I almost died laughing when I read an article in the Herald this week about a group of motorcyclists lead by a certain city councillor and some other lady who are lobbying City Hall for free parking in the downtown. They claim that motorcycles and scooters are more environmentally friendly and as such, they should be allowed to park for free downtown. In case that is not enough they cry about the fact that if they do park in one of those parking areas where you get a paper sticker that they have no place to put it so it is not practical. All in all they claim that they should be allowed to park anywhere downtown (even meters) all day and pay ZILCH!
Now I have a few problems with their arguments. First of all the environmentally friendly attitude. I ask everyone to go Google “Motorcycle Emissions” and see what comes up. Motorcycles and even scooters put out more emit more pollution than a standard car (without even talking about Smart Cars). Bikes do not have catyltic converters so as such they are just spewing out harmful gases. If you do not believe the testing I ask you to stand beside one of those big Harleys as the engine is running.
So that argument is utterly dumb. The lady even tried to state that the reason that she and her husband who is a PHD student (what relevance THAT has I have no idea) bought motorbikes was that they were hoping that it would start a green movement. So let me figures this out. Instead of the two of you driving in one car which would emit less, you take 2 motorcycles to work every day which are shown to create more pollution? Yep. Makes perfect sense to me!
As far as the huge issue of not having a place to put your parking permit, I would think that with all of the technology today that this could be solved somehow?
It is what it is. Some of these people are driving 50,000 dollar polluting motorcycles and they want to park anywhere in Halifax (like a meter is not hard enough to get in this city as it is) for nothing. All in the name of being more environmentally friendly. What a joke. I suggest that they go back to the drawing board and come up with an argument that is actually semi-believeable and that can be backed up with facts!
—A Realist
This article appears in Mar 5-11, 2009.
I hate that councillor.
Motorcycles use less of everything:gas,oil,rubber and space required to park.Most cars that commute and park downtown contain only one person,it seems to make sense to encourage people to use scooters and motorcycles.I’ve ridden motorcycles all of my adult life and can assure you cyclists never road rage each other,quite the opposite,actually there’s a comradery.
Let’s not forget the noise pollution bikes make.
Bikes are more efficient, in areas of fuel, traffic, parking, etc. and therefore “environmentally friendly”. The OP should check their facts before they die laughing… (and, how does the cost of the bike make it any worse?)…
There should be special bike parking spaces where the cars don’t fit, as a general rule in every lot. They also don’t need as much space as a car, so why should they pay as much? Free parking as an incentive really does make sense, and you can’t blame them for trying! Lol! If half of the cars on the road were bikes, there’d be way less pollution, and more room for everyone.
Motorcycles are a more efficient use of space for single riders, and they’re far more fun to drive than cars. I think there should be more motorcycle parking around the city, but that can be opened up to cars in the winter months.
I think you guys ar emissing the OP’s point. This councillor and her Einstein friend are trying to state that they are more environmentally friendly. I googled it and was shocked when it states taht motorcycles can emit up to TEN Times more garbage than a small car!! I could care less how little gas they burn> Someone needs to explain to me HOW that is more environmentally friendly!!! And where should council draw the line for free parking? Hybrids? Smart Cars? I mean fair is fair people!! Parking is tough enough to find in this city without having to look at a motorcycle taking up a metered parking space all day for zero revenue!! To brunswick street baby..I suggest that YOU get YOUR facts straight! Google motorcylcle emissions. I think you may get yoru eyes opened.
I like how all their bikes get stacked up around the Ferry terminal under the Law Court overhang. Why do they get to park there, on a sidewalk? What a bunch of losers.
It’s not exactly like that space is being used Matthew, like you said, it’s under a low overhang. Nobody walks under there in the winter, nobody walks under there in the summer. Would you prefer they parked on the streets?
You can’t believe everything you read in an online car magazine, Bobby. They are trying to sell you a newer, “more efficient” car.
A bike is all around more efficient. That makes it better for the environment, there’s more to the equation than air quality. If you’re into easily manipulated numbers and stats, here’s something for ya:”Of all on-road vehicles, motorcycles account for less than 1.5 per cent of emission of smog-forming pollutants,” says Environment Canada’s Crupi.
Some of those bikes out there are electric now too, producing almost zero emissions. Maybe they shouldn’t get free parking, but a little consideration when it comes to parking in spots that cars wouldn’t fit anyway, it would be some incentive to ride…
Under an overhang next to the ferry terminal, sounds like convenient shelter from the elements, call it the ride and park and ride if it makes you feel any better!
Brunswick Street Baby: An electric motorcycle being operated in Nova Scotia is far from a zero emission vehicle!!! The electricity used to power up the battery comes from NS Power, and they are one of the dirtiest electricity producers going, using over 80% coal! Burning all that coal is the reason why they are the worst emitter of air pollutants and greenhouse gases in the province. So every time someone drives an electric motorcycle powered up by NS Power electricity, the air emissions are still flying!!!
Nayer, while you are right, charging an electric motorcycle through NS power still has a better efficiency ratio compared to a motorcycle that burns it’s own gas. The reason is NS power generates electricity more efficiently overall if you scale it down than a gas powered motorcycle.
I think the real problem with electric motorcycles is that they make an already dangerous vehicle even more dangerous by producing almost no sound.
Bastard fish– you’re wrong. NSP’s plants operate at less than about 30 percent efficiency, while motor vehicles are generally more than 50 percent efficient.
More, in terms of greenhouse gases, coal releases far more per unit of power than does gasoline or diesel. I’ve got the exact figures somewhere, can’t seem to find them at the moment…
But, ideally, we’d build an electric power grid powered by renewable generators. It’d be a great project for an economic stimulus package… then we could build our electrified transport system.
Well shit… I hadn’t realized NS power was that bad.
What came first: A)bikers riding cuz it’s fun and looks cool or B)cuz it’s environmentally friendly?
Well it is probably D)all of the above
Just find it funny how bikers have evolved. Plus they don’t have any windows to throw garbage out of which means they spend less time idoling at drive thru’s…add that to the list of environmently friendliness. Don’t drive one and hate the noisey ones but I can see the attraction to them.
NS Power uses not so ethical coal from South America too…
An electric motor is just so much more efficient than a combustion engine is what I was thinking, didn’t even consider where the power was coming from. I’d like to think that I would set up solar panels and/or one of those little windmills, if I was planning to use an e-bike for commuting, and have a 2nd set of batteries charging all the time…
Ideally, that is, if I had the $$$.
yeah, that’s like the campaign for clean coal. its like painting george bush brown and calling him obama, he’s still george bush.