The most fuel efficient 2010 cars and SUVs

The Daily Green has compiled a slide show of 2010 cars and SUVs that get over 30 miles per gallon. As we have pointed out before, going green doesn't necessarily have to cost you a bundle, and you will see that most of the vehicles cost about as much as other, less-efficient models.

Each slide contains a description of the car as well as a neat section that will highlight the fuel efficiency, the cost to drive 25 miles, and the annual emissions of each vehicle. Whether you are in the market for a compact, a family sedan, or a SUV, this list likely has something for everyone. Check it out here when you get a chance.

Green cell phone turns heads

Samsung's Reclaim cell phone is turning heads among those interested in sustainable technology. The phone is manufactured using 80 percent recycled materials and includes a standard energy-efficient charger.

In addition to being more sustainable than your average cell phone, the makers of the phone did a good job of making sure it would be "cool" enough to interest the typical cell phone user. The phone includes a slide-action QWERTY keyboard and sports one button links to popular website such as Facebook and Twitter. The Reclaim also comes preloaded with green and environmental tips.

For more information on this and other green phones, click here.

Lechmere Station relocation presentation and public discussion

As the MBTA begins to move forward with plans to relocate Lechmere Station as part of its Green Line expansion, many residents are concerned about the impact the relocation will have on the East Cambridge area as well as the preservation of the historic buildings that make up the current station.

The East Cambridge Planning Team, which is comprised of concerned citizens of the Cambridge and Somerville area, is hosting a presentation and public discussion on the subject of the Lechmere relocation on Wednesday, Oct. 14, from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the East End House on 105 Spring Street in Cambridge. The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss how to ensure that the new Lechmere Station does the best job possible of serving as a hub into the neighborhood. Specific topics will include pedestrian crossings of O'Brien Highway, preservation of current buildings, improving the new station's entrances and lobbies, and intregrating the station into the future North Point Street Grid.

Massachusetts makes plans to expand rail service

Massachusetts has signed an agreement with a freight company to purchase rail lines from
Boston to Worcester and New Bedford to Fall River. Once the Commonwealth owns the lines, it will become possible for the MBTA to offer increased service. Currently, freight trains have priority over passenger trains, which limits the times that the passenger trains can run.

Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray, who announced the agreement today, did not say how much the Commonwealth is paying for the lines or give any indication of a timetable for service changes along the lines.

“The Patrick administration is dedicated to improving freight and passenger rail system for the long-term health of our economy and our environment,” Murray told The Herald. “A vibrant rail network that serves both passengers and freight needs is an important part of our transportation system.”

For more info, check out the full story here.

The next-generation of car technology

This sounds like something out of those futuristic, sci-fi movies and almost too good to be true, but Korean researchers are working on technology that would allow electric cars to "hook" into induction strips and inverters buried in roadways to charge the electric battery in the car.

This would alleviate one of the major drawbacks of electric cars—something often referred to as "range anxiety." Currently, electric cars only have a range of about 100 miles before they need to be charged. This can cause a feeling of anxiety in drivers who are used to going 300 miles or more in between trips to the fuel station.

For more info on this as well as the latest on automated driving technology (Who wouldn't love a car that drives itself?), check out this story from The Daily Green.

City of Boston launches street repair tracking website

Ever wonder about the status of those requests you made to the mayor's neighborhood repair hot line? Well, the city is implementing a new tracking system that can be used online by the public to see what the status of the requests for any number of repairs is, from streetlight repairs to pothole fixes.

The main page of the website will provide a street-by-street view of the city. Each street will be marked with symbols indicating what is currently being fixed and also what needs to be repaired.

“It’s about transparency,” Bill Oates, the city’s chief information officer, told The Herald. “Ultimately, the expectation is all city services will be mobilized” and connected to the system.

For more info on the website, check out this story from The Herald.

Six tips for saving time, money, and stress in your commute

The Daily Green has some great tips today on how you can save time and money and cut a lot of the stress out of your daily commute.

An interesting fact in the article: It is estimated that 30 percent of workday traffic comes from parents dropping their children off of picking them up from school. Imagine how much congestion could be reduced if parents had their kids either take the school bus or walk or bike to and from school.

To read more about this tip and others, check out the full story on The Daily Green's website.

Government study suggests glaciers melting at an alarming rate

A 50-year government study has concluded that the world's glaciers are melting at a rapid and alarming rate.

The U.S. Geological Society has been tracking the movements of three benchmark glaciers, two in Alaska and one in Washington, since 1959. The three glaciers are considered benchmarks by the government because they are in different climate zones and at different elevations. The study is yet another argument that the world is warming at a rate more rapid that anyone expected. For more info on the study, check out this story from cnn.com.

