Link: http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/article/85839

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Sep 13, 2007 - 03:13 PM

By Jeff Mitchell

DURHAM -- Looking for the answer to traffic safety in your youngsters' school zones?

You might want to take a look in the mirror.

That's the conclusion of a Durham traffic cop after a week-long back-to-school blitz resulted in hundreds of charges, many of them laid against people who were dropping their children off for the day.

"People need the reminder, obviously," said Sergeant Shaun Arnott.

"I think it's very important that we do that -- just to give people a tap on the shoulder."

During Operation In The Zone, officers fanned out across the region from Sept. 4, the first day of school, until Friday the 7th. During that relatively short period of time officers wrote 1,091 tickets, including 796 for speeding, 80 for stop-sign infractions and eight for aggressive driving.

One motorist was ticketed for speeding twice during the campaign -- the second time having just left the courthouse to pay his first speeding fine -- while another was busted for drunk driving.

Yet another was pinched for flashing his high beams at other drivers to warn them of the presence of officers with radar in a school zone; the charge, officially, is Prohibited Use of Alternating High-beam Headlights.

Read more »

Link: http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=8046f8a9-2d6e-4797-8650-63875df1ef94

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Canwest News Service
Published: Thursday, August 21, 2008

OTTAWA - Higher gasoline prices pushed Canada's annual inflation rate to a five-year high of 3.4 per cent in July from 3.1 per cent the previous month, Statistics Canada said Thursday.

The increase in last month's consumer price index was in line with most economists' expectations.

"July saw the highest 12-month increase since March 2003. A climb in gasoline prices was the primary source of higher consumer prices in July," the federal agency said.

Prices at the pump were up 28.6 per cent last month from a year early, it said.

"Besides higher prices for gasoline, price increases for other energy components, such as fuel oil and other fuels and electricity, rose sharply in Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia in the 12 months to July," the agency said.

"The rise in these energy components largely accounted for the growth in consumer prices posted in these province."

On a monthly basis, prices rose 0.3 per cent in July from June, down from a 0.8 per cent increase from May to June.

Mortgage costs were up 8.5 per cent in July from a year earlier, down from a nine per cent annual pace in June. "The slowdown in the rise in mortgage interest cost was due more to a softening of new housing prices rather than to lower mortgage interest rates," the agency said.

Prices for food purchased from stores rose 4.3 per cent from July 2007, led by a 13.2 per cent jump in the cost of bakery products.

Overall, consumers were hardest hit in Prince Edward Island, where year-on-year inflation rose 5.3 per cent, Newfoundland and Labrador, up 4.2 per cent, and Nova Scotia, up 4.2 per cent.

"While consumers across the country faced higher prices for gasoline and mortgage interest costs, lower prices to purchase and lease passenger vehicles helped to offset these price increases," Statistics Canada said. "Changes in prices to purchase and lease passenger vehicles ranged from a 7.6 per cent decrease in Quebec to an 11.4 per cent decline in New Brunswick."

The core price index - which strips out volatile items such as energy and certain foods, and is used by the Bank of Canada to monitor the impact of inflation - remained at 1.5 per cent, on a year-on-year basis, for a fourth consecutive month. From June to July, core prices edged up 0.1 per cent, after a gain of 0.3 per cent from May to June.

The Bank of Canada has forecast that inflation will peak at 4.3 per cent in the first quarter of 2009 as energy prices continue to fuel consumer costs. However, the central bank is expected to keep its trend-setting interest rate at three per cent as it focuses on spurring economic growth, with inflation pressures expected to ease.

"This report offers no big surprises, which is a good thing in light of the high-side shocks seen in many other CPI releases around the world in recent months," said Douglas Porter, deputy chief economist at BMO Capital Markets.

"And while headline inflation is now running at its fastest pace in more than five years, it is still near the bottom of the pack globally - and more than two points below the current U.S. pace," he said.

"Lower gasoline prices suggest that headline inflation will pull up short of the Bank of Canada's earlier projection of four-per-cent-plus inflation, but tough year-ago comparisons in the next few months also suggest that a fast retreat in inflation is unlikely."

Charmaine Buskas, economics strategist at TD Securities, said the July report "is probably the last opportunity for energy prices to make a significant contribution to inflation as commodity prices have fallen quite dramatically over the past month and are likely to exert a moderating influence on CPI going forward."

Link: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/08/15/aa.gas.saving.tips/

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Got the urge to save some cash? When economic times get tough, consumers look to wring out as many savings as they can from their daily budget.

Commuting or running errands, the choice of your ride and how you drive it can add up to significant savings for your pocketbook. We've come up with 10 tips on how to save gas and cash, all of which have the added bonus of helping to save the environment.

Reduce idling
Motorists can take a leaf out of the book of Palm Bay Police Department, which in May banned its officers from idling patrol cars at traffic stops and crime scenes.

