Four the Future - September 20

Today, the Great White Way becomes more lively, speed bump woes, studded tire destruction, and preparing for EV's.

• Not So Broadway
  Source: New York Times; September 3, 2010
  Summary: Broadway in Manhattan has been narrowed over the last few years by adding pedestrian and bike lanes. From 59th to 42nd, three quarters of the sidewalk chairs which used to be part of the road were occupied between 2 and 2:30 PM. In Herald Square, 93 of 111 chairs were occupied.
  Opinion: Broadway has become a place for people rather than just cars. Turns out, retail is benefited by pedestrians. Very few businesses get a buck out of a car that just drives by. Where is your neighborhood people place?
  
• Speed bump bothering South Burlingame residents
  Source: The Oregonian; September 10, 2010
  Summary: A speed bump the width of a crosswalk was installed adjacent to an elementary school. It is marked only as a sidewalk, however, and people are slamming into the bump, disturbing the neighbors with the noise.
  
  
  View Larger Map
  Opinion: Speed bumps a troublesome for multiple reasons. First, public safety personnel hate them. Here, there is also the concern that they hamper snow removal. But, it seems to me that if there are so many people speeding along this road, the drivers are getting some feeling that it should be faster. Other traffic calming options may be in order, such as narrowing the street at this intersection, as in actually widening the sidewalk so that
  1. there is a visual cue that there's a tight spot ahead
  2. the distance the children must cross is shortened, and
  3. it will encourage children to cross at the proper location
  By the way, if you read the comments on that story, you’ll see just how passionate people can be about these things. It degenerates into name calling pretty quickly.
  
• Editorial: Driving on studded tires taxes roads and budgets
  Source: Spokesman-Review; September 15, 2010
  Summary: The Spokesman-Review editorial board urges you not use studded tires. They're not as safe as snow tires, and the money used to repair the roads of the damage they cause would be better used for other road projects.
  Opinion: I mentioned this a couple days ago. Not only do they give a false sense of security, they cost tax dollars for the repair of the roads, and make the roads more dangerous because the ruts can force a car to move unpredictably and water in the grooves can cause a car to hydroplane.
  
• Buzz Kill? Running electric vehicles not as simple as plug and go
  Source: Spokesman-Review; September 19, 2010
  Local companies getting prepared for electric cars
  Source: Spokesman-Review; September 19, 2010
  Summary: While plug-in electric vehicles may be capable of being recharged at normal household voltage (120V), it's faster if you use a charging station running at 240 volts, which requires a licensed electrician to install. The cost of the dock and labor is around $2,200. Adding a second meter may require up to a 45-day delay for installation. People who do not have garages also have other concerns. Avista says it has available capacity for the vehicles, predicting that nearly 20% of all electrical use will be for this purpose by 2035.
  Opinion: Running an EV in the northwest will be less expensive than in other areas of the country due to lower dependence on fossil fuel fired plants. But, if electrical demand goes up, that advantage will go away. So, to switch from gasoline to electrical vehicles will require that we reduce power usage for our homes and businesses through higher efficiencies.
  

Four the Future - September 1

To kick off your Sustainable September: Measuring energy efficiency, city awards, auto accident costs, and living without automobiles.

