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vegeta OP ,
  • But air quality aways changes
  • Man can’t affect the air (weather)
  • There is no consensus
  • plants and animals adapt
  • Ozone is Oxygen which is good for us

/s

AbidanYre , (edited )

You left out EVs being just as bad

Brunbrun6766 ,
@Brunbrun6766@lemmy.world avatar

Don’t forget that this state is not one cohesive government. The CITIES where this is being said are largely blue cities that absolutely believe in climate change and do things to prevent it (though probably not enough). So please don’t assume all the governments here are as stupid as the state government

givesomefucks ,

And the rural asshats are 100% going to drive into town in their giant trucks because city folk said not driving is a good idea…

grue ,

Houston: “We’re a blue city and we believe in climate change!”

Also Houston: https://www.roadstotravel.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Katy-Freeway.jpg

Brunbrun6766 ,
@Brunbrun6766@lemmy.world avatar

Tell me you don’t know how a metropolis works without telling me.

That is an interstate highway running through the city of Katy. The Houston Metro area is made up of over 100 cities and 40 unincorporated towns.

muse ,
@muse@fedia.io avatar

Tell me you don't understand civil engineering without telling me you don't understand civil engineering.

More lanes just makes congestion and bottlenecking elsewhere. That's a city in desperate need of public transportation.

OpenStars ,
@OpenStars@discuss.online avatar

It’s starting to move in that direction, but extremely slowly over the decades. Think more a park & ride (i.e. drive to parking lot then ride a light rail the rest of the way to work) vs. a subway system the whole way. It’s only liberal-ish in relation to the rest of Texas.

Brunbrun6766 ,
@Brunbrun6766@lemmy.world avatar

No shit, do I look like the city planner? I’m saying that people need to look at these large cities with more nuance than “Big City Bad” and realize that things are more complicated than one singular governmental body. In the case of Houston and more specifically this stretch of highway, You have the state government with an overarching control of I-10 through Texas, then this particular stretch of it goes through the cities of Katy and Houston, connecting dozens of other smaller towns and cities with in the metro area.

To look at one single stretch of highway and pretend it is emblematic of the entire state/city is idiotic and shows a bad faith attempt to paint the populace with as wide a brush as possible.

I am only pushing back on this because I am just so damn tired of the constant “Texas Bad” posts comments that are unwilling to engage in a meaningful conversation about the topic and pretend like my state is full of the dumbest most right wing shit heels, while we also have some of the largest left leaning cities in the country.

grue ,

I am only pushing back on this because I am just so damn tired of the constant “Texas Bad” posts comments that are unwilling to engage in a meaningful conversation about the topic and pretend like my state is full of the dumbest most right wing shit heels, while we also have some of the largest left leaning cities in the country.

Believe it or not, I’m a bike/ped/transit activist in Atlanta. I understand both “how a metropolis works,” and your sentiment, better than you realize.

Having said that, I still stand behind my cynical comment. Let’s not pretend the Houston city government hasn’t been largely complicit with this shit for decades, regardless of how “blue” their constituents are. Frankly, even some of the most bleeding-heart liberals here throughout America get real mad, real fast, the instant anybody makes even the meekest suggestion that maybe they should try getting out of their cars. (Or, very relatedly, suggesting that maybe we should allow more housing density anywhere near their single-family homes, for that matter.) That laziness and NIMBY sense of entitlement (for a lifestyle built on redlining and Ponzi schemes, no less) is emblematic of how even the the “bluest” American cities are run, across the board.

Modern_medicine_isnt ,

Tell me you listen to the propaganda about induced demand without… there are ways to add lanes without making it worse. But they don’t want to pay for it.

BakerBagel ,

Houston has soent the last 40 years paving over the Katy prairie and are shocked that they keep getting floods and heat waves

NegativeInf ,

Is Houston in control of that? Or is that TxDOT?

