Wednesday, June 24, 2009

"Drive-Thru's" ... are they necessary...?

This posting is partially inspired by the last post while discussing folk's driving habit's.

This time of the year in the USA it is hot... and Texas is alway's in the upper 90's this time of the year,give or take a couple degree's(with exception to the SF Bay Area, Alaska or perhap's the Pacific Northwest/Portland/Seattle) and part's of Southern California, along with Arizona and Nevada are even hotter than here!And in urban area's... on hot day's... it make's the smog more miserable.Even petro/gas is reformulated for the summer month's... and according to region of usage.

But Drive-Thru's are alway's bustling with business...especially in this town, even all through the night after partying.Would it hurt folk's to step out of their car's? Have we lost our ability to walk? I look around at lunch hour for instance ... you have car's stacked up by the dozen's at these drive-thru's, not only for food to go... but for pharmacies,booze/alcohol, They even have drive-thru funeral home's where you can drive thru to view the corpse now of your friend or loved one ... someone even tried now... a drive-thru prayer type joint ... to order prayer's on the go! Are we afraid if we dont sit on our asses enough it will lose it's flat figure? It's ridiculous.

The thing is.... some of the wait's at these drive-thru's can get lengthy ... dont get me wrong here... I have used them as well ... but most of the time... they are so long of a line... that.. I cant just sit like that...I get the hell out and go inside to the counter, and usually as I am walking out the door with my order.... most of the car's that were in line are still in line. Their engine's are running just smogging up the urban air. I doubt that many even think about it... kind of like traffic jam's... many folk's will just drive into them, and just sit there like dummies.... waiting to get through... as if there was no alternative routes... or exit ramp's to get on another road to avoid the delay.That's a personal choice I realize... but me personally...I'll be damned if I am just going to sit there without trying to get out of it somehow.

Personally I think drive-thru's should be outlawed....period, for enviromental reason's! Now I know... that some will say ..."There goes Commi Tommy on one of his Commi suggestion's..." or whatever, heh,heh,heh ... and that's fine.But considering the amount of traffic from these drive-thru's, it would actually make a significant difference in the air. I think we have just become too damn lazy... and became so used to just idleing our vehicle's as second nature. It will harm no one to park... and get out of their vehicle's.

And how many times has Texas been warned already by Washington to do something about air quality in our urban area's? It got so heavy in Houston... that back in 2000 it became the nation's smog capital,surpassing LA, and Dallas isnt too far behind. Now some will say...."Ahhhh...screw what Washington think's!...." Which is fine and dandy... however.... where do you think most of the money come's from to run our rail/mass transit system's... and build the ton's of freeway's that we have? Certainly not from Texan's! If they cut us off... we will be whining a different tune.

4 comments:

Prash said...

how important Texans are !

Ranch Chimp said...

Well Mr.Prash ... I dont know how important Texan's are, we are kind of an isolated state in a way.But we also live pretty damn good here, and should be grateful for alot... cause it could be worse, some states are really having a rough ride these day's, and there is no reason to trash the air and enviroment like we do either.

Thank You for your comment and visit Mr.Prash.....

Rita said...

We have one drive thru where I live. It's a coffee shack.
Are drive-thru's necessary? It depends...
In large cities I think people feel safer staying in their cars, esp. at night. In Coquille, We roll up the sidewalks at 10:00 pm.

Ranch Chimp said...

Hello Ms.Rita........

Perhap's you have a point on the feeling of safety by folk's.But there is not much to worry about at a bustling rush hour either, like the noon rush.This is a drive-thru town... they call it "convenience"... I guess if your on the run, tight for time,etc.My neighborhood/area for instance(NW Dallas)is a busy neighborhood,lot's of businesses,retail,major freeway's/transit,eateries,banking,medical,movies,club's,adult,etc... it's an area where you actually dont even need a car.I dont see a safety issue so much in this area actually.

I would guess that if Coquille closes up at 10pm as you say... that either folk's dont have regular places to go munch out after the bar's close? Or to enjoy coffee/tea or whatever in those wee hour's of the morning? Perhap's some of the bar's/club's have there own after hour's coffee/food facilities? I mean... it's kind of "Americana" for folk's who are partying to congregate after a night out at a bar after hour's,even in smaller town's.

But yes.......I am strongly for stopping drive-thru's ... that's just my opinion.

Thanx Ms.Rita....take care........