tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6609536178570975752.post2854514571225043199..comments2024-01-12T00:32:20.149-08:00Comments on The Overhead Wire: Watch that Wedge Jacking Up the FreewayPantograph Trolleypolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17833159138533550544noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6609536178570975752.post-2474833703778890332007-11-09T15:01:00.000-08:002007-11-09T15:01:00.000-08:00A whole lot of people who should know better just ...A whole lot of people who should know better just don't want to change their lifestyle. The automobile has represented freedom to the hippy/liberal folks since the 60s. And they really don't want to give up this so called freedom. <BR/><BR/>With apologies to Upton Sinclair: It is difficult to get a person to understand something when their<BR/>lifestyle depends on their not understanding it.kenfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08276884726616782475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6609536178570975752.post-86049569260279261542007-11-09T01:05:00.000-08:002007-11-09T01:05:00.000-08:00The argument that light rail would be more "dirty"...The argument that light rail would be more "dirty" than buses in the Seattle wouldn't fly since most of our electricity comes from hydro-electric damsChris Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07430114612758118174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6609536178570975752.post-56800646873927489622007-11-08T22:43:00.000-08:002007-11-08T22:43:00.000-08:00That article from the Christian Science Monitor is...That article from the Christian Science Monitor is really disappointing- they normally have a pretty solid level of reporting on the substance of issues.<BR/><BR/>"In one of the nation's greenest cities, a mass transit proposal has green voters divided."<BR/><BR/>No facts are provide to support this assertion. Was it really the mass transit proposal that divided Green voters and led them to defeat the transit and road-funding measure this week, or was it that combining Highway-building and Mass Transit proved a bitter pill for both those who support and those who oppose expanding transportation choices in the Emerald City? <BR/><BR/>And don't get me started on Susie Homemaker, one of those "enviornmentalists" who delude themselves into thinking driving a hybrid-engine SUV fifty miles a day to and from work is somehow environmentally friendly.jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05963803866842453453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6609536178570975752.post-6077006301080130712007-11-08T22:18:00.000-08:002007-11-08T22:18:00.000-08:00Thats interesting, i had never thought of the salt...Thats interesting, i had never thought of the salt issue. But i'm sure that areas around freeways, specifically in cities with a lot of snowfall would have serious issues with land being reverted to farming near freeways.Pantograph Trolleypolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17833159138533550544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6609536178570975752.post-42785934873427816242007-11-08T22:14:00.000-08:002007-11-08T22:14:00.000-08:00One (or several) items that the highway apologists...One (or several) items that the highway apologists fail to take into account include the fact that much rail itself takes up far less land and runs on a permeable bed of gravel, rather than pavement, which promotes stormwater runoff and concentration of toxics including brake dust and of course road salt. Who pays for this? We do, for the contamination of the groundwater, the flashy water regime, and the engineered stormwater management features required by the car infrastructure (and yes that includes electric and alt-fuel vehicles).<BR/><BR/>I see natural areas doing a lot better next to 100+ year old railroad beds than they are doing next to the salt-soaked highways.<BR/> <BR/>Furthermore, being a rail commuter from time to time here in the Chicago region, snow and ice events scarcely give Metra and the El commuter and rapid rail transit a hiccup, while creating colossal gridlock on the highways. The only salt use on the railroads is in the parking lots and the boarding platforms.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com