Comments on: Sammamish Forum http://sammamishreview.com/2008/07/02/sammamish-forum-5 The Sammamish Review Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:49:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Mari Niels http://sammamishreview.com/2008/07/02/sammamish-forum-5/comment-page-1#comment-258 Mari Niels Wed, 09 Jul 2008 21:32:37 +0000 http://sammamishreview.com/?p=233#comment-258 This is a comment to "Time to Speak Up!" topic in SR of July 9. I can't believe people are so naive about gov. Gregoire. It is not about democrats or republicans, it's about dissent politician. What did Gregoire do during her term? Nothing. Viaduct problem is still there (she was even trying to make voters to decide which plan to choose), 520-bridge problem is still there, cables she approved for using on freeways simply don't work, taxes went up, etc. Now it is our choice, live another term with her passiveness or choose new person who will try to fix these problems. This is a comment to “Time to Speak Up!” topic in SR of July 9. I can’t believe people are so naive about gov. Gregoire. It is not about democrats or republicans, it’s about dissent politician. What did Gregoire do during her term? Nothing. Viaduct problem is still there (she was even trying to make voters to decide which plan to choose), 520-bridge problem is still there, cables she approved for using on freeways simply don’t work, taxes went up, etc. Now it is our choice, live another term with her passiveness or choose new person who will try to fix these problems.

]]> By: John Galvin http://sammamishreview.com/2008/07/02/sammamish-forum-5/comment-page-1#comment-206 John Galvin Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:21:53 +0000 http://sammamishreview.com/?p=233#comment-206 Auto use up, quality of life down. Gas prices up. Fuel imports up. Global warming up. Traffic congestion up. Time in the car up. Blood pressure up. Will buying fuel efficient cars bring all these negatives down? Maybe, maybe not. Imagine two neighbors with different transportation profiles. One is a sportswoman who owns an SUV that gets 20 mpg, but because she works near home and runs errands by bicycle and walks to local shops, she only drives 5,500 annual miles and so only consumes 300 gallons of fuel, producing about three tons of CO2 each year. Another owns a small car which gets 50 mpg, but because he drives about 100 miles each day for commuting and errands, his vehicle is driven 30,000 annual miles and consumes 600 gallons of fuel, producing about six tons of CO2. Which transport pattern is best overall? The lower mileage driver not only consumes less fuel and produces less pollution, she also imposes less traffic congestion and accident risk, reduces road and parking costs, and gets more exercise through walking and cycling. As a result, her transportation profile is best for society overall. The key to addressing our auto dependent related problems is reducing our use of the automobile. We need local jobs, local convenient shopping, bike and walking trails that take us to local markets, local restaurants, local entertainment and local parks. Want to maintain the value of your house? Interesting, houses close to jobs and amenities have not dropped in price while those bedroom communities with long commutes have lost value? John Galvin Sammamish Auto use up, quality of life down.

Gas prices up. Fuel imports up. Global warming up. Traffic congestion up. Time in the car up. Blood pressure up. Will buying fuel efficient cars bring all these negatives down? Maybe, maybe not.

Imagine two neighbors with different transportation profiles. One is a sportswoman who owns an SUV that gets 20 mpg, but because she works near home and runs errands by bicycle and walks to local shops, she only drives 5,500 annual miles and so only consumes 300 gallons of fuel, producing about three tons of CO2 each year. Another owns a small car which gets 50 mpg, but because he drives about 100 miles each day for commuting and errands, his vehicle is driven 30,000 annual miles and consumes 600 gallons of fuel, producing about six tons of CO2. Which transport pattern is best overall?
The lower mileage driver not only consumes less fuel and produces less pollution, she also imposes less traffic congestion and accident risk, reduces road and parking costs, and gets more exercise through walking and cycling. As a result, her transportation profile is best for society overall.

The key to addressing our auto dependent related problems is reducing our use of the automobile. We need local jobs, local convenient shopping, bike and walking trails that take us to local markets, local restaurants, local entertainment and local parks.

Want to maintain the value of your house? Interesting, houses close to jobs and amenities have not dropped in price while those bedroom communities with long commutes have lost value?

John Galvin
Sammamish

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