It's part of a bid to reduce the department's annual fuel budget of $560,000 or about 15,000 gallons a month. Other measures include trading in its fleet of Crown Victoria's for Chevy Impalas and sidelining motorcycle units.

Previously, officers preferred to idle their cars to keep in-car computers online or help cool the car in the hot Florida sun. Police officials predict a substantial saving in gas and costs, and cities across Ohio, Minnesota and Massachusetts are following suit.

Consumer savings can be made by switching off the engine at long lights, when waiting in heavy traffic or when waiting to pick someone up.

Go slow
The Department of Energy calculates that for every five miles a motorist drives above 60 mph, a fuel efficiency loss of between seven and 23 percent occurs (depending on make and model).

Most cars get the most efficient mileage figures between 45 and 55 miles per hour. Any jump to 65 mph significantly reduces fuel efficiency, while a further jump to 75 mph over long periods can result in an expensive return to the pumps.

Set off a little earlier to compensate for lost time, and look out for drivers reacting angrily to a slow driver ahead of them, which happens more frequently than you'd think in major metropolitan areas. Cruise control also helps maintain a common speed and avoids wasteful engine revving.

Go manual
Most manual boxes will save you cash on buying -- expect to pay more than $1,000 extra for a standard automatic transmission over a manual option at a dealership -- and when you're on the road.

Choosing your own gear allows you to shift up earlier or into neutral on downhill stretches or when approaching lights. Be aware that many car companies now gear their automatic boxes for optimal fuel consumption and keep in mind these two caveats: In many states, coasting is illegal; and never, ever switch off the ignition, which may shut off the power steering or brakes. Yikes! AOL Autos: Best used fuel-efficient cars

Maintain the power train
These tips, from fueleconomy.gov, are straightforward and any costs will be offset by fuel savings: Keeping your engine properly tuned can result in efficiency savings of 4 percent (but fixing a faulty oxygen sensor could affect as much as a 40 percent increase in efficiency).

Check and replace air filters, to keep impurities from damaging your engine, to improve mileage by 10 percent. Keep tires properly inflated for a 3.3 percent efficiency increase. Badly inflated tires can shade efficiency 0.4 per cent for every 1 psi drop in pressure.

Use a recommended grade of motor oil and look for product that says "Energy conserving" on the API performance label, to improve mileage 1-2 percent. AOL Autos: Fuel-efficient used cars for sale

Hypermiling
Basically an extension of long-practiced truck driver techniques, hypermiling burst on to the scene late last year when gas soared above $3 a gallon.

Basic tenets of the controversial practice, which advocates say can improve efficiency by as much as 40 percent, include: Pumping up tires to the maximum rating on their sidewalls, which may be higher than levels recommended in car manuals; using engine oil of a low viscosity; and indulging in the controversial practice of drifting behind other vehicles on the highway to reduce aerodynamic drag.

Some safety officials point out that the jerky slowing and speeding up required to effectively tail another motorist may eliminate fuel savings, and could lead to a nasty crash and expensive repair bill. AOL Autos: Cars with 30 MPG for $300/month

Lighten the load
Think you need that spare tire in the back? Chances are you will some day, so whether you want to eliminate that all-important spare wheel is a choice energy-efficient motorists will have to make.

Clearing all that junk out of your car -- in some cases heavy junk like golf clubs, car parts or kids' toys -- can result in significant savings. The EPA estimates that for every 100 pounds of weight your car carries, fuel efficiency dips by 2 percent.

Taking away all that stuff in the back can result in safer motoring in general, in the event of a head-on crash, nothing heavy will spring forward from the back to the front. AOL Autos: Fuel-efficient hybrid SUVs

Plan and combine trips
Making three trips to the same strip mall to the supermarket, video store and salon didn't make much sense when gas was cheap and certainly doesn't now that gas is pushing $4 a gallon.

Vehicles also emit more pollutants in the first minutes after startup as their emissions systems haven't fully warmed and are therefore functioning less efficiently. Try to run errands in off-peak hours when roads are less crowded.

And remember, for shorter trips, chances are you have a rusty old bike in the back shed that you could dust off and recondition. As an added incentive, keep in mind that any weight loss resulting from this choice will also help your gas efficiency. AOL Autos: See fuel-efficient used crossovers for sale

Buy/trade smart
My neighbor, a building contractor, just sold his 2003 Ford F250 and is on the lookout for a more fuel-efficient model. Trouble is, with dealers long realizing the trend toward smaller vehicles, he got about $8,000 less for his massive truck than he expected, a situation many Suburban or Explorer drivers are now experiencing.

