Should Massachusetts end DST by switching to Atlantic Standard Time? (home, school)

[Northedge]

A commission was established by the state legislator to study this perennial proposal. People don't like changing the clock and many people hate how early the sun sets in winter and don't much care about what time sun comes up. Naturally there are a lot of arguments from school start times, financial costs to business, and the psychological effects sun light has on us.

“I wasn’t prepared for it,” Emswiler said. “I just think it’s miserable when the sun sets at 4 o’clock. . . . On a cloudy day, it starts getting dark at 3:50-something.”

AST would put MA an hour ahead of Eastern time in winter but would be the same time in the summer. We would have this time zone in common with Puerto Rico.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/business...s2O/story.html

Massachusetts Could Swap Time Zones for Later Winter Sunsets - Bloomberg

What are your thoughts?

[BostonBornMassMade]

I think we should.

[Bruins_Fan]

I'm absolutely in favor of moving to AST and keeping the clocks at the same time all year long. I would much prefer the hour of daylight at the end of the day in winter, and have 5:15 sunsets here instead of those 4:15 sunsets. Having lived in other states further west in the time zone, it does suck being on the eastern end of the time zone.

I don't see it happening though. Think there will be resistance to moving off Eastern time, even if the change only impacted Nov-Mar when Eastern time "falls back".

[GeoffD]

I'd rather just shift the time zone an hour and continue to have daylight savings time. 5:15 pm sunset on winter solstice would be great but so would a 9:30 pm sunset on summer solstice.

[jayrandom]

I'd like to be in AST. Maybe even ADT. The thing I like least are the 430 AM summer dawns. I think we'd have to make sure Maine and New Hampshire switch, too. I suspect that Western Mass might want to stay on Eastern time, which could make things complicated.

[BostonMike7]

I'd prefer the sunlight in the evening. An extra hour of sunlight means I could take care of 1-2 things when I get home in the evening with some light outside.

[Dm84]

It will never happen. The business community will fight it tooth and nail. It wouldn't be as bad if we went AST/ADT but AST only would be a nightmare to explain to people in the rest of the country.

[roadstrailstris]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

I'd rather just shift the time zone an hour and continue to have daylight savings time. 5:15 pm sunset on winter solstice would be great but so would a 9:30 pm sunset on summer solstice.

I'm all for this.

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

I'd rather just shift the time zone an hour and continue to have daylight savings time. 5:15 pm sunset on winter solstice would be great but so would a 9:30 pm sunset on summer solstice.

This. When ever I'm in MI for biz, I am deeply saddened to return to our long dark nights.

[in_newengland]

I don't care how they do it but dark as midnight at 4pm in winter is depressing. It makes me want to be inside, bundled up instead of outside getting stuff done. Driving home from anything in the dark when it's only late afternoon is just wrong.