Montreal’s STM Loyalty Pass Program

Opus-Pass  is a subscription service in which a passenger’s Opus card is recharged automatically every month.

Montreal is introducing a new VIP class for loyal public-transit customers.

The exclusive club is only open to about 20,000 commuters — nine per cent of the 217,000 who buy regular-fare monthly Société de transport de Montréal passes.
Only users who sign up for Opus-à-l’année or Opus & Cie subscriptions are eligible for the new “Maestro” status, and only after subscribing for at least 12 months.
To activate Maestro, customers must get a new OPUS card with photo, at no cost.
The special status will allow Opus card holders to:
- Bring along a friend for free rides on Montreal buses and the métro during off-peak hours (6 p.m. to 5 a.m.) and on weekends. Maestro Opus holders will have to flash their Opus cards at bus drivers and métro ticket-takers to get the friend in. The friend must stay with the Maestro cardholder during the entire trip, as proof of payment.
- Ride Quebec City buses free. “We want to thank (faithful customers), but we also want to encourage even more people to opt for a long-term commitment,” STM chair Michel Labrecque said. Also, “by allowing a friend to travel for free when accompanying the holder of the OPUS Maestro card, we allow more people to give public transit a try.”
Opus-à-l’année is a subscription service in which a passenger’s Opus card is recharged automatically every month. It’s only available for regular-fare monthly passes.
Under the OPUS & Cie program, companies agree to contribute toward the purchase of regular monthly Opus passes for employees for at least a year. The STM matches the contribution, up to a maximum of 10 per cent.
Quebec City’s Réseau de transport de la Capitale, which also uses the Opus-card system, has announced a similar program for its loyal users under which they will be able to ride Montreal transit for free.

The Advantages of Driving Slower

Top 5 Advantages of Driving Slower

Published: 07 Sep 2008

Although the price of fuel has gone back down in the United States after peaking earlier this summer, the momentum behind striving for better fuel efficiency continues to grow. No doubt, a lot of the renewed interest in fuel efficiency as well as alternative energy sources like biofuel, wind power and solar energy, also relate to the premature escalation to war in the middle east. I won't debate about the war or the politics behind it, but I will debate about what everyone can and should do to conserve energy.
Perhaps one of the biggest ways that just about everyone can conserve energy and therefore decrease demand for foreign sources of energy (oil), is simply by driving slower. I say slower instead of slow because I think it's easier goal to set when you say you will drive not as fast instead of not driving fast. It's all relative right? Semanics aside, driving slower requires no upfront investment like buying more efficient yet more expensive light bulbs for your home. All that's required is some behavior modification and the discipline make driving slower a habit.
The following are what I think the top five reasons are for driving slower:

1. You spend less money on fuel. To put this into real numbers, let's say you pay $60 a week to fill up your fuel tank and you have an average commute distance to work of 30 miles. After reading this blog post you've decided to do your part to conserve energy and make a goal of driving 15 mph slower (say from your usual 70 mph to 55 mph) on your daily commute to work. By the way there's an excellent Wikipedia article on fuel economy and I suggest reading it for tips. In this fuel economy analysis report by the EPA, they estimate a 25% maximum fuel reduction. Note that driving conditions, traffic congestion, temperature, type of car you drive, etc. also have an impact on fuel economy. So this figure may be ideal and assumes you also curb your old lead foot habits on the weekends as well. Getting back to the numbers, this means the following: $60 - ($60 x .25) = $15 saved each week, $60 a month, or $720 a year in fuel costs! You may argue that getting to work faster or more likely getting home faster from a hard day at work is more important to you than saving a few bucks. If so, then you should know that under ideal conditions, you would only get home about 7 minutes faster.
2. You (and your passengers) are less likely to become seriously injured in the event of a crash. This is a bit morbid but let's say hypothetically you crash your car into a large tree. The forces at work here can be calculated from some basic physics formulas, illustrated by this car crash calculator I found. Plugging in the numbers for an average sized car (4,000 lbs) and the difference in driving habits (traveling 55 mph as opposed to 70 mph), here are the results: @70 mph the impact force involved is over 327 tons, @55 mph the force drops to 202 tons. That's almost a 40% difference in the impact force just by driving 15 mph slower!
3. Less wear and tear on your car. There are thousands of of moving parts in your car and most of them are susceptible to heat and friction generated from how fast they're moving. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that by driving slower you can reduce the wear and tear on your car's moving parts, especially your tires. Next time you're barreling around a corner on the verge of wiping out, think about the amount of pressure (and tread wear) you are putting on your tires. By the way, one of the leading causes of tire failure is improperly inflated tires.
4. Less stress on you, the driver, and drivers around you. We've all been there. You're happily driving along at a reasonable speed and out of nowhere another driver barrels past you or comes close to hitting you from behind and swerves at the last minute to avoid an accident. Multiply the stress from an incident like this times several million and you get an idea of how much psychological and physical stress is involved on our roads today. This is so commonplace, there's a term for what happens subsequently, "Road Rage". These stresses contribute to other stresses in life and more dramatically, to our overall health care costs and quality of life.
5. Satisfaction in knowing that you are actively helping to reduce the nation's overall consumption and demand of energy. You can get a good sense of the future energy demand by reading "Annual Energy Outlook 2008 with Projections to 2030" from the Energy Information Administration. In summary, the report basically says that despite new technologies and renewable fuels that are being developed to help curb our energy needs, the official forecast is that the nation will have increases in demand for energy. The current Energy use in the United States is the largest in the world, a majority of which derives from petroleum.

