#single occupancy vehicle ban

[legalupanishad]

Bangalore Carpool Ban: Reasons and Impact

This article on 'Bangalore Carpool Ban: Reasons and Impact' was written by Shashanki Kaushik, an intern at Legal Upanishad.

Introduction

Bangalore, often called the Silicon Valley of India, is known for its burgeoning IT industry, vibrant culture, and persistent traffic congestion. The state of Karnataka's transport department recently announced a ban on carpooling in the city, sparking outrage and concern among commuters. The ban, which was influenced by demands from taxi driver associations, has ignited a contentious debate about the future of carpooling services in the city. This article provides a critical analysis of this decision, addressing the underlying issues and their implications. The Karnataka Government's decision to impose a ban on carpooling in Bangalore has sparked significant controversy and debate. This article critically analyses the ban, exploring the reasons behind the government's decision, the implications for commuters, and the broader implications for urban transportation policies. The decision to ban carpooling, which was influenced by taxi driver associations, has raised concerns about its impact on traffic congestion, environmental concerns, and the interests of the commuting public. This article argues that the ban on carpooling in Bangalore is a regressive step and calls for a more comprehensive and inclusive approach to regulating ridesharing services.

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The Carpooling Landscape in Bangalore

Bangalore is no stranger to the challenges of urban transportation. With a population of 11 million and nearly 12.5 million vehicles, the city faces a severe traffic congestion problem. The rise of ridesharing apps, such as BlaBla Car, Quick Ride, Rideshare, Commute Easy, and Carpool Adda, presented an innovative solution to this problem. These platforms connected commuters looking to share their rides, reducing the number of vehicles on the road, alleviating congestion, and promoting more efficient use of resources. In this context, carpooling services offered numerous benefits: Reduced Traffic Congestion: Carpooling services helped decrease the number of vehicles on the road, thereby reducing traffic congestion, especially during peak hours. Environmental Benefits: Fewer vehicles on the road meant reduced emissions and a positive impact on air quality, contributing to the city's environmental goals. Cost Savings: Carpooling provided an affordable alternative for commuters, helping them save on fuel and other transportation costs. Improved Accessibility: Carpooling made transportation more accessible to a broader section of the population, addressing the issues of transportation inequity.

Reasons for the Bangalore Carpool Ban

The decision to ban carpooling in Bangalore stemmed from demands made by taxi driver associations. These associations argued that carpooling apps were encroaching on their business and were operating without the necessary permissions from the Transport Department. The government's response was to impose a ban on carpooling services, despite the fact that these services had gained popularity due to the inefficiencies in the existing taxi system.

The Impact on Commuters

The ban on carpooling services has generated widespread concern among Bangalore's commuters. The city's residents have been vocal in expressing their frustration over the decision, highlighting several key issues: Traffic Congestion: The ban could lead to a resurgence of traffic congestion, with more single-occupancy vehicles on the road, exacerbating the city's traffic woes. Increased Pollution: As more vehicles hit the road, the ban could lead to higher emissions and air pollution, directly contradicting the city's environmental goals. Economic Implications: The ban may affect the finances of many commuters who relied on carpooling to save on transportation costs. Lack of Alternatives: Given the inadequacy of public transportation in Bangalore, the ban on carpooling has left commuters with limited alternatives for affordable and efficient travel. Policy Considerations: The decision to ban carpooling raises questions about the government's ability to create forward-thinking transportation policies that consider the interests of all stakeholders.

A Case for Inclusive Policy Formulation

The ban on carpooling in Bangalore reveals a pressing need for a more inclusive and holistic approach to transportation policy. In the face of growing traffic congestion and environmental challenges, urban policymakers must consider the following: Define Carpooling: The confusion surrounding the definition of carpooling lies at the heart of the problem. Policymakers must clearly define carpooling to distinguish it from commercial ride-hailing services. Stakeholder Consultation: It is essential to consult all stakeholders, including taxi drivers, before making any policy decisions. This ensures that the interests of all parties are considered and balanced. Traffic Management: Rather than banning carpooling, the government should focus on improving traffic management and incentivizing shared rides to reduce congestion. Environmental Concerns: Policies should encourage environmentally friendly transportation options, such as carpooling, to reduce emissions and combat air pollution. Regulation and Licensing: Instead of an outright ban, the government can establish regulations and licensing frameworks for carpooling platforms to ensure compliance with safety standards and legal requirements. Public Transport Integration: Carpooling services can complement public transportation networks, helping to bridge gaps and provide a more comprehensive and efficient transportation system for the city.

Conclusion

The decision of the Karnataka Government to ban carpooling in Bangalore raises significant concerns and challenges. While it is essential to address the interests of taxi drivers and ensure that they are not unfairly affected by carpooling services, the ban seems to be a regressive step for a city grappling with chronic traffic congestion and environmental problems. A more inclusive approach to transportation policy is necessary, one that defines carpooling clearly involves all stakeholders, and considers the broader implications of traffic management and environmental concerns. Carpooling, if regulated properly, can be a valuable tool in addressing urban transportation challenges in a growing city like Bangalore. The government should reconsider its decision and adopt a more forward-thinking approach to this issue, keeping the best interests of the commuting public in mind.

List of References

"Why should carpooling not be banned in Bengaluru?", Ground Report, 2 October 2023, available at: https://m.groundreport.in/article/latest/why-carpooling-should-not-be-ban-in-bengaluru/200360 "Carpooling banned in Bengaluru, penalty up to Rs 10,000", The Economic Times, 1 October 2023, available at: https://m.economictimes.com/news/bengaluru-news/carpooling-banned-in-bengaluru-penalty-up-to-rs-10000-know-more/amp_articleshow/104080283.cms Nischit N, "Carpool ban: Bump in road for de-congesting Bengaluru", Deccan Chronicle, 2 October 2023, available at: https://www.deccanchronicle.com/amp/nation/current-affairs/110719/carpool-ban-bump-in-road-for-de-congesting-bengaluru.html Read the full article

[hopefulfestivaltastemaker]

April 25, 2021

My weekly roundup of topics of interest. Topics include urban heat islands, transportation safety, lighting, and cooking.

Urban Heat Island

In the last few weeks, I added some sections on light and noise pollution. Continuing on with some additional, primarily city-scale pollution topics, this week was the urban heat island effect.

The UHI is a phenomenon whereby cities are warmed up, either due to the waste heat of energy usage; pavement, roofs, and other infrastructure absorbing daytime heat; a reduction of surface area and thus heat convention (trees and other vegetation have a lot of surface area and thus are good at radiating heat); or other factors. Unlike global warming, which as the name applies affects the whole planet, UHI is mainly a localized effect and is distinct.

About 166 thousand people die every year from heatwaves. I’m not sure how many of these deaths should be attributed to UHI. The only two estimates I know about are that the UHI causes 0.42% excess deaths in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), and that the UHI was responsible for 52% of the deaths in the West Midlands, UK during the August 2003 heat wave. That’s a pretty wide range and only two data points. If every single death from heatwaves can be attributed to UHI and we take the statistical value of a life at $10 million, then the scale of UHI gets into the trillions of dollars. In reality it’s probably an order of magnitude less than that, which would place UHI on roughly the same level of damage as ozone depletion.

Another way to get a handle on the cost is air conditioning. The UHI was estimated to cost 14 large cities 0.068% of their GDP in operating and repairing AC units alone. That’s about $60 billion per year if extrapolated worldwide, but that’s almost certainly an overestimate because the UHI is worse in larger cities.

By my crude attempt to determine the order of magnitude damages, I’d say that UHI certainly ranks below noise pollution, probably below light pollution, and again maybe on par with ozone depletion in terms of seriousness.

Above I noted three main causes of UHI, and again I am frustrated by the seeming lack of results that decomposes the magnitude of them. The same was true with noise and light pollution. This is the opposite of global warming, air pollution (to an extent), and ozone depletion, for instance, where we know in great detail what the sources of emissions are and the relative magnitude of various sources. But the lack of knowledge here could be partly the result of the fact that UHI is a very localized phenomenon, and so global averages wouldn’t be terribly meaningful.

For those wondering, the UHI is estimated to contribute about 2-4% of all extra heat associated with global warming, with the rest coming from CO2 emissions and black carbon (79% and 18% respectively). This may seem low, but keep in mind that urbanized land is only about 1-3% of all the Earth’s surface area. It seems bigger because that is where most human experience takes place. And no, UHI does not explain most of global warming measurements.

As far as what we ought to do about it, I feel hampered by the fact that I don’t have a good decomposition of causes of UHI, but white (reflective) roofs and vegetation planting in cities both show benefit-cost ratios better than 1.

Transportation Safety

How should we thinking about transportation safety, which is the probability of injury or death from various modes? This paper is pretty good. It gives the death rate for various modes by number of journeys, by hours of travel, and by kilometers of travel.

Unfortunately, it assess figures on the vehicle level (e.g. deaths per vehicle-km), and I think that on an individual level would be much more meaningful. So I estimated typical occupancy rates of various vehicles and converted them into this (not yet well formatted) chart.

(Here I am assuming that “water” means ferries.)

The numbers are all over the board, but one thing that jumps out at me is how much more dangerous active transportation (cycling and walking) is than driving on all three metrics. By comparison, air travel, rail, ferries, and buses are much safer, which I think we generally know. Going into space is risky.

The risks of cycling are generally confirmed from other sources (like this one). Active transportation enthusiasts will often fire back that cycling is dangerous because of car usage, since it is collisions with automobiles that drives much of the risk. That may be, but I would be curious to know some more detailed safety figures. How does a separated cycle track, for instance, compare with a bike lane for safety? I’ve seen a lot of figures on this but nothing that I would regard as super reliable.

Since driving is the most common mode of travel, I also want to delve a little bit into auto safety.

Overall, I want to make a good case for compact cities, and the last few weeks have not been good for that. Noise pollution, light, pollution, and the UHI are all issues where the absolute level of impact will go down with compact cities, but the amount of exposure that people receive will go up. Insofar as we regard human health impacts as the main issue, this is an argument for less dense cities, though it would be countered by considering ecological impacts as well. As far as transportation safety is concerned, unless there are some much safer models of active transportation (I didn’t look at powered micromobility, for instance, but those numbers don’t seem to be very good either), it’s probably best to go for mass transit, which is best at more moderate densities but higher densities than generally prevail in the US.

Lighting

Lighting efficacy is a subject I looked at a while ago and am coming back to know. United 4 Efficiency is one of many sources that does a general comparison of efficiency across sources.

We are all familiar with the progress in solar PV and wind turbines of the last few years. A bit less well-known, but also important, is how LEDs have cut electricity demand for lighting, even with the rebound effect taken into account. LEDs should be regarded as one of the major bright spots (no pun intended) of progress on climate change. However, as noted a few weeks ago, LEDs could be a setback from a light pollution standpoint.

Despite the impressive progress, there are still some further advances possible, most notably with laser diodes and organic LEDs. Both technologies have already been commercialized, but are used for niche purposes so far. When they become cheaper and fully developed, both laser diodes and OLED could be more than twice as efficient (measured as lumens per watt) than LEDs on the market now.

Cooking: Gas vs. Electric

Several cities are moving to ban natural gas hookups in new construction, which would force cooking from electricity instead of gas. There are a lot of issues here, especially with cost, and there are also several differences in how dishes come out. Some chefs aren’t too happy with losing the gas option.

As for overall energy impact, if natural gas is the main source of electricity on a grid, then a switchover doesn’t seem like a good move. Why not just use natural gas directly for heat rather than converting it to electricity, then using the electricity for heat?

This is counterbalanced by the fact that electricity tends to be a more efficient energy carrier for delivering heat. A study in Korea finds that electric cooking has lower primary energy demand and lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions, and this with a national electric grid that is about 80% fossil fuels.

I’m not sure I understand or fully buy the numbers in this study, and I will have to look further to be convinced. They find that induction cooking (electricity) has an efficiency of 74.9–77.6%, while gas has an efficiency of 30.2–41.7%. That’s good for electricity, but I don’t think it is good enough to get the primary energy savings that the paper claims, unless I am missing something.

[holy-honeybees]

Snowdrift

AO3

Rating: T+ (for swearing)

Summary: Three friends and  their dog get lost in a snowstorm while investigating the paranormal. Amidst swirling flurries of white, some lose their way and get lost in their memories, others lose sight of their friends and loved ones, and an unforgiving winter quickly fills in the footprints one would follow to get back home.

