The Very Embarrassing Comparison of Missouri vs New York City in this Pandemic

Check this out. First, New York.

New York City sets record of 58 straight days with no pedestrian fatalities

So great for them, right?  Kudos, New York City. Way to go. No one being killed on the streets. Makes sense. Little to no traffic, so great results.

But here in Missouri?

Our own Show Me State?

Check out these statistics.

'Triple digits keep rolling in' 

Missouri troopers clock drivers speeding during pandemic

We're speeding more. And not just speeding but a lot of us out there are pushing triple digits--100 miles per hour and more.

As Missouri plans to reopen some businesses this May 4, one thing you can rely on is a lot more traffic along major interstates.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said some drivers have been using the stay-at-home order to their advantage.

"We've noticed roughly a 40% decrease statewide in the amount of traffic that's out there," said Capt. John Hotz at MSHP headquarters in Jefferson City.

With less traffic, he said drivers are using this time to test their engines, turning interstates into raceways.

"As 80 miles an hour used to be considered a high speed, we've seen quite a few speeds in the 100+ mph range," said Hotz.

Troopers across Missouri tweeted some of those speeds. One showing a motorist going as fast as 145 mph.

That's bad enough right? But then, consequently, more of us are also dying on the roads.

Missouri traffic fatalities up in 2020

Pandemic's hidden impact: 

Increases in traffic deaths

So get that?

Traffic is down and down significantly across the state. Way down. But we're SPEEDING MORE and MORE OF US ARE DYING.

Isn't that wonderful?

And sure, you can say it's not fair comparing a city to an entire state but come on. Don't you think at least ONE of these statistics should be good, improved for us here is Misery?  I mean Missouri?

We are, most all of us, not on the roads and streets and highways nearly as much and it shows and we're paying less in car insurance because of it but we're getting WORSE RESULTS? IN ALL EXAMPLES?

Insane. This is insane.

Come on, folks.

We can do better than this.

A lot better.

We have to.

The Hard Reality of Transportation

The fact is, ladies and gentlemen, there are far, far too many people on this planet for us all, humankind, to keep driving our own, individual cars to and from our destinations.

We need public transportation.

And we need it all over our cities and states and nations. We need it across the world.

We have to stop pretending it's--what?--the 1940's? and there aren't that many of us and we can continue this expensive, very polluting insanity.

As just one example, look at traffic in Los Angeles.






Keep in mind, too, this is daily. Sure, it's Los Angeles but it's not just them, not just that one city and again, it's not just a one day occurrence. It's repeated all through the year and in far too many cities across the globe.

It's getting worse, too.

It's Not Your Imagination, 

Los Angeles County is Getting More Crowded

Not only is it Los Angeles, but it's only growing worldwide. With more and more people in our cities, states and nations, across the globe, this only becomes more apparent and real and necessary.

Number of People in the World to Rise 

to 8 Billion by 2023, U.N. Says

This is crazy. This is no way to live.

Think about it. Los Angeles. San Diego. San Francisco. Houston, Dallas, Austin. Heck, traffic is so bad on the other side of the country, we just give up and call it the "Northeast corridor."

As usual, Germany and Europe are far ahead of us here in the US on this, too.

German cities to trial free public transport 

to cut pollution 

Not only is this a good idea, we need to take it steps further.

We will need to actually further tax cars so we can accomplish three big goals:

--Cut down on all that traffic

--Reduce the pollution and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

--And, yes, increase those of us on public transportation

Public transportation can no longer be only for the less affluent or even thought to be only for them.

We have to realize all the benefits we'd reap from this, too. We can't only think of it as what we would lose. Herewith, just some of those benefits.

--Again, less pollution

--Repeating, less traffic

--Cleaner air

--Less irritated asthma and respiratory ailments for hundreds of millions across the planet

--Less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere so...

--Less increased global warming and

--Slower human-caused climate change

--Less time wasted sitting in traffic

--Maintaining public transportation is far less expensive than having to maintain all the more singular roads required to keep all this traffic going

We have to learn to live together, we have to learn to work together and yes, we all, all of us, need to learn to travel together. Lots of people across the world have done this.

