Much ado about parking lots

It’s one of Long Island’s most defining features, a testament to a culture dominated by cars and convenience.  It separates the urban from the suburban and renders the phrase “parallel parking” obsolete.  Most of us can’t get a loaf of bread without visiting one.

I’m referring, of course, to the humble parking lot light , that shining sea of asphalt that coats an impressive percentage of our region in a coal-dark sheen flecked with painted lines.

Parking lots surround our supermarkets,

our big box stores and our malls. They flank our schools, libraries and firehouses. They often connect to one another, creating not-so-secret shortcuts behind long strips of shops. They provide a form of vehicular daycare for weary commuters looking to take a train into the city.

There’s a complex hierarchy to most lots, with special spaces catered to specific populations, whether they be “village residents,” “parents with small children,” “employee of the month” or folks picking up “Outback curbside take-away.” In downtown and municipal parking areas, one must scrutinize all available signage to avoid being ticketed, and each of us knows someone who has fallen victim to the one-line difference between “12-hour public parking” and “parking by permit only.”

Most Long Islanders have a love-hate relationship with parking lots. In Suffolk County, where larger property sizes are commonplace, many homeowners have demonstrated their adoration by creating their very own mini-parking lots: asphalt driveways. Their pride is evident in loving, ritual resealings; in the summertime, the air is often thick with the aroma of freshly spread tar, with yellow tape cordoning off the entrances of newly recoated driveways. VelveTop has built a local paving empire as a manufacturer and distributor of pavement sealer, helping to keep the Island’s countless driveways and parking lots that coveted shade of charcoal.

In my own driving lifetime, my relationship with parking lots has gone through several iterations. When I was a newly licensed teen, parking lots provided a welcomed hangout spot for me and my equally bored friends. We would drive to a local Starbucks or 7-Eleven before settling into a random parking space nearby. With Frappuccinos or Slurpees in hand, we would talk for hours about everything and nothing, free from the eavesdropping of others. Judging by the groups of teenagers I often see gathering in these same lots, the tradition hasn’t changed much.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to view parking lots as more of a threat than a retreat. Living in the home of New York’s most dangerous roads for pedestrians and drivers alike, we’re all accustomed to difficult driving conditions. Accident delays are commonplace, as are aggressive drivers. But parking lots often present an even greater test: cars entering and exiting, backing up and pulling in, dodging pedestrians, shopping carts and double-parked vehicles, all jockeying for that highly sought-after closest possible spot. And as our cars and trucks have gotten larger, visibility has become all the more challenging, prompting the need for rear-view cameras and almost acrobatic blind spot-checking routines. In the midst of all of these obstacles, tensions can run high.

In many of our county government facilities, from the H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge to the court complex in Central Islip, solar panel arrays provide covered parking while simultaneously generating electricity. The first of Long Island’s alternative vehicle fueling stations are starting to pop up. Advances in LED lighting design may soon lead us to energy-efficient fixtures that illuminate parking facilities while reducing light pollution in our communities.  The installation of porous pavement can help manage stormwater runoff and protect the quality of our groundwater.

Village Car Wash and Laundry

The Village Car Wash and Laundry reopened its doors for the community of Dexter and surrounding areas recently.

Cheryl and Peter Caffrey, who have owned the businesses since 2005, invite locals to experience the new car wash and laundromat after it was demolished by the tornado of 2012.

The Village Laundry has a new layout that is more accessible than the previous layout. Washing machines line the walls of the building, rather than standing back to back in the middle of the building, making the space feel larger.

The extractor style washing machines and dryers survived the tornado in style and have been refurbished. Multiple 18-pound washers, one 35-pound washer and one 50-pound washer are available.

Customers can use the 35-pound and 50-pound washers to wash comforters and blankets or just a very large load of laundry. All washers are front loaders and extractors, which means very little water is left in the clothes for the dryers to remove.


 
Additionally, several new in-bay features enhance the Village Car Wash, including new signs, booms and bay ceilings. The five self-serve bays, including one outside bay for larger vehicles, allow customers to wash in comfort.

Along with the mechanical room equipment being refurbished, the car wash is outfitted with LED lights. The new lighting system provides more light than the previous system, and it is also very energy efficient.

A new token system is in place at the Village Car Wash. Fleets, businesses and other customers can purchase car wash tokens to use or give as gifts. To buy tokens, call the phone number on the coin machine at the front of the car wash.

“We are very appreciative of customers returning to the business and the encouragement they have offered,” Cheryl said. “It has been a very long process going from destruction to reopening and their smiles and appreciation make a world of difference.”

