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08-30-2006, 10:26 AM
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#1
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I should be WORKING now
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Eastern Ontario
Posts: 4,791
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the problem(s) with drive-throughs, and a solution
Was reading this post at Autoblog Green, part of which the writer laments about idling cars in the drive-through lane at his post office...
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2006/08...ponsibilities/
And it reminded me of a fight brewing in Ottawa between local government and coffee & donut giant, Tim Horton's, over the councillors desire to prohibit drive-through businesses on certain streets (which isn't just about the pollution from idling issue)...
And I had a simple thought (most of mine are...)
If I were in charge of a company whose business model included a significant amount of revenue from drive-through traffic, I'd look into having all our future drive-through lanes built on a slight grade, so that my customers had the option of switching off their vehicles after placing their order, and coasting to the pick-up window, rather than idling the whole time (or starting/stopping the engine multiple times).
What a PR coup that could be.
Last edited by MetroMPG : 08-30-2006 at 10:29 AM.
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08-30-2006, 11:28 AM
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#2
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Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 194
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Slides Burgers and Fries  |
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08-30-2006, 12:01 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Kansas City Area
Posts: 2,379
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Ah, the Drive-Thru
Quote:
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Originally Posted by ketel0ne
Slides Burgers and Fries |
Drive-Thru's absolutely kill the gas mileage in a tank, I agree. I quit using them in my personal vehicles 90% of the time now (when testing cars for review, I go through them to simulate 'actual' driving).
Whilst getting one's doughnut, would the average Joe turn his car off? I get wierd looks for just coasting in my neighborhood. There would be law suits "I had no brakes, I couldn't steer!" The general public needs re-aligned.
Here's what happens that I like to observe 
I remember which vehicle was in the drive line as I go into the establishment. I get the product quicker most of the time and then walk in front of the "target" car (which maybe moved 2 car-lengths) as I walk to my Zero-Emissions parked car. Just by picking my butt up and walking, I usually save 2-3 minutes a day and hundreds of pounds of CO2 a year.
RH77
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08-30-2006, 12:10 PM
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#4
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I should be WORKING now
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Eastern Ontario
Posts: 4,791
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by rh77
Just by picking my butt up and walking, I usually save 2-3 minutes a day and hundreds of pounds of CO2 a year.
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Not to mention you burn 20 extra calories you otherwise wouldn't have, which slightly offsets the calories you're just about to ingest. |
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08-30-2006, 12:24 PM
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#5
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Tuggin at the surly bonds
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Northeast
Posts: 1,122
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...I'm having a Ruby Goldberg vision of some heavy car'd customer losing vacuum, thinking brakes have failed, freaking out, crashing into the car in front, spilling scalding hot coffee in a lap, blah, blah... 
Oh wait, you live in Canada. 
Nevermind. |
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08-30-2006, 12:27 PM
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#6
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I should be WORKING now
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Eastern Ontario
Posts: 4,791
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I wasn't going to say it. |
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08-30-2006, 12:36 PM
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#7
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granny just passed me
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 1,200
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I have thought about the same thing. Coasting thru a drive thru would be great, but it might be a bit too hardcore for the average american.
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2008 EPA adjusted:
Distance traveled by bicycle in 2007= 1,830ish miles
Average commute speed=25mph (yes, that's in a car)
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08-30-2006, 12:38 PM
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#8
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Tuggin at the surly bonds
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Northeast
Posts: 1,122
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There are times when I have kids in the back, there is no playground, and I don't want to go through the hassle of disentangling them from their car seats, etc. and so I end up languishing in the drive-thru purgatory. :/
Hybrids like the Prius have a clear advantage here in that they can operate in EV-only mode.
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08-30-2006, 12:40 PM
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#9
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I should be WORKING now
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Eastern Ontario
Posts: 4,791
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New opportunity for squeegee kids: "drive-through pusher kids".
Also, it doesn't even have to be publicized, and the business doesn't open itself to the inevitable lawsuits. That way only the smart & observant folks (such as ourselves) would recognize the FE / emissions reduction opportunity and seize it.
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08-30-2006, 02:43 PM
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#10
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Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 617
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I'm for the drive-through ban.
So many of us Americans are obese, in large part due to our sedentary lifestyle, of which driving is a huge part. Waiting in a drive-through for a cholesterol and fat laden burger and fries exacerbates the obesity problem.
Make the fatties waddle to the counter. It may be the only exercise they get all day.
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08-30-2006, 03:03 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Kansas City Area
Posts: 2,379
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Car Wash
Here ya go, how about one of those car wash tracks? Pop into N, shut 'r down and get jerked along by an electric motor 
How about a mandatory tax for using the DT as a function to reduce usage, and use the money to research/promote fuel efficiency? Some states have different tax structures for eating-in at a fast food place versus using the drive-thru (but it's usually tax inside, only drinks taxed in the drive -- reversed structure). Yeah, that'll happen 
RH77
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