Coco and Cattle Trucks

Published: by Wyatt Olsen  North America » United States » Nevada » Lake Tahoe
January 28, 2013

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Coco and Cattle Trucks

After finally leaving California on May 30, we drove to Lake Tahoe. On the way, we stopped at a rest area for lunch where I proceeded to make roast beef sandwiches while Alan was cleaning the windshield. Ironically, two cattle-haulers pulled in and parked on either side of us. The cattle were mooing loudly and smelled a lot! We closed the windows, ate quickly, and left in a hurry!

Dan flew to Reno to spend a week with us, and we had a great time. We stayed at Zephyr Cove Marina & RV Park, in a lovely setting near the Heavenly Ski Area at South Lake Tahoe. Dan even saw a bear in our campground, which was just a tad unsettling, but exciting.

We took a couple of short hikes, one near Emerald Bay and one to Glen Alpine Springs near Falling Leaf Lake, just south of the big lake. The scenery was gorgeous, with gushing waterfalls and snow still in the mountains at the higher elevations.

We went out on a charter fishing boat one morning at 6:00 a.m. and returned at 11:00 a.m. with several large lake trout. We crossed the lake (20 some miles) from

Zephyr Cove

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Lake Tahoe as seen from our campground

south to north to find our fishing spot, in deep water (150 - 200 feet). Dan caught the biggest fish of the group, a 6 ¾ pound beauty. The deck hand cleaned and bagged our catch.

The weather was warm during the day but chilly at night. We had a couple of great campfires (courtesy of Eagle Scout Dan), and cooked out most nights. We had a very nice dinner out at Nephele’s restaurant in South Lake Tahoe, where we peeked at the Mavericks/Suns game over at the bar’s TV.

After Dan went home (still a few weeks shy of his 21st birthday), we hit Harrah’s Casino and came out in the plus column by about $125. Next drive is to Salt Lake City, where we pick up Alan’s Dad, JC, for a trip to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone

Hounds of the Road: by Carlton Jackson

Hounds of the Road: A History of the Greyhound Bus Company - Carlton Jackson - Google Books

MCI introduces 2013 J4500 coach

MCI, Schaumburg, IL, debuted the 2013 model of its J4500 coach, touting improved safety features and new style changes. The company says the coach has been redesigned for heightened curb appeal and a more elevated presence.

The Greyhound Group

Peter Pan Bus Lines, Boston, MA, liked the concept from the start and will be the first to take delivery of the 2013 J4500 off the assembly line this fall.
For the coach’s design MCI turned to BMW Group Designworks USA, which led the designs of the E4500 and J4500. Designworks engineers collaborated with MCI engineers, who turned to current J4500 customers for input.  Chief among customer criteria: a coach that has “presence” and “curb appeal.” MCI also wanted to increase the coach’s safety and reliability.
“The redesign gave us the opportunity to make several key improvements to the lighting, body bumpers and serviceability,” said Brent Danielson, the MCI engineering team leader.  “We think customers are going to find the 2013 J4500 a welcome addition to their fleets.”
The high-style high and low beam headlamps, now serviceable from outside the coach, are brighter with full LEDs set in stainless steel to resist corrosion and sealed to reduce wind and air intrusion. The ID, clearance and marker lights are higher as well to enhance visibility. The new front and rear bumpers are significantly more durable.
The J4500 comes equipped with safety technologies like electronic stability control along with upgraded tire-pressure monitoring and fire-suppression systems. The coach also features a multiplexing system carried over from MCI’s D-Series coaches.

..Two Driver's Cease Operation in USA..