Brunbrun6766 ,
@Brunbrun6766@lemmy.world avatar

Maintained by TxDOT

seaQueue ,
@seaQueue@lemmy.world avatar

Just one more lane bro, one more lane will solve our transit problems bro

WindyRebel ,

Aw gee! Are y-y-you sure, Rick? I mean, it’s congested as fuck either way!

manucode ,
@manucode@infosec.pub avatar

Ozone protects us from UV radiation

fmstrat ,

Leapords slowly ate the state.

cmbabul ,

I’m not a Texas fan or defender by any means, but I do know Texans, and the state telling them to not do something will make them do it more out of spite

Texas_Hangover ,

You’re goddamned right!

Today ,

I didn’t really need to go anywhere today, but now I’m considering it. Fuck you Greg Abbott. You can’t scream oil at me and then tell me not to use it!

Riven ,
@Riven@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

TEXAS NOOO PLEASE DON’T CREATE MORE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, MY LIB SENSIBILITIES WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT.

bradorsomething ,

I personally feel owned by interconnected light rail, not gonna lie.

ASeriesOfPoorChoices ,

Texans, by Roald Dahl

“Why do they love acting so tough?” she used to ask.

“Because they’re children,” Ed would answer. “They’re dangerous children who go about trying to imitate their grandfathers. Their grandfathers were pioneers. These people aren’t.”

MagicShel ,

An ask like this means at best the folks invested in fixing the problem are inconvenienced, while the “fuck you, I got mine” contingent keep on trucking (probably literally in their Fx50s).

Pass laws that incentivize doing the right thing, or don’t pretend you in any way want to fix it.

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

In Texas? Good luck. This is the state where people express themselves by putting horns on their cars.

It’s also the state where you sometimes have to drive two hours just to get to the supermarket.

OpenStars ,
@OpenStars@discuss.online avatar

Not always. okay fine so always

They also jack up the trucks by putting on wheels that are themselves taller than the fuel-efficient cars that they drive over like pavement.

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

There’s also the trucks that do the “rolling coal” shit.

OpenStars ,
@OpenStars@discuss.online avatar

Fucking shit - TIL that’s on purpose!?

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Yep. As a Prius driver, they do it to me all the time, because apparently paying less for gas than they do makes me a communist.

OpenStars ,
@OpenStars@discuss.online avatar

Hehe, if I was there I would wear a mask everywhere I went, just to fuck with people:-).

Even/especially inside of a vehicle.

grue ,

Fun fact: they have to modify the emissions system of the truck to do it, violating Federal law (the Clean Air Act).

If you try to “roll coal” in an unmodified diesel (in proper working order), the “best” you’ll get is a light haze of soot, not a black cloud. This is because the manufacturers do actually try to design them to be efficient, and every bit of soot represents unburned fuel that didn’t get converted into propulsive force.

OpenStars ,
@OpenStars@discuss.online avatar

violating Federal law

Ngl, that sounds like a “feature”, not a bug, given that we are talking about Texans here. I’m not even being pejorative, that’s literally a thing they often proffer as worth being proud of, Remember The Alamo and such.

And yes that is a fun fact - thanks for sharing it!:-)

bobs_monkey ,

Yup, they remove the particulate filter and DEF system to get those clouds. Arguably, those systems do hinder efficiency in the system, but at the cost of pollution.

I have a 2020 Ram 2500 for a work truck, and I’m constantly amazed how quiet and efficient this thing is for 8000lbs, even with all the emissions stuff in place. I wouldn’t remove any of it because I’m not about to be part of the problem as best I can, but it seems like manufacturers are starting to figure out a balance.

grue ,

It’s not just that; they also modify the ECU tuning and maybe even swap out fuel injectors themselves to dump in lots of extra fuel that there isn’t enough air to burn. Even without particulate filters and DEF, Diesels don’t naturally produce anywhere near that much soot. You’ve got to deliberately force them to be that bad!