A/N: I started this back in November but sadly never finished the work. I was thinking of holding off till it started to snow again, but figured now was as good a time as any to try and finish this.The title is taken from Snail's House song "[snowdrift]" which you can check out here!

Ah, so that’s where I put the plot...

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Chapter One

Chapter Five

In the dead of the night, when the world was quiet and all sound was swallowed by the ever-deepening snowdrifts, a lone figure moved through the dark. She glided over the top of the snow, her bare feet not disturbing a single snowflake as she drew closer to the unsuspecting occupants of the van. It was rare for anyone to come this way, least of all in winter. The long and lonely stretch of road she haunted was always avoided by the locals, even if the reason why only lived on in urban legends. Tales of sudden blizzards and passersby getting lost in the snow were enough to keep them at bay. The van’s passengers were the first visitors she’d had in a while. She had quickly picked up on their presence in the vastly empty landscape and had gone to investigate, so eager she’d almost given herself away. Even though she was sure she’d been spotted, the interlopers seemed to take no heed of her presence, and had continued on their journey as far as they could. She had observed them from a distance, keeping out of sight as they frolicked and played without a care in the world.

She despised them for it.

They were an odd little group, much stranger than anything she had seen pass through these parts before. There was a dog that was far more than what it seemed, and she had scarcely believed her eyes even after seeing its monstrous transformation. She didn’t know what the creature was, but she instinctively knew it was dangerous and made note to avoid it. The ghost that travelled with them surprised her even more. She had never encountered anyone like herself before, but she didn’t think it was common for the dead to keep the living company. She didn’t think it was fair either. He got to carry on as if he were still breathing, and she was stuck in this barren, frozen wasteland, reliant on the too few and far between visitors. The wind whipped more violently around her in response, pulling at her long white hair and nightgown as she refocused on her task.

The two that she was most interested in were the mortals. The power she sensed in the blue-haired woman intrigued her, but the young man was simply irresistible. In secret, she had exerted her influence over them, tugged here and there, getting a feel for what memories might come loose. While the monster was immune and the ghost resistant to her sway, she was certain the two humans wouldn’t be able to fight back. It appeared someone had already messed with the poor girl’s head, and many memories, old and new, were on the forefront of the young woman’s mind. The boy’s memories surfaced just as readily, almost eagerly responding to her meddling, as if she were travelling along a well-worn path. This was almost going to be too easy. It had been a long, long time since anyone had come her way, and she wasn’t about to ignore such a perfect opportunity when it presented itself.

If her cold heart had still beat in her chest, it would have been pounding in excitement as she continued to drift silently over the snow, circling the van. She could feel a protective barrier all around the vehicle, sure to have prevented her from breaching the exterior had she not needed permission to enter in the first place. She peered in through the window, the glass frosting at her touch. The occupants within, unaware of what was waiting for them outside, peacefully slumbered. Now, she just had to lure them out. She scratched at the door with icy fingers, her nails scraping against the exterior of the van, and patiently waited. A smile stretched across her lips, turned blue from the cold years ago, as she heard someone begin to stir. She would have taken a special delight in tearing this close knit group apart, even if she hadn’t been hungry.

And she was so very hungry.

---

Arthur squinted at the brightly glowing screen of his cell phone, hoping that if he stared at it long enough, he might be able to turn back the time. After a couple minutes of glaring proved fruitless however, he conceded that it was still midnight, and he wasn’t falling asleep again anytime soon. He wondered if something had woken him up this time or if his body had simply decided that two hours of sleep was enough for one night. Letting out a defeated sigh, he tossed his phone to the side. He knew he would drive himself crazy checking the time for every minute he couldn’t fall asleep. Some nights, being unable to sleep made Arthur frustrated to the point that he wanted to cry. He hated the countdown to morning, recalculating how much sleep he would get if he fell asleep right now every time he glanced at the clock, the number dwindling away to nothing as the sun began to rise. Just as bad were the nights where he did manage to fall asleep, only to wake a couple hours later somehow feeling even more tired than before. Like now, when his mind was hopelessly hazy and the exhaustion ran bone deep. He’d only managed a few meager hours of rest over the past couple of days. Last year, he had purposefully shunned sleep in order to put more hours into the manhunt for his missing best friend. Even then, the nights where he had been forced to take a break by Lance or Vivi were plagued with nightmares and anxieties, vague feelings of guilt he couldn’t quite place. Although Lewis had since been found and forgiveness granted, Arthur’s sleeplessness was almost habitual at this point, even without the aid of lingering fears and a guilty conscience.

His eyes roamed the dimly lit interior of the van, the only source of illumination the playback menu for A Nightmare Before Christmas still running on his open laptop screen. He toed the lid of the computer shut with one of his Chucks, plunging the van into darkness and cutting off the orchestral melody that had been softly playing in the background. The humming of the space heater and Vivi’s light snoring filled the void, though Arthur could still pick out the sound of the snowstorm raging outside. He realized then that the heavy feeling of his body wasn’t just fatigue, but that Vivi had draped an arm and leg over top of him as she slept, somehow undisturbed by his fidgeting. His cheeks heated at her close proximity, but he relaxed somewhat when a quick glance around the back of the van showed that no one else had seen them. He couldn’t imagine Lewis would be too happy to see his ex-girlfriend and ex-best friend cozied up together. Vivi was notoriously cuddly and had a tendency to cling to whoever was closest in her sleep, and tonight, that happened to be Arthur. He had been trying to avoid this exact situation, afraid of what the others might think. They all had accepted Vivi’s tendency to latch onto others in her sleep long ago, but it felt different, wrong even, since Lewis and Vivi started dating, especially after the cave. He’d done his best to keep his distance even as he craved the physical affection. He loved both his friends very much, and Arthur was ashamed to admit that he had been a bit jealous when they’d started dating. The last thing he wanted was for Lewis to believe that Arthur himself had wanted to push him off the cliff because of it. Mystery had explained that the mechanic’s negative feelings had made him more susceptible to the influence of whatever that thing was back in the cave, but had assured them all that Arthur’s actions were outside of his control. The mechanic couldn’t let go of his guilt over the role he’d played in his friend’s untimely demise though, wondering just how innocent he really was. It made him doubt Lewis’s offered forgiveness, wondering when it would be taken back, if something like this could wreck their tenuously rebuilt friendship.

Way to go, idiot. That kind of thinking is sure to help you get back to sleep, Arthur chastised himself. He sighed deeply, struggling through his grogginess to push away the unhappy thoughts clouding his mind. Instead, the mechanic did his best to relax into Vivi’s embrace, too tired to move, trying to appreciate the closeness while he could. It wouldn’t be such a bad way to spend the night, Arthur decided. He didn’t always mind not being able to sleep. Sometimes, when he had something to do or someone to talk to, anything to take his mind off his insomnia or whatever was keeping him awake, it could almost be pleasant. He’d long ago been banned from working on personal projects at night though, after the time Lance had caught him holding a blowtorch the wrong way at four in the morning, with Vivi happy to enforce the restriction. However, Lewis seemed to stick around at night more often than not lately. Arthur knew for a fact that it was lonely to be awake when everyone else was sleeping, but still had been surprised when the ghost had started to keep him company in the early hours of the morning. Months ago, when the glares directed at the mechanic had lessened into sparing glances and they found they could once again occupy the same room at the same time, Lewis had finally approached him.

Their first conversation was awkward and stilted, and Arthur was sure he’d said something to make the specter hate him even more. But Lewis was there again the next night, and the next, and continued to stay behind and visit night after night. Speaking together got easier, and they swapped stories of what they would do to keep themselves busy at night when the Mystery Skulls weren’t together. Lewis frequently found himself baking, occasionally doing extra prep work at the restaurant. Arthur found himself staying up using his laptop to research the latest case or cryptid that Vivi wanted to check out. They used each other as sounding boards for new recipes and robotic designs. It was almost like the way things used to be. By unspoken agreement, they didn’t talk about the cave, though Arthur had a feeling that Lewis was just patiently waiting for him to be ready. Even ghosts needed to occasionally rest and recharge though, and Lewis was presently nowhere to be found. While the mechanic took the opportunity to enjoy the comfort of one of his closest friends, he was disappointed the other was absent. Left alone to his thoughts, Arthur alternated between staring at the roof of the van and the backs of his eyelids. He could practically feel time dragging by as he mentally drafted plans to fix the latest dent in the van. Relief swept over him as his eyelids finally began to droop shut of their own accord, when he was suddenly jolted awake by a scratching at the back door to the van.

“Mystery…?” Arthur mumbled softly. The only reply he received was more scrabbling from outside, and he wondered if that had been what had woken him up in the first place. Arthur gave a cursory glance around the back of the van, still not seeing anyone but Vivi nestled beside the massive pile of blankets she’d accumulated. He worried that the dog had locked himself out of the van after stepping outside. Mystery may have been a powerful kitsune, but could still be thwarted by devices that required opposable thumbs to use. Arthur had told him before not to paw at the door though, that it would scratch the paint, and Mystery was usually more vocal about his demands to be let back inside. Something must be wrong, but in his sleep deprived state, the mechanic didn’t have the energy to think it over. Instead, he carefully extracted himself from the haphazard limbs Vivi had tossed over him in their sleep, edging towards the rear doors of the van to peer through the window outside. It was dark, and Arthur could barely make anything out beyond the heavy snowfall that was coming down like static on a television screen. He stepped out of the van, gently closing the door behind him, unable to hear that it didn’t click shut over the moaning winds. He quickly zipped up his vest against the chill and briefly thought about grabbing his hoodie, before discarding the idea, not wanting to let any more heat escape the van than what was absolutely necessary. He was sure this wouldn’t take long anyways, and the faster he did find Mystery, the sooner he could get back inside where it was warm and hopefully get back to sleep. He shouldn’t even need to try and wake Vivi up. But even outside, the dog was still nowhere to be seen, though Mystery must have been scratching at the back door just moments ago.

“Mystery?” Arthur called, his fatigued mind struggling to sense of anything. The mechanic blearily scanned his surroundings, trying to rub the last remnants of sleep from his eyes, before he caught a glimpse of a white shape moving quickly away.

“Mystery, wait! What’s wrong?” Arthur shouted, his voice muffled by the snowstorm and apparently unheard by the kitsune who continued to move towards the horizon. He quickly began to follow after the figure as it began to blend into the white flurry and disappear. Even as his mind conjured ridiculous images of yetis and other untold dangers waiting for him, the mechanic continued his pursuit, worried for his friend. Mystery had been acting strangely yesterday, and something had clearly been bothering him, even if he wouldn’t say what. Arthur called for the kitsune again, but the words were ripped away by the wind before he could scarcely hear them himself. The tired mechanic trudged through the deep snow, ignoring the vague thrill of alarm at the back of his mind that something wasn’t right, and kept walking. His head still muzzy from lack of sleep, he didn’t notice that there were no pawprints on the path he followed, but the snow was quickly filling in the footprints he’d left behind. Back in the van, unseen by the mechanic, a white dog was buried under a pile of blankets, ears twitching at phantom voices that seemed to call for him in his sleep. Vivi reached out for her friend, instinctively seeking comfort and warmth as the temperature began to drop despite the best efforts of the space heater, a draft whistling in through the crack in the unlatched door. Finding no one there, she curled up tighter, a small frown disturbing her once relaxed features as she fell into a more troubled sleep.

[berniesrevolution]

JACOBIN MAGAZINE

Some of the most militant housing actions I have ever witnessed arose in opposition to buildings that don’t yet exist. I have seen occupations, disruptions, and even physical fights break out in order to halt state approvals for development projects. While it might seem a bit abstract to raise a ruckus in the present over construction in the future, everyone involved — from protesters to politicians to developers — understands the stakes.

The fight over housing is about both what is there and what isn’t: the cost of living in existing buildings, and the price of future developments. The pace and price of residential construction affects everything else in an area, from sewers and transit to taxes and schools. The rules guiding future development are therefore crucial to fights over both present and future housing conditions.

The way we make such decisions is known as planning. It is both the vision we have for our cities and towns, and the way we seek to implement it. There are many long-standing traditions of urban planning around the world, as practiced by both utopian socialists and cut-throat capitalists. Planning can be robust and seek comprehensive approaches to addressing the entire urban ecosystem, from physical development to environmental protection, or it can be narrow and carve out a limited role for government and a greater role for capital. Housing has long been a central concern for urban planners, from industrial revolution-era building safety codes to mid-century public housing projects.

