Madison considering banning drive through's?

[Prince Valiant]

To wierd to NOT be true in Madison:


First it was a proposed ban on plastic bags.

Now, a member of the influential Madison Plan Commission wants to ban the restaurant drive-through -- or at least restrict the ubiquitous symbol of America's auto-centric lifestyle.

"Given the concern about all the carbon going into the atmosphere, I'm not sure we should be building more places for people to sit idling in their cars," says Eric Sundquist, who was appointed to the citizen panel by Mayor Dave Cieslewicz this spring.

A former newspaper reporter in Atlanta now working as a researcher at the UW-Madison's Center on Wisconsin Strategy, Sundquist notes that several cities in Canada have recently moved to ban the drive-through coffee shop or stand-alone fast food restaurant (www.ecospace.cc/culture/drive-thru-ban.htm).

"Bans haven't gotten as far in the U.S., although I know San Luis Obispo, Calif., has one," he says.

The issue came up last week during discussions over a conditional use permit for a new Starbucks coffee shop along a congested frontage road across from East Towne Mall.

The site at 4302 E. Washington Ave., in front of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, formerly housed the Frame Workshop retail store but has been vacant for more than a year. Property owner Tim Neitzel now wants to lease half of the 3,300 square foot retail building for a Starbucks that will also feature indoor and outdoor seating.

To facilitate the drive-through, developers are using a portion of the Crowne Plaza parking lot. Drivers picking up their morning coffee will have to make a circle route through the property to avoid potential traffic backups.

But nearby business owners are concerned about bringing more cars through the already congested intersection of East Washington and Continental Lane. The owner of a gas station on the frontage road said it's not uncommon for cars to wait through three traffic signal cycles to get across East Washington.

East Towne area Ald. Joe Clausius admitted the intersection is a problem and said with the Starbucks it "could get very backed up." Still, he said the corridor is badly in need of some redevelopment.

"I'm constantly getting peppered with questions from people about what is happening there and when will it happen," he says.

City officials have given their lukewarm support to the Starbucks, which is scheduled for a November opening. They say it could help create a more pedestrian-friendly atmosphere near the Crowne Plaza.

"While many future customers will likely be driving automobiles, hotel guests and residents to the north represent a potential walking customer," says city planner Heather Stouder.

Sundquist voted for the Starbucks but is planning to bring the issue up before the city's Long Range Transportation Planning Commission on which he also serves.

"I know a ban might be difficult so a better approach might be to restrict them," he says, noting an ordinance in Davis, Calif., puts a number of restrictions on drive-throughs, including one relating to air pollution.

Ah, the liberal paradise that is Madison :rolleyes:

[jbiscuit]

Yay Madison!

[SmokinRAM114]

****** yuppies. i wish there was a substance to get rid of them idiots. like deet or some sort of bug killer.

[That_Guy]

****** yuppies. i wish there was a substance to get rid of them idiots. like deet or some sort of bug killer.

its called wide open throttle fog clouds produced my built diesel engines rumor has it it makes them drop like flies
:rolfs :rolf:rolf

[CPonyGo]

oh I thought it was drive bys...lol

[Windsors 03 Cobra]

its called wide open throttle fog clouds produced my built diesel engines rumor has it it makes them drop like flies
:rolfs :rolf:rolf

:rolf I thought it was called "ROLLING COAL" ?
You build high performance diesel engines ?

Madison: 60 sqaure miles surrounded by reality.

[ND4SPD]

why don't they just ban all cars in madison and be done with it. Man I'm glad I don't live there anymore.

[jamest]

From jsonline.com

WEDNESDAY, June 25, 2008, 8:56 a.m.
By Don Walker
Drive-thru ban in Mad-town? It's a thought
A member of Madison's Plan Commission thinks the city ought to consider a ban on restaurant drive-thrus.

Eric Sundquist, appointed to the Plan Commission by Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz last month, says it's only an idea, a consideration, a proposal that needs more discussion.

But Sundquist, a policy analyst for the University of Wisconsin's Center on Wisconsin Strategy, thinks Madison might consider following the lead of other cities around the country.

"If we are serious about climate change, it doesn't make sense to approve facilities for idling cars for health and safety reasons," he said this morning. "You have a number of cars idling for several minutes on purpose. It's going backwards."

Sundquist raised the issue recently as the commission was considering approval of a new Starbucks drive-thru on Madison's east side. The Starbucks was approved, but Sundquist wondered if the issue needs further discussion.

