This article in today's New York Times is a little scary, though it isn't at all surprising. Apparently, smoggy and sooty air damages the lungs. The damage is also long term.
According to a study in The New England Journal of Medcine:
'
'A study that used the mass of data included in the Women’s Health Initiative found that women who lived in communities with relatively high levels of air pollution in the forms of tiny particles — aka soot — were far more likely to die because of heart attacks than women who lived in cleaner air."
If New York and other big cities around the country continue to ignore the pollution problems caused by too many cars and buses on the roads, then we are doomed. I've never participated in a Critical Mass ride, but reading this article makes me want to add it to my schedule on a monthly.
I was on the fence about Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan because I was worried about the impact on drivers from the boroughs and how it would affect the subways. Would the system be able to accommodate more riders? How would working class people be able to afford the fee?
But now, I think a better anti-congestion plan would be to remove a lane of traffic from all the main avenues and streets in Manhattan and the boroughs. Turn that lane into the bike lane, but put in a concrete divider to keep the riders away from traffic. Since there will be less lanes of traffic, people might be less likely to drive. Since there would be a dedicated and safe bike lane protected from moving traffic, then maybe people would bike more.
I don't know it it'll work, but we should try it. The mayor should try to get funding for this type of plan.