In recent years, one particular planning tool has grown to outsized influence, and become almost a substitute for the entire practice of residential planning. Zoning — a set of rules that regulate future development — is the most important way many municipalities shape their cities. This is especially true in places like Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, and others that have experienced a wave of new investment. Entrepreneurial mayors have seized on zoning as a way to make a permanent mark on their cities’ skylines. Community organizers have used zoning and the public process around it as tools to fight gentrification, by either trying to stop zoning changes that would encourage luxury development, or by using rezoning to incentivize low-income housing construction or protect working-class communities.

The rezonings many mayors are pushing, though vast in scale, cannot be mistaken for comprehensive plans; they are, in fact, more often abdications of planning to the market. Rezonings set limits for development in some places and channel it toward others, but rarely create new physical spaces or social policies. Sometimes zoning has been bent toward those goals as a shortcut, with detailed plans for particular projects or anti-harassment tenant protections written into the zoning code. In most cases, however, zoning is less a plan than a parameter — a framework within which private development does or does not take place in the future.

Their Code and Ours

Zoning determines what kind of buildings can go where, and at what size. In the traditional model, different types of activities are divided up into various “use types”: residential, commercial, industrial, recreational, and so on. Areas, and even individual lots, can be used for more than one thing at a time, but the zoning code allows the state to detach these uses as desired.

The classic justification for separating uses is industry and housing: no one should have to live next to a smoke-belching factory. But the separation of uses has roots in less altruistic impulses. In 1885, the country’s first zoning code was introduced in Modesto, California, and it used bans on laundries to exclude Chinese workers and families from the most desirable areas of the city. About forty years later, New York City instituted zoning after high-end Fifth Avenue merchants lobbied the city to zone out manufacturing. Their goal was less to protect health and welfare than to prevent Jewish garment workers from walking down their streets and scaring away their patrician customers. Ten years after New York, Birmingham, Alabama used zoning to lock in residential segregation, producing a zoning code geographer Bobby Wilson calls “one of the most overt expressions of white supremacy ever put into law in the twentieth century.”

In addition to separating uses, zoning also limits the height and bulk of future buildings. This can be set in any number of ways and, like the separation of uses, can be done for a number of purposes: a plain and simple height cap can be put over a district, limiting how tall new buildings can be; a more flexible system can allow virtually unlimited height, as long as buildings are set back to allow for light and air to pass through their lots; limits can be placed on new buildings based on the size and shape of neighboring properties, in order to encourage continuity; built forms can be mandated to increase or limit the space between buildings, and between structures and the street; a “bonus” can be offered to developers, allowing them to build more if they provide a desired feature, such as cheaper housing or open space; an allowance can be included for property owners to sell “air rights” — or the theoretically developable space above and around a structure — from one building to another, which can then build taller than is otherwise allowed; “special districts” can be created that have their own rules, often straying far from the limits of traditional zoning into areas like landscape design or tenant protections.

“Fights against exclusionary zoning, like the long legal battle in New York’s suburban Westchester County that has lasted since the 1980s, aim to integrate neighborhoods and mandate that new housing be affordable to more potential residents.”

Many cities have experimented with each of these approaches, sometimes all at once. Over the years, zoning has become quite complex, keeping an army of development lobbyists, technical experts, corporate consultants, and land-use lawyers employed. When New York City’s zoning code was created in 1916, it was 85 pages long. When it was revamped in 1961, the new resolution was 539 pages. Since then, another 3,436 pages of amendments have been added. In New York today, there are about 150 different zoning types in use around the city.

Under these circumstances, developers looking to build have two choices. First, they can design a structure that fits the existing zoning rules. This is called “as of right” development. There is essentially no public process required for this type of construction, and as a result tenants have very little input on or leverage over what gets built. If a developer wants to build a fifty-story luxury condominium in an area that allows that sort of thing, little short of direct action or lawsuits will stop it.

The other type of development, however, involves building outside the zoning code’s constraints. That would mean either designing something bigger than permitted or proposing something other than the allowed use — like a condo complex in an area zoned for manufacturing.

In order to do this, the developer has to seek a variance from the city. Lawyers and planning consultants are brought in to make the case that the city’s zoning code should be changed on one particular lot in order to accommodate whatever it is the developer wants to build. This gives people an opportunity to protest, however, and say that they do not want the project to go through. Plenty of times this works, and the developer has to revise or discard their plans. It can be an expensive and time-consuming process, and is therefore something for-profit developers generally seek to avoid. If they can get an entire neighborhood rezoned to their liking, however, they will be able to build whatever they want without having to bother with any sort of pesky public process.

Drawing out rezoning is an extremely complicated legal and political terrain. People spend years studying land-use planning and law to truly master its intricacies and quirks. It is also a terrible bore — not many people would voluntarily subject themselves to countless hours of debate over the merits of c6-2a zoning versus r8a. Yet the zoning code is one of the most important legal documents in a city for both activists and real estate investors because it sets the rules for new development.

It is, however, a highly imperfect vehicle for housing politics. What activists tend to care most about is the price of housing; what the zoning process is designed to adjudicate, however, is the size and use of buildings. The system thus encourages housing activists of all stripes to expend a great deal of energy arguing over housing densities as a proxy for housing costs.

In suburban contexts — including the outer stretches of most cities — the zoning code is often written to allow only large lots for single-family homes. This helps lock in high land values as the only things that can be built are big expensive houses. Smaller and more affordable homes are outlawed, as are apartment buildings or any other kind of low-cost multifamily dwelling. This practice is known as “exclusionary zoning” because it keeps out a wide swath of people who will never be able to afford homes of these sizes.

Combined with a regressive tax code that rewards large landholders and owners of multiple homes, exclusionary zoning perpetuates intergenerational wealth, racial inequality, and spatial segregation. It helps wealthy neighborhoods stay wealthy and offers them an ample tax base for extensive and exclusive public services — particularly schools.

In the United States, many of these zoning codes correspond with New Deal-era and postwar racist housing policies. The era of mass suburbanization was sparked by a series of initiatives meant to standardize the home loan industry, increase homeownership, depress worker militancy, and spur employment in construction and related industries. Some of the most important programs were led by Roosevelt’s Federal Housing Administration (FHA), which, among other things, insured mortgages for those who otherwise would not receive them. As part of this program, the FHA wrote guidelines for banks that dictated what type of residential communities they wanted financed. Following real estate industry “best practices,” the FHA preferred: new construction; space between properties; and, more than anything else, racial segregation. Neighborhoods with African Americans and recent immigrants were coded unsafe for investment and redlined (shaded red on maps to signal their planned decline). Meanwhile, white families were offered subsidized mortgages for housing in new suburban districts.

Undoing these laws was a crucial part of the mid-century Civil Rights Movement, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968 made many of these practices illegal. But while explicit rules to segregate housing by race were outlawed, exclusionary zoning has kept many of these places almost entirely white. Fights against exclusionary zoning, like the long legal battle in New York’s suburban Westchester County that has lasted since the 1980s, aim to integrate neighborhoods and mandate that new housing be affordable to more potential residents.

(Continue Reading)

[bearingphmotoring-blog]

Single-occupancy vehicle BAN on EDSA

The brilliant minds at the MMDA are at it again.  They have concocted another ingenious remedy to our already well managed traffic situation.  It’s called the HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) traffic scheme.  The title alone will have people like Einstein in awe as they marvel this shrewd display of innovation.  Under this masterly crafted policy, motorists who traverse EDSA alone are banned from using the thoroughfare.  SIMPLE. BOLD. DARING.  Words can’t begin to describe how clever this idea is.  It’s mind boggling how no-one has ever thought of it in the past.  Then again, genius like this is a rare commodity.  

Through careful fact-based analysis, the MMDA humbly claim that we can expect a 40% reduction in traffic because 70% of motor vehicles along EDSA have single occupants.  The connection between those two numbers is beyond my meager brain’s comprehension.  How foolish of me to even try to absorb the science behind this.  The MMDA’s impeccable reputation in coming up with solutions and implementing road rules should be enough to put me well at ease.  

The said policy is scheduled to be in full swing by August 23rd where violators will be fined 1,000 pesos.  That’s a small price to pay for violating such a sensible strategy to make everyone’s lives easier.  It’s a mystery why motorists still opt to drive alone and turn a blind eye to the vast array of public transportation that’s at their disposal.  How can they resist the safety, comfort and convenience of the MRT and public buses?  It’s a crying shame that our public transportation systems aren’t being utilized enough.  There seems to be a scarcity of passengers.  Hopefully, the HOV scheme will address that too.  The HOV scheme may have also been derived under the premise that the vehicles with lone occupants don’t necessarily have to use EDSA.  Motorists are just being plain stubborn by not using the widely available, free flowing alternative routes. Or perhaps they insist on using EDSA as it is the perfect setting for a leisurely drive.  You can really stretch your car’s legs while enjoying the majestic scenery the highway has to offer.   This may also be a reason why motorists refuse to car pool, as driving along EDSA is the place to achieve a state of euphoria. There’s just no better way to start and end your work day.  

Despite how orderly our streets are, there are still skeptics out there who refuse to buy in to this bright idea.  It’s an enigma of biblical proportions how some people refuse to believe in the MMDA’s ability to implement and enforce such a policy.  Our systematic traffic and the high level of discipline exuded by motorists are true testaments to what the boys in blue are capable of achieving.  This is exactly why the MMDA had to resort to new, innovative means to enhance our almost flawless traffic situation.  Implementing existing road rules geared to promote efficiency is antiquated because there’s no point in improving on perfection.  It would be an utter waste of time for the MMDA to dwell on keeping intersections open, buses confined to yellow lanes and our roads free from obstruction, as these rules are hardly violated;  hence the need to up the ante.

Now if you’re still not sold on the idea, if you’re still not overcome with sheer joy and excitement in anticipation of this intellectual gem of a plan, then I suggest you try to mollify yourself with sarcasm.  Sarcasm should help provide some reprieve and the bonus is it’s harmless; the witty will have fun while the stupid won’t get it.  

DISCLAIMER:  There are members of the MMDA who have showcased commendable efforts in implementing existing rules and regulations.  This agency would undoubtedly make a more significant mark if they utilize their resources to target more pragmatic solutions that are already in place but need more enforcement.  It also doesn’t help that the sheer number of violators severely exceeds the enforcers.  

[citymaus]

“In America, the freedom of movement comes with an asterisk: the obligation to drive. This truism has been echoed by the U.S. Supreme Court, which has pronounced car ownership a “virtual necessity.” The Court’s pronouncement is telling. Yes, in a sense, America is car-dependent by choice—but it is also car-dependent by law.

As I detail in a forthcoming journal article, over the course of several generations lawmakers rewrote the rules of American life to conform to the interests of Big Oil, the auto barons, and the car-loving 1 percenters of the Roaring Twenties. They gave legal force to a mind-set—let’s call it automobile supremacy—that kills 40,000 Americans a year and seriously injures more than 4 million more. Include all those harmed by emissions and climate change, and the damage is even greater. As a teenager growing up in the shadow of Detroit, I had no reason to feel this was unjust, much less encouraged by law. It is both.

traffic on the freeway, atlanta. flickr/flc

“Let’s begin at the state and local levels. A key player in the story of automobile supremacy is single-family-only zoning, a shadow segregation regime that is now justifiably on the defensive for outlawing duplexes and apartments in huge swaths of the country. Through these and other land-use restrictions—laws that separate residential and commercial areas or require needlessly large yards—zoning rules scatter Americans across distances and highway-like roads that are impractical or dangerous to traverse on foot. The resulting densities are also too low to sustain high-frequency public transit...

The National Transportation Safety Board has determined that speed is a top risk factor in motor-vehicle crashes. Yet the most prominent way of setting and adjusting speed limits, known as the operating-speed method, actually encourages faster driving. It calls for setting speed limits that 85% of drivers will obey. This method makes little provision for whether there’s a park or senior center on a street, or for people walking or biking.

As a matter of law, the operating-speed method is exceptional. It enables those who violate the law—speeding motorists—to rewrite it: Speed limits ratchet higher until no more than 15% of motorists violate them. The perverse incentives are obvious. Imagine a rule saying that, once 15 percent of Americans acquired an illegal type of machine gun, that weapon would automatically become legal. Other legislation amplifies the harm from this method. In California, for example, cities are sometimes obligated by law to raise speed limits against their will, and local governments are barred from lowering them even for safety reasons. This occurs against a backdrop of radical under-enforcement of the speed limit nationally, and the widespread banning of proven but unpopular lifesaving technologies such as automated speed cameras.

via “speed kills, so why do we keep designing for it?” strongtowns, 28.01.18. 