(Source: I have a '98 VW TDI—made before DPFs and DEF were things—that I’ve modded for more performance, and even in the worst-case scenario of flooring it while running dino-diesel, it barely produces a haze. On B100 biodiesel, it’s even cleaner.)

Bottom line is that if a Diesel is producing lots of visible smoke, it’s either really, really old and shitty (think pre-1980s non-turbo indirect injection), or it’s severely worn out, or somebody made it do it on purpose.

Ashyr ,

Yeah, I think the latter component is what makes this request ludicrous. Everything in Texas is so spread out. It is not a place you can reasonably get around without a car. Mass transit exists, but it’s pretty inefficient in most the cities.

TommySalami ,

People who’ve never lived in Texas really don’t get it. Everything is spread out to an almost ludicrous degree. I drive an hour to get to my friend’s house, and I don’t even consider him to be far away. We both live in the same metroplex.

Public transportation is almost complete failure here due to not being prioritized, and driving anywhere is a pain in the ass with drivers from all over just winging it on congested streets. Don’t even get me started on overpriced tolls that have become the only reasonable way to travel 30min+

Texas is not ok.

Texas_Hangover ,

Your car doesn’t have a horn?

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

These sort of horns-

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/dfe5f945-d084-4bde-a612-ca7620bfa63e.png

Texas_Hangover ,

That car is from Arizona.

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

You do know that’s not the only car in the world with horns on it, right?

Texas_Hangover ,

I just think its funny that out of the vast number of horned vehicles that stampede through Texas I guess? You find a pic of one in Arizona.

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

It was literally the first image I saw and it was an example of what I meant. I really didn’t think it was necessary to check the license plate design.

Texas_Hangover ,

You lack observational skills, and attention to detail.

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Or I just don’t give a shit about figuring out a license plate that doesn’t clearly stay what state it is on it when I want to explain what I mean by horns on a car. Why would I? Exactly how tight do you think my anal sphincter is?

Texas_Hangover ,

Tight enough, I reckon.

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Really? Because I’m not the one complaining that a car whose license plate doesn’t make it clear what state it’s from is wrong!

Texas_Hangover ,

Dude, it says Arizona on it. I ain’t psychic, I didn’t magically know what state it came from.

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Maybe in tiny letters on whatever giant monitor you have. On my 13" notebook, I don’t see the word anywhere.

Texas_Hangover ,

I’m on a phone homie. You got shitty eyesight?

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

My eyesight is fine. I still don’t see the word.

Texas_Hangover ,

Its right under CADILLAC.

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Holy shit, I had to zoom way in and the letters are half-covered.

Why the hell you expected me to be able to see that without zooming in is beyond me. I do not believe for a second you could see that unzoomed on your phone.

Chainweasel , (edited )

In Texas?
You know God damn well the response to this is going to be everybody getting in their 12 valve Cummins diesel trucks and cranking the fuel pumps up to the point where they “roll coal” sitting at stoplights.

atocci ,

I’m sure the gas companies appreciate the extra business.

undercrust ,

Oh THAT should work, LMFAO

warm ,

Is it even possible to get around USA without cars? There's not even proper paths everywhere for pedestrians.

riskable ,
@riskable@programming.dev avatar

Electric vehicles. Did you forget?

Also, the reason why walking, running, or even biking to get around 99% of the US isn’t feasible is because the distances are too vast. The average commute time for people in the US is 26.7 minutes and most of that will be on a highway. Covering the same distance on a bike would take 3-10x longer (why 10x? Because of soooo many bridges that don’t allow bikes or pedestrians!).

ABCDE ,

Electric vehicles. Did you forget?

They are still cars.

AmidFuror ,

That's because of urban sprawl. People prefer to drive farther and longer rather than living in higher density housing.

muse ,
@muse@fedia.io avatar

Disagree. Just gave up on the nightmare of living in a food desert of a Midwest city of nothing but long drives to move to a city three times the size using roughly 50% the space.

