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9A A NEV is a four wheeted vehide which is larger than a galf cart but smalter than a typical�ight- Pa9e �� duty car.They are deflned by the U.S. National tiighway Safety AdministraUon's�ederal Motor Vehicle Safety Stas�dard as having top speeds between 20-25 miies per hour. At the tifr�e,under Cafifomia laws,NEVs could onry be driven in goif cart communities and the c.�y needed to oome up wilfi a st�ategy ta albw the vehides to move about ihe ertitire aty.That st�ategy u(bimateiy resulted in the Lir�coin City Cour�cil draRing siet�legislatlon(A8 2353)ta create a pilot program v�rhereby Lincoln and its ne�hbor.ttse tyfy of Rocklin,co�d develop NEV transporta�tion pians.The bitl passed in 20D4,and August 8 wi1!martt the two year anrtiversary o# Linc�oln's NE1/pfan. In order to safely enable NEVs to drive on rosds with speed limits of 35 mph or higher,Lirx�ln had to cre�te special signage and lanes.l'hese spedally str''+Ped t�es are sevoers t�et wide and a�te t�ed by bottt NEVs and bicyGes.The aty has spent about$880,000 on the lanes and si9nage-The NEV transport�ation plan pt+oposes approxtmately 50 miles of IVEV lanes and NEV- desigt�ated rou[es.So far,Linooin has compiefied about six miles of the special stri�ing and . expects to t�nis�►by 2008_ ' 'Tom Cosgrove,a L'trx�olr�c�ouncil member,v�rtro was active in getdng AB 2353 passed,bel+eves this program helped make Uncoln a stronger communiry. "AAost aties�e laokir�for ways to grow that retanns ri�e charm of their corrnnu►�ties.s4 when residertts asked us bo help expar�the range of neighborhood elecxric vehides within our ci#y,we saw an oppoA�mity to connect our rreighborhoods witi�ut adding cars,"he says."VYe need to provide the inirastruc�ure so that we can be sure tt�at 1VEVS can work in au aty and this will also be�e�rrtpte�uu Other ownmt�ities on how this can walc for tttem,too.° Lincoin's gmwtng�liarx:8 on NElls hetps reduce Uaffic ecound#ornm and air poUudon.These vehicles c�se eiecfici�ty instead of gas so tt►sy dai't hau�the"coid start'problem of a r�gular car. Furthem'wre,NE1/s'energY e1�x�encY is quiv�ent to 150 miles peF gafbn ofi gasolirte.Today there are 600 NEVs in Lirx�oln and the dCy war�b incnease that number to 5,000 by 2025.The NEVs in use in#he c�y today eiimin�te approximalely t0 tons of air potlutian annual�y.Accordir►g to John Pediri,puWic Mrorks director,this saves 42,500�albns o#gas each year. Alttaugh origMaily designed t+o connect r+�iderrts of the adive adu�commur�y w�tf the rest of Lincoln,NEVs have become pop�ar ttxnughout the city.A commur�itY 9�P in the city has launched a 1Neb site ded"�catecl to NEVs at wvvw.iincntnhitislsv.com. � Lincoln's NEl/TransRortation Pian is available as a PDF onlir�. httt�:ltww�rv.a.iinco!n.ea.usluaaedavvnlo�cfstFinal°t-�20�l�V°/b20�ransqorta*iort°/Q20PIan qdf More information abo�.rt ttte aty of Lincoin can be faund at w�nr�.ci.lincc,ln.ca.us. Court Yalidates Cooperative Purchasing Through U.8.Communities A ruling issued Aprif t0 by a E.os Angeles Superiar Cou�t judge rejected daims that the city of Los Angeies viol�ed�ust and oftter laws wtten it agreed to pool its purc�'tiasing poYrer with other agenc�es thr�gh U.S.Communities to proc�e better pricing in its purchase o#oop�r machines. The case pote�tla�r wautd have at�ected the purchas+ng power of kens of thousands of pubt� agerxaes across tfie U.S.and could have je�ardized miilions of dotlars in taxpayer savings. in 2007,Canon Bu�ir�ess Sotudor�s-W�est sued Los Angeles for ailegedly engaging�anti- compstit�ve t,ondud aftpr#he c�y issued a request for quotations(RFQ}and awarded a m� agreement to arwther company.Urx�er tt�e city's RFQ,the succ�stul bidder woutd fiave to ofFer the same price to public agencies rratia�wide under the U.S.Communities program.Canon did rtot want�of�er the same pric:ing nationwide snd a�d that the U_S.Cammun�es prog�arn irnited p�iic agerx�s ta eFf�ec�ively cafhxte on settirg t�tionaE ptic�s.Canon daimed that it was unfair to fatce bidders tv oifer their produds at a sfngle price natior�wide. 11