Transportation

Airplanes and September 11th

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It annoys me that it’s hard to get anywhere in the wilderness – and be free of one industrial noise – be stuck listening to the noise of airplanes flying overhead. ✈While motor vehicles, generators and bicycles are prohibited in wilderness areas, no such prohibition exists for airplanes flying overhead.

One of things that most sticks out in my mind after September 11th was when they grounded the planes during that two day period after the tragedy.🔕 It made the sky quiet, it eliminated the jet trails that we’ve all just gotten to assume are normal. September 11, 2011 was a particularly clear day, and without airplanes going out, it made the sky even bluer and purer.

I don’t know if it’s practical to pass a law making wilderness areas no-fly zones.🛬 Certainly, that would get a lot of opposition from the airplane industry. Another option might be banning airplanes on holidays or Sundays, but that would also get the druthers of the traveling public who has places to go, relatives to visit, business to conduct. But it would be nice to give the air a break from the constant noise and pollution from air planes.

Don’t riot.

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Don’t riot.

The NYS Department of Transportation hates competition at destruction of perfectly good buildings, wildlife habitats and historic sites.

I doubt I’ll ever own a electric car

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I have my doubts that I will ever own an electric car. Battery technology has improved a lot as has solar generation but still electric cars are heavily dependent on the fossil fuel-based power grids, as it’s difficult to generate and store a lot of electricity in a limited space. Almost every off-grid household relies on fossil energy – be it diesel or gasoline for their cars and trucks – and propane for cooking and heating – with maybe the supplement of wood.

I do think there is a strong future for electric buses and intra-urban transportation. Many people may choose electric cars in the future, especially those who live in the city and want a second car, have solar panels and can plan appropriately. Electric vehicles are more efficient and cleaner, especially in high pollution, densely packed urban areas. Moreover, electric drive trains are simpler and potentially much more reliable and long-lasting. But they still consume an enormous amount of energy which is difficult to generate on site using renewables.

Which is to say that I don’t believe we will meet our ambitious climate change goals and is going to be serious impacts to our economy and planet as a whole. But some action is better than none and indeed reducing the carbon intensity of society and energy use more generally, limiting greenhouse gases is better than no action at all.

Bicycles 🚲

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Bicycles 🚲

I have a bicycle at home but it’s been sitting along the wall for almost a decade now as I got tired of broken spokes. Ever since I got that bike it was in the shop for spoke repairs – I did some myself but some are quite hard to repair on that bike. A couple other parts and the derailer are broken now. It probably could be rebuilt for not that much money, but I can’t have it being junker that breaks down all of the time.

I should think about getting a bicycle now, especially if I am thinking about going without a car next year. I should see how practical it is to get around town on a bicycle, along with use of public transit. It would save so much money if I could go a few years without a car, and only rent one during vacations. It would improve my health, burn calories and let me learn more about my community. Not to mention really lower my carbon footprint!

I’ve started looking at Facebook at people selling bicycles. Used bicycles aren’t particularly expensive, although I am not sure what kind of bicycle I would want to get. Reliablity has to be top priority, and the ability to mount a basket on it for carrying supplies like groceries home from the store. I don’t mind doing maintenance on my bicycle, but it can’t be regularly breaking down when I’m 10 or 20 miles away from home — especially if it’s my primary way to get around town.

If I can’t get any use out of the old bicycle, I am thinking I could donate it to Troy Bicycle Rescue or some other group that restores bicycles for community use.