Archive for November, 2008

Love = Volkswagen Jetta TDI sedan

The 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI sedan, with its four-cylinder turbocharged diesel, 140-horsepower engine, offers a spirited drive. Though it offers plenty of torque and acceleration, it averages only 36 miles per gallon in the city and 42 mpg on the highway, which is as good as many subcompacts and gas-electric hybrid cars.
 
THe TDI does this [...]

Chrysler’s Green SUV plans die with bad economy

This article by Ann Job describes how Chrysler's financial woes have caused them to terminate production of the new Durango and Aspen hybrid SUVs, closing the only plant that produces them as part of an effort to curtail expenses. Job takes the view that this is an unfortunate occurence, given that these two hybrids compare [...]

Bike required, clothing optional for Portland cyclist

Multnomah County Judge Jerome LaBarre dismissed a nudity charge against Michael "Bobby" Hammond on Wednesday.  Bobby was cycling as part of the city's annual World Naked Bike Ride.  Judge LaBarre stated that "cycling naked has become a "well-established tradition" in Portland and understood as a form of "symbolic protest."
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Photo from Oregonlive.com
Judge clears nude [...]

Improving Seattle Transportation

Washington gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi is trying to win votes from the incumbent Gov. Chris Gregoire on the topic of infrastructure improvements. Gregoire supports removing Seattle's waterfront highway by 2012 and will decide after the election whether she supports replacing it with a tunnel, surface street or elevated highway. Rossi supports a tunnel. Rossi blames [...]

New York Taxis going green

New York's Mayor Bloomburg had pushed to make all taxis in New York fuel-efficient to help create a "greener" New York. But federal judge Paul Crotty ruled that only the Federal Government can set standards for cars' gas mileage. However, Bloomberg is now pushing to have the Taxi and Limousine Commission come up with other [...]

Promoting alternate transportation at work

The high price of gasoline and increasing congestion on the roads make it more attractive for workers to look for alternate means of transport.   There are a number of incentives and promotions employers can use to encourage alternate forms of transportation to the office. Some are as simple as having a designated place for bike parking [...]

City of Mishawaka saving money with hybrid vehicles

The city of Mishawaka is taking aggressive steps to use hybrid vehicles in efforts to save money on gas. They have put in orders for a number of hybrids and have already received three Toyota Prius. The city of Mishawaka has a fleet of around 300 vehicles it uses. The city only replaces the vehicles [...]