“Dozens of our peer nations require carmakers to mitigate harm to pedestrians caused by their products. US design regulations, however, require only measures that enhance the safety of car occupants.”

read more: theatlantic, 09.07.19.  the study: “should law subsidize driving?” by gregory shill. 

[kleinconway3-blog]

Future Solar Power - Will All of our Cars Be Up coming?

When it comes to help solar energy of this future, we intend to have to start thinking outside the box. Within fact, we are going to have to forget that there possibly was initially a container on just about all. What we are accustomed to seeing today, such things as homes adorned with rectangular photo voltaic panels, or modest yard solar lights, sun electric handbags and consequently on - all of these points will become museum portions. Put on your believing cap of the future and desire along with me personally for a few minutes when we all sort out the world's vitality problems. Many of us have turn out to be accustomed in order to obtaining unlimited strength at our beck and call, that will the first thing we will need to fix can be our attitude. With typically the current energy systems the fact that we use, continuing around the present journey is just a recipe for tragedy. Not only environmentally, nonetheless economically as well. Many of us seem to incorporate some specific need to drive 600 h. p. autos. Why? Most cars could reach any posted speed limitation with 20 h. r., so why the have to have for such spare. May believe me? Do an individual remember the old VOLKS WAGEN of in years past? It acquired a thirty five l. r. engine and could simply exceed any posted rate limit of today. Not any, Now i am certainly not selling previous VW's, nonetheless if it could be completed fifty years ago, why could very well the idea not really be accomplished far more effectively nowadays? The one thing all of us must definitely not forget is usually this... any time all of us consume 1 gallon of gasoline, there will turn out to be one less gallon accessible for future use. We all may find in future of which gas will have an even more beneficial use to us as compared to moving a 3, 500 lb car close to using a single resident. Around fact, do you not imagine that future governing bodies may possibly ban such an exercise? Think about that regarding a min. What would certainly you do when the fact that happened? In case anyone think that is out connected with the question, consider what was already done with L. O. 5. (high occupancy vehicle) lanes for often the past couple of ages. The only real single occupant vehicles (S. A. V. ) which will be allowed will require to be powered by way of alternative energy. Is of which really so bad? Virtually no, of course it certainly is not. In fact, we need to be able to get powering anyone and even everyone who is functioning in this particular course. At this time there are plans passing for several electric motor vehicles. These use present technology, and a lot can deliver a gas mileage cost compared to fuel powered autos at about 75 cents for every gallon. Depending on where anyone are gasoline may operate anywhere between $2. 60 and $4. 50 a good gallon (more inside Europe) so the electric auto will have a significantly reduce fuel cost. This cost is based on recent utility price ranges (2009) getting used to re-charge often the electric vehicle's battery packs. The particular future will see not really only electric powered autos around abundance, but they will probably be lighter, have better batteries for power storage, and will also be re-charged at home with personal solar technology re-charging areas. All these items will certainly go a long means toward decreasing our carbon footprint, which often, in scenario you have forgotten, is definitely one of the primary reasons for getting away from from fossil fuels in this first place. And exactly how about this to have an thought, just about every exterior surface in the car would apply certain sort of energy diffusing stuff which would switch sunlight into usable electricity. So, while you are sitting around your favorite coffee shop, your own vehicle is staying re-charged courtesy of the sun. And Solar Shade Australia or mall a person gone to, a plug in would be available for you to charge the car even though anyone were shopping. Free of charge nevertheless, no charge! In situation that appears implausible, why don't figure out why that could be really good for company. What if one mall supplying 100 % free plug-ins and often the next definitely not? Where would likely you shop? Yes, read that right, your "fuel" to obtain residence again would word of advice the scale in favor involving the forward thinking mall. Not only that, generally there would be pride of place parking spots for electric cars, right while watching store. Gas powered cars would be relegated to often the back rows. In addition to wherever would this power are available from? Why, the roof from the mall itself, which would get covered with the solar panel of the future. And for those turbulent days and nights, pop-up mini wind turbine generators would rise right up into the wind flow in order to capture extra kilowatts. Retailer home windows will have stuck solar capacity right around the glass. Building elements used for metal cladding exteriors will have solar treatments, putting yet more vitality to the mix. Typically the very parking lots on their own will generate electricity. Checklist surely is endless. If the day arrives that massive cities adopt the even more futuristic approach to streets vehicle, what do you suppose may possibly come about? A person arrive downtown and would like to park your electric powered car. Your chosen airport parking place has a good electric powered plug-in for your auto, there is no fee for this. Not merely that, but the particular auto parking itself is 100 % free! Never ever happen you claim? Not really so... it already is London, uk, England. Do anyone participate in golf? Do a person drive a good golf shopping cart? Where can it get re-charged? See if you can obtain your own personal golf club to set up a good solar power powered getting process. Everything that all of us remove via grid electricity is a further step throughout the right direction.

[thisdaynews]

BREAKING:Politicians Go Into Hiding In Anambra As Gunmen Break Loose(PHOTOS)

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/breakingpoliticians-go-into-hiding-in-anambra-as-gunmen-break-loosephotos/

BREAKING:Politicians Go Into Hiding In Anambra As Gunmen Break Loose(PHOTOS)

There is presently pressure in Anambra State because of the boundless savagery recorded in the development to the November governorship political race.

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Numerous government officials have crawled under a rock because of the exercises of rampaging shooters.

The most recent of such realized assault occurred on Friday when a police officer and the driver of a government legislator were killed while a police headquarters was set ablaze.

Shooters had assaulted the guard of the administrator addressing Nnewi North/Nnewi South/Ekwusigo Constituency in the House of Representatives, Chris Emeka Azubogu.

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Azubogu, who deserted to the decision All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scarcely any hours prior to the occurrence, was not in the caravan when the aggressor struck.

Two days before the assault, seven people, including, Dr Chike Akunyili, single man of Dr Dora Akunyili, previous Director-General of the National Agency for Food Administration and Drug Control (NAFDAC), were killed without really trying to hide.

Deposed customary leader of Mkpunando Aguleri, Alex Edozieuno, was killed a long time before the killing of Akunyili.

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Edozieuno was killed along Ezu Bridge, Otuocha in Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra.

Andy Uba, governorship up-and-comer of the APC in Anambra, on Saturday suspended the banner off of his mission because of the killings.

The banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has been on frenzy in Anambra as well as across the South East.

In any case, it is muddled if the killings in Anambra have political hint or IPOB is behind them.

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As of now, standards and announcements bearing effort rubs are being pulled down while marked mission vehicles are scarcely seen in the city.

Additionally, Nigerian ensign and banners have been eliminated in some open and government structures because of a paranoid fear of the assault by shooters.

Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, neither addressed calls nor answered an instant message sent.

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Anyway , there is a substantial security presence in the state.

The police extraordinary commando crew has more than 30 Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) at significant security streak focuses, for example, the River Niger span head, Upper Iweka, Nkpor, Abagana, Amawbia bye pass to the Enugu-Onitsha interstates just as Oba intersection along Onitsha-Owerri express way.

Likewise officials and men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSDC) have been conveyed across the state.

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As indicated by a delivery by the Public Relations Officer of the order, Mr Okadigbo Damian, the state commandant, Mr. Everestus Chimezie Obiayo, has requested the Head of Operations, Department of Intelligence and Investigations Department and Rapid Response Squad to facilitate security arrangements and guarantee that officials work inside the setting of the law.

Day by day Trust assembled a significant security activity is in progress in Anambra.

“Men of mystery administration and other security agents will flood Anambra in a couple of days from now,” the source said.

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has guaranteed occupants of Anambra of its readiness for the political decision.

[shirlleycoyle]

Tech ‘Unicorn’ Pacaso Is Turning Homes Into LLCs and Pissing Off the Neighbors

Earlier this year, the Malibu beach house directly between Bobby LaBonge and Lloyd Ahern’s properties sold for more than either of them would have expected, even considering that it sits along the famous Pacific Coast Highway. "There's no doubt they paid too much money," Ahern told Motherboard. "We thought, 'Oh brother, what kind of moron did this?'"

"We figured it was some wealthy family," LaBonge said.

The buyer wasn’t a single family. It was a company called Pacaso, a new San Francisco–based real estate startup that hopes to "democratize second-home ownership" by selling homes like the one between LaBonge and Ahern’s to as many as eight complete strangers. "We're going to make second-home ownership a reality for the top 20 percent of the world," the company's CEO, Austin Allison, has said.

The question is whether, in the process, Allison is going to make it harder or easier for everyone else to buy their first home—and whether Allison's idea will work out in practice as well as it does in theory. So far, the most certain thing is that he's making a lot of enemies in the largely wealthy communities where Pacaso is operating.

Allison was inspired, he's said, to start his new company after he and his wife purchased their own second home in Lake Tahoe. "My wife and I will never forget that first evening after closing, when we were sitting in front of the fireplace thinking about how appreciative we were," he said in a video on the company's website. He formed the company with Zillow co-founder Spencer Rascoff and the backing of investors, including former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. The company’s name is inspired by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, the namesake of a Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers song and .

“He is credited with co-creating Cubism, which brings together individual elements to create a new and innovative whole,” the company explains on its website. “We decided on Pacaso to honor Picasso's legacy of innovation.”

Since Pacaso launched last October, the company has burst onto the scene like a raging ball of flames. Within months, it claimed to have reached so-called "unicorn" status—meaning it had been valued at $1 billion—quicker than any other company ever. "If you were to talk to me a year ago and asked, 'Do you think this company will be a billion-dollar company someday?,' I would have said yes without hesitation, but I would have thought it would have taken five years instead of six months," Allison said at the time to dot.LA, a technology site co-founded by Rascoff.

Over that same period, though, Pacaso has also racked up an impressive number of opponents: mayors who say the company will ruin communities, neighbors who say it will worsen the housing crisis, and entire cities that say Pacaso is running illegal operations.

Got a tip for the the reporter of this article? Using a non-work phone or computer, you can contact Maxwell Strachan securely on Signal on 310-614-3752 or email maxwell.strachan@vice.com.

The Pacaso model is nothing if not novel. The company buys a home, lightly fixes up and furnishes it, and then creates an LLC with eight ownership stakes. Pacaso customers then purchase at least one-eighth of a share of the home. After that, Pacaso essentially becomes a corporate property manager, handling repairs, cleaning, financing, and scheduling. People who own one-eighth of a Pacaso home can stay up to 44 days a year but no longer than 14 days at a time, and they can sell their share after 12 months. If they do decide to sell, owners independently set the price at which they sell and choose their own real estate agent, though the other owners get to be first in line to buy the share themselves.

Pacaso makes money by charging a 12 pecent fee at the time of closing and then a monthly $99 fee that covers “LLC oversight, ongoing owner support, and technology,” according to spokesperson Colin Tooze. “Home operating costs such as property management, maintenance, taxes, and repairs are passed along directly to owners transparently with no markup,” the spokesperson said.

"It's great for Pacaso," said Paul Grisanti, the mayor of Malibu, who has come out early in opposition to its local presence. "I don't think it's good for the schools, I don't think it's good for a sense of community."

"They're corporatizing our community. If this business model succeeds, then our town starts to become more and more like an adult Disneyland."

The day that Brad Day, 42, discovered that a tech startup had purchased the home across the street from him in Sonoma, he and the other neighbors gathered to have an emergency meeting. Soon after, they sprang into action, creating anti-Pacaso signs, writing op-eds in the local paper, and talking to members of the city council. They formed an organization, too: "Sonomans Together Opposing Pacaso," or STOP.

Like others in Sonoma and elsewhere, Day fears that the entrance of a company like Pacaso into areas zoned for single families will mean less real estate for potential full-time residents.

"They're corporatizing our community," Day said. "If this business model succeeds, then our town starts to become more and more like an adult Disneyland."

The Sonoma campaign gained attention, and Day started to hear from people in other areas where Pacaso was making inroads, he said. Similar anti-Pacaso contingents sprouted up across California, including in Healdsburg, St. Helena, Newport Beach, and Malibu. Some protests have proven successful already. In Napa, where Allison lives, the company faced fierce backlash after purchasing a three-bedroom home for $1.13 million. A company spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal that a Pacaso executive filed a police report after someone wrote in an online Pacaso listing that they would "burn down any home you buy in Napa."

