Idiot Environmentalist

[Pagan]

silly me, only on earth day do they use power and gas, the other 364 days a year they run off a dozen hamsters on wheels.

Watch out, the animal rights people are gonna come after you now for cruelty....especially since it's cute little fuzzy hamsters.

Some don't even have that bus/car choice. Where I live there is a bus system but it doesn't go everywhere and only runs from like 9-5. You need a car to get most places or your gonna be walking a few miles to your actual destination, even if you do take a bus.

Exactly! We've got a bus system here, but, while it does go some places I need to go, the times don't jive. Like right now when I'm over at Presbyterian Hospital until 11:30pm, the buses stop at, like, 10pm, and I don't think they run on weekends at all. Not to mention that there's only about 6 buses that cross the river to the west side (we're kind of the unwanted step-child).

Mayor Marty (and a few other "geniuses") now think it's a brilliant idea to put a trolley going up and down Central to help "conserve" gas. Yeah, it is a good idea....except that that will serve a very small segment of the city and does us no good over here on the west side.

[daleduke17]

Exactly! We've got a bus system here, but, while it does go some places I need to go, the times don't jive. Like right now when I'm over at Presbyterian Hospital until 11:30pm, the buses stop at, like, 10pm, and I don't think they run on weekends at all. Not to mention that there's only about 6 buses that cross the river to the west side (we're kind of the unwanted step-child).

Sounds like our bus system here in town. You'd think the city would have it to where a bus would drop off at a city park that has a pool. Nope. Closest stop is about three blocks away, completely secluded from the park and pool. If it were more feasible, I would probably take public transit, but, the idea of walking three blocks (I live across the street from said pool), transferring twice, and then walking three more blocks is not in the books for me as it would take over an hour to do that, when I can drive to work in ten minutes, including a stop at the Circle K for a soda and chips. Now, I'm not saying I should be able to have door to door service, but, a little more strategically located stops would be nice.

Also, our bus service stops at 11pm, except for around the university (during the school year) when it works until 1am (which is closing time for the bars).

[smileyeagle1021]

UTA has the same problem with buses... they stop running at 11pm... which with my grave shift isn't a problem because I should be at work by then... when I work swing though it just isn't possible... well I take that back, I could get halfway but that leaves just over 5 miles that I need to do on bike... not happening.

[draftermatt]

Some don't even have that bus/car choice. Where I live there is a bus system but it doesn't go everywhere and only runs from like 9-5. You need a car to get most places or your gonna be walking a few miles to your actual destination, even if you do take a bus.

Where I live there are no buses, trains, etc. If you're going somewhere in the county, you're driving.

Unless you're old then you can call CATS and they'll come pick you up and take you where you need to go.

And say I wanted to go to Baltimore. Well then I can drive 15-20 miles to the nearest Metro/Light Rail station, take that to the nearest stop, then take a bus or walk, but that's only true for Baltimore City, and surrounding communities.

DC has a good transit, but I have to drive 40+ miles to get to the nearest station.

Of course the 1 of the county commissioners wanted to have a bus system to go from my county to the Baltimore stations as has been planned for 15 years, but the other commissioners said no and the last time it was brought up the public outcry was so negative they dropped it.

[Pagan]

Sounds like our bus system here in town. You'd think the city would have it to where a bus would drop off at a city park that has a pool. Nope.

Also, our bus service stops at 11pm, except for around the university (during the school year) when it works until 1am (which is closing time for the bars).

What irks most everyone around here is that all the focus is on Central and downtown. Which is hilarious because UNM is around in the same area and they ignore it, too! Um, hello you idiots....the city covers a little over 180 sq miles. (It's almost 20 miles from my apartment to Presbyterian Hospital downtown.) Try hooking up the rest of the city as well as that small area....or we'll vote you out!

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Somewhat off topic, they make some pretty neat products from recycled things.

Today at work, I noticed a company has taken discarded foil juice pouches (like Capri-Sun or Kool-Aid) and fused them together into pencil pouches. I want one; I'm sure I can find a use for it.

They also make binder and notebook covers out of recycled cardboard. I also have a shopping bag from Target that's old plastic Target bags fused together.

[SpyOne]

Necessity is the mother of invention.

The bus service around here sucks. Same issues people have mentioned above: doesn't go everywhere, limited hours, hours that don't match my schedule.

I hit a bit of financial trouble, and insurance for my car was beyond my means. If they catch you driving an uninsured vehicle, the suspend your license.

So, faced with a situation where I could not drive, and yet I must get to work, I found a solution that works quite well: I got a bicycle.

My first cost me $10 at a thrift store. It took me nearly an hour each way, but given that the alternative was starving and becoming homeless, it didn't seem so bad. After a while, I bought a better bike.

I also bought waterproof clothes in case it rains, and bags to carry my work clothes in so I don't get them all sweaty. And headlights, since I do most of my riding at night.
And then I realized that, just in gas, I was saving $1 every day I rode to work. So after a year, I spent $300 on an even better bike.

I'm thinner, fitter, happier, and wealthier than I was. I could have gotten my license back a year ago, but instead I sold my car.

It's not without difficulties: I can't carry much in the way of groceries, even with panniers and a "rack trunk", but a local supermarket will deliver any amount of groceries for an extra $10, so I just order about 2 weeks worth at a time.


Just pointing out that driving is not the only solution available when the busses are useless.

[Pagan]

So, faced with a situation where I could not drive, and yet I must get to work, I found a solution that works quite well: I got a bicycle.

Except that I'm not gonna try to ride my bike almost 20 miles across ABQ at 2330. That would have been a lot of fun last night when the power was out. Unfortunately, most of this city is simply not built to accommodate bicycles. You will get run over.

[d962831]

oh, this reminds me of all the people who yell that they want their bags in paper because it pollutes less. Yeah, these people aren't enlightened in the least, they're running with a fad. Paper bags actually cause more harm to the environment than plastic, but as they say "plastic isn't natural"...yeah, like paper is.

[Rapscallion]

oh, this reminds me of all the people who yell that they want their bags in paper because it pollutes less. Yeah, these people aren't enlightened in the least, they're running with a fad. Paper bags actually cause more harm to the environment than plastic, but as they say "plastic isn't natural"...yeah, like paper is.

Well, just hit Fratching turf there. Keep the 'how to improve the world' off here, please? It stops fights.

Rapscallion

[marasbaras]

I want paper bags because my son cuts them up and does cool things with them (well, cool things from a father's point of view). Unfortunately, all we have locally are those horrid plastic bags.

[penguingeekgod]

They could be powered by the whinging of SC's!

Perpetual energy fuel??

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

yes, but iradney, if there had been little robots she would have complained about the energy wasted by said robots and demand to know if they were being powered by a renewable source
.

They could be powered by the whinging of SC's!

Clean, renewable and unlimited supply...*snaps fingers* You two are on to something here!

Quick! Somebody tell T. Boone Pickens!

[rvdammit]

One of the joys of living in the Greter London area is the public transport. Nearest tube station is 10 minutes on a bus, train is 10 minutes walk, and radial bus routes round the outside.

[smileyeagle1021]

One of the joys of living in the Greter London area is the public transport. Nearest tube station is 10 minutes on a bus, train is 10 minutes walk, and radial bus routes round the outside.

you good sir suck... Salt Lake based its bus system off of the grid, meaning that almost no matter what you will have to transfer unless you are going due north/south or due east/west... though in fairness during peak hours it is a great system with many routes running every 15 minutes... apparently though bus drivers are afraid of the dark because there are very few buses that run at night.