Draylen Mason Studio
Vehicle Exhaust Dangerous
RECEIVED Fri., June 4, 2004
Dear Editor,
If you close the door to the garage, and turn on your car engine, you may soon die of carbon monoxide poisoning. That process is still happening, it just occurs at a slower rate since the "garage" in this case is the atmosphere.
If vehicle exhaust was piped to the inside of your car, you can be damn sure emission standards would be stringent. However, since the poisonous gases from your vehicle exhaust spew out onto the streets for walkers and bikers to breathe, you can zoom quickly away with the windows rolled up, right? Don't fool yourself, my friend. So, still think the solution to the traffic/air problem is to build more roads? How can this make any sense? The only way you can improve the traffic problem is to get your car off the road. Most people keep expecting someone else (that would be anyone other than you) to solve the traffic and air quality problems. But the reality is, if you are in your car, and you are driving, then you are the traffic problem.
We need to ask our decision-makers for more options.
Here are a few quick facts:
Travis County total population 2003 estimate: 867,929
Travis County age 15+ population (i.e., eligible drivers): 715,476
Number of registered vehicles in Travis County: 689,903
Number of exempt vehicles (e.g., school buses, police cars, city of Austin vehicles, etc.) in Travis County: 215,846
Total number of exempt and registered vehicles in Travis County: 905,749
Number of options for taxpaying citizens to travel other than by car: good question.
If you close the door to the garage, and turn on your car engine, you may soon die of carbon monoxide poisoning. That process is still happening, it just occurs at a slower rate since the "garage" in this case is the atmosphere.
If vehicle exhaust was piped to the inside of your car, you can be damn sure emission standards would be stringent. However, since the poisonous gases from your vehicle exhaust spew out onto the streets for walkers and bikers to breathe, you can zoom quickly away with the windows rolled up, right? Don't fool yourself, my friend. So, still think the solution to the traffic/air problem is to build more roads? How can this make any sense? The only way you can improve the traffic problem is to get your car off the road. Most people keep expecting someone else (that would be anyone other than you) to solve the traffic and air quality problems. But the reality is, if you are in your car, and you are driving, then you are the traffic problem.
We need to ask our decision-makers for more options.
Here are a few quick facts:
Travis County total population 2003 estimate: 867,929
Travis County age 15+ population (i.e., eligible drivers): 715,476
Number of registered vehicles in Travis County: 689,903
Number of exempt vehicles (e.g., school buses, police cars, city of Austin vehicles, etc.) in Travis County: 215,846
Total number of exempt and registered vehicles in Travis County: 905,749
Number of options for taxpaying citizens to travel other than by car: good question.
Heidi Dues
