Drive-Thru Pollution

20 February 2009 - 7:00am

Leaders in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, are studying how to reduce pollution generated by idling cars at drive-thru windows.

"Seeking to improve air quality, an Arlington citizens' group will study ways to reduce emissions from cars idling in drive-through restaurants.

'We're just trying to put our heads together and see if there's any way we can improve the situation,' City Councilwoman Sheri Capehart said Wednesday. 'And there may not be.'

She chairs a City Council committee that asked a citizens’ environmental group to study the issue.

'This is an idea,' she said. 'Let’s look at it.'

Capehart said she does not favor banning drive-throughs, but wants to find a way to reduce the long lines of idling cars that contribute to pollution."

Source: NBC DFW, February 19, 2009
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But what can planners do to support the kind of connections between people I just described? One idea is promoting mixed-use places where there are simply more opportunities for people to run into each other and connect.