The Greyhound Group  (facebook)  

 

FMCSA orders two drivers to cease U.S. operations

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has declared two Canadian bus drivers employed by Mi Joo Tour & Travel of Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada, to be imminent hazards to public safety, immediately prohibiting them from operating a commercial vehicle within the United States.
FMCSA launched an investigation of Mi Joo Tour & Travel following the Dec. 30, 2012, crash of a company bus in eastern Oregon. Nine passengers were killed and 39 others were injured. On Jan. 8, 2013, FMCSA ordered Mi Joo Tour & Travel, Ltd., to cease U.S. operations and revoked the company’s authority to provide passenger service within the United States.
“We will not tolerate illegal and unsafe behavior by bus and truck drivers,” said U.S. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood. “Safety for every traveler on our highways and roads is our highest priority.”
In the continuing FMCSA investigation, the driver of the bus that crashed, Haeng Kyu (James) Hwang, was found to have been driving well beyond the 70-hour maximum hours of service within a seven-day period as permitted under federal regulations. Driver Choong Yurl Choi, who was operating a second Mi Joo bus as part of the same tour excursion trip, likewise was found to have been driving well beyond the 70-hour limit.
“Interstate bus and truck companies and their drivers should have no doubt that we will vigorously enforce all federal safety regulations to the fullest extent possible by law,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. “Carriers and drivers who flout the safety rules put the public at risk and will be shut down.”
The investigation also found that on the day of the crash, both bus drivers had engaged in unsafe driving behavior, including operating a commercial passenger vehicle at speeds too fast for existing road conditions. Each driver holds a commercial driver’s license issued by the province of British Columbia, Canada.

                                 Published by Wyatt Olsen

High-intensity discharge (HID)

High-intensity discharge (HID)

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2012)

HID projector low beam headlamp illuminated on a Lincoln MKS

High-intensity discharge lamps (HID) produce light with an electric arc rather than a glowing filament. The high intensity of the arc comes from metallic salts that are vapourised within the arc chamber. These lamps are formally known as gas-discharge burners^{[according to whom?]}, and have a higher efficacy than tungsten lamps. Because of the increased amounts of light available from HID burners relative to halogen bulbs, HID headlamps producing a given beam pattern can be made smaller than halogen headlamps producing a comparable beam pattern. Alternatively, the larger size can be retained, in which case the xenon headlamp can produce a more robust beam pattern.^{[original research?]}
Automotive HID may be called "xenon headlamps", though they are actually metal-halide lamps that contain xenon gas. The xenon gas allows the lamps to produce minimally adequate light immediately upon start, and shortens the run-up time. The usage of argon, as is commonly done in street lights and other stationary metal-halide lamp applications, causes lamps to take several minutes to reach their full output.
The light from HID headlamps exhibits a distinct bluish tint when compared with tungsten-filament headlamps.

Retrofitment

When a halogen headlamp is retrofitted with an HID bulb, light distribution and output are altered.^[32]In the United States, vehicle lighting that do not conform to FMVSS 108 are not street legal.^[32] Glare will be produced and the headlamp's type approval or certification becomes invalid with the altered light distribution, so the headlamp is no longer street-legal in some locales.^[33] In the US, suppliers, importers and vendors that offer non-compliant kits are subject to civil fines. By October 2004, the NHTSA had investigated 24 suppliers and all resulted in termination of sale or recalls.^[34]
In Europe and the many non-European countries applying ECE Regulations, even HID headlamps designed as such must be equipped with lens cleaning and automatic self-leveling systems, except on motorcycles. ^[33] These systems are usually absent on vehicles not originally equipped with HID lamps.

History

Xenon headlamps were introduced as an option on the BMW 7-series in 1991 for Europe, and in 1993 for US models. This first system used an unshielded, non-replaceable burner designated D1 – a designation that would be recycled years later for a wholly different type of burner. The AC ballast was about the size of a building brick. The first American-made effort at HID headlamps was on the 1996-98 Lincoln Mark VIII, which used reflector headlamps with an unmasked, integral-ignitor burner made by Sylvania and designated Type 9500. This was the only system to operate on DC, since reliability proved inferior to the AC systems.^{[citation needed]} The Type 9500 system was not used on any other models, and was discontinued after Osram's takeover of Sylvania in 1997.^{[citation needed]} All HID headlamps worldwide presently use the standardised AC-operated bulbs and ballasts.