So, what can we do to combat the earth's warming? It's simple, really, and your company wants to help. Your company offers benefits and incentives to encourage you to do things other than drive alone to work and use more eco-friendly methods such as carpooling, transit, or bicycling. If you have any questions about what commuter benefits are available to you, don't hesitate to contact your Transportation Coordinator.

State legislators criticize Governor Patrick over potential MBTA fare hikes

Several Massachusetts legislators said today in a press conference that they felt misled by the Patrick Administration because of the potential MBTA fare hikes. The legislators voted to increase the sales tax last month in part to help offset some of the state's transportation budget difficulties.

The lawmakers called the fare increases unfair, unjustified, and ill-advised. This news comes after the Patrick Administration bought out the contract of the MBTA general manager (also known as politely fired) and announced that any decision on the fare hikes would be put on hold until an internal review of the MBTA's finances is complete. The review is expected to be finished by November 1.

However, the workshops and public hearings on the fare hikes that were scheduled to begin today will still be held over the next few weeks. This would lead one to believe that the fare increase is still likely to occur in January as planned, but we can all hope that the state finds a better way to meet its budget deficit than raising more fares and/or taxes.

For more info on the news surrounding the fare hikes, check out this story from The Globe.

City releases more details of upcoming bike share program

As Boston city officials continue to work on plans for the nation's first bike share program that is set to begin next spring or summer, more details of the program are emerging.

For those who are not familiar with municipal bike share programs, the way they work is pretty simple. The city will place bike "stations" around the city (mostly at public transit stops and other attractions). Anyone who wants to rent a bike can pay to unlock it and rent it for a set amount of time. When the rider reaches their destination, they drop off the bike at another station to lock it back up.

As far as the new details, here's a quick run down. The city has said it plans to have 1,000 to 3,000 bikes available at stations around the area. The stations will be 300 to 400 yards apart.

Under one proposal, bikes could be rented for $2.50 for a single rental or $40 for a yearly membership. A rental would be good for 30 minutes, and the rider would have to pay an additional fee after 30 minutes. The reason for this is the fact that, in other cities, the average bike sharing trip is less than 30 minutes long.

For more information on the bike sharing program, check out this story from The Globe.

Honda announces production date for its CR-Z sports car hybrid

In 2007, Honda first introduced its hybrid sports car, the CR-Z, and said that its new models over the next several years would change the way people look at hybrids. Well, it's yet to be seen if the company will be successful with that goal, but the CR-Z is definitely something to look forward to.

This week, Honda announced that the car will go on sale in Japan in February and in the rest of the world later in 2010. The company is expected to announce specific launch dates for Europe and North America by the end of the year.

For more info on the sporty CR-Z, check out these stories from The Daily Green and Auto Blog Green. The Daily Green link includes videos of the car in action.

Funding for transit projects remains on shaky ground

The Globe is reporting today that MBTA and state administrators are tempering expectations on many public transportation projects, including the legally-mandated Green Line extension to Somerville and Medford.

Because of the MBTA's growing debt issues as well as current economic conditions, MBTA administrators are rethinking a number of other proposed projects, including a downtown Silver Line bus tunnel and the Blue Line extension to Lynn. Because the projects other than the Green Line extension are not legally-mandated, they will likely be pushed aside until the MBTA's financial situation improves.

Clean air regulations require the MBTA to extend the Green Line to Union Square and Tufts University by 2014. There have been proposals to extend the line even further, to Route 16, but extending the line that far is not legally required, and, therefore, not likely to happen in the first wave of the extension.

Hopefully, both the state and MBTA's financial situation improves enough where they can fund all of the worthwhile transit projects in a timely manner because public transportation goes along way towards reducing congestion, pollution, and the harmful effects of global warming.

MBTA releases more fare increase info

The MBTA has posted a booklet on its website detailing the fare increases that the transit agency has proposed. The booklet lists what the new fares will be for all services if the proposal is adopted. It also lists the dates for all rider workshops as well as the public meeting that is scheduled for August 27.

One thing to note is that while the MBTA is pushing the fare increase option, it is also listing service cutbacks (or a combination of both) as an option. However, officials at the agency have said that service cuts alone would not be enough to meet the budget deficit. If you think the service cuts would be a better option than increasing fares, then attending one of the rider workshops and/or the public meeting would be a good idea.

If the fare increases have you thinking about changing the way you commute to work, remember that there are other cost-effective and environmentally-friendly ways to commute to work. While we still believe that transit is a great way to commute to work, carpooling is also a great option. Remember to register in our ridematching database to see if there are other commuters that match your commuting patterns. The more people we have in the system, the more likely it is for everyone to find a good match. If you have any questions about your commuting options, don't hesistate to contact your Transportation Coordinator.