If your bid to save cash is more about your bottom line than going green, it might be worth pulling out a pencil and doing some quick calculations. Yes, you can save a thousand bucks a year by trading a 14 mpg guzzler for a smaller 22 mpg daily runner, but will these savings be offset by trading in at a time when demand for big SUVs is at an all-time low?

Similarly, can the higher prices dealers are currently charging for premium hybrids add up to savings on the base model (many of which, like the Camry, at 31 mpg, pull in pretty good efficiency)? Get out that pencil before you take a wrong turn. Watch pros and cons of hybrids »

Model behavior
Think hybrid. Think diesel. Think CUV. Think small. Most car makers have a cache of fuel-saving models on their forecourts right now. So much so, you'll be spoiled for choice. Check out our regular features on AOL for the best deals out there and which hybrids, SUVs or small cars we think are the best for your needs.

So retro
Want the most fuel efficient car out there? How about a Geo Metro? This long-ridiculed wonder from the 1990s has sprung into demand as a result of its 50 mpg efficiency. Buy one, or something like it, and drive it with pride -- perhaps while wearing a large hat and big sunglasses.

Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080812.LCAR12/TPStory/Environment

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WENCY LEUNG
August 12, 2008

VANCOUVER -- Chris McClelland, 16, had been saving up for months to buy his first car: a sporty Volkswagen Jetta or maybe a Toyota Camry with a zippy four-cylinder engine.

But with local gas prices hovering at about $1.50 a litre, the Burnaby, B.C., teen is abandoning the dream of cruising around in his own vehicle this summer.

"It's not worth it to own a car any more," he said.

Instead, Mr. McClelland is borrowing his parents' car and slyly returning it just as the tank runs low, to avoid paying for gas. Even so, he said he drives it only when he has a destination in mind.

Recreational driving, or cruising, has been a rite of passage for generations of teenagers, representing freedom and independence to anyone old enough to obtain a licence, but record-high gas prices are putting the brakes on the classic summertime activity. The carefree days of driving for the sake of driving are over.

Teens say they're now spending as little time behind the wheel as possible, hanging out instead at friends' houses, at parks and beaches, and at movie theatres.

"I'm going out a lot less," said Tom Chao, 19, of Burnaby, who cut back on driving after he realized he was spending more than $20 on gas a day.

Cruising around was something he and his friends did often when they earned driver's licences a few years ago.

Then, the price of gasoline was cheaper by about 40 cents a litre.

But now, Mr. Chao said, "It's a waste of gas and a waste of time."

To many teens, the financial impact of soaring gas prices is a far greater deterrent than any environmental concerns.

Mr. McClelland said he had been eyeing only compact Volkswagens and Toyotas - cars with small engines - not because they're easier on the environment, but because they're more economical.

The biggest milestones in a young person's life are learning to walk, learning to ride a bike and then getting a car, Mr. McClelland said. "When you get a car, the possibilities are endless."

But since his fantasy of owning his own set of wheels has been dashed, he said, it's futile to mull over the hypothetical.

"There's no point any more," he said sadly.

The romance of cruising fades, teens say, when they have to scrutinize their gas consumption like minutes on their cellphones.

For Cassie Faris, 18, who lives in Maple Ridge, B.C., driving is unavoidable since shops and hangouts are beyond walking distance from her home. Public transit in her neighbourhood is infrequent, and there are no bus stops nearby.

Driving, to her, is a costly necessity rather than a pastime.

Ms. Faris estimates she spends about $200 a month on gas. Including the $150 a month she pays for insurance, her 2006 Pontiac Pursuit eats up the bulk of her earnings from her part-time job at a clothing store.

To stretch out her paycheques, she has taken to carpooling with friends, so everyone pitches in for gas and takes turns driving.

Driving aimlessly, she said, is out of the question.

"I don't drive to kill time. If we can't decide where we're going, I will pull over and turn my engine off," Ms. Faris said.

Her friend, Stephanie Craigon, 17, borrows her mother's Jeep on occasion.

Although it's her mother who picks up the gas tab, Ms. Craigon rarely takes it out for a spin. "It's expensive to fill up the Jeep, like over $100. It's pretty bad," she said.

Last year, Ms. Craigon said, she spent many summer nights cruising with her friends. This summer, with the price of gas rising by nearly 40 per cent, she and her boyfriend have been spending more evenings at their nearest movie theatre.

Even those who aren't yet old enough to drive are anticipating less time on the roads.

"Driving is fun, I've heard," said Lucy G.F., 15, of Vancouver, who declined to give her full name.

Like most teens approaching driving age, she intends to apply for her learner's licence on the day she turns 16. "I'm so excited, but I know I won't be able to [drive] much," she said. "Now gas prices are insane and you can't drive around randomly. And hybrid [cars] are expensive."

Lucy said she had been looking forward to cruising, as she's seen teens do on television and in movies. But now, she said, she'll miss out.

"It's not really fair," she said.