Nearly two years after BUB's inception, Blue Urban Bikes and the ReCYCLEry have received recognition at RTP Headquarter's 2008 luncheon and award ceremony celebrating the achievements of the year's transportation demand management (TDM) programs, including the Durham County Trip Reduction Ordinance and TDM Programs in RTP, Durham, Orange and Wake Counties.

There are 8 BUB Hubs now, from Eastgate to the MLK YMCA and into Carrboro. Discussions are ongoing with Wellspring, 3 campus locations, and hopefully in Meadowmont. Rumor has it that a possible partnership with gotriangle could target bus stops. Thanks to the determination, effort and foresight of just a couple people at the outset, SURGE, and the community at large, the program survives and is looking better than ever.

Unless you've been on vacation for the last 10 days or so you should be quite aware of the controversial action of the Chapel Hill Town Council (by a 8-1 vote) granting themselves a health care benefit usually associated with long-term service. I'm sure readers of this site have by now made up their minds as to the appropriateness of this action so I need not concern myself with that. I would hope that readers are also aware that the Council members who voted in favor of this benefit quickly realized that they had erred, if not in substance, at least in process, and quickly reversed their decision. Even before they had voted to reverse their decision they were inundated with voice mails and emails, some apparently quite nasty and distastetful, expressing their displeasure over the Council actions.