To do this, the company received a $2.4 million grant from the Department of Energy for work expected to last through 2015, the company said. The work is specifically looking at improving the manufacturing process of light-emitting diodes to speed the process by three times the current rate, reduce LED light engine costs by five times and reduce assembly costs by 50 percent.

LED lighting is six to seven times more efficient than conventional lighting and can last 25 times longer, the company said in a statement, but that might not be enough.

“LED is currently more costly than traditional lighting,” Mark Eubanks, president of Eaton’s Cooper Lighting Division, said in a written statement. “Eaton is focused on innovation that will simplify design and manufacturing process to maintain high quality and lower costs for consumers.”

This grant is part of a larger $10 million DOE program. Eaton’s work on this research is expected to happen at the company’s Wisconsin and Georgia facilities. Eaton’s electrical division is based out of Moon Township.More information about the program is available on the web site at www.streetlights-solar.com.

Stein’s Law

If there’s an iron rule in economics, it is Stein’s Law (named after Herb, former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers): “If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.”

Detroit, for example, can no longer go on borrowing, spending, raising taxes, and dangerously cutting such essential services as street lighting and police protection. So it stops. It goes bust.

Cause of death? Corruption, both legal and illegal, plus a classic case of reactionary liberalism in which the governing Democrats — there’s been no Republican mayor in half a century — simply refused to adapt to the straitened economic circumstances that followed the post–World War II auto boom.

Corruption of the criminal sort was legendary. The former mayor currently serving time engaged in a breathtaking range of fraud, extortion, and racketeering. And he didn’t act alone. The legal corruption was the cozy symbiosis of Democratic politicians and powerful unions, especially the public-sector unions that gave money to elect the politicians who negotiated their contracts — with wildly unsustainable health and pension benefits.

When our great industrial competitors were digging out from the rubble of World War II, Detroit’s automakers ruled the world. Their imagined sense of inherent superiority bred complacency. Management grew increasingly bureaucratic and inflexible. Unions felt entitled to the extraordinary wages, benefits, and work rules they’d bargained for in the fat years. In time, they all found themselves being overtaken by more efficient, more adaptable, more hungry foreign producers.

The market ultimately forced the car companies into reform, restructuring, the occasional bankruptcy, and eventual recovery. The city of Detroit, however, lacking market constraints, just kept overspending — $100 million annually since 2008. The city now has about $19 billion in obligations it has no chance of meeting. So much city revenue had to be diverted to creditors and pensioners that there was practically nothing left to run the city. Forty percent of the streetlights don’t work, two-thirds of the parks are closed, and emergency police response time averages nearly an hour — if it ever comes at all.

Bankruptcy, which will radically cut payments to bondholders and retirees, is the only chance to start over. Yet, if a Detroit bankruptcy succeeds, other cities will be tempted to follow suit. Dozens of other large urban areas have similarly massive pension and debt obligations, with commensurately denuded services and exorbitant taxes — leading to a vicious cycle of depopulation that makes everything worse. Detroit has lost more than 60 percent of its population since 1950.

The moral hazard increases if the federal government steps in to help. The Obama administration is therefore firmly opposed to any “bailout,” recognizing both the political toxicity of the word and the fiscal consequences of a Detroit precedent that invites other cities to line up with a tin cup. Washington cannot afford a nationwide federal bailout of insolvent cities.

Cheshire East vow to tackle safety issues

A CAMPAIGN to increase safety on a notorious Middlewich road gained momentum this week as Cheshire East Council vowed to take action.

The safety of Booth Lane has been called into question over the past few years following a number of fatal and serious collisions along the road.

Campaigner David Williams and Middlewich Town Councillor Steve Mitchell met with Cheshire East Councillor David Topping at the beginning of July to discuss the issue of safety on the road and Cheshire East Council are now exploring ways in which to reduce the risk of future fatalities.

Clr Topping, Cabinet member in charge of the environment, said: “I had a very positive and useful meeting with David and Steve.”

“The issues they raised centred on the safety of the residents of Middlewich and I am pleased we were able to agree a way forward on all points raised.”

At the meeting, David and Clr Mitchell highlighted the issue of lighting, poor condition of the road surface, poor road markings and lack of facilities for cyclists.

Also discussed was Cheshire East Council’s new proposal to lower the speed limit on the road and the possible installation of community speed traps and interactive speed signs along the stretch. 

Clr Topping added:““We have agreed to review the lighting decision at the southern end of Booth Lane, by Tetton Lane.”

