air quality

[jresta]

So today is this season's first Ozone Alert day. The rest of the week is looking pretty much the same. I won't ride my bike to work on days like this. It's worth the longer subway ride to take it easy on my lungs.

http://www.dvrpc.org/transportation/ozoneIE.htm

and my favorite meter
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/airmon/cam.htm

On days that are particularly bad transit is free in NJ and DE but i'm not so sure about SEPTA. What does your city/region do on days like this? What do you do?

Does your city even have a problem with air pollution and if not, why not?

 

[BKM]

Normally, we have VERY strong winds (the Suisun Valley, where Fairfield is located, comes from the Wintun word for "West Wind." So, most of our nastiness blows into the Sacamento Valley. The negative is that the winds make Solano County the pollen and dust (and hance asthma) capital of the north state.

When the winds shut down, we can get ozone/smog levels in violation. The local AQMD has an active alert system, as well as ongoing ad campaigns. Not sure it is all that effective.

I need to start riding my bike to work. There is no excuse.

 

[Repo Man]

We have ozone alert days where all of the news stations ask that people not fill up their cars with gas during the day. They usually send a reporter to the gas station where they torment unsuspecting motorists by asking them: "Do you know this is an ozone alert day and you shouldn't fill up" to which the usual response is either "I didn't know" or "What the hell am I supposed to to, run out of gas because of some stupid warning?"

 

[Tranplanner]

The City has a "corporate response plan" during smog days...no line painting, grass cutting, etc. They also cutback the A/C level at City Hall to conserve energy. Employees respond by firing up their electric fans - I've got mine on right now!

 

[biscuit]

The entire East Coast must be under an ozone alert today. We have one here in western PA (you can actually see the haze and feel how thick the air is when walking)and a friend of mine fin Upstate SC has notified me that their under one down there as well.

I wonder if this means I can get a free bus ride ride this afternoon?

 

[jresta]

"What the hell am I supposed to to, run out of gas because of some stupid warning?"

. . . uhhh, where the hell is my inhaler!?!"


It's incredible that people are really that filthy. I always just ask people like that, "do you have a fire place? Yeah? Good. When your flue won't open do you keep the fire going?"

 

[green22]

smog

In Toronto we have had a few smog days. Our pro sprawl Premier, (Governor), has told people not to bike, jog or exercise out doors during rush hours when the smog is at it's worst. In a stupid move he told residents not to use outdoor barbecues, and that the coal fired power plants were just a small part of the problem. He said he would not barbeque and would go out to the restaurant for chicken instead. There has been no mention of cars or idling, except not to use any alternatives like biking or jogging. The Province of Onatario is supposed to be the 3rd most polluting after Texas and Ohio.

 

[Starrdarcy]

i live in valley city, a valley that ends. We get pollution that comes from other closer cities and we end up with it. The result, sometime the smog is so bad that you cant see a licence plate clearly from about 50 meters. Thats bad.

 

[donk]

Our only air pollutio is the effluent from the mill (the smell of money) and the odd hazy day from a forest fire.

When I was in Toronto a few weeks ago it was nearly unbearable, I was doped right up on sudafed and other anti histamines just to be able to breath and see.

Sometimes I really like where I live and this is one of those times..

 

[Tranplanner]

It's actually been not too bad a summer so far in Toronto *crossing fingers*. I've only had one or two days that I've had to take any allergy pills. Last year I swear I was on them for almost a month straight.

 

[nerudite]

Transit used to be free in Portland and Vancouver on air quality alert days. We haven't had any of them here since I've lived here. In the summers we have thunderstorms on the hottest days that tend to blow the bad stuff somewhere else. Also, the inversion layer here is really high most of the time, so it's pretty rare to see much haze around Edmonton. Of course, the air would be clear in the one place I have lived where there is nothing to see (no beach, no mountains... bah!).