'Ban drive-throughs'

By Richard Rayburn
Lemoore

(Updated Thursday, January 2, 2003, 4:43 PM)

Hard as it may be to believe, there is one relatively simple thing that can be done, not only to improve air quality, but also to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, limit stress and, as a special bonus, answer President Bush's call for improving the physical fitness of Americans: Ban drive-throughs.

Pass ordinances to ban drive-throughs at restaurants, dry cleaners, banks and the other businesses that have bought into the drive-through culture.

How much exhaust is released into our atmosphere each day as thousands upon thousands of motorists sit in their idling autos waiting for their super-sized meals or their dry cleaning? How many gallons of gasoline are wasted?

And how often do drivers sit in stalled drive-through lines while inhaling fumes of neighboring cars and doing a slow burn? Remember how irksome it is to sit trapped in your idling auto as you watch other patrons walk into the business and leave with their purchases before you've moved a car length?

The beauty of the drive-through ban is its multiple benefits. Cars are shut off, exhaust is halted, and gasoline is saved. Motorists get out of their cars to relieve behind-the-wheel stress and experience at least some exercise as they walk to transact their business. It's the environmentally and politically correct thing to do.