Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
Today’s thread is a follow-on to “Why moving dedicated HSR funds to California rail ‘bookends’ projects is a bad idea.” Interest in creating a Bakersfield-to-Merced commuter-rail service in the San Joaquin Valley, was budding long before California Proposition 1A (the Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century) was voted on and … Read more
There’s a proposal floating suggesting taking away dedicated monies from high-speed rail in California’s San Joaquin Valley and rededicating those for passenger rail improvement purposes both in the north and south state. The monies would be used for improving existing Metrolink service between Anaheim and Burbank in southern California and Caltrain in the San Francisco … Read more
As it has to do with mobility, there has been much in the media in recent days and with good reason. Here in America, not only is the number of miles traveled up, but so too is the trend: it appears to be non-stop. Effectively, the more people the more aggregate miles there are, whether … Read more
With a population of 40 million people and growing, and major road-based transportation-corridor traffic often at a standstill, the prospect of riding a 220-mile-per-hour bullet train across much of the state, sounds extremely appealing. Though the question remains, is this the train Californians will get? One day, hopefully, it is! Object of deserved or unfair … Read more
Transportation needs fixing – plainly and simply put, it needs to be overhauled. Carbon emissions from this sector worldwide have now reached 29 percent, thereby contributing the largest percentage of emissions of all emissions-generating sectors, cars, trucks and buses being the primary contributors. In California, meanwhile, as environmental reporter Julie Cart at CALmatters has suggested, … Read more
I think it’s silly: There are people who get all worked up over the mention of light rail and/or streetcar transit. What appears to get their gooses more than anything else is the thought of unsightly overhead catenary wire (the electrical distribution system for powering such networks – hint: there are some that operate catenary-free … Read more
Living in a part of the U.S. – California’s San Joaquin Valley (Valley) – that year after year experiences some of the worst episodes of air pollution – ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) – well, in this regard, there is certainly much to be desired. I speak from experience. So, now that … Read more
It has been reported that if high-speed rail were placed on the California ballot today the electorate would vote it down. While that may be true, it would not be a landslide defeat. There are still a considerable number of Californians that continue to support the project, myself included. So, keep in mind that California … Read more
In the past on the Air Quality Matters blog and elsewhere I have talked quite a bit about transit-oriented development or TOD. But, I’ve yet to discuss – here or elsewhere – development-oriented transit or DOT. That stops right here, right now. Whereas TOD is development that is built up around transit stops and train … Read more
I can’t count the times I’ve been stuck in freeway traffic. I remember driving from Long Beach, California to Phoenix, Arizona one Friday afternoon and returning on Sunday. The drive out: 9 hours. The drive back: 7 hours. What we are effectively looking at is stop-and-go driving – at least until I got beyond the … Read more