Police here have announced that on-the-spot "red tickets" will be issued to drunken cyclists and those riding bicycles with no brakes starting from December, in an attempt to put an end to dangerous bicycle riding.
The so-called red tickets are usually issued to bicycle riders who have purposely disobeyed traffic regulations on several occasions. This is the first time in the country, however, that tickets will be issued on the spot for a single traffic violation. Police issue red tickets to cyclists for violating traffic rules as a legal step toward criminal procedures. Prosecutors then have to decide whether to move ahead with summary indictments.
According to the Kyoto Prefectural Police, the crackdown will also be enforced for five additional types of violations, including riders ignoring red lights; failing to stop at specified places; crossing at non-designated areas; riding tandem on a single bike, and riding without lights at night.
The new regulations will target violators aged over 15, excluding junior high students. Violators will first be warned and if they fail to oblige, they will receive a red ticket, which could lead to a fine, police say.
As of the end of October, Kyoto police had issued only three tickets to cyclists violating traffic regulations this year, but none of the recipients had been criminally charged.
"We hope that the new regulations will help increase safety consciousness among bicycle riders," said an official from the police force's Transportation Department.
Racing bicycles with no brakes, known as "piste" bikes, have become increasingly popular among young Japanese recently despite being illegal according to the Japanese Road Traffic Law. Earlier this year, the National Police Agency ordered each prefectural police department in the country to enforce a crackdown on "malignant" cyclists, including those riding "piste" bikes.
"This is the beginning of the end of Hays Paddock as a wonderful, magical semi-rural spot for the people of Boroondara to enjoy," Mrs Drost said.
Protectors of Public Lands Victoria secretary Julianne Bell labelled it "planning on the run" after council officers made changes to the plan during the meeting.
"I have never attended a council meeting where council staff actually deleted parts of a master plan for a park which had been advertised and to which residents had made representations and submissions," Ms Bell said.
Boroondara councillor Brad Miles agreed, saying it was unusual.
Cr Miles said a number of elements from the draft plan had not been updated for the final plan, which had resulted in officers making the changes on the night.
"There were quite a few little points but no major changes," he said. "I hope the pavilion will be a facility for everyone."
2011年11月24日星期四
Shedding light on energy savings
Last fall, Eco Hatchery LLC unveiled the Light Bulb Finder smartphone app, which enables consumers to walk through their homes and match the light bulbs they have now to energy-saving bulbs as replacements.
Since then, more than 100,000 people have downloaded and used the Milwaukee firm's app.
Total savings on electricity costs: at least $500,000 a year.
The Light Bulb Finder is generating attention as well as savings. It has been recognized by utilities that run energy-efficiency programs as well as those who like it for its environmental attributes.
It recently won top honors in the "App for the Environment Challenge" by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and it's one of four finalists in a "Power Your Future" competition sponsored by AT&T Inc.
The Light Bulb Finder is tailored to the local user by finding the local utility's electric rate to compute the savings over time for using a light bulb for a given amount of time.
Experts recommend that people who want to reduce their energy costs through bulb replacement should focus first on bulbs that are on the most, such as the kitchen. Replacing the most-used bulbs in a house can save $120 a year on electricity costs.
Based on the Light Bulb Finder, the typical savings so far is about $75, said Adam Borut, co-founder of Eco Hatchery.
That's an average, with some people replacing dozens of bulbs and saving more while others were just trying out the app and buying a few bulbs, he said.
Based on sales of bulbs through the program, Borut said, "We see most people replacing bulbs in their kitchen, dining rooms, in their family rooms and in their bedrooms." Porch lights are also a big opportunity for savings, he said.
Eco Hatchery generates revenue in two ways, from the sale of bulbs bought directly through the app, and from subscription fees from utility energy-efficiency programs.
The Light Bulb Finder has teamed up with five utilities in Massachusetts, which are offering discounts to Bay State residents if they use the app to buy bulbs.
"Our customers tell us it is difficult to compare incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescents, so selecting a bulb with the light quality and fit they are looking for can be troublesome," said Tony Fornuto, a Mass Save program administrator. The Light Bulb Finder "makes the selection-and-purchase process much easier. Helping consumers switch to efficient light bulbs is another way we can help them save money on their electric bills."