Pacaso announced in June that it would sell the Napa home to "a whole home buyer,” as well as a number of other changes, including setting a price floor of $2 million for homes it bought in Napa and Sonoma counties. While Allison told news outlets that the company would learn from the experience, he remained steadfast in the company's core goals.  The company said that thousands of residential homes in Sonoma are “non-owner-occupied and owned in a vehicle (such as an LLC or trust) that facilitates co-ownership,” and it claimed at the time that it bought homes in Napa and Sonoma counties for $4.1 million on average.

"Luxury homes in luxury neighborhoods make terrific Pacasos," Allison said then.

“They're aiming at people who want to pretend that they're wealthy. They're gonna rent the lifestyle,” said Grisanti, the Malibu mayor. The sniffy tone here captures what the loudest residents of the luxury neighborhoods where Pacaso is dealing make of the whole thing. But many of the people I spoke with said (unprompted) they did not consider themselves NIMBYs—the derisive acronym for people who say “Not in my backyard.” Instead, they often emphasized their concerns that Pacaso could exacerbate the broader housing crisis in California and make it even harder for working families to buy a home. "There are real concerns that these properties are removing housing stock," Trevor Rusin, the assistant city attorney in Malibu, told Motherboard.  "I'm worried about family farms coexisting with Pacaso," said Yael Bernier, a farmer in the Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County and the president of the Dry Creek Valley Association. "They are going after single-family homes."

“They're aiming at people who want to pretend that they're wealthy. They're gonna rent the lifestyle.”

Unsurprisingly, the people at Pacaso believe that all these local residents are looking at the problem the wrong way. The company now argues that it is helping to solve the housing crisis by steering eight potential second-home owners "away from homes critically needed by the local workforce" and toward a single "luxury" home. (For what it’s worth, Zillow lists the typical home value in Malibu as $3,777,824 as of this writing.)

Similar to arguments once used by rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft, Pacaso claims it is "creating more housing opportunities through better utilization." "Nearly 10 million second homes sit unoccupied for 11 months a year in the U.S.," the company states on its website. Pacaso homes, by comparison, reach a "90%+ utilization rate," a spokesperson claimed.

But the concerns of anti-Pacaso residents extend beyond the price paid for the home, and raise a different, more unflattering parallel to Uber and Lyft, which rely on creative approaches to regulation. Many feel the company is bypassing or even exploiting local zoning rules. Lisa Cavalli, a self-described "third-generation Sonoma girl," said people in her town "welcome vacationers" but want them to use hotels or Airbnbs, which pay the city's transient occupancy tax that helps fund local nonprofits. Bernier, the farmer, believes Pacaso has been able to "skirt" local rules limiting non-agricultural business by calling their homes single-family dwellings.

"If this exploitation continues, where will it end?” Bernier wrote in a letter to the local board of supervisors, which Motherboard reviewed. “Sonoma County could lose its character and valuable farm land [sic] the way Santa Clara Valley did—now developed into Silicon Valley."

In Malibu, many people similarly believe Pacaso has taken advantage of a "loophole in the regulatory scheme," said Bruce Silverstein, the city's mayor pro tem. Silverstein has asked the Malibu city attorney if he could look into whether there were any means by which they could "curtail this lawfully," he said, but he fears it might be difficult.

People throughout St. Helena have put up signs in opposition of Pacaso. (Photo credit: Connie Wilson)

Like a lot of people in St. Helena, Connie Wilson believes Pacaso's business model amounts to trying to get around local bans on timeshares in residential areas.

"We are not NIMBYs; we are against the idea that they can come in with this idea of their LLC and circumvent our local zoning ordinances," Wilson said.

The city agrees. In February, the city's attorney wrote a letter to Pacaso saying  St. Helena had determined that Pacaso's homes were timeshares and therefore illegal. "Simply calling them co-ownership arrangements does not change that fact," he wrote.

Pacaso feverishly disagrees with all of this. People who buy into Pacaso homes “are not transients: they are people staying in homes that they own,” Tooze told Motherboard. “These families make a significant investment in their home, pay property taxes, and plan to return to their home time and time again throughout the year.”

"I'm worried about family farms coexisting with Pacaso. They are going after single-family homes."

In response to the St. Helena letter, Pacaso took aggressive action and sued the city. (The lawsuit is still pending, although a judge ruled partially in the city's favor in July.)  Because so many cities have timeshare ordinances similar to St. Helena's, both sides seem to understand the stakes of the suit. "If they lose that, that blows up their entire business model," Day said.

In Malibu, Ahern and LaBonge have already found life next to a Pacaso home frustrating. The trash cans often don't get taken out, and the house has been left unattended with security gates open for days at a time, LaBonge said. Workers park on their property and leave equipment there too. ("One morning, I open up the garage, and there's a ladder right smack in the middle of my driveway," LaBonge said.)  The three homes sit close together along the Pacific Ocean, and Ahern is worried about evidence of a hole in the Pacaso home's seawall.

"We're all intertwined with each other, and if you have one clunky neighbor, you're screwed," Ahern said. "If their seawall goes, my seawall goes, Bobby's goes, Billy's goes, Hilton's goes, Diane Warren's goes. Everybody goes because it's one contiguous seawall."

"You lose your seawall, you lose your septic tank, your septic system goes out on the beach, they red-tag your house, and then you can't live in it," he added.

Bobby LaBonge says the trash next door is often not taken out since it was purchased by Pacaso. (Photo credit: Bobby LaBonge)

Tooze, the Pacaso spokesperson, said inspectors assessed the property between Ahern and LaBonge, including the seawall; the company verified the “proper permits had been obtained for past renovation work”; and that Pacaso will continue to inspect the seawall and other major structural aspect of the house every year. (The company also said it “would not make sense” for them to overpay for homes like the one in Malibu.)

To deal with neighbors’ issues, the company recently decided to institute a "local liaison" who could serve as a "dedicated point of contact'' for residents near Pacaso homes. Pacaso said it hires "full-time, local employees” who “typically have 7-10 years experience in a service-operations role” to manage their homes and serve as a point person for neighbors. The company says these employees are available to the homeowners and broader community every day of the week.

For a long time, LaBonge had no idea who to contact because Pacaso never reached out to him, he said. The workers are young and drive Range Rovers and often tell Pacaso's neighbors that the company has "enough money to take care of any problem," Ahern said, which annoys him and LaBonge. "Money can't fix stupidity when the waves come in and you've got a hole in your seawall that should have been fixed,” Ahern said.

During the reporting of this article, Pacaso suggested Motherboard talk to customers the company provided to us, both of whom unsurprisingly expressed their satisfaction with the service. One of them, Chris Lim, ended up selling his property to Pacaso after a bit of synchronicity. One day at a coffee shop in Palm Springs, where Lim owned an entire second home, he saw Allison, whom he knows from working in real estate. Lim asked Allison what he was doing in Palm Springs, and Allison told him he was starting Pacaso.

"We are not NIMBYs; we are against the idea that they can come in with this idea of their LLC and circumvent our local zoning ordinances."

Lim had been renovating the property since he bought it in 2016 and was preparing to start opening it up to friends, and Allison asked him if he’d ever be interested in selling the house to Pacaso and keeping some shares for himself. He was. Since then, some of Lim’s own friends have bought shares in his Pacaso house, and Lim says traveling to his property has become much more relaxing since Pacaso employees took over the day-to-day maintenance.

“Normally when I go to a property, I end up working half the time,” said Lim, who also owns a second home in Lake Tahoe. “It's nice to actually be able to go and enjoy the home.”

Since Nkem Ogbechie, 42, and his wife closed on a share of Pacaso home in Malibu, they’ve had a positive experience as well, he said. The family’s full-time residence is in Santa Rosa Valley, about 45 minutes from the home in Malibu, and they decided to go in on the property after spending so much time traveling to various California beach towns during the pandemic. He said at least one other family has purchased a share of the home, but they’ve had “no meaningful interaction” with them outside of an introductory call. Cleaners tidy up in-between, and the property manager has been “very responsive.”

Ogbechie, who is an executive at a large public biotech company, has also enjoyed spending time with his neighbors, drinking wine, sitting on the beach, and talking about cars, he said.

Even still, the neighbors have made clear they’d prefer if a single family lived next door.

Grisanti, the Malibu mayor, has also been a real estate broker for over 40 years, and he foresees issues for the company that he expects might make it "doomed to failure."

"Partnerships don't tend to work very well, in my experience. There's always somebody who feels that somebody else has taken advantage and used everything up," Grisanti said. He said everyone has gone to a ski rental and found themselves frustrated by how the last tenant left it. (Not everyone has, but the point stands nonetheless.)

As with everything else, Pacaso has a response to that. In-between stays, the house is “thoroughly inspected and cleaned, and any maintenance issues are logged and resolved,” Tooze said. To help resolve disputes, Pacaso said it takes care of minor repairs like fixing a dishwasher and otherwise provides oversight. Trying to figure out how the many potential inter-owner dynamics are handled more specifically, I asked the Pacaso spokesperson if an owner was allowed to rearrange  the furniture if they so pleased.

“Pacaso takes great measures to ensure that each home is professionally appointed with respect to functionality, durability, and design aesthetics,” Tooze replied. “If owners would like to change specific details about the home, such as redecorating, a change in design, or a home upgrade, they collectively vote on whether to make that change.”

And how many homes has the world's fastest-growing unicorn filled up entirely so far?

 "We don't disclose this number, but I can tell you that hundreds of families across the U.S. are enjoying second-home co-ownership thanks to Pacaso," the spokesperson replied.

Tech ‘Unicorn’ Pacaso Is Turning Homes Into LLCs and Pissing Off the Neighbors syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

[pizza4homeless-blog]

Are You Currently Charged With Open Container And A DUI in Texas?

The Condition of Texas prohibits the usage or possession of alcoholic beverages in the passenger part of almost any vehicle while over the public street or rear of the people street.    Just the man owning the container is going to be billed with a breach soon probably likely, however, whether there aren't any passengers, then the motorist will undoubtedly more quickly likely be charged.  In case the drink comprises one particular half of alcohol or more by volume, it's believed alcohol plus can be prohibited so long as the container remains open the seal broken, or the contents are partially eliminated.   His testimonials are seen on AVVO plus he'll set his expertise to perform for you. 

If you're convicted of owning an open container, then two things will likely probably be inserted into a Texas driver's license.   In the event you collect 15 or more points in 2-4 months, then your permit is going to be frozen for a single yr.   Additionally, you will be at the mercy of a fine of around $200. If you're stopped for a traffic violation along with the police-officer finds out an open container in the passenger space, he'll undoubtedly soon likely probably be on increased alert to just about almost every clues which you may be a diminished motorist.   The limousine open container law texas can also bring about the passenger part of one's car to scent from alcoholic beverages, and even the officer may feature for your requirements personally.  Also, an open container fee strengthens their state's case from you individually at a Texas DUI circumstance, as the open container has been further signs you had, actually have been ingesting in addition to shows that disregard for regulations and also reckless behavior. If you're below the age of 2 1 and charged for owning an open container while operating a motor automobile, you can deal with a permit suspension for a period of one hundred twenty days without a limited-use driving license.  If you had been only a passenger at the car, however, were needing an open container, then you also might face an in Possession bill as well as an open container breach.

The Open Container Regulations at Texas Defined at Length:

Regulations don't connect with some traveler at the passenger part of the car made, managed, or utilized chiefly for the transport of persons for reimbursement or even at the quarters of the vehicle or residence trailer.   It follows that travelers at a cab, limo bus or bus are all free to swallow alcohol in your automobile. Regulations create an exclusion for open wine bottles purchased in a cafe which were resealed.  O.C.T.X § 3-6-4 supplies that"any cafe that's accredited to offer alcoholic drinks for consumption within the assumptions can enable a patron to remove a bottle of wine a patron for ingestion premises, in the event the patron has bought meals and swallowed a section of the jar of wine that continues to be purchased within the assumptions with these kinds of dinner within the cafe's assumptions. A partially consumed wine bottle which would usually be always to become taken off the assumptions needs to be rigorously discharged from the licensee or its employees ahead of removing from your premises.  The partly consumed wine will likely be set in a tote or a container that's fastened such a way it is apparently evident in the event the bottle was opened or tampered with, and also a dated receipt to its jar of dinner and wine will soon be given from the licensee and also attached with the container.  If hauled into a motor automobile, the bowl with all a resealed wine bottle will likely be put at a sealed glove compartment, either a secured back, or so the spot behind the last upright seat of the car which isn't designed with a rear. " The Texas legislature has been passed in reaction to national needs.    2 3 USC 154.