Now, we all need to.

Links:

Public Transportation Benefits

Why Public Transit Is Important

Why We All Need Public Transportation

Why We Need Public Transportation, 

Not More Self-Driving Cars

10 reasons why you should use public transport 

Another Great Idea and Proposal From the Star

First it was Steve Kraske's idea about renaming the J.C. Nichols fountain, in last Saturday's paper, and now this.

Editorial: End the aggravation of out-of-sync traffic lights

And really, to whom has this not occurred? To whom of us, as we drive around the Kansas City metropolitan area, has this not struck as a good, even important idea? How many times have we been caught at a read light, sitting there, when no other cars are at the other cross street lights?

It can be maddening.

We read all the time how our computers and computer technology is making incredible breakthroughs and doing untold new, wonderful things for us. Shouldn't synchronizing traffic lights be one of them? And doesn't it seem like it wouldn't be that difficult or complicated, too, for us and the computers?

It would achieve actually a few really great benefits for us, as a city and people and even the nation.

• We'd waste less time so we'd be more productive. That could easily be shown as good fro business
• We'd waste less gasoline
• We'd pollute less since we wouldn't be sitting at these traffic lights, waiting, doing nothing other than running our car's engines
• We'd have far less frustration and even anger. The likelihood it could cut down on some road rage seems very likely
• We could and would likely improve the air quality we're annually being reminded of in the Summer months

Those benefits alone are enough to make this a very worthwhile endeavor.

The Federal Government is funding research on driverless cars, for pity's sake.

Columbus snags $40M grant for driverless car hub

Before we go off giving federal tax dollars for driverless cars, how about we improve existing traffic technologies so its as effective and efficient as it can be, first? Doesn't that seem like a good and smart idea?

Let's get this party started---and on both sides of the state line.

Faster Traffic, Lots of Wins

Why aren't we all doing this?

 

Ideas Worth Stealing: Easing traffic with technology, not blacktop

Why aren't all cities doing this? 

Think of the benefits.

• Less time wasted
• Less gas burned, wasted
• Less pollution
• More productivity
• Less frustration, anger, even possible road rage

Huge gains.

Can you imagine if Kansas City and all the cities and towns in the area---and state and nation---did this?

Noteworthy from Nick Haines

In the latest Pitch Magazine, they gave their questionairre to host and producer of KCPT Channel 19’s Kansas City Week in Review Nick Haines. While it's all interesting, fun, brief and rather light-hearted reading, I thought the answer to this question was most--the most--illuminating and important for the city: The Pitch: Finish this sentence: “Kansas City needs ...” Nick Haines: "To stop beating up on itself all the time. I’ve lived other places. This is an easy, amenity-filled city without the annoying ego of the East and West Coasts. Enjoy it!" I couldn't agree more. Thank you, Mr. Haines, for your work and advice, both. Read the rest of the interview here: http://www.pitch.com/plog/archives/2012/01/04/the-pitch-questionnaire-nick-haines

Face it, I-70 will be a toll road one day

Sure, let's face it now. Missouri hasn't got the big money--billions?--it will take to make I-70 the safer highway it needs to be. That and we're in the worst economy in 80 years, since the Great Depression. What other choice does the Department of Transportation have? Answer: none. It's only a matter of time. They'll have to get us all ready to accept it but, after that, it's fast-forward. Get over it. Link: http://www.landlinemag.com/Archives/2004/Dec04/news/states_tolls.htm

Kansas City: Rope in the 'burbs?

