Florida dealers association donates decals for police cars • Tern partners with Munich Transport Authority • Illinois judge rejects 'Amazon tax'
TAMPA, FL (BRAIN) Friday April 27 2012 11:50 AM MT—A member of the South West Florida Bicycle United Dealers group has donated $2,000 to put more "Share the Road" stickers on police car rear windows.
J. Steele Olmstead, a layer who is a member of the SWFBUD is donating $2,000 to the Tampa Police Department for the stickers, which extend across the width of the cars' rear windows. The stickers read, "Share the Road - It's the Law" and include a graphic showing that state law requires motorists to give cyclists 3 feet of passing room.
SWFBUD has identified bicyclist safety as a major concern because eight bicyclists in Hillsborough County have been killed since last December.
"SWFBUD appreciates the Tampa Police Department's efforts to make the city more bicycle-friendly," said Alan Snel, SWFBUD director. "The Share the Road It's the Law decals on Tampa Police cars are a combination of education and law enforcement coming together for the betterment of both bicyclists and motorists."
Tern partners with Munich Transport Authority
TAIPEI, Taiwan (BRAIN) Friday April 27 2012 11:32 AM MT—Portable bike maker Tern is working with transportation officials in Munich, Germany, to offer a special edition bike and encourage the use of folding bikes on the city's transportation network.
Officials would like to encourage the use of folding bikes on the system to alleviate bike parking congestion at train stations and crowding by full-size bikes aboard trains and buses.
“Portable bikes take up very little space when folded and so make the perfect last-mile link on an extensive transport network like the MVV. We’re very happy we can be a participant in such a progressive and forward-looking program,” said Joshua Hon, Tern vice president.
Starting at the end of April, about 25 participating Tern dealers in Munich will offer the special-edition bike through various purchase plans tailored for the project.
Illinois judge rejects 'Amazon tax'
CHICAGO, IL (BRAIN) Friday April 27 2012 11:41 AM MT—A county circuit judge here has thrown out a state law that would have collected taxes from online retailers with affiliate partners in the state. The tax had been intended to help local retailers and would have raised $170 million annually, according to InternetRetailer.com.
According to the site, Judge Robert Lopez Cepero ruled that the Main Street Fairness Act, enacted in March 2011, was invalid because e-retailers do not create a physical presence in the state simply through affiliate marketing relationships. Amazon affiliates are website operators who collect a small percentage on Amazon sales that are initiated through links on their website.
Amazon, Overstock.com and other online retailers have shut down their affiliate programs in some states that have tried to collect similar taxes.