"It seems like something like this ought to be looked at," he said. "It should either be restricted or banned."

Sundquist said more research was needed, but recalled that some Canadian cities and at least one California city had acted to restrict or ban the popular drive-thrus.

"I don't know what the answer is, but the issue should be looked at," he said.

Sundquist, a former Atlanta newspaper reporter, said Atlanta officials considered restricting the drive-thrus as a clean-air matter. No action was taken, he said.

He said he also sits on the city's long-range transportation planning committee, which might be the better board to consider such a measure.

"Maybe we can look at it in terms of a general parking policy," he said. "It's just a germ. An idea. I don't know where this will go."

[VroomPshhTsi]

Yeah, I worked on State Street with the weekly protests... I wish I had a BBC in a 69 camaro, doing a burner while holding my hand around my ear yelling out the window "WHAT??? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!! WHAT ARE YOU PROTESTING THIS WEEK??"

only thing i did like is the smoking ban in public buildings (especially bars), it was nice going out to a bar, coming home, waking up the next morning and not smelling like you were at a bonfire

[77thor]

......only thing i did like is the smoking ban in public buildings (especially bars), it was nice going out to a bar, coming home, waking up the next morning and not smelling like you were at a bonfire


+1. you got that right

[HY35F2T]

ehh i can see both views.If they were to get rid of drive threws around here waukesha/milw area i think id go to mcdonalds,culvers,burgerkind like shit 2times a year.If im gonna have to get out of my car its gonna be to get beer,cigs,gas or Qdoba:thumbsup

[Poncho]

I can see the future.

"hybrids only"

[CPonyGo]

you mean gay??? LOLOL

[ND4SPD]

Even that won't be good enough... pretty soon they'll be bitching about the tiny amount of fossil fuel that burns, and oh god the CO2 blah blah blah. Mark my words... when most of the world is running hybrids or electic... they're going to start bitching about the disposal hazards of all those batteries. These anti-tech, anti-industrio earth muffins won't be happy until everyone's living in hippie urban communes or archologies and rural America is completely destroyed.

I SWEAR I'm buying this T-Shirt and wearing it everytime I go to Madison (for non-work reasons).

http://www.tshirthell.com/shirts/products/a967/a967_bm.gif

[SmokinRAM114]

its called wide open throttle fog clouds produced my built diesel engines rumor has it it makes them drop like flies
:rolfs :rolf:rolf

NICE!!! i do that ne how!!:thumbsup but all that unburnt fuel still has less emissions then half the gas vehicles on the road

[pOrk]

I'm all for it, if your too lazy or too rushed to get off your ass to purchase your 6000 calorie meal for 3.99, then you have more problems then you can manage.

[Smokey1226]

Speakin of this, i had a girl come through that went to a big hippee concert and was trying to tell me how it was the best thing ever. Im simply stated i would of been in more fights than i could imagine with all of those people there. So then she got all pissy and said "you just like all the rest of the Rednecks around here, blah blah blah".

I told her "yeah man, why cant everyone just relax and have Peace" she goes off by telling me "ya, thats right this world would be so much better if everyone was just peaceful"

NO FAWKING shit ya dumb cvnt, But its not reality, stop smoking all of your Bowls and come back to reality.

Man o man, people are trying to test my blood pressure lately. First the truck, then the fuel prices jump, now that. WTF MATE

[70challenger452]

they need to let this whole global warming shit go

[Berettaspeed]

I'm all for it, if your too lazy or too rushed to get off your ass to purchase your 6000 calorie meal for 3.99, then you have more problems then you can manage.

i agree with you on this. some people are just too lazy. but at the same time i could care less if people want to waste their gas. like tonight i was talking with my neighbor, and he gets out of his car and starts talking. i noticed he was letting his car run. i told him just turn it off. but no he just says ahh i just filled up.

LOL some people i tell ya. Im more for saving gas if you can, but if you want to waste it, then fine. its your money.

[Knyghtmare]

I hope global warming is burning a nice big hole in the atmosphere right over Madison and cooks all those hippie liberals to hell.

...wait... maybe it is... and its frying their brains and that is why they are such fvcking dickheads.

[Prince Valiant]

Put it this way...if they begin to bring THIS much scrutiny into how much fuel you burn and when and where it should be burn consider this, where then could they take this?

Will you then be allowed a sunday cruise?
Will they allow sanctioned racing? Professionals included?
Can you drive to anything you want whenever you want?

