Should Indiana, Michigan and Western Ohio move to Central Time? (best, snake)

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

Originally Posted by Spade

Most of Texas should be in Central Time zone. On your map, you split up the Metroplex. Don't see why.

That map is using the geographic boundaries, i.e. where they should be, rather than the actual political based boundaries. Central Time SHOULD span from 82.5°W to 97.5°W with a geographic center of 90°W, where in actuality it incorrectly goes from almost 88°W to almost 105°W

[droc31]

Ohio should remain on Eastern Time, while Indiana, MIchigan, and Kentucky should all switch to Central Time. These locations are all nearly 2 hours offset from natural time for 8 months of the year, and are geographically much closer to Chicago than they are to Boston or New York City.

[droc31]

Originally Posted by Craziaskowboi

Even that's not enough. "Standard time" should actually be the standard for the majority of the year. Move the clocks forward the weekend before Memorial Day weekend, and move the clocks back the weekend after Labor Day weekend. That way, standard time will be in effect for 36 weeks, and daylight saving time for 16 weeks, as opposed to the absurd arrangement we have now, with 21 weeks of standard time and 31 weeks of daylight saving time.

On my revised schedule, everybody can still have their 9PM sunsets during the late spring and summer, but won't move forward until we're actually close to summer, and will move back as soon as possible once summer is over.

No, it will not get dark at 6PM in mid-May or mid-September during standard time, but rather at 8PM in mid-May, and 7PM in mid-September. Solar spring begins on February 5, solar summer on May 5, and solar autumn on August 5, so the sun will set later and later during the spring even if it's still standard time, and the weekend before Memorial Day weekend occurs about two weeks after the start of solar summer, which are the longest days of the year.

The weekend after Labor Day weekend occurs near the middle of solar autumn, so the sun will begin to set earlier and earlier even while daylight saving time is in effect. By mid-September, the summer travel season will be over, and most farms will have had their harvest, so there's really no point in saving an hour of sunlight by then. Furthermore, football season will be in full swing, so an earlier sunset reduces the risk of heat exhaustion during high school and prime-time college and NFL games early in the season.

Lastly, solar winter begins on November 5, so it seems kind of pointless to keep daylight saving time going until then, because there's really not much daylight to save in October, or even in late September, for that matter.

I agree 100%. I'd like to see DST changed to these dates, though I'd even compromise by going back to the old spring ahead/fall back dates of last Sunday in April/last Sunday in October.

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

Better would be to move clocks forward 30 mins from Standard Time and end Daylight Savings Time. That would split the difference between Standard and Daylight Time and end clock changes

[KellyXY]

Originally Posted by droc31

I agree 100%. I'd like to see DST changed to these dates, though I'd even compromise by going back to the old spring ahead/fall back dates of last Sunday in April/last Sunday in October.

If we were to do 6 months on and 6 months off for DST, I think it'd make more sense to include April and exclude October. While the DST dates established in 1966 might make sense if you want more daylight during the warmer months, since the real savings comes from daylight I think you'd have more of a benefit by moving the changeover dates closer to the equinoxes. (With the old dates the sunrise by late April in most places would be even earlier than at the summer solstice, which led to the date change in 1986 to make more use of that daylight.)

[Enean]

Interesting, the opinions on time zone changes. I guess I'll share mine. I don't think any state should be divided into more than one time zone...needs to be one, or the other. But, our opinions don't mean anything, unless the US Congress will take them under advisement...ummm yeah.

[Serious Conversation]

I think only Indiana and MI.

There are points in MI during the summer where you'll have sunset at a little before 10, and last light pushing 11.

[KellyXY]

Originally Posted by Enean

Interesting, the opinions on time zone changes. I guess I'll share mine. I don't think any state should be divided into more than one time zone...needs to be one, or the other. But, our opinions don't mean anything, unless the US Congress will take them under advisement...ummm yeah.

In Alaska that would be really awkward (it's already bad enough in that the state spans enough longitude to have four time zones, as it once did, but now uses only two), and to a lesser extent in Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida, Texas, and perhaps Idaho and Michigan, based on their east-west span. Your approach would also be unpopular in areas where people frequently commute across state lines (that would also be a time zone line under your idea).

[sedgwick_weybridge]

Originally Posted by FirebirdCamaro1220

See my time zone thread, there is an image of what I thought we should go to.

But here were my proposed timezones for the lower 48:

First note, would have AZ observe DST

Atlantic Time (-4/-3): Maine

Eastern Time (-5/-4): Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida [east of Appilachicola River], Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia

Central Time (-6/-5): Alabama, Arkansas, Florida [west of Appilachicola River], Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas [east of US 83], Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska [east of US 83], North Dakota [east of US 83], Ohio, Oklahoma [east of US 83], South Dakota [east of US 83], Tennessee, Texas [east of US 83 from Laredo northward, plus all of Brooks Co, Cameron Co, Hidalgo Co, Jim Hogg Co, Kennedy Co, Starr Co, Willacy Co, and Zapata Co], Wisconsin

Mountain Time (-7/-6): Arizona [only territory within Navajo and Hopi Reservations plus the City of Page], Colorado, Kansas [US 83 westward], Montana [east of the Continental Divide], Nebraska [US 83 westward], New Mexico, North Dakota [US 83 westward], Oklahoma [US 83 westward], South Dakota [US 83 westward], Texas [US 83 westward from Laredo on north, none of Brooks Co, Cameron Co, Hidalgo Co, Jim Hogg Co, Kennedy Co, Starr Co, Willacy Co and Zapata Co], Utah [east of the Wasatch range], Wyoming

Pacific Time (-8/-7): Arizona [whole state except for the City of Page and except for territory within Navajo and Hopi Reservations], California, Idaho, Montana [west of the Continental Divide], Nevada, Oregon, Utah [west of the Wasatch range, including St George, Cedar City, Provo, Salt Lake City and Ogden], Washington

Why would you have all of Georgia in the Eastern time zone and all of Ohio in the Central time zone when the westernmost point in Georgia is well west of the westernmost point in Ohio, and the easternmost point in Ohio is very far east of the easternmost point in Georgia? More than half of Ohio is east of Detroit, and Detroit is east of Atlanta.

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

Originally Posted by sedgwick_weybridge

Why would you have all of Georgia in the Eastern time zone and all of Ohio in the Central time zone when the westernmost point in Georgia is well west of the westernmost point in Ohio, and the easternmost point in Ohio is very far east of the easternmost point in Georgia? More than half of Ohio is east of Detroit, and Detroit is east of Atlanta.

Because Georgia is economically linked to Florida and North Carolina, which are both mainly in Eastern Time.