It’s been decades since I’ve been in Minneapolis, but every drive-thru I’ve ever been to is out in the open air, where ‘idling’ emissions go up into the sky…it’s the food aromas deliberately being wafted out to passersby to stimulate appetite that’s the real pollution!
Maybe next they’ll look at the intersections where cars sit and idle while there is no traffic but the lights won’t cycle to allow those idling to proceed.
No new drive-thrus. As a person who grew up with drive-thrus it seems weird, but on the other hand I can see why I’d rather live in a world where people didn’t wait in line in their cars. If there’s no line it’s super convenient, but when there’s a line it kind of sucks.
I don’t live in Minneapolis, so I don’t really care what they want to do there.
A couple of flaws. In many cases you have multiple people in a vehicle going through a drive through. If they now have to park and get out, one or two will while the rest stay in the vehicle with the car idling. That goes for anywhere, not just drive throughs.
Grandfather clause for already existing drive throughs. They are probably very happy about this. Hey, Ben, don’t go there, go here, it has a drive through.
Excellent point, technology is already making this less of, or not an issue at all. Cars will phase this out, no need to do it with banning new drive thrus.
I don’t go to drive-throughs because I’m trying to avoid cancer.
“Air pollution levels are high at intersections with traffic lights because drivers decelerate, idle, and accelerate there. The same result will occur anywhere cars idle, such as drive-through windows at restaurants.3 Pollution inside cars stuck in heavy traffic is as much as 40 percent higher than when traffic is moving.”
From the link I just posted: “Pollutant levels are often higher inside because cars take in emissions from surrounding vehicles and recirculate them. Pollutants enter the car cabin through air vents and other openings, because vehicles are not built to be air tight.”
Maybe just hold your breath until you’re back on the highway?
A digression… I visited New Orleans years ago and was confused (at first) with their habit of forbidding left turns and replacing that with right turn / U-turn configuration at intersections to replace the left turn lanes.
I don’t see that usually. I know I won’t do a drive thru if it has more than two or three cars in it or unless the parking is also filled up. But then I am not one of those people who keep circling looking for a close parking spot either, I usually head straight for the back of the lot where I can pull through to the next spot so I don’t have to back out when I leave and also hopefully don’t have to park next to some idiot who is going to ding my car with his door. I mean the additional walking time is almost always under a minute so why not?