Gas prices tally largest one-week drop of 2009

The good news continues in regards to gas prices. AAA New England's survey of gas prices in the area revealed that prices are down for the third consecutive week. Furthermore, the three-cent drop from last week to this week is the biggest decrease of 2009.

AAA's July 13 survey found that the average price for a gallon of unleaded fuel in New England was $2.569. While this is about four cents above the national average, the current prices are more than $1.50 per gallon less than they were this week in 2008.

Despite the fact that gas prices are dropping, you can still save a good chunk of change by carpooling or taking transit to work. Your employer offers you incentives to use these methods to commute, and if you'd like more info on how you can save money on your commute, don't hesitate to contact your company's Transportation Coordinator.

T fares set to increase by almost 20 percent

T riders can expect the cost of their trips on public transit to increase by as much as 20 percent based on a proposal released today by MBTA administrators.

The proposal calls for a series of 13 public meetings where riders can voice their concerns about the increase before the proposal is voted on the by the MBTA's Board of Directors sometime in August. The increase is necessary because of the long-term debt problems facing the T, officials said. For every dollar that the agency collects in fees, 30 cents goes towards its debt.

Single rides on subway lines and buses will increase by either 30 to 50 cents. Monthly subway and bus passes will increase $10, and commuter rail passes will go up by as much as $31, depending on the zone the rider travels in.

While any increase is certainly bad news, the good news is that your employer offers benefits and incentives to encourage you to take the T to work and may even subsidize part or all of your monthly pass expenses. If you have any questions about what commuter benefits are available to you, click here for the contact info for your company's Transportation Coordinator.

Despite other tax increases, a gas tax hike could be coming

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed the commonwealth's 2010 fiscal year budget Monday that implemented numerous tax hikes, including increases in the sales, meals, hotel, and alcohol taxes.

However, there may be more bad news coming on taxes, as the governor hinted that the gas tax increase he has been pushing for may still happen. “We haven’t done that yet. We haven’t finished that work yet,’’ Patrick told The Globe, when asked if he would keep pushing for a gas tax. “And whether that’s the gas tax or something else, we’re going to have to face those issues, I think sooner rather than later.’’

An increase in the gas tax would add yet another item to the growing list of reasons to carpool, take transit, or bicycle/walk to work. Your company offers incentives and benefits to help you use these methods to commute to work. Send us an e-mail if you have any questions about them.

Mayor Menino to ban city workers from texting while driving

Boston city employees—including police officers, fire fighters, snowplow operators, and others—will be banned from sending text messages while driving city-owned vehicles under a proposal announced today by Mayor Thomas Menino.

Menino also helped with the launch of a new ad campaign, produced in conjunction with the Safe Roads Alliance, aimed at making drivers aware of the dangers of driving while texting on their cell phones.

This policy change as well as other proposed changes to state laws comes in the wake of the Green Line trolley crash at Government Center last month that injured dozens of people. The driver of the trolley admitted to texting his girlfriend moments before the crash occurred.

State legislators consider cell phone driving bans

The Massachusetts state legislature is considering over a dozen bills related to restrictions on cell phone use while driving.

The bills range from banning talking to texting to both, state officials said.

"Texting while driving has become the new drunk driving. You can tell someone is on their cellphone just by the way they're driving," said Representative Peter J. Koutoujian.

A House and Senate conference committee is currently working on a bill that will be acceptable to both houses of the legislature. For more info on the potential cell phone driving bans, check out this story from the Globe.

Number of speeding tickets on Pike increases

For those of you who drive over the speed limit on the Mass Pike (and most of us do), it may be wise for you to slow down a little.

The Herald reported today that speeding tickets on the Pike between January and March of this year increased by 23 percent from the same period last year. The fines start at $100 and go up from there, so these tickets can be very costly.

At the current rate, there will be more than 48,000 tickets written this year—over 130 per day.

State lawmakers and Pike drivers that the Herald talked to were quick to point out that this is likely just a method for increasing revenue for the state. While it's clear the increase is likely more related to the state's budget crisis than public safety, drivers still should be aware that if they speed on the Pike, there is a stronger likelihood they will be ticketed this year than in the past.

Toll-free holidays may be coming

A report released today on the massive, miles-long traffic jams over Easter weekend on the Mass Pike suggested that Pike officials implement a toll-free policy for parts or all of the day during holidays.

The report also suggested reversing the change in overtime policy that left some toll booths understaffed and adjusting the "wave-through" policy that requires toll takers to get the approval of the executive director of the Pike Authority before allowing drivers to pass through the tolls without stopping during traffic jams.

Pike officials have yet to comment on whether the suggestions of the report will be implemented, but hopefully some of them will be so another traffic mess, such as the one seen over Easter weekend, can be avoided.