motorcycles may deliver 70 mpg or more, but they can be 10 times more polluting per mile than passenger cars"

D: !!!

I heard something similar about outboard motors on boats.

All-electrics seem a good in-town solution.

Keep in mind a bike has a lousy drag profile.
Sure, the front cross-section is small.
But the rider is upright, and there are few drag bodies / many turbulence areas.

bus in winter not so convenient

I'll post pics when I get them.

1) many bus stops don't have a concrete pad
2) you step onto mud or snow
3) even on main routes, you stumble on piles of snow that aren't removed.
4) once off the bus, since the city doesn't clean sidewalks, good luck
5) instead of using traffic bylaw enforcers, a sole guy in an office seems to handle complaints.
Again, good luck.

Maybe we are trying to save the big-3 auto makers by simply forcing everybody to buy a car...

cambridge gets 36 not 24 hours to clean snow

Property owners now have 12 more hours to shovel their sidewalks after a snowfall. This week, council changed the 24-hour limit to 36 hours to give homeowners -- especially seniors -- more time to clear snow and ice after a storm. The bylaw also applies to ice and snow on roofs overhanging sidewalks. The bylaw came into effect three years ago, but this will be the first winter it will be enforced. In Waterloo and Kitchener, residents have 24 hours to shovel sidewalks.

D: so MORE snow in 36 hours will be easier for retireees?

OR once it has solidified a bit more?

This year, for K-W, I will be using lotsa snapshots to highlight my 'Hall of Shame'.

Last year, with the heavy snowfall, there were many large businesses that never bothered to clear snow. I cursed a lot...

They included 7-11 and the Beer Store.

This year they will get a post and a call to the city.

pics of dark woods right by U ave sidewalks

D: the woods on both sides of Univerity near Westmount are criminogenic.
There are steep ravines just off the one side too.

Couldn't the city trim back the underbruch 5' or so?
This is mugger heaven...
D>