There is a terrific article out now at The Atlantic (link below) telling of "The Beginning of the End of the Suburb." To which I say, good riddance. It has separated us horribly, it has added, also badly, to heavy traffic, pollution, bad air days, highways that go on for miles and eat up farmland, etc. And we--Kansas City--are famous for our sprawl, of course. We're one of the worst spots in the nation for it. Heaven forbid we tell any developer "no", right? It seems that, between the downturn in the economy and the higher price of fuel, at least, people are far less likely to keep buying ever further out of cities. Again, thank goodness. It's long overdue. As the article says: "We need a new model for American prosperity that doesn't require ever greater injections of fossil energy." All that said, though, I'm sure the Kansas City metropolitan area and all its various cities will never institute any hard and fast policy, limiting growth even if for the benefit of the city, the way they did long ago in Oregon and the likes. We're way too insecure about business and even the thought of pushing business away. Links: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/The-Beginning-End-Suburban-atlantic-1156625650.html?x=0; http://www.pitch.com/kansascity/in-kansas-city-tax-breaks-dont-cure-blight-andmdashandnbspthey-create-sprawl/Content?oid=2190006; http://www.pitch.com/plog/archives/2011/04/18/kansas-citys-sprawling-ways-make-growing-old-a-bitch; http://www.kansascity.com/2011/04/16/2804933/a-long-way-home-challenges-faced.html; http://www.kansascity.com/2011/04/17/2807142/getting-around-kc-is-tough-for.html

Worst intersection in the metropolitan area

Could there be a worse, more congested and so, dangerous intersection in the area than the mess that is I-435 West, out South, as it connects to I-35 North and South?

A one-lane exit ramp that comes off 3 or 4 lanes and goes into BOTH the North and South directions of I-35.

When not that many people lived out in Olathe and Gardner and Paola, it was fine but how many years ago was that?

I was out there a week or two ago and it was backed up at least a mile or more.  And I believe it happens daily, Monday through Friday, at minimum.

Finally, with the Kansas State budget the way it is, don't expect a fix any time too soon.  I can't imagine KDoT has money in the budget to tackle what would most surely be a multi-million dollar expansion, that would give more lanes to dump into I-35.

It gets my vote.

And that's why I stay away.

Overland Park: No. 7 of top 100 towns to live in in US

Okay, another national ranking story we're on: Yahoo! News reports on CNN Money's ranking of the top 100 small towns to live in in the US right now and get this--Overland Park comes in at number 7. Good for them. Good for us. Some of the highlights: Population: 175,000 Unemployment: 5.3% Pluses: Good schools, low cost of living Minuses: Some job losses, not much excitement Ask residents why they chose this Kansas City suburb and you hear one thing over and over: the schools. Other draws include a 300-acre arboretum and botanical garden, a biweekly farmers' market, and a brand-new 12-field soccer complex, which hosts local and national tournaments. Overland Park's biggest challenge in recent years has been from its largest employer, Sprint. The company laid off more than 3,000 people here from 2007 to 2009. But the town has had enough success attracting new employers that its jobless rate is still well below the national average. What's more, a division of J.P. Morgan plans to move 800 positions here early next year. Drawbacks for me? It's the suburbs, folks. It's way out and you have to drive everywhere to get anywhere or anything. Also, it's too bleached for my tastes but again, that's me. Finally, at least here, the traffic totally stinks. It used to be there wasn't much of anything or anyone out there, the traffic was light and you could get around. No more. Even coming in from farther out in Miami County, the traffic stacks up coming back into the city. It's crazy. Very unpleasant. But hey, what do I know? It's just not for me. Link to original story: http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/100-best-places-to-live-in-america-2010-edition

One of America's best attributes

I was reminded this morning, on the way to work, of one of our--America's--best traits and that is our collective, group politeness.

A traffic light was out just East of the Plaza today, on 47th Street, and it was flashing yellow for us (on 47th) and red for the North/South traffic.

And do you know what everyone was doing?

Instead of the 47th Street people just going slowly through, as the traffic regulations allow, everyone was stopping and letting the opposite, through traffic go first.

Sure, I know, part of this was safety but I also give some credit to just sheer manners.

I learned this years ago, on the mountain slopes of Colorado. We all were lining up, ever so quietly and politely, as is still done, to this day, to get on the ski lifts.

I was told then that, in Europe, it's not uncommon for people to just pretty much push their way through, to the shortest and quickest routes to the lift, not unlike Italian traffic, I've also heard.

And sure, you can run into rude people at different times here in the States but I think they are, thankfully and up to now, the minority.

So here's one for us, America. Keep up being polite, positive and pleasant.