Reminder and see forwarded message, below. Mike Neuman
"Tune in to the FOX News Channel special report, "The Heat Is On: The Case of Global Warming," on Sunday, Nov. 13, at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. EST. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,175358,00.html --------- Forwarded message ---------- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Sun, 13 Nov 2005 10:21:22 -0600 Subject: City Operations Budget and Madison Metro Service Cuts Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hello Lee, I had the benefit of meeting you at the meeting on the smoking ban issue held last month, when you interviewed me at the City-county building on the night that the City Council voted to keep the ban. You had asked if I had testified on other issues before the council in the past and I said I had, including a Reparations for Slavery Resolution and providing comment on the Madison Climate Protection Plan. I neglected to mention that I had also testified on the Madison Metro funding issue last July, at which a number of people expressed concerns over Madison Metro's proposed fare hikes (which went into effect in early August, but at a slightly low amount for the daily cash fare and for the 10-ticket packet). I thought you might also be interested in knowing that I was one of the individuals who testified last Tuesday night, advocating that the City of Madison increase city funding of Madison Metro in 2006 by an amount sufficient to maintain the same level (or higher) bus service to the city than is being provided at present. My concerns with Metro's plan to decrease bus service next year if it doesn't receive sufficient funding from the city of Madison (even though the amount in the mayor's budget for this year is higher than last year but it pays for less service due to the higher costs of fuel) is that decreased mass transit in the city via the bus system will result in more cars driving throughout the city, therefore causing more pollution, more congestion and more collisions (w/pedestrians, bicyclists and other motor vehicles). I noted that I was especially concerned about the air quality impacts of more motor vehicles operating in the city everyday. I testified at the hearing that each bus results in about 60 fewer personal automobiles operating in the city during the same time period, meaning 60 fewer exhaust pipes are pumping out fuel combustion emissions for each individual bus that is operating in the city. I described my concerns about there having been more ozone action days this year (4) than last year (1); and that there have been 9 days this past spring and summer during which the state DNR issued air health advisories for Madison and Dane County, which advise that children and older adults take special precautions to avoid creating potentially harmful health risks for themselves. I said that recent studies have shown there to be a strong relationship between heavy motor vehicle traffic and public health concerns like asthma, heart attack, stroke and cancer, and that the more exposure (closer proximity increases exposure) people have to these emissions, the higher the risk of resulting health problems. (Two articles are included below for your information.) I pointed out in my testimony that the city already advocates greater Madison Metro bus use as an air quality improvement measure by its making bus ridership on days where high ozone levels are likely "free of charge" (to encourage less personal motor vehicle driving on those days in favor of riding the bus) and that it's proposal to cut bus service next year is inconsistent with that policy. I am also concerned about the possibility of declining bus service in Madison next year because more personal automobile driving also means more greenhouse gas emissions per individual using motorized transport in the city. Global warming is becoming a much more significant problem with not just global but also state and local ramifications, many of which are predicted to be profoundly negative in the longer term future. I testified the mayor's budget is inconsistent with the City of Madison's Climate Protection Plan, prepared under the direction of the previous mayor, and with Mayor Dave's signing of the Climate Protection Agreement, endorsed by 181 other city mayors around the country last June. Minimizing the amount of greenhouse gases that each of us produce in our daily activities should ultimately be an objective for every one of us. I said the city would be acting shortsighted if it decides to limit the options people in Madison have available to use a more energy efficient and non-polluting form of transportation in the city than the personal automobile, such as Madison Metro buses. I would like to ask that since you wrote about the concerns of people who use the bus system now not having a way to get around and the hardships they face if they lose bus service, that you might also want to write an article to inform your readers about the environmental, public health and safety related harm that will occur to all Madisonians if the City Council approves the mayor's budget cutting of Madison Metro service in Madison in 2006. If someone else at The Capital Times covers this issue by any chance, I would ask that you forwarded this message to that person so that the environmental concerns with Mayor Dave's budget proposal are covered this week, preferable Monday or Tuesday. If you or someone else mentions my name as a source or as an advocate for maintaining (and expanding) Madison Metro bus service, please do NOT identify me as being a member of the Progressive Dane political party, which is similarly supporting full funding for the bus system. While I am not a