Entitled drivers are getting in the way of California’s climate change efforts

Los Angeles Times ^ | September 20, 2017 | Times Editorial Board

[Oldeconomybuyer]

For all the talk in California about leading the world in fighting global warming and resisting President Trump’s climate-denial agenda, the state faces one powerful obstacle that limits its environmental activism: Touch their cars and Californians will revolt.

Any effort that limits, constrains or makes driving one’s car more expensive or inconvenient — no matter how civic-minded the proposal — is immediately controversial in California, and often a nonstarter. Getting between Californians and their cars can spell the end of a political career.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and the City Council have committed to help slow climate change and to make the city more sustainable. They’ve adopted policies, including the city’s Mobility Plan 2035, that are designed to encourage people to drive less and take public transit, bike and walk more.

How do you get people to walk or bike more? Making travel easier and safer for non-drivers often means removing traffic lanes and, yes, slowing travel for cars.

Will California lawmakers stick to their climate change goals when drivers threaten to revolt? We certainly hope so.

[robroys woman]

When I was in Burbank a few months ago I noticed gas was really expensive, but premium was not much more expensive than regular.

Here in Kentucky, there is a 60 to 90 cent price difference between regular and premium. This is the one thing I hate about my FR-S that requires a tank of gas every two days.

I’ll never own another car that burns premium unless I win the lotto - which means someome will have to donate a ticket for me, since I refuse to buy one.

[originalbuckeye]

We lived in the LA area for nearly 20 years. When we first moved there, we had a subscription to the LATimes. I canceled it when, during the Whitewater investigation, the 'reporter' damned the Starr team with using 'desperate tactics', while praising Clinton's lawyers for using 'sophisticated maneuverings'. The double-standard was glaring, over 20 years ago.

[US_MilitaryRules]

That was stupid! They should have just made the drive thru business’s charge 5 or 10 bucks a car added on to their order!

[alloysteel]

But what about the solar panels that are used to produce electricity, the electricity used for electrolysis of water into hydrogen and oxygen, with the hydrogen being collected and stored for use in an internal combustion engine, for those hours of darkness when literally, the sun doesn’t shine.

Could be made to be “sustainable”. Kind of a Rube Goldberg solution for a problem that does not have to be nearly that complicated.

Hydrogen-powered fuel cells would be a lot more efficient than internal-combustion engines in many applications, however.

Replace gasoline as a motor fuel with natural gas, right off the home distribution system, or as compressed natural gas available at convenient service stations.

Even Diesel engines can use compressed natural gas as a supplementary fuel source (still need the Diesel fuel to assure compression-ignition, though). Internal combustion engines all accelerate or respond to load by overfueling, and compressed natural gas fulfills this requirement well.

[samtheman]

I quit buying all newspapers and news magazines about 20 years ago. I am also careful about what sites I click on. If I believe my click can in any way provide revenue for lying liberal propagandist scumbags, I don’t click.

[lacrew]

"that are designed to encourage people"

I get scared when gubmint tries to 'encourage' me.

[wjcsux]

Your use of factual information is confusing to the Libtards.

[Avalon Memories]

Yo! Garcetti! Yeah you, the one who says he’s Hispanic but has an Italian sounding name. How does one slow change in the climate when the climate already changes every minute of every day? What do you do? Get out there and tell the sun to cool it or something? Or is your real goal to return humans to a more primitive state to better control them? Less for us, more for you. is that it?

[eyeamok]

Can’t we start out by making it a Felony for ANY “Public Employee” to utilize any mode of transportation that emits CO2 unless it is Mass Public Transportation, for their commute to and from their respective workplace.

NO VOTER APPROVAL NECESSARY, You have this RIGHT, right Now!!!

[glasseye]

They are doing this cr*p in San Jose.
Removing lanes, replacing them with unused bike lanes.
It has completely changed downtown.
Sleepy residential areas are now filled with morning and evening traffic.
Long past time time for torches & pitchforks.

[Bonemaker]

Cars are a symbol of American freedom and mobility. The new horse as it were. Wise people did not mess with other peoples horses back in the day.

[BlueLancer]

When the title reads "entitled drivers", I thought it was going to be an article about government officials and Hollywood do-gooders being raked over the coals for not practicing what they preach.

But, noooooo ... it's about restricting the driving capabilities of average middle-class workers.

And any law passed in California, of course, doesn't affect officials or celebrities because "they don't have time to take public transportation or bike because what they are doing is so important that they can't be delayed ..."

[elcid1970]

Aren’t gasoline price differences between states due to state blending requirements (and per gallon taxes, too)?

[TheNext]

Build the Wall at Calexico.
Fewer Democrat illegals to rig elections.
Republicans will give the cars back.

[robroys woman]

I believe Indiana taxes the he!! out of premium.

[DoughtyOne]

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[trebb]

Sounds like a plan - do it.....now!

[caseinpoint]

It is liberal policies that turned California into a commuter nightmare in the first place. In addition to refusing to build new roads and shrinking others, the liberals in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Sacramento, LA and San Diego pushed to have green belts and opposed affordable housing. As a result housing prices skyrocketed and anyone who wanted a decent sized home in which to rear a family had to move farther and farther out into the exurbs.

This change had real impacts on communities and families. Exurbs struggled with keeping a viable business base because they would empty out during the weekdays and citizens often did their shopping near where they worked rather than where they lived, or shopped online to avoid hassles. Further, families were stressed with the long commute times and is a significant factor in divorce now. So exurbs end up with unstable businesses and families. Also, pricey homes meant both husbands and wives had to work. The must lucrative jobs were an hour or so away by car from their homes and kids. Trains and buses are not a good option when you need to get home to kids is a hurry or get to their activities.

All in all, California can blame its “car problem” on its elitism and anti-family policies.

[rockinqsranch]

“We certainly hope so.”

There’s that typical leftist arrogance once again. To HELL with what the masses, the people want. The left in their minds know better, and by all means necessary, legal, or illegal they will usurp the rights, the will of the people to make their idiotic perceptions the law of the land.

[AngelesCrestHighway]

Any effort that limits, constrains or makes driving one’s car more expensive or inconvenient — no matter how civic-minded the proposal — is immediately controversial in California, and often a nonstarter......just Duh???