Operation

HID headlamp bulbs do not run on low-voltage DC current, so they require a ballast with either an internal or external ignitor. The ignitor is integrated into the bulb in D1 and D3 systems, and is either a separate unit or part of the ballast in D2 and D4 systems. The ballast controls the current to the bulb. The ignition and ballast operation proceeds in three stages:

1. Ignition: a high voltage pulse is used to produce a spark – in a manner similar to a spark plug – which ionises the Xenon gas, creating a conducting tunnel between the tungsten electrodes. Electrical resistance is reduced within the tunnel, and current flows between the electrodes.
2. Initial phase: the bulb is driven with controlled overload. Because the arc is operated at high power, the temperature in the capsule rises quickly. The metallic salts vapourise, and the arc is intensified and made spectrally more complete. The resistance between the electrodes also falls; the electronic ballast control gear registers this and automatically switches to continuous operation.
3. Continuous operation: all metal salts are in the vapour phase, the arc has attained its stable shape, and the luminous efficacy has attained its nominal value. The ballast now supplies stable electrical power so the arc will not flicker. Stable operating voltage is 85 volts AC in D1 and D2 systems, 42 volts AC in D3 and D4 systems. The frequency of the square-wave alternating current is typically 400 hertz or higher.

Burner types

HID headlamp burners produce between 2,800 and 3,500 lumens from between 35 and 38 watts of electrical power, while halogen filament headlamp bulbs produce between 700 and 2,100 lumens from between 40 and 72 watts at 12.8 V.^[35][36][37]
Current-production burner categories are D1S, D1R, D2S, D2R, D3S, D3R, D4S, and D4R. The D stands for discharge, and the number is the type designator. The final letter describes the outer shield. The arc within an HID headlamp bulb generates considerable short-wave ultraviolet (UV) light, but none of it escapes the bulb, for a UV-absorbing hard glass shield is incorporated around the bulb's arc tube. This is important to prevent degradation of UV-sensitive components and materials in headlamps, such as polycarbonate lenses and reflector hardcoats. "S" burners – D1S, D2S, D3S, and D4S – have a plain glass shield and are primarily used in projector-type optics. "R" burners – D1R, D2R, D3R, and D4R – are designed for use in reflector-type headlamp optics. They have an opaque mask covering specific portions of the shield, which facilitates the optical creation of the light/dark boundary (cutoff) near the top of a low-beam light distribution. Automotive HID burners do emit considerable near-UV light, despite the shield.

Colour

The correlated colour temperature of factory installed automotive HID headlamps is between 4100K and 5000K^{[citation needed]} while tungsten-halogen lamps are at 3000K to 3550K. The spectral power distribution (SPD) of an automotive HID headlamp is discontinuous and spikey while the SPD of a filament lamp, like that of the sun, is a continuous curve. Moreover, the color-rendering index (CRI) of tungsten-halogen headlamps (98) is much closer than that of HID headlamps (~75) to standardised sunlight (100). Studies have shown no significant safety effect of this degree of CRI variation in headlighting.^{[38][39][40][41]}

Advantages

Increased safety

Automotive HID lamps offer about 3000 lumens and 90 Mcd/m² versus 1400 lumens and 30 Mcd/m^{2[disputed – discuss]} offered by halogen lamps. In a headlamp optic designed for use with an HID lamp, it produces more usable light. Studies have demonstrated drivers react faster and more accurately to roadway obstacles with good HID headlamps than halogen ones.^[42] Hence, good HID headlamps contribute to driving safety.^[43] The contrary argument is that glare from HID headlamps can reduce traffic safety by interfering with other drivers' vision.^{[original research?]}

Efficacy and output

Luminous efficacy is the measure of how much light is produced versus how much energy is consumed. HID burners give higher efficacy than halogen lamps. The highest-intensity halogen lamps, H9 and HIR1, produce 2100 to 2530 lumens from approximately 70 watts at 13.2 volts. A D2S HID burner produces 3200 lumens from approximately 42 watts during stable operation.^[35] The reduced power consumption means less fuel consumption, with resultant less CO2 emission per vehicle fitted with HID lighting (1.3 g/km assuming that 30% of engine running time is with the lights on).

Longevity

The average service life of an HID lamp is 2000 hours, compared to between 450 and 1000 hours for a halogen lamp.^[44]

Disadvantages

Glare

Vehicles equipped with HID headlamps (except motorcycles) are required by ECE regulation 48 also to be equipped with headlamp lens cleaning systems and automatic beam leveling control. Both of these measures are intended to reduce the tendency for high-output headlamps to cause high levels of glare to other road users. In North America, ECE R48 does not apply and while lens cleaners and beam levelers are permitted, they are not required;^[45] HID headlamps are markedly less prevalent in the US, where they have produced significant glare complaints.^[46] Scientific study of headlamp glare has shown that for any given intensity level, the light from HID headlamps is 40% more glaring than the light from tungsten-halogen headlamps.<sup>[


            Published by Wyatt Olsen</sup>