--- Robert Yorga <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Why can't all our buses run on electricity or something that does not
> significantly pollute? > How about what they do in London? Charge 8 bucks to come in and out of the city? How about that? they haven't rolled up the sidewalks there, London is still moving and shaking and will be the better for it. > So let's c'mon...... let's do it, even three dollars will slow some > traffic coming into Mpls..........that money could be earmarked for clean air projects.......Which right should we protect, your right to pollute or my right to breathe clean air? [TB] Today's Strib reported that, to their credit, Metro Transit will begin using much cleaner burning fuel in about half of their bus fleet later this year. The cleaner fuel cuts out about 2/3 of the emissions. They've also got some non-disel busses running routes. Then there's the London thing. It's a congestion charge for Central London, not the entire city. London has a Mayor, a guy by the name of Ken Livingstone, who is much more willing to take political risks than the Mayor of Minneapolis. Reduced polution may have been an outcome, the target was to reduce congestion, to move people to public transit. The London fee applies only to certain parts of the day, starting before the morning rush hour and ending in the evening. Clearly there is a correlation between increasing use of public transit and reducing polution. I doubt that the City of Minneapolis has the legal authority to impose a fee to drive in downtown. However, since the city owns most of the parking spaces and most of the cars driving to downtown park there, the city could probably accomplish the same thing by increasing parking fees. Charge more to park at times when traffic is congested. The parking fee changes would be much easier to implement than the London system which relies on cameras and a call in system to pay the fee along with permits and maybe an online payment method. Triple parking fees between 7 AM and 5 PM and more people will take the bus (or in 11 more days the Ventura Express). If it doesn't the city gets a bunch more bucks. Terrell Brown Loring Park REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
