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State poised to lower Houston's speed limit to clean up air
Houston Chronicle ^
| Dec. 12, 2001
| By RAD SALLEE
Posted on 12/12/2001 10:03:52 AM PST by Buffalo Bob
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To: Buffalo Bob
There's an article in today's NY Times that says that the state of NEW JERSEY wants to INCREASE speed limits on an additional 250 miles of highway.....that's right, NJ....which has unbelieveable odors all along 95...so go figure..
2
posted on
12/12/2001 10:07:11 AM PST
by
ken5050
To: Buffalo Bob
I always thought auto engines were more efficient at higher speeds. Seems to me like they would pollute most when they are idling or at near-idle speeds, and at their worst when the car is stopped for a traffic signal.
To: Buffalo Bob
Can some rocket scientist explain how lowering speed limits will lower air pollution? What am I missing?
To: Buffalo Bob
Let's see reducing to 55 mph, reduces highway through put by over 35%. So the average time on the highway that a car spends by at least 35% and possibley more. So it seems counter productive, but that's government
To: Buffalo Bob
"If the Texas Transportation Commission votes Thursday..."Stupid question, here...but, where are the Texas politicians on this matter?
How is it a *commission* of unelected bureacrats are able to force this upon the entire state's citizens?
Where's all that Texan spirit so many of us non-Texans are continually carpet-bombed by?
...I'm glad I'm here & they're there is all I can say.
6
posted on
12/12/2001 10:13:01 AM PST
by
Landru
To: capt. norm
Houston is dead set on:
1. Making my commute longer.
2. Forcing lawn crews out of business
3. Writing more traffic tickets
With out-of-town Lee Brown (also known as the Dread Pirate Roberts because of his eerie voice similarity to Andre the Giant) in office, the sky is the limit for liberal Houstonians.
7
posted on
12/12/2001 10:14:22 AM PST
by
GWSTILL1
To: Landru
This is something that was imposed by the EPA during the Clinton years. The Texas group (which is nearly as wacko as the EPA) had to come up with a plan for EPA approval.
Texas politicians can't do a thing about it, because if Houston doesn't meet these targets imposed by law, it loses all highway funds among other things.
This is a federal bureaucracy problem.
8
posted on
12/12/2001 10:18:09 AM PST
by
Dog Gone
To: stubernx98
Its pushed by anti-auto zealots in the environmental movement, which permeate the EPA. Yes there is some emmissions reduction, but its just as much about making auto usage less convenient, on the theory that transit will then be more attractive. The dimwits fail to realize that 55mph is still faster than the 20-35mph average of buses and light-rail. But logic and coherence have never been their forte.
In addition, some cities and counties see this as a revenue enhancer, since many will simply just speed. For example, look at I-45 coming south out of Dallas. 60 mph within the city, yet it gets south of I-20 and drops to 55mph, even though it was just expanded to 6 lanes, there is rarely congestion since it was expanded, and almost zero suburbs south of I-20. No reason at all to lower the speed limit once you've left town. But there are always cops swarming that road writing tickets. And that's the reason.
To: Buffalo Bob
Remember Rosa Parks! Time to show Washington that the EPA has no real power over Southerners when they unite!
To: fuquadukie
You are correct. It won't reduce pollution at all - not one whit. I live here. This is so stupid. I have been to TNRCC EPA meetings/protests and argued this with the "experts" from the government.
I think it is all about making Texas look bad when Bush was running for president against Gore. They claimed we had worse pollution here than in LA. I used to live in LA - this is much cleaner air here - in LA the air was BROWN most of the year! It is almost always clear here, seldom smoggy, almost never! Most of the particulants in the air come from grass fires and not from cars!
COUNTER PRODUCTIVE IS RIGHT. It is all about collecting the SPEEDING TICKET fines! You should see the two pages of SIPS/new regulations they are putting on us. I was hoping Bush would throw them all out!!!!
We plan to get a really nice radar detector for our Porsche for Xmas. Did you ever try to drive Porsche 55 MPH???? You step on the gas and that darn thing goes 100 MPH!!!! Yeee Hawww Off to radio shack to look at radar detectors!!!
Barb in Texas
11
posted on
12/12/2001 10:35:32 AM PST
by
buffyt
To: Dog Gone
"This is something that was imposed by the EPA during the Clinton years..."-snip-
"Texas politicians can't do a thing about it, because if Houston doesn't meet these targets imposed by law, it loses all highway funds among other things."Of course, I'm sure you're absolutely correct; so my anger's not directed towards you, OK?
However...
Just LOOK at the things I hilited.
Try to address why it is that nearly everything the Bent1 did was & is permanent & unretractable; under the threat of depriving some government cash handout!!
While on the other hand OUR side is left to whistle Dixie while government-funded universities teach COMMUNIST, antiAmerican garbage, PDs (in certain Leftist enclaves) DEFY our AG & his JD...to name just TWO instances?
And all we're being told is, "There's nothing we can do because..." yadayadayada?
See the contradictions, here; because there're many.
"This is a federal bureaucracy problem."
To you, maybe.
To me; it's a people problem & people can fix this.
IF they wanted to?
Damn this makes me want to spit rivets into sheet steel!
...ever get the *feeling* they're just yankin' our chain, at their discretion?
12
posted on
12/12/2001 10:44:09 AM PST
by
Landru
To: GWSTILL1
Jon Matthews is right - Lee Period Pee Period does sound like Andre the Giant impersonating Cary Elwes in
The Princess Bride.
Imagine Fezzik saying, "Our nation's at war, and the battle will be fought on the streets of our city." Matthews is dead-on, eh?
Click to hear him!
13
posted on
12/12/2001 10:45:00 AM PST
by
Xenalyte
To: Buffalo Bob
I drove through Houston once during rush hour. A 70 mph speed limit was not an issue.
To: Landru
Just look at what happened when the current EPA merely tried to shelve Clinton's arsenic standards.
It's a problem of legislation which has already been passed in such things as the Clean Air Act. If the EPA won't enforce that law, you can be damn sure that the Sierra Club will sue them in front of some pinko Federal judge who will then issue his own draconian remedy and give the current administration a bloody nose in the process.
The real problem is the existing legislation that passed years ago, and the fact that we don't have anything anywhere near a majority who could repeal it now.
15
posted on
12/12/2001 11:12:21 AM PST
by
Dog Gone
To: Buffalo Bob
This is garbage. My Chevy is most efficient at 95. Anyway, changing the speed limit will have no effect whatsoever on actual traffic speed.
To: ken5050
I think this is kind of dumb, but driving 70 miles an hour on Houston's Hwy 59 in bumper-to-bumper traffic is not for the faint of heart. :)
17
posted on
12/12/2001 11:18:24 AM PST
by
joathome
To: Buffalo Bob
they can lower the speed limit, so what......we will still only be able to go 35mph due to traffic.....hell, I spent an additional 2 hrs getting home last night due to the mess on Westheimer, the beltway and 290...
To: Buffalo Bob
BWA ... HAWW HAWW HAWW. Like it will matter.
19
posted on
12/12/2001 3:50:21 PM PST
by
mercy
To: stubernx98
"..more time on the highway..."
Not only more time but there will be a higher concentration of cars and a higher concentration of exhaust fumes.
The best thing Houston can do to clean up their air is to vote all the left-wing democrats out of office.
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