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Tel Aviv’s “Fast Lane” For Traffic Safety and the Environment

Transportation

Maurice Picow

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January 12, 2011

Tel Aviv’s “Fast Lane” For Traffic Safety and the Environment

Commuters will ride for free. But will the toll-run “fast lane” help solve Tel Aviv’s increasing traffic nightmare?

Looking for a faster way to get to Tel Aviv from Jerusalem every day? Instead of being stuck in the daily traffic jam, a daily routine for drivers coming from both Israel’s capital and the bedroom communities of Modiin and Beit Shemesh, why not try the fast lane?

It’s now possible to take the new “fast lane” which will enable those traveling on it to reach the main traffic artery of Tel Aviv, the Ayalon Freeway, in only 11 minutes instead of commuter times of up to two hours. The new 13 km stretch will actually be a toll road to cars with less than 4 passengers. Busses and cars with at least four passengers will get to use it for free.

According to estimates in the Marker, between 1,600 to 2,000 cars an hour are forecast to use the lane during busy times. The toll is expected to be between NIS 17 and NIS 20 during rush hour. When the measured speed will drop to below 70p km per hour, the toll cost will increase, due to more cars using the lane. How will this impact the environment?

10 Israeli Cities Celebrating Environmental Achievements in 2010

Lifestyle

Karen Chernick

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January 11, 2011

10 Israeli Cities Celebrating Environmental Achievements in 2010

Was 2010 good or bad for the environment?

Depending on whether you’re a glass half full or glass half empty kind of person, you could reflect upon the year 2010 and see it in either a positive or negative green light. There were some environmental catastrophes, such as the Carmel fire – the worst fire in Israeli national history, but there were also some positive strides. Green Course, an Israeli student-run environmental NGO, has chosen to look at the glass as being half full, and recapped 10 Israeli cities celebrating environmental achievements in 2010.

Here’s what Gil Yaacov, Executive Director of Green Course, had to say about the past year:

Segway “Police” Achieve Fame For UAE Corniche Cleanup

Transportation

Tafline Laylin

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January 11, 2011

Segway “Police” Achieve Fame For UAE Corniche Cleanup

Known as the “Corniche Police,” these cousins have transformed Ras al Khaimah’s urban park.

Despite their numerous environmental faux-pas, like the RAK global warming park, the UAE must be credited with its moments of genius. The latest campaign in Ras al Khaimah to clean up the Corniche is one such example. A popular park among tourists and locals alike, in recent years it has acted like a giant trash dump.

In anticipation of increased traffic, and therefore increased rubbish, the Department of Public Works imported four segways from the United States on which employees patrol the park. They were delivered last month, and have revolutionized how the public perceive their treasured green space.

Sharjah Launches ‘Environment Awareness Award’

Lifestyle

Zaufishan

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January 10, 2011

Sharjah Launched the ‘Environment Awareness Award’ with aims to increase students’ environmental awareness and encourage them to actively participate in environmental activities at school.

Bee’ah, an innovative education initiative from the Bee’ah School of Environment, along with the Sharjah Education Zone (SEZ) and Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS) launched the Sharjah Environment Awareness Award.

With over AED100,000 in total prize money to be given away in different categories, the award programme aims to increase environmental awareness among students from kindergarten through to Grade 12, and encourage the youth to actively participate in environmental activities within their schools.

Fossil Fuels Skyrocket In The Middle East

Energy
Tech

Zaufishan

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January 9, 2011

The Middle East has so much oil, but energy use is increasing. Applied Oil Technology and others could make oil use more efficient.

Until recently, much of the attention regarding amplified energy use has been directed towards China and India, but new data from GE indicates the Middle East is experiencing greater energy demands than any other nation. Why is this? As has been expected, global fossil fuel use continues to rise as a result of huge economic expansion, population growth environmental development. And the failure of alternative energies in developed nations to reduce sky-rocketing green house gases emissions, has allowed these gases to become more of a threat than ever.

Environmental Oxymoron: A ‘Green’ Filling Station In UAE

Transportation

Zaufishan

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January 9, 2011

How green can a gas station be? Dubai’s Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) launches the first “green station” in the UAE.

We reported on the green gas station in the UAE last week. Featuring solar-powered lights, a waterless car wash system, eco-friendly products, and the vapor recovery system, a new technology that reduces carbon emission and fuel wastage.

It does sound like an environmental oxymoron: an ‘eco-friendly’ petrol station? But officials at the Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) last week showcased its first green station, with environmental upgrades worth about Dh3.6 million. ENOC has an aim to reduce the ecological footprint of the station’s consumers, so they are literally pumping eco-sensibility.

The World’s First Green Petrol Station

The new station is located in The Meadows, part of Dubai’s Emirates Living residential area, and is fitted with noise reduction barriers and a system that collects the harmful vapours released from fuels, as well as solar lights, water recycling and other “green” features. ENOC’s ‘green’ station is the first of its kind in the region to generate half of its energy requirements from renewable sources.

Platform For Architecture & Research: This Is How To Build In The Desert

Cities

Tafline Laylin

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January 9, 2011

Platform For Architecture & Research: This Is How To Build In The Desert

Notice that there are no lush gardens? No towers of glass? This is how to build in the desert.

Modern humans have always wanted to make their presence known, from the earliest cave drawings to opulent Ottoman architecture. Although we occupy but one of billions of galaxies, our ego knows no bounds. In the desert, we build giant structures like the Burj Khalifa. And we build with glass, which draws in rather than deflects heat, as though no problem is too great for us to conquer.

There is a better way, a way to live without disfiguring nature in our wake. And for those who aren’t excited about cave dwellings, Platform For Architecture & Research’s villas planned for the Mojave desert are not only attuned to its harsh surrounds, but are sleek and intelligent. In other words, we need not revert to a primitive past in order to show our respect for nature.

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