OpenStars ,
@OpenStars@discuss.online avatar

It’s a selection effect. Those that remain are those that prefer that kind of isolation.:-) (or are trapped bc they don’t know how to move away)

If you wanted to e.g. own animals like horses it can legit be better to live in a more rural area.

grue ,

People prefer to drive farther and longer rather than living in higher density housing.

If that were really true, it wouldn’t be necessary to restrict residential zoning density by law because people wouldn’t choose to build multifamily housing even where it was allowed.

In reality, it’s the opposite: dense housing is severely restricted by law, but because so many people do want to live in it, the price gets driven up to the point that they can’t afford to anymore and are forced to drive farther and longer instead.

warm ,

Then it's a public transport failure, USA has horrible train infrastructure.

But even suburbs lack paths for pedestrians, even if you wanted to walk into town it's dangerous from the get go. The whole country is designed for cars and nothing else, there have been projects I have seen though in some cities where they tear down highways and build pedestrian areas instead, so it's not an unsolvable problem if they can beat the lobbying.

bluGill ,

Suburbs have great pedestrian paths - if your only goal is to exercise. Those paths don't go anywhere, but living in the suburbs I many people using them for exercise.

grue ,

Even for exercise they tend to be non-existent or suck, which means people end up driving to the few that are good rather than starting their jog from their front door.

bluGill ,

Not in the suburbs near me - they are all new suburbs build in the last 3-10 years though. (3 years is important as sidewalks are built last so until the houses are all done the sidewalks don't connect). Older suburbs though, rarely have sidewalks.

Fedizen ,

for a country that supposedly values freedom its amusing to note how few things are considered freedoms:

driving = freedom*

walking = not freedom

clean air = not freedom

quality public transit = not freedom

*with purchase of expensive vehicle

grue ,

driving = freedom

*with purchase of expensive vehicle

And legally-required insurance, and being licensed by the State to operate it…

AmidFuror ,

It's entirely consistent with freedom. Freedom to build with little thought to long term effects. Freedom from paying for infrastructure that benefits everyone.

To do things correctly you need to restrict and regulate.

PapaStevesy ,

Lol, you do realize you debunked your own claim by the end of the paragraph, right?

warm ,

The claim that USA has extremely lackluster pedestrian and public transport infrastructure? No, I don't think I did.
I merely pointed out steps are being made in the right direction.

PapaStevesy ,

Sorry, that was meant for someone else, lol.

HubertManne ,

In certain cities yes, but not many places.

SeaJ ,

You can pretty easily do it in lots of large cities. Here in Seattle it’s not hard at all going North-South with public transit. East-West is another story…

Drusas ,

This is still harder in Seattle than in a lot of major cities, but far better in Seattle than in many other US cities. The thing we have going for us here is that we are constantly expanding and improving our public transit.

Drusas ,

It's possible, but it's a challenge, and it often involves hiring a car (like an Uber or a taxi) for at least "the last mile" anyway.

SuiXi3D ,
@SuiXi3D@fedia.io avatar

Meanwhile, Ken Paxton has sued the city of Austin for ‘misleading’ people when it comes to the voter-approved light rail transit expansion. Oh, and TxDOT is widening I-35 through downtown Austin despite countless folks protesting and some organizations suing them to stop it.

Transit across the state SUCKS. Bike lanes are never properly separated. Light rail is sparse. Busses literally everywhere suck.

Naich ,
@Naich@lemmings.world avatar

A small personal sacrifice for the common good? Sounds like commie talk to me.

Got_Bent ,

I’m sure my boss will understand that I can’t make him a dollar today because Texas said not to drive.

I have nothing in walking distance. Not even a convenience store.

So you could ask me to not take a road trip or to reduce the number of trips I take in my car today, but avoiding the car entirely isn’t physically possible.

I’m pretty sure that’s all originally by design.

