GVF Advocates for Bike Lanes

GVF recently submitted a letter of support to PennDOT requesting that their Bicycle Occupancy Permit (BOP) be amended. 

The Bicycle Occupancy Permit is a document required by PennDOT for a municipality to stripe bicycle lanes on state owned roads.  The municipality desiring bicycle lanes must then be responsible for policing, maintenance (including the removal of snow), and proper traffic signing and marking of the bikeway according to the BOP.  The Bicycle Occupancy Permit is included in Chapter 16 of PennDOT’s Publication 13M (DM-2).  BOP has created unintended confusion and is preventing projects across the state from installing bicycle lanes and facilities.   


GVF along with PEC, PA Walks and Bikes, Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, PPAC, Doylestown Borough are among the agencies that have signed on as supporters and are hoping to meet with PennDOT to further discuss this issue. 


As one of the many alternative modes for commuting, biking enables individuals to save money by biking to work, as well as intergrating a healthier way of living.  One program where GVF encourages people to bike to work is with its Bike to Work Challenge, which concluded its second season in August. 


Below is a video of how transportation planners in Portland, Oregon are taking their famous bicycle boulevards to the next level - by adding more routes!  GVF wants to see our region increase bicycle lanes and facilities into its projects and not have them be eliminated because of PennDOT's BOP. 

  

Philadelphia gets grant for electric car chargers

Below is the full article of the recent $140,000 grant Philadelphia will receive to purchase and install chargers for 20 electric vehicles that will serve PhillyCarShare, Zipcar and the public. 



City of Philadelphia Receives Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant from Pennsylvania DEP to Add Electric Vehicles to Local Car Share Fleets

Philadelphia, November 16, 2010 – Governor Edward G. Rendell and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced today that the City of Philadelphia’s Mayor’s Office of Sustainability will receive a $140,000 Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant (AFIG) to purchase and install chargers for 20 electric vehicles (EV) in Philadelphia. The chargers will serve 18 EVs that PhillyCarShare and Zipcar will add to their fleets and provide two parking spaces with charging services available the public. By displacing 18 traditional car share vehicles, the project is expected to cut CO2 emissions by 61,000 pounds per year.

“Greenworks Philadelphia sets a goal to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions 20% by 2015,” said Mayor Michael A. Nutter. “Adding electric vehicles to Philadelphia’s successful car share programs will give thousands of Philadelphia drivers an affordable opportunity to experience new EV technology and help the City reach our ambitious sustainability goals.”

Electric vehicle technology is well suited for car share use because the average car share trip is between 30 and 40 miles long, well within the range of one battery charge. Using EVs in high-mileage fleet settings such as car share programs also increases the environmental benefit of the vehicles by replacing a large number of traditional fuel vehicle miles driven.

The project is an important first step in strengthening Philadelphia’s EV infrastructure. It will help the City understand and improve EV charger installation permitting, give PECO valuable information about how chargers interact with the existing grid, and provide data on how electric vehicles perform in Philadelphia’s weather and traffic conditions.

“This project starts solving the chicken and egg problem by creating an electric car public charging infrastructure that will then encourage people to purchase and use electric cars,” said DEP Secretary John Hanger. “The project also shows that Philadelphia can be a leader in the electric car revolution that will create enormous health, environmental and economic benefits.”

Ever want to see where Tastykakes are made?

GVF’s Climate Change Task Force, with the help of Liberty Property Trust, is offering a tour of the new Tasty Baking Company’s facility located in the Philadelphia Navy Yard. A requirement of both Liberty and Tasty Baking, was to make this project as sustainable as possible. Utilizing the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) specifications, the building is targeting a Silver Certification.

Upon certification, the facility will be the largest LEED® certified bakery in the nation! Sustainable features of the building and the baking process include:

• Responsible construction diverting 90% of waste from landfills
• Use of recycled materials in construction
• Redevelopment of a Brownfield site
• Highly efficient HVAC systems
• An intelligent building automation system
• Rainwater harvesting system used for landscape irrigation
• Low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) materials
• Innovative thermal oil system utilized in the baking process

GVF's Climate Change Task Force is happy to offer this tour, which will take place on Wednesday, December 1, 2010 at 10:00AM. LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE! Please contact Lauren Peak at 610-354-8899 if you are interested in attending this event. *This event is open to GVF partners only.

GVF’s Climate Change Task Force will be an advocate for its partners by taking proactive measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, energy costs, protect air quality and public health and improve the environment throughout our region.

The vision of the Task Force is to:

• Provide continuous and up to date information on climate change issues that are affecting our partners and assist with identifying the appropriate steps of action.
• Host roundtable discussions on specific issues and concerns our partners are having and where they would like assistance.
• Work collaboratively with a panel of experts, such as DEP, EPA, DVRPC, Montgomery County and Chester County and other participants, on a variety of issues that will inform our partners on the necessary action items to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

If you are interested in more information on GVF's Climate Change Task Force or the additional services we can assist your business with, please contact Maureen Farrell at 610-354-8899.

GVF to launch Commuter Challenge BINGO!

Founded in 1990, GVF is a not-for-profit organization created to advocate and promote a viable transportation network for the region’s economic vitality. To maximize awareness and develop sustainable support, we partner with public and private entities.


GVF's mission is to achieve a desirable quality of life and a healthy, competitive economic environment by developing multi-faceted transportation strategies.

Beginning January 3, 2011, GVF will be launching a fun and interactive way to change your commuting habits, along with winning some great prizes while doing it called Commuter Challenge Bingo! 

The purpose of the Commuter Challenge is to improve mobility and sustain the environment by utilizing commuting alternatives. GVF encourages all residents of the Delaware Valley to walk, cycle, take transit, carpool, telecommute and/or utilize relevant commuter resources to make commuting easier and more sustainable.


Here’s how it works:

Each participant will receive an electronic bingo card in the form of a PDF that shows different commuting alternatives and ways to improve commuting overall. Once a participant “gets bingo” (completes all of the challenges in straight or diagonal line) they will submit the completed card to GVF. The first 10 participants to submit a completed card will win a prize.

The Challenge will run from January 3, 2011 until March 31, 2011. Cards received prior to the start date or after the end date will not be valid.  Look for another upcoming blog entry with some of the prizes we've secured, as well as more details on the Challenge before we launch it on January 3rd! 

For more information on this Challenge and/or the other programs and services GVF offers, please visit http://www.gvftma.com/ or contact us at 610-354-8899.