Sidney B. Kurtz
writes from Pennsauken
The President has called on us - the little guys like you and me -
to conserve fuel. Let's set aside for the moment our views on
corporation profits and price-gouging at the pumps, and assume that
every homeowner and apartment dweller has obeyed conservation
guidelines (an unlikely scenario) and has done everything possible, so
far as their finances permit, to seal themselves off from the ravages
of nature.
So far, so good. But when the President calls on us to cut back on
using our most precious material possession - our cars - that's too
much. We seldom leave home without them. We baby them, we wash and wax
them, and we change the oil regularly. Are we spoiled? You bet. But
don't blame us. As fortunate citizens in this land of plenty, it's part
of our lifestyle to drive rather than walk.
However, we could make changes to save fuel - without sacrificing
our cars. If we can win a two-ocean war; if we can send men to the
moon; if we can land rovers on Mars and ram explosives into the head of
a comet, then we are certainly capable of improving our roads and
having an efficient traffic system here on Earth.
One of the worst fuel offenders is the traffic light itself. There
it sits, out of sync with the previous light. We have the ability to
time traffic lights, so why hasn't it been done? Too expensive? So is
that rocket waiting to burn millions of pounds of fuel in less time
than it takes us to get ready to go to our jobs.
In addition, that red light could be one of the many "dumb" lights
that turn red even if no cars are waiting at the intersection.
Nevertheless, cars must wait for that light to change, all the while
engines are idling, burning fuel and sending poisons into the
atmosphere.
Traffic backups are notorious gas guzzlers. Besides staggering our
working hours - a Band-Aid that has been timidly tried before - there
are other methods of alleviating the massive parking lots that pop up
on our highways. Overpasses and underpasses are excellent traffic
movers, and so are medium-length express roads with appropriate exits.
Also expensive? So is our war in Iraq.
It costs nothing to turn off your engine while you go into a
convenience store or your local bank branch, so why don't more people
do it? One guess is to keep the car cool in the summer and warm in the
winter. The "no idling" signs posted at various locations are an
excellent idea, but are often ignored.
Recently, I was waiting in my car for my lady friend, who was making
some purchases in the Dollar Store. It was a pleasant day, and I was
comfortable with the car windows open. The car next to me had all
windows closed. Although the glass was tinted, I could see that there
was no driver but two people were talking in the backseat. The engine
was idling. I could feel the heat radiating from under the hood, and I
could smell the exhaust.
I was in that parking spot for 20 minutes. When we pulled away, the
other car was still idling! One might say that these are singular
examples in local areas, but multiply these by thousands of "local"
areas nationwide, and you have a major waste of precious fuel - fuel
that won't last forever.
Let's leave some for future generations, folks.