MisterNeon ,
@MisterNeon@lemmy.world avatar

I’m from Texas, this isn’t feasible. If you need to get from anywhere to any place else you’re driving there. Depending on where you are busses may be hit or miss & may not even be an option. Pretty happy to live in a place now where I haven’t needed to drive for years.

wide_eyed_stupid ,
@wide_eyed_stupid@lemmy.world avatar

I know multiple people who don’t even have a driver’s license (and before I get comments about ‘Europoors’ – No, it’s not because of money, lol), including myself. Never needed one. Within the city I can walk, go by bike, there’s buses and trams. For traveling farther (also internationally), there are trains. Most of the time I just walk everywhere. Multiple supermarkets within walking distance, train station within walking distance, bus stop in front of my door, tram stop 1 minute away.

My husband does have a license, but we own no car.

Can’t imagine being forced to drive a car due to lack of other options. For a population very obsessed with so-called freedom, Americans seem to accept and demand very little freedom sometimes.

MossyFeathers ,

Yeah, that’s not happening lol. Politics aside, public transportation is too shit for that and you’ll just get run over if you try to bike anywhere that doesn’t have a bike path/lane.

FuglyDuck ,
@FuglyDuck@lemmy.world avatar

Might get ran over even with a bike lane.

All those super friendly peeps in big trucks that’ll stop to help you out if you’re in the ditch! (lol. Right.)

Drusas ,

That's why everywhere needs protected bike lanes. You put some sort of concrete barrier between the bike lane and the car lane. It's great.

BigMacHole ,

Why would Republicans are about pollution? Pollution hurts WOMEN!

bolexforsoup ,

It’s ok Abbott will reassure us it’s all nonsense and defund anything environmental before they can do anymore damage to the god fearing Texan minds that depend on his leadership.

GrayBackgroundMusic ,

As a former Texas resident: The Texas government can fuck alllllll the way off with that. Design a city that doesn’t need cars and people won’t need to use them. Residents HAVE to use cars because the place is so fucking unfriendly to pedestrians.

Wogi ,

Houston is one of the worst cities I’ve ever been to. Fuck you if you’re trying to walk anywhere, fuck you right in the heart. That includes if you’re walking to and from your car. massive truck

Also fuck you are you trying to drive? You fucking crazy?

I’ve hated only a small number of cities I’ve visited. Denver comes to mind, Los Angeles, Wichita Kansas, and if you took all the hate I have for those three cities, injected it with hgh and heroin, it would be a small shadow on the wall for the pure unadulterated rage I have for Houston Texas.

Gary Indiana wasn’t as hostile. Fucking Ferguson during the protests wasn’t as hostile. And I saw a carjacking 10 minutes after stepping off the fucking plane thé last time I was there.

Fuck Texas. Give it back to Mexico.

vaultdweller013 ,

Mexico doesnt deserve that burden, lets just burn it down and declare it a national park.

LustyArgonianMana ,
@LustyArgonianMana@lemmy.world avatar

I think you mean meth, not heroin. Heroin would have the opposite effect

tiredofsametab ,

I will very slightly disagree. You can live without a car in Houston in some areas so long as you work in the same area (or from home) or one nearby with bus service. I lived in the Montrose and could mostly walk/cycle to anything I needed.

That said, most places in Houston are going to be a lot more difficult for that or impossible. Had I lived that close to the job that moved me to Houston, it would have been in one of the higher-crime-rate areas and not good for walking.

Jericho_One ,

As a fellow former Texas resident, I can confirm and endorse this statement.

The Texas government can fuck alllll the way off with that…and many other things cough cough women’s rights cough cough

neclimdul ,

As a pedestrian in one of the mentioned cities, this is accurate. We have an ok bus network but the schedules are terrible and getting around on foot is dangerous and it’s like 100 degrees out with 90% humidity. Very few people put up with it and literally no one will because of this.

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