In Wisconsin, it has partnered with energy efficiency programs in Milwaukee and Madison.
Milwaukee residents who download the app will see a banner that will link them to more information about the city's energy-efficiency program, ME2, and its solar-power funding option, Milwaukee Shines.
"The main goal of the app is to help people reduce energy use to be more energy efficient," said Matt Howard of the city's Office of Environmental Sustainability. "To save money on energy-efficient lighting in their homes clearly aligns with what we're trying to do with the ME2 program," Howard said.
"He's a hometown guy, and a hometown company, so we're happy to support that, too."
Since then, more than 100,000 people have downloaded and used the Milwaukee firm's app.
Total savings on electricity costs: at least $500,000 a year.
The Light Bulb Finder is generating attention as well as savings. It has been recognized by utilities that run energy-efficiency programs as well as those who like it for its environmental attributes.
It recently won top honors in the "App for the Environment Challenge" by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and it's one of four finalists in a "Power Your Future" competition sponsored by AT&T Inc.
The Light Bulb Finder is tailored to the local user by finding the local utility's electric rate to compute the savings over time for using a light bulb for a given amount of time.
Experts recommend that people who want to reduce their energy costs through bulb replacement should focus first on bulbs that are on the most, such as the kitchen. Replacing the most-used bulbs in a house can save $120 a year on electricity costs.
Based on the Light Bulb Finder, the typical savings so far is about $75, said Adam Borut, co-founder of Eco Hatchery.
That's an average, with some people replacing dozens of bulbs and saving more while others were just trying out the app and buying a few bulbs, he said.
Based on sales of bulbs through the program, Borut said, "We see most people replacing bulbs in their kitchen, dining rooms, in their family rooms and in their bedrooms." Porch lights are also a big opportunity for savings, he said.
Eco Hatchery generates revenue in two ways, from the sale of bulbs bought directly through the app, and from subscription fees from utility energy-efficiency programs.
The Light Bulb Finder has teamed up with five utilities in Massachusetts, which are offering discounts to Bay State residents if they use the app to buy bulbs.
"Our customers tell us it is difficult to compare incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescents, so selecting a bulb with the light quality and fit they are looking for can be troublesome," said Tony Fornuto, a Mass Save program administrator. The Light Bulb Finder "makes the selection-and-purchase process much easier. Helping consumers switch to efficient light bulbs is another way we can help them save money on their electric bills."
In Wisconsin, it has partnered with energy efficiency programs in Milwaukee and Madison.
Milwaukee residents who download the app will see a banner that will link them to more information about the city's energy-efficiency program, ME2, and its solar-power funding option, Milwaukee Shines.
"The main goal of the app is to help people reduce energy use to be more energy efficient," said Matt Howard of the city's Office of Environmental Sustainability. "To save money on energy-efficient lighting in their homes clearly aligns with what we're trying to do with the ME2 program," Howard said.
"He's a hometown guy, and a hometown company, so we're happy to support that, too."
2011年11月20日星期日
Ruud Lighting: From garage to gargantuan
Ruud and his partners designed new lights that had better thermal distribution, or heat-shedding ability, than the competition, he said. So they had both a price and quality advantage, which they conveyed via advertising, direct-mail catalogs and trade shows.
As they built the business in the garage in 1982, Christopher Ruud - now president of Ruud Lighting - was just a kid helping his parents.
"My first job was vacuuming the carpets and cleaning the bathrooms. My mom would do HR (human resources) work."
He recalled, "Any time the copy machine button was pushed, all the lights in the house would dim."
Manufacturing couldn't happen in the garage, so the partners had an 11,800-square-foot building erected on Highway 11 for them to lease. They mark Dec. 1, 1982, when manufacturing began, as the company's official birth date.
They started with a few office people and six assemblers. "LED (assembly) is rocket science compared to what that was," Sokoly said.
Of those earliest employees, he said, "Most people stuck with us till retirement."