In case a country doesn't adhere to all the Federal application conditions, then a part of this nation's federal-aid freeway building capital will likely probably be redirected into their nation's Department 402 State and Community Highway Safety Grant system.   To abide by Department 154, Texas's open container law needs to prohibit both the ownership and ingestion of any alcoholic drink vessel over the passenger section of an automobile, for example, unlocked glove compartment along with some other spot readily provided from the passengers or driver even though seated.  Regulations need to affect each of open alcoholic beverage along with most of the alcoholic drinks like wine, beer, and distilled spirits which comprise half of a single percentage or even more of alcohol by quantity.

It has to employ to all automobile occupants apart from people constructed, managed, or utilized chiefly for transport of folks for either reimbursement or perhaps even the living quarters of Motorhomes.   Regulations need to also employ to vehicles onto the public street or right of a people street.   And in the end, laws can't call for probable reason that some other breach was perpetrated earlier enabling police of their open container legislation.  

The Department 154 application has been passed the response to rising problems regarding alcohol involvement in automobile crashes across the nation.   Automobile crashes are the leading cause of death for men aged two through 3 3, and whereas just 6 percent of accidents have alcoholic beverages, forty-one percent of those fatal crashes demand using booze.  NHTSA. To exemplify the potency of the hazard of street financing appropriation, believe that in 2001, Texas handed a bill to toughen its open container legislation and also conform to all the Federal software.   The Texas household then tried to bring a"trash man modification" to shield those who amass cans out of the face of the trail to get recycling intentions from getting billed under the law, however, also the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration delivered their nation a letter expressing the change was"too extensive and (had been ) inclined to undermine the open container limits from Texas's regulation "  Their country of Texas dropped to reduce 8-4 million dollars in federal highway financing annually and 212 million bucks during the following five decades when it failed to fortify its driving and drinking legislation.   Fundamentally this has been too good a hazard, and also the"trash man change" was taken off to fit certain needs of Department 154.  http://angiespy.tumblr.com

The Condition of Texas is among just seven countries which don't own legislation forbidding the ownership of an open container at a community location.  But, regional authorities have passed ordinances banning open bottles of liquor from the people.    Savannah lets the purchase and ingestion of an alcoholic drink to the avenue when it's in an open plastic-cup of more than 16 ounces.  The metropolis of Alpharetta handed an ordinance enabling patrons to drift from organizations with one beverage at your fingertips over its downtown area. Just plastic cups than 16 oz are all enabled.   The town of Carrollton also has declared legislation recently as 2012 making it possible for open up containers as long as the drink has been brought in a small company within the district.  Even the City Manager Casey Coleman instructed the everyday Report that the rule wouldn't apply to booze bought out the area as"that isn't Savannah."  

http://lefreaklonely.tumblr.com

http://crows-talon.tumblr.com

[rosheendubh]

Me goofing around with horrid photo edits...

Scene—some deep cavern on some planet somewhere in some quadrant/sector of the galaxy...

*Rhyanon ferch Garwyn (daughter of the Danu and Fomori, survivor of the massacre of Geis, planet in the outer Rim Worlds-The Deep)—wherein, a wormhole rediscovered with the fall of Coruscant, opens a portal across light years—The events of Geis, prompted by Palpatine’s ceaseless quest to find the ultimate tool of dominion, in an ancient/advanced technology that can dissolve/transcend the limits of matter/space/time, requires a key to uncovering it’s existence—on the eve of the FirstDeathStar’s demise, Imperial intelligence enacting first contact, enlists the unsanctioned aid of Reaver raiders residing on the other side of the wormhole, to apprehend, and destroy any opposition, to obtaining the source of the sought after key to locate/control said ancient treasure of mastery—a technology of Keltia’s advanced bio-kinetic and psionic traits inherent in the myriad peoples of Danu/Fomor/Coroniad populating the Keltic star systems—in the resultant slaughter and planetary destruction that targets Rhyanon’s sister, Rodon, and leaves Rhyanon a hostage to the Imperium, a girl barely into adolescence, child of Keltia, comes of age, trained as a courtesan and healer in service to the emperor, with the powers unique to her people, what’s understood as the Force, her people have utilized for millennia as Druid/Ban-Druid, a meta-physical aspect of evolution kin to all sentient beings in varied ways-Rhyanon able to manipulate the very molecules of genes enhanced by nanotech, mind altering the matter of life, a property Palpatine hoped to exploit, and extend his own life against the inevitability of time-with his death at Endor (not slain by Luke, but by another occupant from that far-distant quadrant across the wormhole, Sorsha ny Galida, pilot and assassin of the Hashisayan, sent in vengeance for the massacre of Geis, who takes up service with the Rebellion in the years leading up to Endor, becomes Luke’s lover for a time, her duty to slay Palpatine ends her own life as well, allows Luke to rescue his father, and leaves with a searing loss and bitterness at Sorsha’s death...no sanitized/Tolkien version of space opera, but the Game of Thrones version of space opera...sex/death/angst/Ewoks Sacrificed to the Sith, you know, that kind of thing...also, Anakin survives, but as Sith-though not wholly dark anymore-Limb regeneration restoring his mutilated body from years before, restoring damaged organ tissue as well/ liberating him from the machinery that had twisted his soul/in his own conflicted soul, he seeks solitude for a time, meshed in Sith mysteries, later emerging to take up the faltering Imperial hegemony in a galaxy quickly changing with the shifting tides of power and alliance wrought by the wormholes discovery—also, I sort think Jorah would make lovely, older-Seasoned Anakin/humanized DarthVader...), and the later occupation of Coruscant, Rhyanon, now free, but stranded from her home system, escapes Coruscant to a forgotten planet called Dathomir, where she spends 4 yrs amongst the ‘Witches’, and endearing herself to the aged garrison of stromtroopers who’ve largely settled themselves almost the indigenous civilians, attempting to design the specs of a cruiser able to withstand the stresses of inter-space travel via wormhole so she might r/t her home—timeline is a generation the after the fall of the CurtainWall, under the reign AeronAiobhell, and the war of the 3 Star systems of the Formori/Coraniads/Danu, which results in establishing contact with the long lost Terran Confederacy-when NewRepublic scouts uncover the forgotten base of Dathomir, Luke/Leia/Han arrive to investigate, and resulting ultimate conflict, Luke ends up pursuing Rhyanon as she attempts to flee off-planet, only to get shot down, and then sparring with said Jedi that he only just manages to subdue/apprehend her to custody-her background get revealed eventually with her origins/controversial association with Palpatine/her involvement with Imperial machinations/healing talents a useful propaganda piece to balance imperial charity with oppression/her pursuit of those who’d murdered her sister years before/knowledge of the wormhole and Keltia/affiliated star systems beyond...

*Luke, Leia, Han—way alternate canon involving Star Wars up through original Zahn trilogy, and absolutely nothing of NJO, other than Dathomir...NewRepublic and Imperial conflict abounding...and the Jedi legacy is more kin to how I’d envision a neo-Samuri warrior-philosopher-scholar class/w/o any sort of strong, centralized organization, but a loosely affiliated branching of individuals adhering to a central ideology of practice and belief, where Light and Dark, as Luke comes to realize, are complimentary and opposing forces at once, both necessary in a dynamic, variegated reality of existence...

*Some twisting of StNG—the new Picard series with Firefly/Serenity after the events following the discovery of Miranda, leaving RiverTam with one more secret embedded in memories—planets inhabited by colonizers of Earth that Was/Old Terra to the Kelts, like New Cordova—based off an interstellar version of al-Andalus, desert planet/glittering cities/enlightened Islamic philosophies combined with Hindu pantheism—why not?

*chimersized hybrid creature of genetic engineering/biomolecular and cyber-temporal existence-Reavers/Experiment of Miranda/Clone Wars had been previous failed examples of/Empire  again aspires, under Thrawn, to enhance and perfect these experimental creatures shaped out of matter and time w/with micro-psionetic talents and technologies kin to certain sentients—Rhyanon and her lineage in particular, amongst other humanoid life...creatures grew dangerous/uncontrollable to existing technologies b/c of arcane/mutated sequences coded into their cyber-genetic makeup, but if they could be harnessed once more, would offer a matchless weapon to establish dominion across the Star-systems

—Bases on theory of 13Treasures of Prydain/4 Treasures of Ireland—Weapons of Lugus/Cauldron-Grail-Cosmic Tree some sort of nexus of existence between time and matter and space, touched by mind and flesh

—Gathered In subterranean/nebulous world of an ancient gas giant dissipating into cosmic forces slowly, A web of light around a sphere or a plexus of darkness/a well of shadow/power source of some kind/gathered cooperative onlookers-Han/Leia/Luke/Picard w/new crew/Mal/The Operative dude/Simon/River ‘n crew, all gaze in astonishment at the ethereal amorphous quantum entanglement-Rhyanon approaches to Luke’s alarm and her answering reassurance sensing the key to what they’re seeking lies in reaching into that atomic cluster feeling its currents resounding in her mind/River mentions this was the missing puzzle piece in her mind/the last secret of Miranda/mutters a puzzling lyric of *7 above and 7 below, 3 and 4 and 3 once more, 12 there were in warp and weft, till all dissolved and nothing’s left*/looks at Rhyanon bright/steady/*Can you see it* It’s not me they need-you’re the key they’re after/Rhyanon puts her hands about the coruscating globe of cloud and light and dark/rivers of light shimmer and steam through her veins/tracks of the nanotech enhancing inherent ability sequenced into her neural plexus as a child/at her contact an eruption of light blossoms like a lotus into a thousand branched tree formed out of a cone of darkness and well swallowing and emitting light and shadow simultaneously/Yana at its core/strands and shards of scintillating electromagnetic spectra flowing through and about her person/suspended off the ground by the rivers of light stream outwards in a dancing array that loops and weaves around the gathered company/touching flesh/sampling of matter and spirit/eliciting varying reactions of delight/awe/astonishment/suspicion/resignation or wary caution/Leia in wonderment/face aglow seeing Han’s eyes light up as he tries slapping away a glittering sparkle flitting about his nose/*What is this.*/Simon-hushed reply as he watches River dance about the forest of branching threads like a mystical sea creature or a bird taken wing amongst droplets of a rainbow, her laughter joined by Kaylee who keeps knotting photonic loops about his shoulders and send up a silvery thread in a spiral bringing them together in an embrace he only hesitates for a moment, halos surrounding them, Merging and splitting and merging again/Operative dude watches River in awe, saying at the same time Simon utters/*The mind-/-of a god/Luke finishes for them/his own mind familiar with the heightened awareness to realms felt and sensed but not seen/but what this anomaly opens is something beyond even his own expanded awareness/bound to Rhyanon before this and acutely aware of the Other—ethereal and ancient power flowing and flooding her sense—not drowning her/too much of her own consciousness keeping this otherness that seems to understand the vehicle of her soul as a medium/channel of communication/she looks on him with a gaze like a thousand suns/he approaches her drawn to rippling purity as she turns like a leaf or floating seed on wind/strands of light shifting to place her gently to the dark floor/palm raised to his/hands encased in light/enchantment in his eyes, alight like fire beneath the vast depths of ocean worlds/*I saw the summer stars fall in your eyes once/*to which he says/memories touching him from beyond a single life/and I promised you a palace in the heavens/the auras of light about each their forms melding and rising into a into a spiraling dance of motion and impossible beauty/*creatures of light we are, not this crude matter/he hears as their lips meet, he hears his old Master’s words even as River’s sweet clear voice, reach out into the glittering void they all inhabit/*We’re Children of Earth and Starry sky*/twirling about the ribbons of light curving about her leaping and spinning form as she circles the Operative with a laugh, aims a strand of winding brilliance to Inara and Mal/her smile a divine blessing as Picard, with the lovely android who shares in her own way of biology and technology coalesced into something novel and familiar, reshaping life’s elemental foundations, quotes an old poem of Earth that Was—still is apparently—*Blake quote*—infinity in a grain of sand/eternity in an hour/Leia*Like the stories across so many sentient cultures, of gods that 

[adrenalineguide]

Kia Niro EV SX Touring: To EV or Not to EV

Words and Pics By Michael Hozjan

As I write this, the Quebec Government decreed to ban the sale of gas powered cars by 2035. While I love electric vehicles, I don’t like being told what I can and cannot buy.

