The air in Salt Lake... (Salt Lake City, Park City: sales, foreclosed, transporting)

[SLCPUNK]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

I often complain about California and all its rules and regulations. But most of the strict pollution laws we have here should be adopted by Utah.

What laws could they adopt at this point? Could it actually help, or just stop it from becoming worse? Seeing this is just shameful in my opinion.

[skibarbie]

One of the easier things the state could do is to use the California emissions standards-and make it statewide-not just along the Wasatch front. No more drive up banks/restaurants...No idling of cars/trucks...There are tons more things to do that are pretty easy but I am sure there are groups that will whine and complain enough that the state will knuckle under and do nothing

[dcisive]

the truck drivers of the valley won't like me for this, but I've seen so very many trucks (of the pickup variety) that have horrible emissions which are likely only being passed due to relaxed rules for older vehicles. I'd punch that ticket for sure. Along with those newer ones that belch that horrible black smoke when they accelerate. Sorry but it's time to pull those older polluting vehicles OFF the roads now. We can't afford to breath it anymore.

[hilgi]

Originally Posted by skibarbie

One of the easier things the state could do is to use the California emissions standards-and make it statewide-not just along the Wasatch front. No more drive up banks/restaurants...No idling of cars/trucks...There are tons more things to do that are pretty easy but I am sure there are groups that will whine and complain enough that the state will knuckle under and do nothing

Eliminating drive ups will cause a long list of other problems. Liability will increase for those companies as more people slip and fall in the icy parking lots. We would need to expand all parking lots or we would have dozens of cars driving around, idling while they wait for the open spots. People will drive further to go to less congested establishments.
This is a classic cause of a good idea but a ton of unintended consequences. This is a problem that will take a long time to solve but I don’t think that using force and more laws is the answer. Creativity and freedom will help to find the solution, if we allow it.

[Chango]

It's really only a problem for a couple of months out of the year. The rest of the year, extra laws would just be onerous and unnecessary.

[5280milehiguy]

Originally Posted by dcisive

the truck drivers of the valley won't like me for this, but I've seen so very many trucks (of the pickup variety) that have horrible emissions which are likely only being passed due to relaxed rules for older vehicles. I'd punch that ticket for sure. Along with those newer ones that belch that horrible black smoke when they accelerate. Sorry but it's time to pull those older polluting vehicles OFF the roads now. We can't afford to breath it anymore.

That's what cash for clunkers was supposed to help with, get the gas guzzling, emission spewing crappy cars out of the system, among other things. I'm afraid it probably will come back soon.

[ShouldIMoveOrStayPut...?]

Something has to be done, that's for sure. I just got back from a trip out to visit you fine folks and do some skiing and flying down into that brown haze, and then taking the shuttle up Little Cottonwwood Canyon back out of it is a surreal experience. The shuttle drivers who are locals blame it on anything from mining operations to the "one person in every car" commuters (living in New York I know what that is like)

One driver stated SLC is being passed over by Convention business who choose other locations in part due to the inversion. You know it's bad when winter air quality in a Western Mountain State can be worse than New York. Rollin Rollin Rollin, Get Those Hybrids Rollin...Carpooling would help too, and of course some sort of filters on the multitude of older pickup trucks.

Anyway, I thought SLC was being infiltrated by the well educated young set that like to hike, ski, mountain bike, etc... Aren't they supposed to "Telecommute"...?

[frogandtoad]

Originally Posted by Chango

It's really only a problem for a couple of months out of the year. The rest of the year, extra laws would just be onerous and unnecessary.

The rest of the year all that pollution is still being pumped into the air, to be ingested in some other part of the country b/c the wind here blows it away. They are still very necessary and some basic laws would not be onerous.

I, for one, would be happy to even have a number of onerous laws to avoid sucking that disgusting filth into my lungs for several months each year (and know that others are sucking it in the rest of the year).

And the no-idling thing? Heck yes that should be a law! A couple of weeks ago I was in a parking lot, could barely see 100 yards from the pollution, and nearby was a woman sitting in an idling car the whole time I was there--at least 1/2 hour. Just idling. I thought about going up to her and saying smething, but lost my nerve. Ridiculous.

[carpetbagger]

I'd rather live with those unintended consequences, which really amount to inconveniences, than continue to have myself and my family breath in these tiny particulates into our lungs that are likely carcinogens.... Even if it is "just a couple of months out of the year". One hour of that is too much. Crack down, Utah!!!!

[hilgi]

Originally Posted by carpetbagger

I'd rather live with those unintended consequences, which really amount to inconveniences, than continue to have myself and my family breath in these tiny particulates into our lungs that are likely carcinogens.... Even if it is "just a couple of months out of the year". One hour of that is too much. Crack down, Utah!!!!

Having thousands of cars circling parking lots looking for spots is more than an inconvenience, it spews stuff in the air. Spending a few minutes in Taco Bells drive through is the same as driving around the parking lot for 10 minutes.

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