eMission control – Focus: Bikeways – Part 2

People reading “eMission control – Focus: Bikeways,” posted Apr. 28, 2013 and as it relates to “Air Quality Matters” may right now be questioning what biking as a recreational activity has to do with matters of air quality. And that’s a valid point. And exactly the reason for “eMission control – Focus: Bikeways – Part … Read more

eMission control – Focus: Bikeways

In the “eMission control – Focus:” series, covered so far have been: roadways, railways, the past, present and future, airways, seaways and transitways, though, maybe not in that order. So far, the journey has been interesting. On tap today is “eMission control – Focus: Bikeways” and what I thought I’d do is chronicle one bike trip in … Read more

eMission control – Focus: Transitways

I can’t recall exactly when I first became a fan of transit but my enthusiasm for such goes quite a ways back. It was in the mid-1980s that I rode the Baltimore subway, and predating this during the mid-1970s, I rode BART or the Bay Area Rapid Transit line in and around San Francisco for … Read more

For carbon savings, fuel efficiency, U.S. freight rail carriers ‘delivering the goods’

Goods delivery: it’s big business! And the U.S. freight railroad industry moves freight more efficiently and has a lower carbon footprint, all things being equal, than any other single mode. In effect, this is the message of an Apr. 22, 2013 Association of American Railroads (AAR) press release, whereby the AAR states unequivocally, “Ton-miles-per-gallon is a standard measure of fuel … Read more

Regarding American Lung Association annual air report there is good and bad news

The American Lung Association (ALA) in its “State of the Air 2013” report, released Apr. 24th, found that better than 40 percent of all Americans breathe unhealthy air. On the other hand, for the nation in general, related air quality news was much more promising. “This year’s report reveals that many places made strong progress, … Read more

Examination of engine idling in editorial goes the extra mile

One of the particulars of driving a motor vehicle especially one of the internal-combustion-engine-powered variety is that part of the overall vehicle operation involves engine idling. It’s unavoidable. However, keeping idling to a minimum would go far and do much to lessen air and human health impacts tied to the operation of motor vehicles powered by internal … Read more

On Earth Day and always ‘green’ transit worth its weight in gold

Transportation provides such an essential service to society. Public transit also being a small but integral and important part of the total transportation package, here is what the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) had to say about the environmental friendliness aspect of public transit: “In celebration of Earth Day, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) … Read more

What makes smart growth so ‘smart’

So, what is smart growth? “The central tenet of smart growth,” Greg Dierkers, Erin Silsbe, Shayna Stott, Steve Winkelman and Mac Wubben of the Center for Clean Air Policy in its “CCAP Transportation Emissions Guidebook – Part One: Land Use, Transit & Travel Demand Management” stress, “is the return to more compact built forms that … Read more

U.S. could see cleaner fuels powering cleaner cars by 2017

I cannot imagine there being a single vehicle owner who wouldn’t support a rule stipulating cars run cleaner. If not that, then how about much improved motor vehicle fuel economies – who would not want this? Maybe I’m just a dreamer. Washington Post correspondent Juliet Eilperin on Mar. 29, 2013, wrote: “The Environmental Protection Agency … Read more