Traffic and microbes
June 17th, 2008 by Republican By DefaultI’m not sure if this is a sign of improvement, but Puget Sound is ranked only 9th worst in the nation for drive time congestion in a recent report by Inrix of Kirkland. Some other lowlights from the report puts us 10th worst in overall congestion, 6th worst in their ‘Drive Time Travel Time Index’ and we have the 8th worst travel time hour.
Funny thing about these rankings, they don’t often show any improvement when a city’s rank changes. Instead they show that the other cities got worse. However, in this case we can claim that we have the 7th largest decrease in drive time congestion from 2006 to 2007. Things improved by a whopping 0.2%. Sounds like a new plank in the Democrat governor’s campaign. Finally she has something to hang her hat on besides quid-pro-quo legislation for her campaign donors.
In other news Silicon Valley can produce more then chips and disks. Scientists there have come up witha genetically altered microbe that eats agricultural waste and excretes crude oil. They wouldn’t put it in their own cars, but they think it will get us off of our Saudi oil dependency (no mention of Venezuela). Maybe someday I’ll be able to put my grass clippings into my SUV.
Makes me wonder, though, how environmentalists will wreck this one. I’m sure it will be ‘too dangerous if it got out into the open’, ‘not green enough to relieve global warming’ or ‘it would create a shortage of pig food’.
By the way, in case you were wondering where I’ve been, a family emergency has consumed both my free time and my emotional energy. I generally don’t publish details of my personal life because of what unhinged lefties do with it. But for my Christian friends who are reading, I would like to ask for prayer for my family.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
Lord Jesus I thank you for this person who is in need of your hand, you know them one of your own. So Jesus I ask for healing of body, healing for there family and any finical needs, by your stripes Jesus we are healed. No matter where we are you are with us . In Jesus name we pray……
June 18th, 2008 at 12:43 am
Amen. And thank you.
June 18th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Considering our leaders in both Washington’s have bought into the man-made global warming myth, neither are amenable to addressing traffic congestion as a problem.
Instead, the emphasis is on public transportation.
In fact, this is what Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN) had to say in proposing a bill (H.R. “Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act of 2008″):
“Increasing public transportation use by providing incentives for commuters to choose transit options, thereby reducing their transportation-related energy consumption and reliance on foreign oil, as well as decreasing their greenhouse gas emissions, is a priority of this Congress.
The National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, established to develop a national transportation vision to address surface transportation needs for the next 50 years, calls for a total annual investment of between $26 billion to $46 billion for public transportation.”
Alleviating traffic congestion is also not a priority for the Democrat-controlled legislature nor Gov. Gregoire.