In late December, Alan Ruud recalled, they got an order and a $25,000 check in the mail.
About six months later, they first turned a profit - on paper. But all early profits went directly into the business.
"We were doubling our business every year," Alan Ruud said, so they had to keep adding
facilities, tooling and the like. It was three years before they started taking money out.
Ruud Lighting has reached some of its biggest milestones since Jan. 2, 1998, when the partners sold the company to Advance Lighting Technologies for $35.5 million and 3 million shares of stock in that company.
The union didn't last long. Four years later, Ruud Lighting executives bought the company back, although Wandler chose not to be an owner. The company still calls that date, Dec. 12, 2001, Independence Day.
"We didn't understand the cultural differences, and that's all I'll say about that," Alan Ruud said.
The next huge development was Ruud Lighting's plunge into light-emitting diode lighting. In the past several years, 100 percent of its research and development has been in LED, in which company owns more than 100 patents.
A stunning announcement came in August when Ruud Lighting announced its second acquisition - this time to Durham, N.C.-based Cree for $525 million.
And Tuesday, parent Cree and subsidiary Ruud Lighting announced a $24.5 million expansion here and plans to hire 469 more people within four years.
Looking ahead, Alan Ruud said, the company's mission will be: "To take all that lighting installed in the last 50 years, and replace it with LED lighting."
As they built the business in the garage in 1982, Christopher Ruud - now president of Ruud Lighting - was just a kid helping his parents.
"My first job was vacuuming the carpets and cleaning the bathrooms. My mom would do HR (human resources) work."
He recalled, "Any time the copy machine button was pushed, all the lights in the house would dim."
Manufacturing couldn't happen in the garage, so the partners had an 11,800-square-foot building erected on Highway 11 for them to lease. They mark Dec. 1, 1982, when manufacturing began, as the company's official birth date.
They started with a few office people and six assemblers. "LED (assembly) is rocket science compared to what that was," Sokoly said.
Of those earliest employees, he said, "Most people stuck with us till retirement."
In late December, Alan Ruud recalled, they got an order and a $25,000 check in the mail.
About six months later, they first turned a profit - on paper. But all early profits went directly into the business.
"We were doubling our business every year," Alan Ruud said, so they had to keep adding
facilities, tooling and the like. It was three years before they started taking money out.
Ruud Lighting has reached some of its biggest milestones since Jan. 2, 1998, when the partners sold the company to Advance Lighting Technologies for $35.5 million and 3 million shares of stock in that company.
The union didn't last long. Four years later, Ruud Lighting executives bought the company back, although Wandler chose not to be an owner. The company still calls that date, Dec. 12, 2001, Independence Day.
"We didn't understand the cultural differences, and that's all I'll say about that," Alan Ruud said.
The next huge development was Ruud Lighting's plunge into light-emitting diode lighting. In the past several years, 100 percent of its research and development has been in LED, in which company owns more than 100 patents.
A stunning announcement came in August when Ruud Lighting announced its second acquisition - this time to Durham, N.C.-based Cree for $525 million.
And Tuesday, parent Cree and subsidiary Ruud Lighting announced a $24.5 million expansion here and plans to hire 469 more people within four years.
Looking ahead, Alan Ruud said, the company's mission will be: "To take all that lighting installed in the last 50 years, and replace it with LED lighting."
2011年10月19日星期三
Cold Commuters
Diana Hanks is no fair-weather cyclist. In fact, the Winooski resident, an operating-room assistant at Fletcher Allen Health Care, actually prefers bike commuting in winter. Never mind the cold season’s potential dangers and discomforts.
For one thing, “There are fewer thieves around,” Hanks says, noting that her bike was stolen one warm day outside the hospital. “There are fewer creeps, too,” she adds. “Some guy chased me one night. That doesn’t happen when it’s freezing out.”
Hanks finishes her shift at 11:30 p.m. and then pedals along Colchester Avenue to her home. In winter, she rides on the sidewalk to avoid the perils of icy roads narrowed by snowbanks. “The sidewalks are almost always plowed,” Hanks says. “It feels a lot safer than being on the street.”