The population is surprisingly quickly embracing Electric Vehicles. For the first quarter of this year EVs accounted for 3.8% of light vehicles sold in Canada, up from 3% in 2019 and 2% in 2018. I’ve seen three of my friends make the switch. All of them reside in Quebec where the provincial EV subsidy is the highest in Canada - $8,000, combined with the $5,000 federal subsidy and the EVs are starting to look mighty attractive. Ontario’s premier, Doug Ford pulled a Donald Trump move and axed the rebate leaving BC as the only other province with a subsidy program.

Happily the selection of EVs is growing, and includes some major players, most noticeably the Tesla, Chevrolet’s Bolt, Hyundai’s Kona EV and Nissan’s Leaf. Not to be left out is a vehicle I’ve been waiting to get my hands on for a while – the Kia Niro EV. Having driven and fallen in love with the hybrid rendition I was curious to see how the EV would to stack up. The hybrid hits the mark in all the right spots; it’s a smartly styled practical wagon with ample cargo and people room with creature comforts, is reasonably priced and of course there’s Kia’s warranty. Pre-rebate pricing for the Niro EV starts at $46,905 for the base EX model and jumps to $56,405 for the SX Touring, more on this later.  

Thankfully the EV takes nothing away from the hybrid other than the gas powerplant. Go power is supplied by a single electric motor generating 201 horses and 291 lb-ft of torque, propelling the front wheels through a single speed reduction gear transmission. It’ll send the wagon down the road from 0 to 100 kph in just under seven seconds. That’s Veloster Turbo and Civic Si territory kiddies! Now you know why I like EVs.

Trims

Typically Kia, even the entry-level EX comes well equipped with heated side mirrors, automatic headlights, a 7-inch digital driver display, electronic stability control and a rear-view camera. Upgrading to the EX Premium adds an 8-way power driver’s seat, heated front buckets and rear bench, a power sunroof, wireless charging, a larger 10.25” display, premium Harmon Kardon sound system, smart cruise, LED headlights, chrome trim plus a slew of driving aides. To say your getting your dollar’s worth would be an understatement.

Above and below: The 10.25 inch screen is full of helpful info including distance to the nearest charging station. 

On the Road

I’ve already mentioned the Niro EV’s quick acceleration times, but, as Bogart would say, “Don’t amount to a hill of beans” if you can’t put it on the ground, and the Niro does just that. There’s a well-balanced, solid feel, it’s nimble around town yet takes to the lakeside twisties with complete composure. The batteries and the low position of the electric motor means a lower center of gravity, which translates to better handling.  The regenerative braking isn’t overpowering so you don’t feel like you’re being pulled back when you step on the binders.

You can actually modulate the brake regeneration through the steering wheel paddles. There are three levels with Level 3 slowing you down and recharging hard enough when you let off the pedal that you rarely have to use the brake. It takes some getting used to and I suspect the novelty will wear off quickly.  

The Greenhouse

The attractive blue pin striping that we find on the Niro’s lower front grille draws you inside with blue piping on the seats.  Those seats are comfortable while holding you firmly in place. Compared to my buddy’s Tesla Model 3 the Niro is quieter.  The dash and controls are well laid out and the interior is a mix of soft touch plastic and shiny black piano plastic. It all works together to give the dash a clean uncluttered appearance. 

There’s a heat pump to prevent range loss when you’ve got the heat turned up and a driver only climate control button to save on heat, which I noticed only after I lost heat in the cabin for about ten minutes. 

There’s a generous amount of head and legroom for front seat occupants and while the adults in the back may enjoy the headroom thanks to the wagon’s roof, but a raised floor to compensate for the battery makes foot/legroom best left to the kiddies.  Cargo space with the rear bench up beats the Tesla Model 3 (18.5 cu.ft. to 15 cu.ft.) fold the back seat flat and cargo room blows to 53 cu.ft.

Above: Kia smartly put the recharge plug in the front of the vehicle allowing easy access to all types of stations.

The all-important Charge Times

The Niro shares its 64.0 kWh Lithium Ion Polymer battery pack with its corporate cousin, the Kona EV and sibling Soul EV. It beats the Nissan Leaf’s and Tesla Model 3’s for bragging rights of 385 km range when fully charged. The battery can be recharged using either a 120-volt or 240-volt connection, but the two connections offer drastically different charge times. On a 240-volt connection, the car can be recharged in about nine hours. You’ll need to equip your castle with a 240V outlet. I had no such luck, reverting to the 120-volt trickle charge meant waiting days to get it back to full charge. (See photos)

Petro Canada saw the writing on the wall a couple of years back and had the foresight to install Level 3 fast chargers. They can be found along the 401 in the Montreal - Toronto corridor and the Niro has an in dash direction finder to your nearest charging station. While I didn’t get the opportunity to test them, the owner of my local Petro Canada and host to several Adrenaline Klassic Kar Shows, in Les Cedres, Quebec tells me that the battery should be fully charged in about 20 minutes, or the time it takes to sit down for a fast food meal.

Quebecers also have the option of the 3,000 plus public charging stations of the Circuit Electric (Electric Circuit) infrastructure network that’s scattered around the province. A free mobile app helps locating them. But buyer be ware, if you’re not a member the costs can add up rather quickly. Similarly the U.S. has ChargePoint Level 2 charging stations.   Like gas pump prices, the cost of charging can vary between different EV charging stations and networks.

Conclusion:

While EVs are a lot better than what they were just a few years ago, their biggest hick up remains fast charging times. I can not see myself stopping repeatedly for 20 to 30 minutes on my way to Detroit or New York and back. Hence my preference for the internal combustion engine - QC government or not. On the plus side with a 385 km range on a full charge means you are good for three or four days of normal commuting before you need to fill it up.

If you’re looking to move into EVs do yourself a favor, and take a Niro EV for a spin. You’ll be surprised by the all around maturity of the Niro. Yes my tester’s price was up there, but it has all the right goodies and with provincial and federal incentives the sticker shock (no pun intended) is lessened.  

[ilenetroup480]

List Building Tip  - Start Building A List These Days

Search engine optimization for a chiropractor means that you have done the work essential to achieve a top Google rank in your city. It means that when a possible new affected person does a search for a chiropractor in your city, they discover your workplace at the top of the search outcomes. So how do you accomplish this? Often, multiple applications operating in the background can drain out your smartphone's or pill's battery. Although, there are debates more than this topic, it is better to stay on the safer side and quit the device from storing too numerous apps in its memory. More than a period of time, you will GSA verified list arrive to know whether or not this assisted you in saving the battery life of your gadget. Beliefs do shape our thinking and steps/behaviors. Many of the beliefs we maintain in our mind are self-restricting and will hold us back till we attempt new types rather. GSA Search Engine Ranker verified list However, your self-limiting thoughts will at first trigger you resist the new designs of thinking. Here's a GSA verified list work at house rip-off - We have noticed your resume on Monster and really feel you would match our position. If you are intrigued, please go to our website, look over the experience needed and submit your resume if you have this background. Web site is professional looking, provide appears good - but it could be a rip-off. Everyone concerned in Web Marketing understands that link developing is an important component of achievement. There are numerous link developing tools accessible on the marketplace, and the list will carry on to grow as long as incoming links are so important to the life blood of an online existence. You can develop the links to your web site yourself, use link developing software program or outsource the entire occupation. Using that technique you could avoid you getting to spend for a hosting account. You just use the facility of getting AWeber host your optin type which is build inside AWeber. this is then send straight to an affiliate provide. EBay consultants are accessible for advice and they even give totally free tip GSA verified list offs. Once you know how to sell on eBay and have checked out the eBay Neighborhood, your head will be buzzing with new company ideas. The initial thing you need to do in this kind of a situation is verify to see if there are any logical factors for this spike. For instance, was there some media coverage on your industry that would trigger an increase in queries for your keywords? There can be completely affordable explanations for unexpected visitors spikes. Did you encounter an increase in GSA verified list revenue? This is an additional great indicator of real visitors. If your sales correspond to your traffic everything ought to be good. Creating a list like "The Leading ten Cars On A Recall List" or "Top 5 Films That Suck" can easily get people's attention. If they discover your list compelling enough webmasters will link back again to that page so their friends and visitors can appreciate your viewpoint. Just produce a GSA verified list that is associated to your niche and watch the backlinks role in. The content material should usually be for common patronage. Do not take the opportunity of being banned from the site by posting adult material. There is a different venue for this. A video clip that is academic and educational is very best. It's called fall shipping. Merely put, a fall shipper is a distributor that will ship goods in single models GSA Search Engine Ranker verified list straight to your consumer in your name. The objective of this post is not to convince you to start a fall transport company but to give you pointers on how to start correct and steer clear of common pitfalls. Local news outlets - If your company is based in Los Angeles, you're most likely not heading to make into the LA Occasions, but if you are in West LA, you stand a great opportunity of getting a link from the Argonaut. Discover the nearby information supply in your neighborhood. Is your company planning a big community services event? Invite a reporter! Did you just launch an amazing new web site?! Let them know how your company is growing. Get that link! Ezine publishers and web site proprietors often go to post directories to discover content to publish in their ezine or on their web site. If an ezine publisher with a GSA verified list of 10,000 subscribers publishes your article you'll get a ton of subscribers to join your list. There's a little bit of competitors out there when it arrives to affiliate marketing. If you are promoting a popular program, you can be certain that you will face some competitors out there. How can you be certain that your web site visitors or list associates will buy through your affiliate link? The answer lies in incentives. If you want to get Mitsubishi Raider Insurance coverage, you can get guidance from a trustworthy monetary advisor. After all, there are so numerous vehicle insurance coverage companies and companies that your mind can just get boggled. That is why you should look at numerous policies and determine what would suit you the best.

[coopdigitalnewsletter]

4 Mar 2020: Coronavirus. Insurance: Ford’s black box. Amazon goes big.

Hello, this is the Co-op Digital newsletter - it looks at what's happening in the internet/digital world and how it's relevant to the Co-op, to retail businesses, and most importantly to people, communities and society. Thank you for reading - send ideas and feedback to @rod on Twitter. Please tell a friend about it!

[Image: New Scientist/Alfred Pasieka/Science Photo Library]

Coronavirus: making supply networks visible

UK Government published its COVID-19 plan, which says that up to a fifth of UK workers could be off sick at any one time in the “reasonable worst case”. If that happens there will obviously be strain on systems: you’ll see 

“population distancing strategies (such as school closures, encouraging greater home working, reducing the number of large-scale gatherings) to slow the spread of the disease throughout the population, while ensuring the country’s ability to continue to run as normally as possible.”

That might also mean key parts of the public sector need to prioritise the most essential services, so NHS, social care, emergency services etc may see some streamlining. 

What are big tech firms doing? Amazon is banning non-essential travel. Twitter is encouraging staff to work from home and Google is trying out a work-from-home day in Ireland to test its preparedness. (Amazon is also trying to stop people selling face masks at hugely inflated prices on its platform.)

Very practically: it might seem suspiciously simple, but handwashing with soap is still the best thing to do, because soap is good at ripping apart the fatty envelope around the virus. Some measured “preparing” is probably sensible and helpful because it introduces a little slack into the health and food systems. The wider community benefits because the case load on the healthcare system is spread out over time the. (For the avoidance of doubt, this newsletter is *not* advising anyone to immediately put their camouflage bandana on and barricade themselves into their homes. And nor are public health experts, who are the people to actually listen to.) 

It looks like the virus will make visible some of the things that modern life works hard to keep invisible. Critical national infrastructure - chief medical officers, scientists - explain the situation and the plan. And supply chains also become more visible: if consumer electronics become more expensive, you might get a sense of that supply chain reaching back to China. But it isn’t a single chain, a linear path of supply along which money is swapped for things. It’s really supply *networks* - all the supply chains are entwined. If schools are shut, then there will be knock-on effects: a significant percentage of the workforce would be at home looking after children. This also means that if you wanted to avoid other people by staying at home and getting everything safely delivered to your house, well that still relies on Amazon's delivery people! The virus may eventually force everyone to think at the level of the community, rather than the individual.

Elsewhere: 

“GOV.​UK Notify just helped an NHS team set up a 2-way text messaging service for extreme-risk people to monitor and report Coronavirus symptoms. Took them a few hours, start to finish. Would've been impossible, even a couple of years ago. This is why platforms matter.”

