August 16, 2006

Transportation 101

This is another entry from my old (and soon to be expiring) website. I suspect that it's pretty much guaranteed to mess up my formatting since it begins with a large table (that fit fine on my old page, but I'm a little more *pushes out with each elbow* confined over here).

This post was originally made in the Winter of 2001 and some of the cartoons hold a bit more irony today than they probably did back then.

oh, and again, no promises on the links.



Transportation 101



Transportation


Approx. cost to
traveler



Approx. cost to
government


Approx. cost to
society

walkingcost of shoes ($50)cost of paving sidewalkpositive health benefits

increased productivity
bikingcost of bike ($250)cost of paving bike lanemedical costs of people
who breath in (minimal) bike tire dust
driving
cost of car ($15,000)


cost of gas

cost of auto registration

cost of drivers license

cost of auto insurance

cost of paving streets and highways


cost of lights, stop signs, etc.

cost of police to enforce speed limits

cost of meter maids to enforce parking limits

health costs that aren't covered by individuals

items to address noise issues

cost of legislators to develop laws regarding travel


cost of clean up from spilled oil

cost of department setup to oversee auto registrations,
drivers' testing, etc.


medical costs of people who breath
in car tire dust


medical costs of people who breath
in car exhaust


medical costs of people
who live near auto factories



medical costs of people who are affected
by spilled oil


(not to mention the loss of beauty as the earth gets
paved over, etc.)

driving +

(SUV's, clunkers, etc.)
lower mpg leads to greater gas costs

dittogreater damage to environment leads to increased
medical problems

increased risk of a fatality in an accident
(leads to lower productivity since the dead guy can no longer
work)



Medical Effects

* Walkers have less incidence of cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other killer diseases.

* smog can cause birth defects

* living near auto factories creates a higher likelihood of children having cancer


* more people are being killed by air pollution from traffic than from
traffic crashes each year
(and again) (and again)

* auto exhaust can lead to respiratory ailments

* tire dust can lead to rhinitis (runny nose), conjunctivitis (tearful
eyes), to hives (urticaria), bronchial asthma, and occasionally
even a life-threatening condition called anaphylactic shock

(and again)

* tire dust can build sensitivities to latex (and again)

* auto traffic stirs up pollens and molds and may therefore worsen
asthma and hay fever


* ground level ozone can irritate the respiratory system, reduce lung
function, aggravate asthma, and/or inflame and damage the lining
of the lung
(and again)


* nationally
there are approximately 18.1 auto-accident-related deaths per
100,000 people
(and
again)


* Compared with other vehicle types, utility vehicles experienced the highest rollover rates: 37.8 percent in fatal crashes, 10.0 percent
in injury crashes, and 2.5 percent in property-damage-only crashes.

* healthier employees are often happier and more productive (and
again)
(and again)
Environmental Effects (which often lead to Medical Effects)
* oil spills and leaks destroy the environment and may be closer than
you think
(more) (still more) (and a little more)

* air pollution is causing problems in national parks

* auto manufacturing produces great quantities of pollutants

* SUV's are allowed, by law, to produce more pollutants than passenger cars

* SUV's get crappy gas mileage (compare
the gas mileage for cars page to the best and worst of SUV's page)