I’ve received a number of such items from time to time, but
this time, I pondered the matter a little, and THAT caused me to wonder about
things. For example, what is the cutoff between “regular” and “older” adults?
Are “older” adults that ride their bikes to work supposed to stop, heeding the
direction to limit outside activity or are they supposed to ride their bikes in
order to cut air pollution? Or are they only supposed to do that until they
pick up one of the lung disorders cited? Will Fort Worth have a “moment of
silence” for the cyclists that aren’t at the “Bike to Work” event because they followed
the advice to limit their outside activity? What about people that have to WORK
outside? Are they simply supposed to take vacation? Actually, I asked the“tryparkingit” lady at the event, and she was well aware of the conflicting
advice. She took my queries in stride, and I found that air pollution alerts come in “watch” and “warning” levels
just as tornado alerts do. A “warning” is much more serious. Their email advice in
future omits the encouragement to bike or walk on “warning” days. To my mind, this seems like a negative feedback loop. When it pollutes, you have to pollute when you wouldn't normally. Seems sort of topsy turvy to me. How about - when it is polluted, everyone takes the day off without pay. Maybe motorists would appreciate cyclists more when they get to go back to work. Nah, call me a dreamer!
Bottom line – This is a classic governmental conflict
between a short-term event and long-term advice. After all, I think few of us
would volunteer to simply stop breathing during the duration of one of these
events. Probably fewer of us will consider that the items advised do not affect
many major sources of local air pollution. Certainly cars make a lot of smog,
but the same government that wants us to “drive less” encourages more driving
by building more freeways and other highways that encourage people to drive
more and further. Few politicians will make useful suggestions about what local
governments can or should do to avoid such events in the future. Instead, we’re
told to “limit outdoor activity.” And campaign promises promise cheaper gas. So the cycle continues.On a more positive note, I got some "Air Quality Index Crayons." Read the description on each.
6 comments:
Gale: All right, ya hayseeds, it's a stick-up. Everybody freeze. Everybody down on the ground.
Feisty Hayseed: Well, which is it, young feller? You want I should freeze or get down on the ground? Mean to say, if'n I freeze, I can't rightly drop. And if'n I drop, I'm a-gonna be in motion. You see...
Gale: Shut up!
Feisty Hayseed: Okay then.
Gale: Everybody down on the ground!
Evelle: Y'all can just forget that part about freezin' now.
Gale: Better still to get down there.
Evelle: Yeah, y'all hear that, don't ya?
[Everybody lays down. Gale looks at the now-empty teller windows]
Gale: Shxx! Where'd all the tellers go?
Teller's voices: We're down here, sir.
Evelle: They're on the floor as you commanded, Gale.
Exactly. This is the kind of stuff that chaps me almost every day. Man, I'm a grumpy old man.
Those crayons are cool, and would go well with my "Water Quality Sharpies" and could be stored nearby my "National Debt Nerf Ball" on the shelf by my "Magic 8 ball press conference decoder".
I guess we need to start wearing a respirator while biking, or something.
Jenny, one good thing - if we start having to wear astronaut suits to cycle, I hear they have GREAT AC which would make cycling on those 110F days much nicer! Yeah, I get optimistic on rare occasions when I'm not being grumpy.
What we really need are stillsuits.
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No Need for Non-Robot proof here!