Azeem Azhar wonders if coronavirus will force some political, economic and cultural adaptation upon society.

Insurance: Ford’s black box

Ford will offer drivers better insurance rates in partnership with Nationwide (a US insurer, not the UK mortgage provider). Insurance premia depend on how much you use the car, but also how you use it - drivers will be able to get up to 40% off if they drive safely. It’s one of the first driving telemetry solutions that doesn’t need a “black box” to be installed - the car is the black box. The catch for drivers: you need to be happy sharing your driving data with Ford and your insurer, and no doubt you need to be a safe driver.

Also in car insurance:

Young drivers “let down over insurance app faults” - Carrot uses phone data to measure braking and acceleration, but some say it often fails to work.

How we analyzed Allstate’s car insurance algorithm - data + code = new approaches to journalism.

Amazon goes big

Amazon has opened its first full size cashierless grocery store in Seattle - Go technology at 5,000 product lines in 10,000 sq ft size. (And here’s someone’s inevitable “can we fool the sensors and steal a banana” piece.) You shouldn’t necessarily see this story as Amazon going bigger now that it has *perfected* Go. There will probably be many more experiments with technology, format, size, inventory, location and everything else. Amazon is the experiment machine.

Elsewhere in supermarkets:

Walmart's click-and-collect offering is doing well - 37% growth in US ecommerce (which covers both click-and-collect and delivered).

M&S Food will expand its fill-your-own-container scheme to Manchester after a successful trial in which half of the lines offered outsold their packaged equivalents.

Tesco puts 1,800 jobs at risk as it scales down in-store bakeries - on the other hand Waitrose is selling more bread!

Ridesharing: more pollution, more accidents

Two research reports find unexpected problems with ridesharing: 

ridesharing companies seem to generate 70% more pollution than the trips they displace.

ridehailing is associated with an increase of approximately 3% in the number of fatalities and fatal accidents, for both vehicle occupants and pedestrians. 

When your company started up in car culture’s home country, then naturally the solutions mostly look like… cars. Though this might be part of the problem.

Other news

Lloyds of London will insure crypto wallets - given the last decade of stories about cryptocurrencies and their wallets being hacked, you’d guess the premia will be quite big.

Kickstarter workers vote to form first union in US tech industry. 

Amazon primed to change the fashion industry in new TV series - Amazon’s first big fashion TV-meets-shopping cross-selling project.

Here is your heart-warming retail story: Italian IKEA store opens its doors to local stray dogs.

Co-op Digital news and events

How the Web team used the ‘top tasks’ approach to prioritise.

Sign up for The Federation newsletter!

Public events, most of them at Federation House:

Global Legal Hackathon Manchester - Fri 6 - Sun 8 Mar 4pm.

Digital City Festival - Mon 9 - Fri 13 Mar at venues across Manchester, several of them at Federation house.

Open Data Manchester: Black software (explores racial injustice & the professionals & hobbyists of color who helped build the internet) - Wed 18 Mar 6.30pm.

Returners/Re-trainers (about successful initiatives to create better routes for women returners/re-trainers) - Thu 26 Mar 11.30am

Internal events:

Targeted Marketing (CRM) and Data Ecosystem show & tell - Wed 4 Mar 3pm at Angel Sq 13th floor breakout.

Membership show & tell - Fri 6 Mar 3pm at Fed 6 kitchen.

Delivery community of practice - Mon 9 Mar 1.30pm.

Co-operate show & tell - Wed 11 Mar 2pm at Angel Sq 8th floor red core breakout.

Data management show & tell - Thu 12 Mar 2.30pm at Angel Sq 13th floor breakout.

Membership show & tell - Fri 13 Mar 3pm at Fed 6 kitchen.

More events at Federation House - and you can contact the events team at  federation.events@coopdigital.co.uk. And TechNW has a useful calendar of events happening in the North West.

Thank you for reading

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If you want to find out more about Co-op Digital, follow us @CoopDigital on Twitter and read the Co-op Digital Blog. Previous newsletters.

[fapangel]

President Trump is about to lift the Obama error ban on allowing the Police to getting and using military grade equipment and weapons. Is this a good thing or bad in your thoughts on this?

It’s good, because “militarization of police” has absolutely nothing to do with the equipment they use, because the difference between military and police is all about training, not toys. 

We’ve a ready example in the Chris Dorner manhunt, where a single ex-military man with a rifle drove the Los Angeles Police Department insane with terror. The LAPD were so terrified of this one man with a rifle that on two separate occasions they mag-dumped on civilians in pickup trucks that were the wrong model and color to be the suspect’s vehicle. One man was rammed off the road before LAPD officers riddled his vehicle with bullets, and two little old Hispanic ladies, who were driving away from the cops when the LAPD lit them up with over a hundred rounds.

The attacks that rattled the LAPD so badly that they were blowing away any civilian in a pickup truck that got within a hundred yards of them were described by Dorner himself as “unconventional asymmetric warfare,” (and indeed were.) For the military, which has been fighting urban/rural insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan for 16 years now, that’s also known as “Tuesday afternoon.” Soldiers operating road checkpoints have established procedures for flagging down vehicles, and when they open fire, they actually stop the vehicle and kill the occupants with swift and lethal efficiency. Few incidents illustrate the vast discrepency between trained military soldiers and police officers better than the Dorner incident, but the many errors of the fabled FBI raid on the Waco compound, where the Feds had all the time in the world to bring in specialized “shooters,” equipment and lay plans for an orchestrated assault, and managed to get four FBI agents - and every noncombatant in the compound - killed anyways is a close second. The cavalcade of planning fuckups in that raid are heartbreaking to read. There is absolutely no comparing civilian law enforcement and actual soldiers - which is often seen in reverse when governments try to use soldiers as police in various overseas “peacekeeping” operations. The military has their own dedicated branch of military police for a very, very good reason. 

Equipment vs. Mindset

A few years back MuckRock got tons of data via FOIA request on what equipment was distributed to which states - go ahead and look up your own state, if you’d like. The sample data in the MuckRock article (for Missouri) matches what I found for my own state - namely, the vast majority of things local PDs buy is the kind of stuff you buy at your local military surplus store - clothing, supplies and various odds-and-ends, not advanced electronics or weapons. Adverse-weather gear, magazine pouches, clothes, kneepads, scope rings, scope mounts, even filing cabinets make up the vast bulk of it. This shouldn’t be a surprise - most of what any Police Department spends is on boring essentials like these. They already have guns, because Law Enforcement has always had access to the same vendors that supply the military. All they get from this program is a bargain. 

And what a bargain. A tremendous amount of caterwauling and hand-wringing was done over local PDs buying surplus MRAPs, but police departments have always had armored personnel carriers - they’re called SWAT tanks. A SWAT Tank has exactly one job - to drive a bunch of highspeedlowdragoperatorz from the “road” end of the driveway up to the house housing the “barricaded gunman.” Traditionally you have two options for buying these - pay a specialized company to up-armor an existing commercial vehicle, which is very expensive (this Nat. Geo documentary shows the process in detail,) or buy an actual military APC that’s also offered in disarmed “law enforcement” models from a major arms manufacturer (even more expensive.) The MRAPs, however, are worn-out from service in Iraq and Afghanistan (which is why Iraq got so many of them free; they weren��t worth the cost to ship home,) and the military is eager to be rid of the rest, as they’re useless for anything outside of their specialized role and all the armor makes them a maintenance hog. Local PDs, however, are going to leave them in a garage most of the year, and these vehicles come with stuff like built-in night vision that would cost your average PD more to buy alone than they’re paying for the entire vehicle. 

This applies to everything else available through the program. Police have always used grenade launchers of any kind employed by the military for deploying tear gas grenades, they’ve always been able to buy select-fire/fully automatic rifles and submachine guns, (many, like select-fire variants of Ruger’s Mini-14, were built and marketed specifically to Law Enforcement markets,) and of course most police wear body armor. PD’s have always been able to buy pretty much any weapon of mayhem or destruction they can justify, with the only limit being the budget - and many PDs have long had a penchant for buying fancy toys that spend most of their time collecting dust in an armory. 

The problem has nothing to do with equipment. Consider this picture of police officers from the Ferguson riots, helpfully labeled by Business Insider (fullres here:)

There’s only one piece of equipment in this photo that police rarely, if ever, have used in decades past. Not the short-barreled rifle - they’ve always had those, especially SWAT teams. Not the mag pouches - every cop has two of them on their duty belt. Kevlar helmets are standard-issue riot gear, and so are gas-masks, (for protection from their own tear-gas.) That’s all the same old shit.

The problem is the camouflage uniforms. 

Of everything in this picture, it’s the MARPAT camouflage that is completely useless for police officers standing on an urban street. Not only is there no woods to hide in, but the aim of a police officer, especially deployed for riot duty, is to be visible. Police uniforms are a visible symbol of their status as enforcers of law and order. These officers lined up outside of the Ferguson PD are a great example of riot gear combined with the visible uniform presence, with the man closest to the camera displaying the usual “uniform” of either SWAT or riot control - a simple single-color black outfit with patches on it. This Minneapolis Police statement concerning SWAT uniform color changes illustrates why - dark uniforms don’t blend into urban environments any better than anything else, but they do make the presence of body armor (almost always black-covered) less obvious to anyone that might be shooting at them. And even then, their vests say POLICE on them in Big White Letters. 

A reminder - SWAT teams are specialized shooters; armed and armored for full-on firefights - and even they subordinate tactical effectiveness of their outfits to some degree to maintain the symbols identifying them as enforcers of law and order. Even if they didn’t, they’d use purpose-made urban camouflage, not milsup MARPAT that does nothing (to say nothing of those coyote-brown combat boots.) 

That MARPAT camo is the visible symptom of the real problem - these police are playing as soldiers, which they’re most certainly not. The camo doesn’t just complete the “image” of a high-speed-low-drag-OPERATOR, it also works against the image of Enforcer Of Law And Order which has always been an integral part of how police keep the peace; by emphasizing their presence as a deterrent to would-be crime. Even riot control ops rely on this; the image of a uniform line of black-clad cops beating their batons on their shields like an advancing shield-wall of ancient warriors is potent and intimidating. Abandoning that image to drape themselves in military garb is the one tangible, equipment-related signifier of their shift in mentality. Even the uniforms would’ve meant nothing had the Ferguson PD not acted the way they did; running around in gaggles vaguely resembling “fire teams,” pointing rifles everywhere like kids playing soldier, rather than comporting themselves as riot control officers always have (with specific tactics, weapons and equipment meant for the job.) 

Hyperventilating over “military equipment” is a folly exclusive to people utterly ignorant of firearms and the distinctions (or rather, lack thereof) between them, and Obama’s cancellation of the program only shut off a cheaper source of vital mundane equipment needed by every department, and of serviceable SWAT rifles for the many, many small PDs that are trying to up-gun for possible response to active-shooter terrorist attacks with limited small-town budgets.

Mentality

Years ago, one of my family members was a beat cop in a local city PD. Whilst milling around outside of another Suspected Barricaded Gunman call, one of the SWAT team members scuttled over to a mud puddle in a pothole, dipped his fingers in, and started smearing his face with mud, for face camo. The nearby rubbernecker’s gaggle, observing this display on a balmy summer afternoon with nary a cloud in the sky, stared in silence before turning their baffled, questioning gazes, as one, onto my relative. 

He could only sigh, shrug, and say “Uh… they don’t get out much.” 

The urge to play Soldier is nothing new - just check out an airsoft event sometime if you doubt me - but the Dorner manhunt and the Waco mess exemplify the disasters that ensue when police officers mistakenly think they’re capable of doing a soldier’s job, or that police situations should be approached like they’re soldiers jobs. Arguing about where the police buy the same equipment they’ve always used will simply obfuscate the source of the problem, rather than solving it. 

Sheriffs are elected officials. If you don’t know who’s running your PD - and how - you should educate yourself. The power is in our hands - it’s about time we used it. 

[renesf]

Finally, An Exclusive Plan To Solve EDSA Traffic

Finally, An Exclusive Plan To Solve EDSA Traffic

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – They’ve tried almost everything to solve the nagging traffic problem on EDSA: coding, yellow lanes, banning single occupancy vehicles. They’re even trying to ban provincial buses along the entire stretch of the thoroughfare. To no avail.

Now, the technocratcs at the Manila Metropolitan Development Authority (MMDA) — with full backing…