“How to change the public bus system so it takes away the need to always have a running automobile.”

http://lessco2essay.blogspot.com/

Probably like you, I find the high gasoline prices aggravating and dragging my finances down.

As a result of the current pain, I decided to restate and rephrase what I found when I studied
the Los Angeles public bus system.during the 1979 Energy Crisis.

The summary of my advocacy is:

The public bus system should add services
of carrying carts and containers of 30 to 150 pounds
with the service purpose of allowing more
individuals, families, and small businesses to function
sometimes without the use of an automobile or truck.

And the fine print is: This is a proposal to use the “off peak” bus system capacity.
A trial program would yield modest community vehicle mile savings.
There is enormous upscale potential as freight and carts on buses could break the grip of the personal car or truck on people who live a suburban life.

is more Papan for Assembly signs.

You know whom/what I’m talkin’ about… what’s her name… Joni, Jane, Gail… shoot… her first name seems to always elude me (sarcasm awry).

How many weeks until these visual zits get popped off the highway’s face? After today, I’ve personally seen two people remove these signs off their own property, ... one with a baseball bat the day they went up. I thought he should of kept his elbow down on the swings. Amusing nonetheless.

Gina, babes… how about you hitch up a Clear Channel billboard with your grille and the lettering abound at 50 ft, vs. us having to deal with the red/orange day glow hashmark’s every 50 yards from HMB to DC.

Also, how ironic that a paint-ball-like smattering of the signs for a staunch Democrat/Sierra Clubhead are littered on the highway, preceded by a “No LEFT Turn” sign. (see attached image).

While I’m at it… in this age of communication and intelligent marketing, why are we still subjected to this??? It frightens me that voters can be influenced by continual subconscious visual beat downs vs. possessing any iota of fiscal understanding of what impact a general obligation bond means to their taxation on voting on the measure thereof.

Now this is called “RESPECT & CONSIDERATION” for those of us on the ground.

Now please spread the word to the other remaining Violating fliers, who will only create negative consequences for you.
We’re seeking justice for those who are not as responsible & could care less about others, including you.

Unfortunately, it would affect you as well.  NOT FAIR!!

Having moved here just over two years ago there are still a few things I haven’t figured out yet:

Pizza. Can Californians make pizza? The pizza I’ve had here is not bad but hardly up to the best local East Coast pizza. Is there a place I’ve missed?

French Onion Dip. When I was a kid I used to eat potato chips (translation for you Red Staters: “potatoe chips") and dip. As an adult I crave it about twice a year.

French Onion Dip, from a little 7-Eleven type store called Lawson’s. Lawson’s is gone but the dip remains a midwest favorite. The nearest thing to it is Hell-a-va Good Dip. But I can’t even find that around here--just that nasty Kraft stuff and its clones which are more “scrapes” than dips. Pointers?

Bicyclers. Sometimes called “shiny insect people.” When I’m on the beach with my camera, people who look like locals don’t smile at me, don’t wave back, and don’t talk to me. I realized that I must look like a tourist. But hiking on Montara Mountain and on the various trails I also encounter dudes on fancy bikes with glistening hi-tech protective gear. They zip by, my head nod, wave and “hello!” not only unacknowledged but pointedly ignored.

It sort of feels bad to be ignored by a guy on a $5000 bicycle wearing $1200 worth of plastic clothing. On the East Coast people have bells on their bikes and always call out “on your left!” before passing. Here there is just silence (not counting the techo-zvwoom of the aerodynamic insect person/bike combo swooshing by you, of course).

Are California bikers just rude? And why all the super-expensive gear just to go biking on a mountain trail?

Trivial questions, I know, but I’ve been wondering for months…

--Darin

For years complaints have been made to both the Half Moon Bay & San Carlos airport managers regarding planes disregarding rules & regulations for flying into the HMB airport.  Since nothing has been done to change this, it’s led us to pursue this suit.

Complaints include planes flying “out of pattern”; low flying below FAA regulations for safety reasons; and flying over the most densely populated areas creating excessive noise pollution for the community.

By taking this action, our goal is to stop those pilots, instructors, etc. coming out of “all” airports who abuse the right to fly over to this airport, and all those who refuse to regulate them.

We have rights as citizens & homeowners that are being abused.

low flying (safety) & noise pollution issues.

Anyone who can help us out will benefit us all.

Thanks for seeking “justice”!!

carole

P.S.  I recently got a shocking e-mail that told me to hurry up & “die” & leave the planes alone!!  Can you
now believe what we’re dealing with??

Need aerial photographer with equipment & experience to take shots “from the ground” up to low flying planes approx.
600 - 1,000ft high.

Must be able to capture & read tail numbers.

Thanks for any referrals as well.

george

(1) I think the HMB sirens should be located out of the dam inundation and tsunami run up zone so that it will survive (the plan is for the sirens to be usable for multiple emergencies). The battery box is 10 feet above the ground and would be needlessly wiped out. Our LCP policies, zoning ordinances and general plan safety element (did you know we had one?) all prohibit development in this location.

(2) The sirens are intended to alert people for in a one-mile radius, and so it’s going to be pretty loud (if you’re an engineer, the sound increases inversely to the square of the distance from the source). That mean that if you’re 400 feet or less from the horn (in the current location, that would be me, but if the horn is too close to your house, it could be you), it will be really loud. If you have ever inadvertently tripped an alarm in a small room, it is not just awakening; it is dazing. With such a radius, and the City’s open space and easements, we should be able to locate the siren in such a way that all homes in the target region get the warning, but the distance from the siren to the first house is maximized. Apparently, the proposal was initially to place the siren in the middle of Casa del Mar. I applaud the decision to relocate it, but not in the coastal hazard zone, and not so close to the SAM Plant workers and to my corner of the neighborhood. The impact could be reduced by targeting the horns more carefully, and by having additional (less loud) siren poles at other locations.

(3) The testing plan described in the project was vague, and the limit of 1 minute of siren blasting per month is not justified for reliability testing; most of that can be done silently, and the horn can be tested in 50 milliseconds, enough time to observe the amperage on the siren circuit, and then be ended. It would be over before anyone know it started.

The real objective of testing aeems to be to train the public (hence the reference to “duck and cover” drill for those of us old enough to remember the Cuban Missile Crisis). I’m all for training, but want it to be effective. And as others have commented, I want to see that it is part of a larger plan that leads to a safe evacuation. Perhaps that is the case, but none of that was in evidence. Moreover, under the proposed conditions, the duration of testing could be modified without limit by a stroke of the HMB Planning Director’s pen. A change like that can have significant impacts, and deserves to be the subject of a CDP amendment, not directorial discretion.

(continued in first reply)