Robert, I for one am in firm agreement with you that
air quality issues(apart from the airport) seem to get
short shrift on this listserve. I am a downtown
resident and worker who is auto-free by choice. I
realize that it certainly isn't a practical choice for
everyone. Some families do need an SUV or station
wagon. Others need multiple vehicles.
I do alot of bus riding but mostly walk and bike
with an occasionally taxi ride(when I buy more
groceries or goods too heavy to get home walking or on
the bus). I understand that at some point there was
an agreement that buses running up and down Nicollet
Mall would all be zero emission vehicles. It seems
that those of us who choose to ride the bus or walk
downtown shouldn't have to breathe all that diesel
exhaust.
For that matter, school buses expose our children
to diesel exhaust every day of the school year and it
has been shown to have a particularly unhealthful
effect on children. Since the EPA in the last days of
the Clinton administration announced stricter
guidelines for diesel burning vehicles and diesel
fuel, maybe now would be a good time to seeing if we
can have our metro transit and school buses begin to
be replaced by zero-emmisions vehicles.
The other big culprit downtown seems to be idling
taxis. Perhaps the city could require all newly
liscensed taxis and replacement taxis in the city to
be zero-emmision vehicles. The lines of taxis outside
downtown hotels often make a walk downtown unpleasant
regardless of the time of year.
I feel these measures would greatly improve the
downtown experience for residents, commuters,
visitors, shoppers and others who venture downtown.
Though these only represent a portion of the vehicles
downtown I think these measures would greatly improve
downtown air quality for pedestrians.
David Strand Loring Neighborhood Ward 7
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