With nearly 300,000 views on youtube clearly this clip has hit a cord with a few folks.

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Top posts for the past week:

Credit: Mathew5000

1. Slam dunk for transit – Canada Line’s First Year Ridership Smashes Forecasts

2. Portland State University reports on bikeability and the 20 minute neighborhood

3. CNG for Alaskan State Vehicles

Other brilliant posts during the week were (in order):

• Urban foraging
• Intellidrive – Is it Smart? Is it Green?

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According to a recent Anchorage Daily News article, Alaska is considering changing their fleet to CNG vehicles to help reduce rising energy costs for the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.

Specialized engines or conversions are required to allow a vehicle to be powered by CNG, which is highly pressurized methane in hard-sided tanks, though some engines are able to switch between regular gas and CNG.

Some of the advantages of switching to CNG are lower fuel prices, fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and a lower risk of combustion after an accident – methane has a higher combustion temperature. According to the California Air Resources Board, CNG produced from landfill biogas has the lowest greenhouse gas emissions of any fuel analyzed. The article does not specify where the CNG from Alaska would come from, however, they do mention potential sources on the North Slope.

Some disadvantages of CNG vehicles include the less-established infrastructure, especially in Alaska to distribute CNG to vehicles, CNG requires more space in vehicles because it is a gas instead of a liquid, requiring more room to provide the same amount of energy as gasoline, and challenges associated with the necessary pressure in the tanks and during refueling.

Alaska is beginning the conversation about CNG in state vehicles, and I’m interested to see what the study reveals as it looks at both the short and long-term costs and environmental impacts associated with CNG vehicles.

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East Portland vs. Inner Portland

We have been following Portland’s bike plans since day 1, when they officially adopted the Portland Bicycle Master Plan for 2030. Now we are beginning to see common citizens like Nathan McNeil do research to help Portland create that “20 minute neighborhood” and reach the 25% mode share for bicycle ridership by 2030. His paper on how infrastructure and destinations influence bicycle accessibility “explores methodology for assessing a neighborhood’s bikeability based on its mix of infrastructure and destinations.”

He compares the bikeability of East Portland with that of inner-city Portland to find that the scores compare, respectively, at 76 vs. 96. And he goes on to suggest what improvements can be made to increase bikeability all around, for example higher street connectivity, better placed grocery stores, and new developments to exert positive influence on bikeability.

Link to the full report after the break…

Bikeability and the Twenty-Minute Neighborhood [pdf] by Nathan McNeil

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Sky Train Bridge over the Fraser River, Credit: Mathew5000

According to recent statistics released by TransLink, in its first year the Canada Line has recorded 36 million passenger boardings. Average daily ridership recorded in July 2010 was almost 100,000; far exceeding original ridership forecasts which estimated these levels would not be reached until 2013. This ridership represents the elimination of approximately 14,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions due to energy efficiencies compared with alternate modes.

Opened in August 2009, the Canada Line is the third leg in TransLink’s SkyTrain network across the lower mainland. The Canada Line comprises 19 km of track from Vancouver to Richmond with a 4 km spur line connecting to the Vancouver International Airport. During the 2010 Winter Olympics, the line’s ridership peaked to an daily average of 228,190 over the 17-day event.

Another slam dunk from BC after the break

In honor of the Skytrain’s recent success, check out British Columbia’s own Steve Nash set up a slam dunk off his head! For those of you who have not yet heard of Steve Nash’s Green reputation, among other green efforts with the NBA he plays with a custom shoe by Nike called “Trash Talk” made from 100% manufacturing waste. Keep it green Steve!

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Urban farms, apple harvesting. From a 2009 OPB article.

A recent article in EnzymePDX talks about the recent surge in urban foraging, notably the success of programs such as the Portland Fruit Tree Project, where you can register to donate the fruit from your trees to local food banks and low-income indivduals (and you don’t have to clean up all that fruit off your lawn!). There is also a great article from OPB about the foundation of some of these projects.

So maybe I should work up the courage to ask my neighbor for a few of those extra magnolia buds (more likely) or some of those strawberries (less likely).

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Image for Intellidrive

While others on this blog might like a car with muscle and style — as long as they are low emissions, I personally like a car with brains over brawn.  I’m talking about intellidrive.  Smarter than smart cars, intellidrive is an initiative to “enable safe, interoperable networked wireless communications among vehicles, the infrastructure, and passengers’ personal communications devices”.  With cars, “talking” to the pavement, vehicles can start making decisions that improve vehicle operations and safety.  Not to leave the driver out but as my old driving instructor used to say “the most dangerous part of any vehicle is the nut behind the wheel”.  Many Intellidrive applications are being developed to increase safety, letting your car know when pavements are slick or stopping when objects are getting too close.  As intellidrive matures it could result in reduced traffic signal delays when vehicles can communicate programmed pathways, allowing professional vehicles like delivery vehicles to shorten headways (tailgate), and communicating real information to vehicles including alternative routes.  The biggest benefits of intellidrive are expected to be in safety and reduced emissions.  By 2013 USDOT is hoping to have measurable results of intellidrive benefits.

Sparks the imagination doesn’t it? How can you contribute to the Intellidrive transformation?  USDOT is sponsoring three workshops for innovators and inventors open to all.
August 25-26, 2010  – Detroit, MI, USA (9:00-4:30 local time)
September 1-2, 2010 – San Jose, CA, USA (9:00-4:30 local time)
September 29-30, 2010 – Washington, DC (9:00-4:30 local time, Location TBD)

Additionally, USDOT/FHWA is seeking information to assist them in performance measurements and performance based management of intellidrive. They have recently issued a request for information. Intellidrive is sure to lead to reduced crashes and emissions this step will help prove it.  Intellidrive IS Smart AND Green!

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Top posts for the past week:

Natural Deficit: Earth's Overshoot Day

1. Earth Overshoot: The Case For A Sustainable Economy

2. Crazy Commute in Vancouver, BC

3. Green Streets & Highways Conference – ASCE Nov 14-17

Other brilliant posts during the week were (in order):

• A little sweat never hurt anyone!
• California is a Place: Godspeed
• Google’s servers go green with 20 year deal for wind energy

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The Crazy Commute Website website has more information.

Other suggestions of crazy ways to get to work include pogo sticks, skateboards, bicycle, and the bus. This makes my usual MAX light rail and walk and occasional bicycle commute look more ordinary.

Here in Portland, we pride ourselves on “keeping Portland weird”: I recently participated in the Providence Bridge Pedal, and noticed one of the riders on the 36 mile, 10 bridge ride was riding a unicycle. It looked like a lot of fun, a lot of work, and very “weird” at the same time. While I lack the coordination to use a unicycle or even a skateboard to commute, I like the idea of trying a new and strange way of getting to work. However, my 11 mile commute is probably still best served by TriMet or bicycle. Carrying a canoe a better part of eleven miles is simply not attainable for my commute.

What crazy way would you commute to work given the chance?

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GODSPEED from California is a place. on Vimeo.

Take a few moments to check Champ in the Scrapertown (another video with bikes as the centeral theme) as well.

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