[EQAB-list] Public Comments: Air Quality and Transportation

[Ellen Smith]

Forwarding to EQAB list w/o the attachment. 

-------- Forwarded Message --------
From: Ellen Smith <smithellen at comcast.net>
Reply-to: smithellen at comcast.net
To: Fred L Stephens <freds7 at dancingcreek.com>
Cc: eqab-list at discoveret.org, Senecal, Athanasia <asenecal at cortn.org>
Subject: Re: [EQAB-list] Public Comments: Air Quality and Transportation
Date: Sat, 17 Jan 2009 17:49:09 -0500

Wow, that was fast work, Fred! (Watch out -- you might find yourself
getting elected board secretary.) Organizing and typing the comments
sure makes them easier to process than they were on the big sheets. You
did a nice job of organizing these.

I was annoyed by the word-wrap that was applied in the e-mail format, so
I pasted the list into my word processor. As I removed the line-breaks,
I made a few other edits for clarity, and I ending up tweaking a few
notes based on what I jotted down when I sat in your group. (My word
processor version is attached for those who can see it, but it won't
transmit to the eqab-list.) 

Most significantly, I added: 
(1) "Ban outdoor burning" -- That's the idea that I heard expressed in
your session, before other participants chimed in with ideas about also
reducing emissions from fireplaces and wood stoves. I think it's useful
to separate the burning ban from the other ideas, because the means of
implementing them are entirely different.
(2) "Bike path across the ridges to ORNL" -- That's an idea that I
jotted down because it resonated with me as an interesting idea, but the
citizen did not explain it very clearly (and not in the words I used
here). The idea has to do with the fact that it used to be possible to
bicycle from Gum Hollow Road to ORNL on DOE roads that cross through
water gaps and low saddles in the ridges. That trip (which, as far as I
know, was never officially sanctioned) is no longer possible because of
recent security restrictions, but the idea was that DOE could facilitate
bicycle commuting to ORNL by opening that route for employee use.

Also, I moved one idea that looked like it was accidentally misplaced in
the wrong category. 

-- Ellen Smith

On Sat, 2009-01-17 at 16:30 -0500, Fred L Stephens wrote:
> Public input on Air Quality and Transportation
> 1/17/2009
> City of Oak Ridge
> 
> (re-organized under topics)
> 
> [Education]
> Community education for understanding CO2 emissions and global warming.
> 
> [Burning]
> Open burning seasons (times of year to burn/not burn)
> Reduce emissions from burning (land clearing 
> waste, fireplaces, and home heaters)
> 
> [Neighborhoods]
> Retrofit existing buildings for mult-use: residential/retail/office
> Comprehensive plan for community work/live urban planning values
> Neighborhood retail
> Live where you work/ work where you live
> Complete streets 
> (<file:///http://www.completestreets.org/>www.completestreets.org)
> Streets with context sensitive design  (www.livablestreets.com)
> Commercial zones friendly to pedestrians and bikers.
> 
> [Food]
> Local food production initiative to reduce 
> vehicle miles involved in transporting food and 
> increasing food/economic security.
> Buy local campaign
> Community gardens in new developments
> 
> [Schools]
> Encourage kids to walk to school
> Pedestrian bridge over turnpike
> More utilization of school buses by kids
> Seat belts in buses to encourage school bus use
> Integrate public and school transportation.
> More efficient school buses
> Community integrated schools (more mix use of school buildings)
> 
> [Government vehicles]
> Retrofit existing vehicles (government/schools) for use of natural gas
> Energy efficient city vehicles
> Alternative fuels for government vehicles
> 
> [Vehicle pollution]
> Reduce vehicle idling (traffic light adjustments, 
> reduce school pickup idling, reduce government. 
> vehicle idling, drive-throughs, roundabouts)
> Vehicle emissions testing and enforcement
> Engineer friendly for electric vehicles: slower 
> traffic/re-charge meters/time-of-day meters
> Traffic engineering for energy savings, bike 
> friendliness, and pedestrian friendliness.
> Strategic planning with a target of reducing mile traveled.
> Smart traffic control
> Traffic calming, roundabouts
> Eliminate heavy duty trucks short cuts through city
> 
> [Telecommuting]
> Encourage telecommuting
> Reduce vehicle idling via flex-time jobs
> City broadband Internet and Wifi Internet to support telecommuting
> 
> [Ride-sharing]
> Car clubs – zip cars (www.zipcar.com)
> Jitney service for the elderly
> Share taxi. (A mode of transport that falls 
> between private transport and conventional bus 
> transport, often with a fixed or semi-fixed 
> route, but with the added convenience of stopping 
> anywhere to pick or drop passengers and not 
> having fixed time schedules. The vehicles used 
> range from standard 4 seater cars up to minibuses)
> Car-pooling, vans, etc.
> Incentives for micro buses
> Computer networking for car pooling: i.e. Use 
> expertise of computer networking  designers 
> (packets) to participate with traffic engineers in considering options
> Smart options on debris removal for development (related to burning/chipping)
> 
> [Public transportation]
> Regional public transportation
> More public transportation
> Join causes for public transportation. 
> Elderly/economic/efficiency needs joined to the need for air quality.
> Arterial shuttles
> Light rail
> Zero-pollution transportation (Smart technology choices)
> 
> [Parking]
> Day Parking lots to support use of public transportation
> Parking lots on edge of town connected to bike lanes and public transportation.
> Green parking lots: lots that are environmental friendly
> Parking lots with plug-in vehicle meters for recharging.
> Incorporate parking into parks and recreations plans of walking and biking
> 
> [Bikes/walking/pedestrians]
> Bike lanes and bike boxes (Bike boxes: Google “Portland bike boxes”)
> Strategic planning for bike paths: connecting
> Strategic planning for walking pathways/sidewalks – again connecting sections
> Make bikeways and off-street walkways for new developments a requirement
> Slope friendly boardwalks as opposed to sidewalks 
> because high slope sidewalks are unusable.
> More sidewalks
> More green belts for encouraging walking/biking
> Bike racks
> Community bicycles
> 
> [Trees/vegetation]
> Tree planting education (appropriate trees by growth, side)
> City forester
> Using vegetation (trees/shrubbery) to cool air and protect bldg from winds/heat
> Underground utilities to save overheard trees from pruning
> Control tree cutting more
> Control invasive plants
> More native plant utilization
> Less grass to mow
> 
> [Other]
> Capitalize locally on local recycling
> Solar attic fans
> Encourage photovoltaic use
> Light pollution control
> Grants for green money
> More pollution controls on all power generation.
> Emissions containment
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Fred L Stephens
> email: freds7 at dancingcreek.com   
> _______________________________________________ EQAB-list mailing list EQAB-list at discoveret.org http://www.discoveret.org/mailman/listinfo/eqab-list