ALT-1 How to get more Gasoline per Dollar
We hear a lot of rhetoric these days about fuel economy. There's plenty of blame to pass around about how our fuel consumption is harmful to the planet. Most of us are raised in this country to be active in the economy and uphold our duty to be regarded as "consumers". Every credit earned in school is a brick in the wall towards that goal. One who has accomplished their goals will be granted the ability to engage in the finer things that are above and beyond their basic needs of shelter and sustenance. This may be in the form of vacation property, luxury watercraft, large S.U.V.'s, larger homes, toys and on and on. What is striking is that so many of the rewards that are available to consumers have much to do with the need for more gas and oil. It takes a large truck to haul that pleasure craft across several pages of your county map book to your vacation spots. The government encourages this type of rampant consumerism on every possible level. Many of us in Michigan are very familiar with this reality as our children stare out of the back windows of our Ute's while we are stuck in I-75 traffic heading north. All of this was blessed and acceptable until the recent rise in fuel prices brought it all to a screeching halt.We had about 100 years of prosperity culled from the industrial revolution. Of course, there have been cyclical patterns of bear and bull markets. Most notably was the great depression that defined the fragility of our economy. The point to make is that all of our financial success is a result of our ability to burn fossil fuels and increase our productivity. We have entered into a new reality, however, where concerns for the planet weigh heavily against our needs for fuel consumption.It has been litigated in Michigan that a 50 cent gas tax would benefit our society by forcing people to second guess their travels and park their cars. It's amazing that a proposal such as this came about during record high prices for gasoline. People are having a difficult time filing their gas tanks just to get to work. The goal of limiting people's extraneous travels has been accomplished by the major oil exporters. Toss in a one state recession and you are asking for the collapse of the economy in the industrial heart of America. It is appalling that our government wants to punish a society that has dutifully played the hand that it is dealt. It is equally appalling that an oil industry raises prices with every modern hurricane and every political snafu when hurricanes and snafus have been around since the industrial revolution began. I'm sure that gasoline wasn't $3 per gallon during the Great Depression. This is a blatant money grab by the powerful oil companies to position themselves for the next thing. Burning oil is not a sustainable option for the future but it sure is a lucrative endeavor for the mean time. For them, that is.Another facet to this issue may seem to have less to do with the general population. The Federal Government is busy mandating higher mpg regulations for the automakers. This is probably a good thing. It is certain to affect the prices of production and will of course result in long stare-downs between car shoppers and window stickers. For the most part, this necessary evil called C.A.F.E. is probably for the better.But while the government is busy forcing the private sector to calibrate their machinery for efficiency, there is something that the government can do to calibrate the nation's infrastructure. There is a cheap, viable and easy way to decrease our gasoline consumption without raising taxes. Simply time the traffic lights in our metropolitan areas. How many times in one day do you chug your car up to the posted speed just to have a street light turn yellow right in your face. There is a reason why so many people are blocking the pedestrian crosswalks. They are chained to the laws of physics and could not possibly have stopped their cars any sooner. When you grind your car to a skid and sit there with your square tires take notice of the cross road traffic. Are the lights timed properly for them or are they also sitting on the pedestrian paint with square tires. There's a good chance that you will be short stopped by that light as well some time during your errands that day. It's like this at too many intersections in too many cities across America. Only when you raise the price of fuel above $3 per gallon does the weight of this problem become epidemic.You can subtract your estimated city m.p.g. from the highway m.p.g. and get a number that reflects the damage that stop and go traffic causes. Don't forget that those numbers reflect directly to your bank account. Now add up the wasted kinetics for your entire year. Apply this to the entire nation and you can see the scope of the problem. Of course you would still have slow downs in urban areas even if lights were properly timed. There always is the McDonald's lane, but things run smoother when traffic can freely roll and fan out a little bit. It's a lot safer to drive when you can seek out the holes in traffic patterns as well. The safest place to commute is in front of the "plugs" and behind the "passers".Many municipalities will only time the lights on Sundays. Those lights that made you late for work last Tuesday are burning green holes in your retinas on our day of rest. This probably relates to the fact that many businesses prefer the attention lavished on their signs while people are stuck at a light. One can understand this principle (but holy cow) at what cost? Wouldn't it be better for all businesses if we simply allow them bigger signs? If traffic is flowing and you are comfortable in front of the plugs and behind the passers, you have a safe ability to read a few signs. Flowing traffic equals less waste. Flowing traffic equals fewer accidents. Flowing traffic allows space for turns and decisions. Flowing traffic allows room to observe surroundings. Flowing traffic saves people money. Wait a minute. There it is. It's the inefficiency of the system that creates revenue at the pumps. It's a fat chance that this article will see the light of day since it sheds light on the truth of the three eyed monster. So as long as we're promoting C.A.F.E, let's Calibrate America For Efficiency.