Charlene Wallace, on the other hand, sticks to Pine Street in the snow and slush when cycling between her South End home and her job at Local Motion on the waterfront. “The sidewalks are dangerous because of all the driveways,” Wallace says. “Cars don’t expect to see you when they’re backing out or pulling in.”
Hanks, however, says she prevents unpleasant encounters by shining her front light directly into the face of a driver exiting or entering a driveway. Plus, Hanks notes, “I give everybody the right of way.”
But why would anyone go to such extremes? What’s the point of biking into Arctic headwinds and through rain, sleet, snow and gloom of night?
Convenience is one reason. “It’s much faster and easier to go by bike than by car in winter,” says Lisa Aultman-Hall, an engineering professor who cycles a mile and a half to and from the University of Vermont nearly every day between December and April. “You’ve got to scrape off your car, and parking and then walking to your office can be a real hassle,” she says. “I love biking right up to the door and then just hopping on my bike when I leave.”
And cycling is certainly quicker than walking. “I just don’t have the patience to go by foot,” Wallace says, adding, “I’ve got to get some exercise to offset all the time I spend sitting at the computer. It’s a healthy and satisfying way to commute. Also, it’s way fun.”
All-weather bike commuters such as Wallace have come to make up a fellowship rather than a freak show. Many more cyclists will take to the streets this winter than have previously, predicts Glenn Eames, owner of the Old Spokes Home bike shop in Burlington’s Old North End. One factor promoting cycling beyond Thanksgiving is that “global warming has changed the seasons a bit,” he observes. “It stays warmer a little longer.”
For Mike Beganyi, a wintertime pleasure cyclist, the rewards take the form of “therapy or meditation.” Biking on snowy trails reveals “a whole different world,” Beganyi says. “It gives me head space that I really need.”
For one thing, “There are fewer thieves around,” Hanks says, noting that her bike was stolen one warm day outside the hospital. “There are fewer creeps, too,” she adds. “Some guy chased me one night. That doesn’t happen when it’s freezing out.”
Hanks finishes her shift at 11:30 p.m. and then pedals along Colchester Avenue to her home. In winter, she rides on the sidewalk to avoid the perils of icy roads narrowed by snowbanks. “The sidewalks are almost always plowed,” Hanks says. “It feels a lot safer than being on the street.”
Charlene Wallace, on the other hand, sticks to Pine Street in the snow and slush when cycling between her South End home and her job at Local Motion on the waterfront. “The sidewalks are dangerous because of all the driveways,” Wallace says. “Cars don’t expect to see you when they’re backing out or pulling in.”
Hanks, however, says she prevents unpleasant encounters by shining her front light directly into the face of a driver exiting or entering a driveway. Plus, Hanks notes, “I give everybody the right of way.”
But why would anyone go to such extremes? What’s the point of biking into Arctic headwinds and through rain, sleet, snow and gloom of night?
Convenience is one reason. “It’s much faster and easier to go by bike than by car in winter,” says Lisa Aultman-Hall, an engineering professor who cycles a mile and a half to and from the University of Vermont nearly every day between December and April. “You’ve got to scrape off your car, and parking and then walking to your office can be a real hassle,” she says. “I love biking right up to the door and then just hopping on my bike when I leave.”
And cycling is certainly quicker than walking. “I just don’t have the patience to go by foot,” Wallace says, adding, “I’ve got to get some exercise to offset all the time I spend sitting at the computer. It’s a healthy and satisfying way to commute. Also, it’s way fun.”
All-weather bike commuters such as Wallace have come to make up a fellowship rather than a freak show. Many more cyclists will take to the streets this winter than have previously, predicts Glenn Eames, owner of the Old Spokes Home bike shop in Burlington’s Old North End. One factor promoting cycling beyond Thanksgiving is that “global warming has changed the seasons a bit,” he observes. “It stays warmer a little longer.”
For Mike Beganyi, a wintertime pleasure cyclist, the rewards take the form of “therapy or meditation.” Biking on snowy trails reveals “a whole different world,” Beganyi says. “It gives me head space that I really need.”
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