I mean, why stop at drive through in the fight against something as critically and crucially important as global warming?

[Smokey1226]

One thing these liberals need to start thinking about.....they dont carry or believe in guns.

Us Rednecks who love to drive smokin diesel trucks, do big burnouts, run LEADED race gas, ect ect do believe in guns, and we have a WHOLE lot of them. There is a limit too how much people will allow to be takin away and they are starting to push it.


"Never bring a knife to a gun fight"

[jbiscuit]

Madison should branch off from the rest of the state IMO. Sometimes I feel like its a whole different country or something there. I can see PV's points though....I could see us being limited at some point to where we can drive or how far we can drive every day or something along those lines. Our freedom with some of this stuff could be in jeopardy. Its not bad enough we are all going broke paying for these gas prices but then they'll start telling us we can't USE that high priced gas when and where we want to :(

[Smokey1226]

I dont see that happening anytime in our lifetimes. With that said, i "heard" that the crude price could be $80 by january. And thats from someone pretty credibal so we'll see.

[ND4SPD]

Put it this way...if they begin to bring THIS much scrutiny into how much fuel you burn and when and where it should be burn consider this, where then could they take this?

Will you then be allowed a sunday cruise?
Will they allow sanctioned racing? Professionals included?
Can you drive to anything you want whenever you want?

I mean, why stop at drive through in the fight against something as critically and crucially important as global warming?

Exactly my thoughts. Just ignore the 140,000+ scientists that have gone on the record as saying global warming is BS or the current understanding and research is flawed... just start massively regulating people's lives.

Some believe that Communism was defeated in '89... well I hate to tell you this but 20 years later it's alive and well... it's just known by another name... radical environmentalism. Controlling people by creating a frenzy over an imagined impending doom supported by shakey scientific methods, and keeping energy prices high by obstinately refusing to allow more product to be brought to market. But forget all that... let's all vote for Obama & Co. because we could be a part of history in electing the first milato... I mean black... president. To hell with everything else.:fire

[ND4SPD]

Madison should branch off from the rest of the state IMO. Sometimes I feel like its a whole different country or something there. I can see PV's points though....I could see us being limited at some point to where we can drive or how far we can drive every day or something along those lines. Our freedom with some of this stuff could be in jeopardy. Its not bad enough we are all going broke paying for these gas prices but then they'll start telling us we can't USE that high priced gas when and where we want to :(

There's a reason why 70-90% of the City of Madison Fire Department doesn't live in Madison (no, we don't have required residency thank God).

[nismodave]

Even that won't be good enough... pretty soon they'll be bitching about the tiny amount of fossil fuel that burns, and oh god the CO2 blah blah blah. Mark my words... when most of the world is running hybrids or electic... they're going to start bitching about the disposal hazards of all those batteries. These anti-tech, anti-industrio earth muffins won't be happy until everyone's living in hippie urban communes or archologies and rural America is completely destroyed.

I SWEAR I'm buying this T-Shirt and wearing it everytime I go to Madison (for non-work reasons).

http://www.tshirthell.com/shirts/products/a967/a967_bm.gif

:rolf:rolf:rolf

http://www.tshirthell.com/shirts/products/a927/a927_bm.gif

[DirtyMax]

I bet you burn more fuel and emit more emissions re-starting your vehicle after you were to run in then you do in the time you're idling in the drive-thru line. Either way you look at it, you have to drive around the entire building to exit anyways but now you just had to restart your vehicle in between, which has been proven to use more fuel than just leaving it run a few minutes.

There are plenty of other ways for the tree huggers to "do their part" that are a helluva lot more sensible and much more effective.

[Windsors 03 Cobra]

Madison does seem like a nice place to live, but the people there are kinda nutty.

[ND4SPD]

For its size it is a real nice city... but, the taxes are outrageous and yes the people are very nutty. Every city alder has their own little BS lefty pet projects which quite often make essential services (police, fire, etc...) take a back seat to them. Hell the mayor last year was so bent on putting trolleys in that he was going to slash the FD budget and cancel Station 12 which is despirately needed to improve response times on the far west side.

[Windsors 03 Cobra]

Mayor Dave Cheese Whiz, yea he is crazy as a f'ing loon.

[Knyghtmare]

I bet you burn more fuel and emit more emissions re-starting your vehicle after you were to run in then you do in the time you're idling in the drive-thru line.

+1 :thumbsup