In terms of road markings

, we will refurbish existing lining and road ‘studs’ to support the street light switch-off and provide edge-of-carriageway marking next to the verge where no kerbing is present.

“Reflective posts along Booth Lane may be an option and we will review the length through the street-lit area and establish where reflective marker posts may be provided to better define the carriageway edge.

“Other items such as road calming measures were discussed and I will be looking to attend a meeting of the South East Cheshire Cycle Action Group.”

David said that he was pleased with the outcome of the meeting but added that the new safety features must be monitored closely to ensure the danger risk is successfully reduced.

He said: “I am pleased with the initial actions agreed, which are largely addressing issues of underinvestment going back years, but we have to see whether the number of accidents comes down.”

“I am still particularly worried about whether bringing down the speed limits will reduce speeds on the road and the authorities must monitor how drivers respond and if necessary introduce additional measures.” More information about the program is available on the web site at streetlights-solar.

CCTV in the community

Won't CCTV help the police catch criminals in the Bathurst CBD?

Yes, CCTV can help the Police in their investigations; however the Police still need to carry out a range of other thorough investigative measures before making any arrests. Studies in the UK found CCTV is effective in a narrow range of situations such as preventing motor vehicle theft from car parks but it is most effective when used with a range of other strategies including better lighting and increased collaboration between licensed venues, responsible service of alcohol and better transport strategies.

Won't CCTV make the community feel safer knowing that video surveillance is being used to catch criminals?

Bathurst is a very safe community without public space CCTV. The consultation undertaken in forming the Community Safety Plan indicated that most residents feel safe in the Bathurst Community. However CCTV is currently used in the Bathurst CBD. All major shopping centres', some businesses and some Council buildings have CCTV installed. NSW Police keep a register of businesses and organisations that have CCTV and encourages those businesses to register their system with them. This footage is not being monitored in live time, there are no Police or security staff sitting in a control room monitoring people's movements 24 hours a day. Research shows that CCTV can contribute to a false sense of security and lead to people taking less precautions in terms of personal safety.

Won't CCTV help Council in its duty to protect local business and the community?

CCTV does have merit for detection and apprehension but as a stand alone method of crime prevention it is ineffective. Council takes public security very seriously and as a member of the Bathurst Community Safety Committee is an active leader in initiating a range of strategies to reduce the incidents of crime such as reviewing street lighting, and identifying low cost security improvements, better public transport options and providing a range of education and awareness programs.

Doesn't CCTV help reduce the incidents of crime across the community?

The review of CCTV across Australia and internationally shows that CCTV is not supported as an effective crime prevention measure. In Australia CCTV has been shown to be effective in detecting violent offences but is not capable of preventing offenders who are largely acting on opportunity. The most common crimes in the Bathurst CBD are the opportunistic crimes of malicious damage and non-domestic related assault. These crimes are identified as having significant links to a person's level of intoxication. Studies across the world show that alcohol reduces inhibitions and increases risk taking behaviour, consequently CCTV has little impact on crime prevention in these cases.

Don't the benefits of CCTV installation outweigh the costs?

CCTV is an issue that attracts a broad diversity of opinions. These have all been considered in the Community Safety Committee's Working Party Report. The Australian Institute of Criminology in their 2009 CCTV Report warned that some Governments have fallen into the trap of rapid installation of CCTV system as a panacea for crime and found issues including: significant costs of maintaining and upgrading the systems; in some cases an increase in crime after installation; the geographic relocation of crime; and problems with monitoring surveillance footage. A conservative estimate of CCTV installation is between $300,000-$440,000 with Councils facing an average annual bill of $400,000 for monitoring, maintenance and evaluation.

Panasonic TX-L55WT65

The TX-L55WT65 is the crowning glory of Panasonic's current range of slim-line LED TVs, with more bells and whistles than a Brazilian carnival. You'll find not just dual Freeview and Freesat HD tuners, but also a camera, a clever new smart TV system and local dimming support.

Panasonic has created a whole new user interface for this year's TVs. It's essentially a homescreen that gathers stuff like the Smart TV apps, widgets and other goodies together in one place. Unlike other systems, Panasonic's allows you to create customised versions of the homescreen by adapting four of the provided templates. It's a clever idea that really works well from a user perspective as it saves you having to jump between different screens to access the apps you most commonly use.

The settings menus are still separate from this new system and don't look quite as classy, but they're speedy to use when you're jumping between the various picture and audio options. They give you plenty of control over the set's pictures too, as there's a full colour management system onboard. You now also get independent controls for contrast and backlight level, which wasn't supported on last year's WT50.

