Pittsburgh's real problems (Beaver, Blairsville, Homer City: dorms, live, trailer)

[vwscottie]

Originally Posted by londonbarcelona

LOL, it's called being polite. Seriously, when I have driven around Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas, people stop like that usually to let someone else go ahead! If yo have your blinker on, people wave you over. I think Pittsburgh has some of the most polite and nicest drivers around. It took me some getting used to. Now I just add 5 minutes to my drive, turn up the music and enjoy!

Yesterday I was at the red light where Cochran Road ends at Washington Road. I was second in line behind a Honda Accord. The arrow turned green, and he sat, and sat, and sat, even as I LAID on my horn. That's not being courteous, unless he was letting ants cross the street, that's not paying any attention, and he wasn't on a cell phone either. I run to this at least once every day.

I live in Point Breeze and work at the South Hills Village Mall, and leave at least an hour ahead every day for work, but still can't stand all the damn traffic tie ups. As I get on I 376 and head towards the Squirrel Hill tunnel, all at once, brake lights go on, for no reason. Have you ever seen the traffic coming from the South Hills in the morning into the city?

Being courteous could mean recognizing road signs and not waiting to the last minute like an idiot to merge.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by vwscottie

Yesterday I was at the red light where Cochran Road ends at Washington Road. I was second in line behind a Honda Accord. The arrow turned green, and he sat, and sat, and sat, even as I LAID on my horn. That's not being courteous, unless he was letting ants cross the street, that's not paying any attention, and he wasn't on a cell phone either. I run to this at least once every day.

Being courteous could mean recognizing road signs and not waiting to the last minute like an idiot to merge.

Life's too short to get high blood pressure over someone who isn't paying attention to the traffic light.

It's one thing to toot the horn, but laying on the horn indicates more passion than necessary or healthy.

Originally Posted by vwscottie

I live in Point Breeze and work at the South Hills Village Mall, and leave at least an hour ahead every day for work, but still can't stand all the damn traffic tie ups. As I get on I 376 and head towards the Squirrel Hill tunnel, all at once, brake lights go on, for no reason.

Point Breeze is close enough to try route 28 instead of the parkway east.

Originally Posted by vwscottie

Have you ever seen the traffic coming from the South Hills in the morning into the city?

That's why I recommend the North Hills to newcomers.

[vwscottie]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Life's too short to get high blood pressure over someone who isn't paying attention to the traffic light.

It's one thing to toot the horn, but laying on the horn indicates more passion than necessary or healthy.


Point Breeze is close enough to try route 28 instead of the parkway east.


That's why I recommend the North Hills to newcomers.

It wouldn't make any sense for me to go to 28, plus I think 28 has some of the worst drivers in this city, and the road is rough.

Passion? Yes, I'm a passionate driver and take it very seriously. I have no use for people who don't pay attention in traffic.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by vwscottie

It wouldn't make any sense for me to go to 28,

Route 28 moves more efficiently. Plus, it's a straight shot into the tubes.

Originally Posted by vwscottie

plus I think 28 has some of the worst drivers in this city, and the road is rough.

You have a choice between that and sitting in traffic at the Squirrel Hill Tunnels.

[supersoulty]

Originally Posted by VALT

1) Pittsburgh is the intellectual capital of western pa, and is home to the senators and the other influential people that have lobbied to give the power companies the green light to burn coal as dirty as they wish. The people of Pittsburgh suffer the effects worse than most because they are the closest - VT only gets part of the after effects of global warming but enought to nearly ruin the ski industry

Acctually, that is not true. It is illegal to burn "dirty" (bituminous) coal in the state of Pennsylvania. However, no such restriction exists in Ohio... where all that coal is sent to be burned.

Western, PA has a couple of nuclear power plants... they provide alot of the energy. I live about an hour away from one of them which is in Homer City.

2) Keeping the city clean is a priority, as important as giving out parking tickets and keeping people safe - I am sure there are enough smart people to figure out how to do this, at this point it is just a question of will power and resolve more than anything else

The problem with Pittsburgh Pride is that it is largely an intellectual thing. Pittsburghers spend a lot of time talking about how great their city is. Hell, even people from the surrounding areas talk about how proud they are to "be" Pittsburghers. But, showing that with their wallets and at the ballot box often proves to be a little difficult for them, esspecially the wealthier folks who strong reject tax hikes and a city/county merger (which would be the best thing that could happen for the city and the area).

[suzeeq521]

supersoulty - I hate to burst your bubble, but the Homer City Generating Station is most certainly a coal burning facility. It is not nuclear, despite the fact it looks like what most people assume a nuclear facility looks like.

And it isn't the only one, but actually one of the triplets - as folks in that area refer to them. There is also the Keystone Plant (in Shelocta, PA) and the Conemaugh (in New Florence, PA). There is one place on a nearby mountain where you can see all three of them at once.

However, they are all east of the city, so they are not polluting Pittsburgh. Pollution in Pittsburgh comes from Ohio. These three just pollute central and eastern PA.

Beaver Valley is probably the closest nuclear facility to Pittsburgh. That would be more west of the city.

[Katiana]

The Shippingport nuclear power plant was decomissioned in 1982. That is probably the facility you are referring to as "Beaver Valley".

Shippingport Atomic Power Station - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[supersoulty]

Originally Posted by suzeeq521

supersoulty - I hate to burst your bubble, but the Homer City Generating Station is most certainly a coal burning facility. It is not nuclear, despite the fact it looks like what most people assume a nuclear facility looks like.

And it isn't the only one, but actually one of the triplets - as folks in that area refer to them. There is also the Keystone Plant (in Shelocta, PA) and the Conemaugh (in New Florence, PA). There is one place on a nearby mountain where you can see all three of them at once.

However, they are all east of the city, so they are not polluting Pittsburgh. Pollution in Pittsburgh comes from Ohio. These three just pollute central and eastern PA.

Beaver Valley is probably the closest nuclear facility to Pittsburgh. That would be more west of the city.

REALLY!? It's "common knowledge" around here that they are nuclear plants. They certainly look like nuclear plants. Why would a coal plant need cooling towers like that?

I'm not being a smart ass... if you are right, then you are right. The vast majority of people around here assume that they are nuclear though.

But, as for your second point, well, I am glad I got 1/2 right. I wasn't saying there are no coal plants around (I think you understood that) but rather that dirtier forms of coal can't be burned in this state... not that all coal isn;t dirty anyway, but....

[suzeeq521]

Oh, SS, I hope you didn't think that I was being a smart a** either!

It is just that I am totally and completely sure that they are coal plants.

See, my dad helped build the Homer City plant. He eventually went on to work in all three of the triplets I mentioned. (Shhh, I didn't really grow up right in the city of Pittsburgh, but really not too far away!)

And I do admit - they look nuclear - I swear, the opening credits of The Simpsons could have been "shot" in the small town of Homer City.

I know that after the initial construction, they added "scrubbers" for the exhaust from the plant as they have tried to make efforts to reduce the contaminates in the air. (because, yeah, all coal is all dirty - just a matter of how dirty!)

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by supersoulty

REALLY!? It's "common knowledge" around here that they are nuclear plants. They certainly look like nuclear plants. Why would a coal plant need cooling towers like that?

Why? Scroll down to "industrial" for an explanation: Cooling tower - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Originally Posted by supersoulty

I'm not being a smart ass... if you are right, then you are right. The vast majority of people around here assume that they are nuclear though.

Suzeeq's right: Homer City Generating Station - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia