Tag Archives: LA

Honda Civic 2012 Green Car of the Year

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Last years Los Angeles Auto Show focused on the electric car with the debut of the Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf. Throughout the year, other automobile manufacturers continued to release electric hybrid and electric cars, but sales were poor even with government rebates and perks. This years LA Auto show still has its share of electric vehicles, but the 2012 Green Car of the Year shows that there is no single solution to efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles.

Some of this years contenders included the Ford Focus Electric, Mitsubishi i, Toyota Prius V and Volkswagen Passat TDI, but the six judge panel decided to award the Honda Civic Natural Gas version the 2012 green car of the year award. According to Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal, “The new generation Civic Natural Gas features greater fuel efficiency, a more attractive and roomier design with tailpipe emissions lower than any other internal combustion produced vehicle. There is no other vehicle like the Civic Natural Gas on American highways, and this recognition has been a long time coming for Honda.”

The Civic Natural Gas is the only natural gas passenger vehicle to be mass produced. It was first introduced as a fleet vehicle in 1998, and is in its fifth generation. It offers 110 horsepower and has a range of about 240 miles on a full tank. It is reasonably priced at just over $26,000, and is available at 200 Honda dealers in 36 states.

LA City Council Votes against Red Light Cameras

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In an unanimous vote on Wednesday, Los Angeles City Council has decided to terminate the city’s controversial red light camera program. According to council members, loop holes in the laws governing the program resulted in only about 60% of the tickets being paid, failing to generate enough income to keep the program going. Both the Police Commission and the Los Angeles Superior Court felt the program could not be enforced and should be canceled. Critics of the program felt that the city was using the program only for revenue and accused them of putting up the cameras at intersections that would generate the most income and did little to improve safety on the roads. Camera programs have been canceled by many cities and towns across the country and the viability of programs still in affect are being questioned.