• Mayor introduces ecofriendly bill
  Source: San Francisco Chronicle; August 11, 2010
  Summary: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom wants commercial buildings in the city to conduct an energy audit for their buildings every 5 years and updated annually. The reports would include the cost of energy-saving upgrades, and their expected annual savings. The reports would be made available to the public, and distributed to tenants. The local Building Owners and Managers Association is in favor.
  Opinion: Excellent move, if executed properly. People fix what they measure, and when they see the large return on investment on energy efficiency measures, they will begin to embrace them. Additionally, it will serve as a great way for foundations to direct energy efficiency grants, giving San Francisco an advantage over other communities.
• City of Spokane Receives Award
  Source: Councilman Jon Snyder; August 20, 2010
  Summary: The City of Spokane received an award from the American Planning Association and Planning Association of Washington "for its greenhouse gas inventory reports and Sustainability Action Plan." The blog entry lists a number of different activities that the City has performed to become more resilient.
  Opinion: The efforts the city is putting forward to make itself and the community more sustainable are commendable. Only crazed conspiracy theorists (John Ahern, Nancy McLaughlin, Mike Fagan, etc.) and their credulous followers can get in the way.
• Safety: Assessing the National Bill for Crashes
  Source: New York Times; August 30, 2010
  Summary: Automobile accidents account for nearly $100 billion annually, but only about 17% is direct medical costs. The vast majority is due to lost wages, productivity and costs associated with disability. Men account for about three-quarters of the cost. Teenagers, 14% of the population, account for a third of the cost. And motorcycle drivers and bicyclists cost twice as much when injured, due to the extent of injury. Seatbelts, increased speed enforcement, child safety seats and alcohol ignition lock-outs reduce the costs. Restrictions on teenage driving also helps.
  Opinion: What isn’t mentioned in the article is that one of the best ways to reduce those costs is greater transit ridership. People on rail and buses are almost immune, as the aggregate fatality risk for autos is 1,300 times greater than for buses.
• In German Suburb, Life Goes On Without Cars
  Source: New York Times; May 11, 2009
  Summary:
  
  
  Seventy percent of families in Vauban, a subdivision in suburban Freiburg, Germany, do not have cars. What roads they have do not permit cars to park. Driveways and home garages are generally forbidden. There are parking garages on the edge of the neighborhood which cost $40,000. Bikes are common, as is use of the tram which goes through the one square mile community. Originally a military base, it was not designed with auto traffic in mind. When cars are needed, people can rent from the auto club. Americans are often suspicious of anything that reduces car usage, but there is a similar concept being developed in California named Quarry Village.
  Opinion: If the concept interests you (as it does me, if merely as a living laboratory so we can optimize such places), feel free to dig deeper. The Wikipedia page links to some other newspapers. There’s a series of photos (including the one above) available here. Some of the architecture is, shall we say, uninspired. But, that’s something we fix in the next version, right?

I-90 Trees

Perhaps I'm missing something, and you can help me understand.

Today, the Spokesman-Review reports that the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will be removing trees along I-90 between the Division and Hamilton exits. According to the S-R, the spokesman for the WSDOT said that the trunks have grown to larger than four inches and could be a hazard to high-speed traffic.

Where to begin. First, did the people who planted the trees in the first place, presumably WSDOT, realize that the trees were going to grow? I understand that sometimes standards change, but even so, I'm confident there were standards they were trying to live up to when they planted them in the first place.

Of course, the trees along the freeway provide several benefits. First, they do beautify that rather stark corridor. Second, they baffle the noise that the cars create, and important consideration since part of that stretch has an adjacent residential component. Third, they do actually provide some habitat for birds in the area. Fourth, they convert carbon dioxide to oxygen, the opposite of what the cars are busily doing.

WSDOT has not had a sterling record on such things. A while back, they expanded I-90 in the valley, and ripped out some trees near Spalding Auto Parts. (You can see some of those trees on the right side of the historical photo on that web page.) Not only was the tree removal unnecessary, but it also seriously degraded the view in that area. Neither the public nor Spalding's appreciated the state's decision. I believe the state reversed course after some of the trees were removed, however, so we know, at least, that reason can prevail.

So, the thing I don't understand? Why are they so concerned about the 4" tree trunks along the side of the highway, when immediately behind them is either exposed basalt or huge concrete retaining walls? I understand that they're arguing that the trunks could present a hazard, but don't the stone cliffs present at least the same danger? WSDOT argues that sideswiping the wall is safer, and normally I'd agree. But the basalt is not smooth, and would throw the cars back into traffic--also not the safest solution. That turns a one vehicle accident into a multiple vehicle accident.

And, let's think critically here: if the trees survived long enough to become a hazard, how much of a hazard could they be considering how long they've survived?

There must be a better solution available here. Breakaway/redirecting barriers? (No, not cable barriers until WSDOT can satisfy people they're safe which involves admitting some were engineered badly and the problem has been corrected. Of course--they're safer than the trees, right?) How about an engineered ditch which redirects vehicles along the highway rather than into the trees? Give me your ideas. Let's solve this for WSDOT.