member of PD, I am a member of a local advocacy organization currently being initiated to work for improvements and expansion of Madison Metro bus service in the greater Madison area. Thank for taking this information into consideration. Mike Neuman 4334 Waite Circle Madison, WI 53711 Ph. 238-6866 (hm.) 266-5428 (weekdays) Also see: http://madison.indymedia.org/feature/display/27200/index.php ------------ Forwarded Message ----------------- Pedestrians Living Life On The Edge Because Of Air Pollution By Alastair Dalton Chivalrous males shielding their female companions from traffic hazards by walking on the outside of pavements are also protecting them from harmful fumes, scientists have discovered. Walking close to the edge of the kerb exposes pedestrians to up to a tenth more pollutants than on the building side.News of the study came as the Scottish Green Party called for tougher action on traffic pollution, which it said kills 2,000 people a year north of the Border. In the pavement research, a team from Imperial College London found people walking nearest the road encountered higher concentrations of ultrafine particles, or PM2.5, which are associated with respiratory illnesses and cancer, than those on the inner side, nearest buildings. PM2.5 exposure in the morning was also found to be significantly higher than in the afternoon. The particles are emitted by vehicle exhausts, especially from diesel engines, and are also present in dust from concrete and other road-building materials. Pollution levels were also found to be higher on one side of the street than the other, a fact which the researchers said could be caused by air currents sweeping between buildings and concentrating pollution in certain areas. However, they found that carbon monoxide concentrations did not appear to vary between different parts of the pavement. The study, published in the journal Atmospheric Environment and reported in this week's issue of New Scientist magazine, involved volunteers taking 20-minute walks over 12 days. The 11 participants were kitted out with pumps that sucked in air as they walked along Marylebone Road, near Madame Tussauds in London. They walked on either side of the road, in both directions and at different times of the day. The pumps' filters were examined to establish the level of pollutants inhaled by participants. The study is part of the four-year Dispersion of Air Pollution and Penetration into the Local Environment (DAPPLE) project, which is aimed at helping tackle urban pollution hotspots. Dr Surbjit Kaur, the deputy scientific co-ordinator for DAPPLE, who is based at the centre for environmental policy at Imperial College, said people with breathing and heart problems should take note. She said: "It is something that susceptible people like asthmatics and those suffering from cardiovascular disease should be made aware of." Meanwhile, Patrick Harvie, a Green MSP, will tell the Scottish Parliament today that pedestrians spending 24 hours in Glasgow city centre would inhale as much nitrogen oxides as if they had smoked nearly 15 cigarettes. He said: "Air pollution is taking its toll in cities across Scotland, particularly Glasgow. The quality of air in Hope Street is so bad that if it was a pub it would be closed down when the smoking ban comes into force. "The smoking ban will give people the right to breathe safely air indoors. Glaswegians are also entitled to breath air outdoors that is safe and clean and reducing traffic is key to achieving that. "Air pollution is now a city-wide problem and we need to address the root of the problem - Glasgow's soaring road-traffic levels." Source: news.scotsman.com, 3 November 2005 http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=2185392005 -------------------------------- Fowarded Message -------------------------------------------------------- Research Indicates Health Effects of Air Pollution Are Underestimated Air pollution may be a bigger health threat than previously believed, a 20-year study of residents of Los Angeles indicates. Researchers report that the contribution of particulate matter to chronic health problems may be as much as two to three times greater than current estimates. Michael Jerrett of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles and his colleagues analyzed two decades of data collected from nearly 23,000 residents of 260 Los Angeles neighborhoods. They found that as the number of fine particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter increased, so, too, did the risk of dying: each jump of 10 micrograms per cubic meter corresponded to a 11 to 17 percent increase in the risk of dying from any cause. "By looking at the effects of pollution within communities, not only did we observe pollution's influence on overall mortality, but we saw specific links between particulate matter and death from ischemic heart disease, such as heart attack, as well as lung cancers," Jerrett says. The team's findings are published in the November issue of the journal Epidemiology. In the same issue, a second group of researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California reports that living close to the freeway raises a child's risk of developing asthma. Tracking the respiratory health of 208 children in 10 cities, the scientists determined that those youngsters who lived closer to highways were more likely to develop asthma. Remarks lead study author W. James Gauderman of Keck: "Considering the enormous costs associated with childhood asthma, today's public policy toward regulating pollutants may merit some reevaluation." http://www.sciam.com/print_version.cfm?articleID=000BBBE4-90A0-1330-90A08 3414B7F0000 _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
