Like the Apple Macintosh computer, I was born in 1984.  When I was in kindergarten my dad bought an Apple Macintosh and made me play Math Blasters.  I believe this, and Family Math Night at Hillcrest Community School, started me on my path towards a love of math.  By 4th grade, I had a fellow nerd penpal on AOL (future engineer also, surprise) and a top score on OutNumbered!.  In high school, I convinced my dad to get a purple apple desktop.  The first colored iMac G3.  When I left for engineering school in 2002, it came with me (or at least traveled in the back of a Jeep across the US and met me there). 

My College Dorm Desk with My Purple iMac

In 2004, my apartment in college was robbed, but they didn’t take MY computer because it was so big and heavy, they wouldn’t have gotten it out the window without getting caught.  The next year, after saving my money from engineering internships, I made my first big purchase… an iBook G4.  They were offering a deal for $200 off an iPod (then cost $270), so I went for that too.  I believe I had the back engraved for free with “Ifyoustealthisyouwilldie.”  I still wake up to that iPod every morning and my iBook STILL works.  Steve Jobs has impacted my generation profoundly.  His presence in the tech world will be missed, but he lives on in all the young creative engineers he inspired.  Thanks to two great Steves in my life for getting me where I am today as an engineer.  Steve Jobs for designing that first Apple, and my dad Steve Elkins, for buying it and Math Blasters for me.

It was a standard transmission car, and the first time it turned off as I was in neutral and let out the clutch, I thought I had done something wrong. However, the car started right up when I re-engaged the clutch and put it into gear. After this happened a couple of times, I realized that I had been noticing other cars doing the same thing at stop signals throughout the country, and that it was a deliberate aspect of the car, and I surmised at the time that it was meant to help reduce gas consumption. I recently found this article discussing “start-stop” technology, mainly talking about hybrid cars. But this technology could be expanded to general gas vehicles as well, both standard and automatic transmissions. This may exist in newer standard transmission cars on the market now in the States, but I have yet to see it.

A “green sticker” program is currently in development and is expected to be launched with the release of hybrid plug-in vehicles next year.  The program should run until 2015 and encourage the purchase of more environmentally friendly vehicles like the hybrid sticker program did.  Also remaining will be the white sticker program, which allows zero-emission vehicles such as hydrogen fuel cell, all-electric, and some compressed natural gas vehicles access to the carpool lane until is also expires in 2015.

I’ve been hearing murmurs (mostly disgruntled) related to this topic as I have attended transportation conferences over the last year.  Usually, it’s someone in the industry that has a friend about to lose the carpool lane access privilege.  The ironic part is that is seems that most of the people highly concerned with this new change are those with obscenely long commutes that would be impossibly time consuming without access to the carpool lanes.  These are people that would not buy a low emission vehicle without the carpool access benefit and are now contemplating chucking their hybrid for an EV or natural gas car in order to keep this privilege.  Now, what’s interesting are the comments coming up about this in various articles reporting on it, like this one from the SF Chronicle.  The question comes to this: at what point should you re-evaluate living more than 50 miles away from your place of employment?  Does it really make sense to live far from your place of employment, even if you drive an emission-free vehicle?  I think most urbanists would argue that the act of carpooling, taking transit, or living closer to work would have a much greater positive impact on the environment.  Something to think about.  What do you think?

Functioning similarly to their full-size counterparts, low-speed electric vehicles cost only 2 cents per mile to operate and are street legal on most roads with a speed limit of 35mph. This makes them the perfect accessory for any short trips, like running errands or going to work or the gym, in urban areas when taking out the SUV isn’t a necessity.

In fact, the average distance traveled on most car trips was just more than 10 miles in 2009. When you’re only going a short distance, low speed electric vehicles make more sense than your full-size car because they’re easier to maneuver around, more cost and gas efficient, and don’t emit any of the toxic emissions.

For personal use, low-speed electric vehicles resemble golf carts, but to date, the biggest use of electric vehicles has been from a commercial standpoint. Electric utility vehicles, like patrolling police cars or buses and shuttles, are the better alternative for government agencies or college campuses to keep fuel and energy costs low.

