Wednesday, April 04, 2007

How does making a left turn hurt the environment?

I just read this story on Newsbusters and I don't get it. What does preventing a driver from making lefts have to do with Global Warming? It prevents our cars from "idling?" It maybe obvious and I am just coming out dense here, but I need this one explained to me. What's the theory/science behind this one??And if our car engines idling is bad for the environment how will that help the fact that it will take us twice as long to get there without left turns and still waste gas and cause emissions? See the story here below...
One of the most ridiculous suggestions among Time magazine’s “51 Things You Can do to Make a Difference" to save the planet from global warming was the idea of making only right turns. No, that doesn’t presage some political shift for the publication. Right turns, in this case, referred to traffic. ABC seized on this concept on April 3, detailing United Parcel Service's company policy of avoiding left turns. But neither Time nor ABC "World News with Charles Gibson" explained that this practice might not be as good for ordinary drivers as it is for the UPS fleet with computer-programmed delivery, mapping software and GPS. But if you can't do as Time magazine insists and make only right turns, what is another option? Number #14 "Ride the bus" which the magazine claims people actually want to do. "The U.S. is ready to change. We're just waiting for the bus," wrote Time. But by "we" they mean "you."

9 comments:

Unknown said...

When you idle you need to keep the engine running, this wastes gasoline. Wasting gasoline is bad because causes pollution.

Lone Ranger said...

You don't always idle when you make a left turn. Sometimes the way is clear, sometimes there are only a few cars to wait for. But to make right turns instead of turning left, you would have to drive four blocks (going entirely around a block). Liberals are known for a lot of things, but exercising common sense is not one of them.

Mark said...

It takes less gas to sit and idle than it does to drive at any speed, or, for that matter, to start your car.

The funny part of this is that there is no such thing as global warning, but it would surely be funny to watch Liberals drive around in circles to try to stop what doesn't exist.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the link. It truly is a remarkably asinine suggestion, the left-turn thing.

--Ken Shepherd
Managing Editor
NewsBusters.org

Lone Ranger said...

A single volcanic eruption can throw more greenhouse gases into the air than mankind has since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. And there are active volcanoes all over the world. Vehicle emissions comprise a minuscule amount of those gases. And even if it were credible that you could save gas and lessen pollution by making only right turns, the amount of pollution you would lessen would be such a tiny fraction that it couldn't even be measured. It would be like burping to stop a hurricane.

Lone Ranger said...

Hey, Tonto! You brought a celebrity to our humble blog. Expect a little something extra in your paycheck this month.

Tonto said...

Now I know why FedEx is better than UPS. FedEx gets there and UPD is still circling the block!

That policy can't be real??

Lone Ranger said...

On the surface it looks like an April fool joke. What worries me is the liberals' obsession to get their goofy policies passed into law. They don't like smoking. Outlaw smoking. They don't like trans-fats. Outlaw trans-fats. They don't like the way geese are treated to produce goose liver. Outlaw foi gras. Whoda thunk these pot-smoking hippies would grow up to be such little, tin horn dictators? I can easily imagine streets festooned their entire length with no left turn signs.

Tonto said...

that is so funny you say that because last night I was out with friends at dinner having sushi and i brought this story up and then as I was saying it...i said hey wait a minute it must be an april's fool thing...BUT THEN my very liberal friends said...no I believe it...it makes sense just think if the millions of people stop making lefts it would have to make a difference...

then I knew i had to come home and check...but to think they didn't laugh at the idea!!! Oh the hubris!