Another plus is the updated programming guide. It now has a video window to the top left-hand corner so you can check what's coming up later on in the day or evening without losing all audio and video from the show you're watching. The guide still looks rather dull and basic next to those on Sony and Samsung's sets, but it's very legible from a distance and makes it quick to jump between different programs on the timeline.

Last year's WT50 model was a handsome devil, and those genes have definitely been passed down to the WT65. It has a very different stand to the other TVs in Panasonic's 2013 lineup. The one used here is like a curved Perspex wedge with metal edging -- and looks better than that makes it sound. It helps to give the TV a light, floating-on-air look that's very appealing.

Reinforcing this airy feel is the fact the bezel around the screen is extremely narrow. Panasonic has also added a Perspex edge that drops down from the bottom of the screen. This is lit by an LED that makes the light runs across the bottom to create a cool sci-fi effect. The only downside is that the stand does tend to show up dust, so it might not be the best option if cleaning is, you know, not really your thing.

Like most high-end TVs these days the WT65 comes with two remotes: a standard zapper and a touchpad controller. The standard zapper is ace. It's chunky, without being uncomfortable to hold, and has a backlight so you can light up the buttons when you're watching a movie with the lights dimmed. The secondary remote has a circular touchpad and a trigger button on the bottom. It's a slight improvement on last year's similar touchpad controller, but still not as easy to use as Samsung's touchpad remote or LG motion controller.

Sadly Panasonic has cut the number of HDMI ports to three on this model, when most 55-inch TVs now come with four. It does have three USB ports though, and there are dual tuners for both Freeview HD and Freesat HD. If you plug a hard drive into one of these USB ports you can use the set as a full-blown PVR because the dual tuners allow you to watch one channel while recording another.

There's also a mini jack input that lets you to connect Scart devices up to the TV via a small breakout cable, and naturally there's a set of component inputs too. There's an Ethernet connector on the rear for piping in the Internets and Wi-Fi built-in too.

This year Panasonic has introduced an all-new Smart TV system which is head and shoulder above what was available on the company's older models. It uses a new homescreen that pops up when you start the TV or press the Home button on the remote. There are four different prebuilt homescreens you can choose from, but the clever bit is that you can also create your own using the templates provided. This is very quick and easy to do too. Read the full story at www.streetlights-solar.com.

SolarTech brings solar power to The Saints

SolarTech Ltd, one of the UK's leading renewable energy specialists, has installed over 200 solar panels at Northampton Saints Rugby Club, making it one of the most sustainable and energy efficient major sports stadiums in the UK.

This pioneering initiative will not only improve the Saints' carbon footprint, by generating its own free energy, but the club can also significantly reduce the costs of powering its Franklin's Gardens stadium, training ground and administration offices.

The high efficiency PV arrays have been installed on the roof of the stadium's south facing Burrda Sports Stand, which is one of the highest buildings in the area.

Each of the arrays is expected to generate 50kWp of free electricity under peak operating conditions, which will amount to over 48,850kWh of electricity every year, resulting in approximately 3,500 in annual energy savings. The club will also benefit from an income of 5,300 per annum from the Feed-in-Tariff incentive scheme for the next 20 years.

Furthermore, any energy that is not used can be sold to the National Grid as an additional source of revenue.

As the principal contractor, SolarTech was responsible for providing all the bespoke designs and calculations, installation and commissioning of the state-of-the-art system within a concentrated two-week timescale.

Highly experienced in the delivery of large-scale solar PV systems of this kind, the company was able to use its expertise to minimise any shading issues from the roof structure so that maximum energy yield could be ensured.

"We are delighted to have been involved in this landmark project, which clearly demonstrates the growing importance of renewable energy in the world of sport," said Shaun Taylor, Managing Director of SolarTech. "Roof mounted solar schemes in stadiums offer low visual impact whilst providing enormous environmental and economic benefits to the clubs and wider community."

Chief executive of Northampton Saints, Allan Robson commented on the importance of solar energy for the club:  "In an era when electricity prices are continuing to rise, looking into alternatives, which generate renewable energy is something which makes a lot of sense. These panels have been installed with a long term view and we're very happy to be reducing our carbon footprint in the process."

The Northampton Saints stadium has also won the approval of Friends of the Earth campaigner Donna Hume who said: "By generating their own solar energy the Saints are showing financial common sense as well as looking after the planet. It would be great to see more sports clubs and entire communities powering their workplaces and homes with clean British energy."

With over 10 years' experience in the renewable energy industry, SolarTech is a well-respected supplier of solar energy solutions to a range of private and public sector organisations. More information about the program is available on the web site at streetlights-solar.