“Using low-speed electric vehicles just makes sense these days,” said Justin Jackrel, owner of Road Rat Motors, a retailer of low-speed electric vehicles. “With some of the models costing as little as 1 cent per mile to operate and the current tax rebate of 10% of the total purchase price, you can’t go wrong.”

Still, a low-speed electric vehicle isn’t something that you buy on a whim. It’s a commitment, and there are a few things to help you decide if, and which style, is the right for you.

• Open vs. closed: In warmer climates, open NEVs (neighborhood electric vehicles) because you get more space without feeling like you’re in a smaller, enclosed car. But, you are subjected to weather forces.
• Cost: While most low-speed electric vehicles are far less expensive than cars, they aren’t considered cheap, with most coming in between $8,000 and $16,000. However, considering that it costs 1-3 cents per mile to operate, the long-term savings outweigh the initial price tag.
• Why buy? If you live in an urban setting where you’re typically only traveling short distances, NEVs will pay for themselves multiple times over in cost savings on gas and maintenance.
• Not just golf carts: Street legal golf carts are not the only type of low-speed electric vehicles. In fact, most NEVs have features similar to any full-sized car, just on a smaller scale.

Erin Everhart oversees the Web marketing for Road Rat Motors, a leading retailer of low speed vehicles for both commercial and residential purposes. Road Rat Motors has a full-line of affordable electric vehicles for sale, street legal golf carts, racing go karts and motor scooters.

What other clever ways would you get people, especially kids, to take the stairs for more oxygen and exercise?

Downtown Red Deer Alberta

The opportunity to travel to Red Deer, Alberta in October should have you wanting to submit your abstracts for the Alberta Professional Planners Institute Conference (APPI) conference October 16-18, 2011. 

This conference appeals to a new generation of city builders, urban and regional planners and community revitalization stakeholders. The APPI Conference Organizing Committee is looking for innovative presentations that are reflective of the following suggested themes:

• Connecting our Communities
• Placemaking
• Complete Streets
• Creative places
• Disconnect – Addressing the challenges of mobility and accessibility
• Barrier‐free design
• Planning for the aging population
• Safer communities
• Reconnecting our communities
• Public health and planning
• Community gardens/Urban Farms
• Active transportation
•  Mixed‐use development/Transit Oriented Development

SUBMISSIONS CRITERIA

Audience will be diverse and so should presenters. They encourage student and professional planners including CIP members and their professional affiliates, public health professionals, social planners, professional engineers and architects.

Your presentation must include:

Title, Name of presenter(s), job title, academic background, institution or corporate affiliation and contact information (telephone number and email address).

An abstract of your presentation of no more than 250 words. The proposed presentation format. Equipment requirements.

PRESENTER RESPONSIBILITIES

Deadline for submissions will be on Wednesday, May 11th, 2011 at 5 PM Mountain Time. No submissions will be accepted after that time. Presentations must be saved in PDF format ONLY and sent to andre.darmanin@edmonton.ca. Have the subject of your email state 2011 APPI Conference Presentation Submission.

Presenters must indicate intent and register for the conference. Presenters will be responsible for all expenses including travel, accommodations, conference registration, non‐sponsored meals and miscellaneous charges.

Notification by Conference Committee: June 24th, 2011

- Thanks to Andre Darmanin for the post info

Tunnel Boring Machine ULink

Q. What’s big and round and goes through solid ground?  A. It’s the Tunnel Boring Machine!!

Pi Day is 3.14

Since we are circling ’round pi day let’s talk about the little sister to the unstoppable “Round-a-bout” – the traffic circle.  Not a circle game, the traffic circle serves to slow down traffic in residential neighborhoods.  It is one of the tools in the neighborhood traffic calming toolbox.

Traffic circles are small diameter raised islands placed in intersections to force traffic to slow down.  In slowing down traffic and promoting walkable and safe communities, traffic circles are often supported by communities.  Speeds have been reported to be reduced just a few MPHs but with an average speed of 30 miles per hour, or lower, it promotes a “neighborhood feel”.  Neighbors are so happy to have the traffic circles, many traffic calming programs sponsor a voluntary adoption program of the traffic circles.  Residents tend to landscaping and maintenance of the traffic circles making them unique to the neighborhoods.

On Pi Day, 3.14, give it up for the mighty traffic circle!