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...And we're not even into our typical inversion month.
"Poor air quality has become almost routine in the Treasure Valley this year. With 145 days of yellow alerts or worse, 2007 already has fewer good air days than any year since 2001, when full air records began.
2007 not a good year for air quality | News Updates | Idaho Statesman (http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsupdates/story/204068.html - broken link)
I realize this has been a particularly bad year for fires, but those are certainly not the entire story as to the poor air quality in this Valley. Increased growth and increased commuting times are really beginning to ravage our quality of life. And with decreased waterpacks and rainfall, drought is becoming the norm, so there is no reason to expect summer fires to subside.
I urge you all to begin thinking of ways to lessen your commute. Walk, ride a bike, carpool, ride a bus - do what you can. Try taking less trips in the car. Start researching ways to get our leaders talking about tollways on the interstate, or a light rail, or whatever we can do to get people away from single person commuting.
Unless you enjoy not being able to see the foothills from downtown Boise.
I agree. The Treasure Valley doesn't have air pollution that bad YET...but it will be just like every other large metro area as the population grows. It is totally lame for people to sit back and think the area doesn't really need light rail or car pool lanes, or bike paths etc... that all of the "big cities" have. These are some of the things that help people move around more efficiently.
If there are some local leaders/politicians that are heavily promoting mass transit and ideas for enabling people to move around the Treasure Valley without their car, these are the people to vote for. Air quality is an issue that will have a very big impact on the TV and its "quality of life." Let's all act now and not sit back and pretend we're a 'small Idaho town' until its too late.
yeah but Boise isnt a big city and light rail wont make it over there,everyone thinks Boise is this big city but it is really only the size of big cities suburbs and Boise only has a metro pop of 500,000 which altogether would only be a mid-size city.
yeah but Boise isnt a big city and light rail wont make it over there,everyone thinks Boise is this big city but it is really only the size of big cities suburbs and Boise only has a metro pop of 500,000 which altogether would only be a mid-size city.
Deset sun,
I don't want to sound snappy here, but this is exactly the kind of thinking that a lot of leaders in Idaho have and is only going to make it worse for Boise.
For example, Boise has a current population of over 210,000 and the last time I saw stats for the metropolitan population it was nearly 630,000 and growing quickly. A refreshing progressive attitude is becoming obvious in the valley regarding better public transport and local agencies support a bundle tax for better transport and light rail in the metro. It has taken a while, but tides are changing.
ACHD supports ‘bundled’ local option tax (http://www.idahobusiness.net/archive.htm/2007/09/24/ACHD-supports-bundled-local-option-tax-Plan-could-split-penny-sales-tax-between-transit-road-constru - broken link)
For a city Boise's size, it is pretty urban and people care about the direction the city is headed. I understand ABQ has a light rail which is very commendable. If ABQ can have a system, so can Boise. I believe most of ABQ's light rail cars were built right here in Boise, so we have a head start over other cities because we have a manufacturer in the city that could build for Boise when the time is right.
I don't think a lot of people realize just how progressive the small capital city of Idaho really is. I am not saying Boise Metro will have light rail in the next few years, but I can see it within 5 to 10 years. But, Downtown Boise is supposed to get a trolley system (Boise used to have a pretty extensive trolley/train system back in its early history) soon and I believe the mayor has said most of the funding has been secured for the Trolley (downtown not the whole metro) and a transport hub to be built downtown.
we dont have a lightrail yet most people here dont want it,but they are still pushing for it,we have a rail runner which is a train,not the amtrak but we have that too,Albuquerque also has 300,000+ more in the city limits than Boise plus another 50,000 in the south valley of Albq. that is unincorporated and just included into county population. and a metro of almost 900,000 thousand and growing quick,But in my opionion Boise is still too small to support a light rain,this is the day and age of the car,everyone likes to drive themselves wherever they need to and public transportation has alot of druggies and homeless I dont know about there but I know this is why some people dont take the bussess here, but this is the sprawling west and we need another form of transportation.
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but this is exactly the kind of thinking that a lot of leaders in Idaho have and is only going to make it worse for Boise. 
