Comments by LasBrisas
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Posted on June 18 at 5:58 p.m.
This article only serves to perpetuate the myth that we are in some way going to pedal our way out of our transportation system woes. In that sense the article does a disservice. The Caltrans, Oil, and Big Construction lobbies appear to have brainwashed everyone into believing that all of the alternatives are on the table. Check out www.unimodal.com for enlightenment. If you really want to donate some space to motorists build this system from SLO to VTA. Power it from the projected one-third excess capacity of the Lompoc Wind Farm.
Posted on June 18 at 5:42 p.m.
40 MPH, 40 mile range. Ha! My grandmother's 1921 Rauch-Lang electric would do that. According to these results zero improvement in 90 years. In actuality there has been a 35% improvement. Still not enough to make electrics mainstream. Electric cars are not pollution free. They simply transfer the source of the pollution to the power generating station which is more than likely nuclear or gas fired. The answer is not in any one mode of transportation but a mosaic of overlapping modalities. The technology of choice is modern clean burning Diesel engines in hybrid vehicles. The power produced by Diesel engines is much more suitable for use in hybrids than gasoline. Basic engineering, horsepower versus torque. Check it out. What is more the BioDiesel fuel is best derived from Hemp plants that can be grown on lands that are otherwise unsuitable for food crops. Hemp requires little to no fertilizer, pesticide, or irrigation. Additionally Hemp plants can be grown much closer than the customary 18-24 inches required for Corn. Therefore much higher yield per acre. We also need to pull more scooters and motorcycles into the mix. We sorely need this www.unimodal.com Get Caltrans the oil and construction lobbies out of the way.
Posted on June 5 at 9:27 a.m.
A now deceased friend of mine worked many years for the City of Santa Maria Community Development Department in a position not unlike that of Michelle Gibbs. He was often at loggerheads with the department's directors and accused of not being a "team player." One project that I recall in particular was a housing subdivision to be built on an abandoned oil field. My friend's position on the matter was ignored, more correctly subverted. Today there is a law suit taking place because oil is seeping up into the people's back yards. There is talk of demolishing the homes. My inclination would be to trust Gibbs' judgment. Where there is smoke there is fire.
Posted on June 5 at 9:04 a.m.
Better late than never. A regional installation of the Unimodal system www.unimodal.com will eliminate the purported "need" for freeway expansion. The Unimodal system can be powered with the excess electricity produced by the Lompoc Wind Farm. Please check out the link. They have done a thorough analysis. They answer all questions except who has the will to take on the entrenched transportation cabal?
Posted on May 30 at 8:25 a.m.
I travel through this area with some regularity. My observation is that vehicles, usually SUVs, at the highway exit ramp and the exit from La Colina's parking lot fail to come to a complete stop. They "roll" these stop signs. These are obviously overwrought parents in search of their children as the vehicles exiting the highway inevitably pull into the La Colina driveway. Now that the speed issues in this area have been addressed the La Colina pick-up and delivery traffic reveals itself as a major contributor to traffic safety. Perhaps some adult education by the La Colina administration would help to alleviate the problem. Installing yet another traffic light is not going to improve the operating skills of the parents and simply serves to move the problem somewhere else. Each additional traffic light increases air and noise pollution in addition to increasing everyone's safe commute time. The vehicle operator should be the first stop in the quest for traffic safety.
On Pedestrian Struck by Car at Foothill and Cieneguitas Roads
Posted on May 20 at 8:21 a.m.
The Model "T" delivery truck is a nice touch. That had to have been a simpler time.
Posted on May 19 at 9:06 a.m.
Hemp will grow on lands that are otherwise unsuitable for food crops. It requires little or no irrigation, fertilizer, herbicides or pesticides. No wonder that it is illegal. How can Monsanto/DuPont profit from Hemp? Hemp is an excellent source of bio-Diesel fuel for clean burning modern Diesel engines. Dispose of your unsustainable gasoline engines and ethanol now.
Posted on May 10 at 10:55 p.m.
The attitude of jonathansmith is most unfortunate but motorcyclists, motorcycle-manufacturers and motorcycle-importers are partially to blame. The excessively loud Harley Davidsons and their bad-boy pretender riders perpetuate a negative image that sullies all motorcyclists. While there is some truth to the statement, "Loud pipes save lives," more lives are saved by extreme attentiveness and realtime problem solving while in the saddle.
Curtis Oshock ran into the back of another vehicle. The vast majority of culpability must fall on his shoulders. Whether or not he was blinded by the sun, he was simply following too closely to stop. Need we reiterate, "stuff happens."
Harley as a manufacturer caters to the bad boy crowd. The importers emulate Harley to stay in competition. The result is that the majority of motorcycles available in this country are too large to meet the needs of everyday commuters.
Eastbeach' perpetuates the myth that bicycles are better than motorcycles for commuting. There is a gap that exists between the capabilities of a bicycle and those of an automobile. If bicycles were truly able to fill this gap they would certainly have done so by now.
Medium duty motorcycles bridge the niche between Vespas with their tiny wheels ( unstable ) and the roaring Harleys. Honda did a good job with this market in the mid 1960s to mid 1970s. Small displacement, low cost, bikes with large diameter wheels and the promotion of a clean responsible image. Since that time motorcycles have followed more or less the same development path as SUVs. Read Hummer Harley.
Depending on your place in the demographic of motorcycle riders you may be at little more risk than an automobile driver of having an accident. If you do have an accident you are more likely to receive serious injuries. This alone should be adequate incentive to ride correctly. Those who love motorcycling owe it to one another to foster a positive image before sad socialist cagers like jonathansmith are able to dream their wish come true.
Posted on May 5 at 2:30 p.m.
Margaret, I wholeheartedly agree with your position. The Bishop Ranch must be preserved for future farming. Yes, the parcels next to the railroad tracks and 101 are not ideal. However, we did not reach this predicament overnight and must take a long term integrated approach to mending our ways. Eventually the traffic and pollution of the freeway will be reduced as, for example, quiet high speed rail service is established throughout the state. Furthermore this rail system will be most useful for "railroading" greedy shortsighted developers straight out of town. Please visit www.unimodal.com for an additional alternative transportation system that is ideal for our entire (VTA to SLO) region as it can be powered by surplus electricity produced by local wind farms.
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Posted on July 2 at 10:04 p.m.
Yes, Power arrives at Glenn Annie substation from the north via transmission lines that are now located directly in the fire. When the flames engulf the wires it creates a path for the electricity to flow to ground. This immediately causes circuit breakers to cut off the power. That is why the lights were flashing. Edison has now stopped the flow of electricity and isolated the sub station. City of Santa Barbara and points south are able to receive electricity separately from Glen Annie and are presently powered up by the Edison Street sub station in Santa Barbara.
On Gap Fire Evening Update