Setting a new greener standard for NYC cabs in an effort to cut fuel consumption AND clean up our air appears to be the Sisyphean feat of the year. In 2007 a brilliant challenge was made to the automakers of the world to offer up their replacement for the traditionally used Crown Victorias which get a depressing 10MPG. You would think this would be a golden ticket for US automakers whose sales have been severely lagging in the past decade or two. NYC Yellow Cab Taxi fleet is comprised of about 13,000 cars + there are an estimated 40,000 private car service autos! That is no small order. Plus, chances are if the new greener cars could make it here they could make it…well you know how the song goes. Only Kia offered up a modified Rondo…coming in at about 18MPG. Not great…but almost double the Crown’s. It is estimated that if Rondo’s replaced the 13,000 it would mean a savings of 22,285,714 gallons of gas a year! That’s right…22,285,714 gallons a year. One city…one service…22,285,714. So how many of these cars have I seen? 1. Yep…in over a year since they were designed I have seen 1. Strike one for cleaner NYC air.

Bloomberg then tried the ever-popular Congestion Pricing, modeled after London’s traffic volume reduction plan, to clear some smog. That went over like a lead balloon. Strike two for NYC air.

Then as part of Bloomberg’s 127 initiatives to reduce our carbon load by 30% he created the 25/30 rule. All new taxis would have to get 25MPG this year, and 30MPG by next. 1,500 hybrids were voluntarily introduced to the roadways. The NYC Taxi commission, however, fought back saying that the size of the cars available in the new gas range weren’t suitable for a large percentage of their passengers. Cabs often have to pick up multiple passengers and their luggage. They claim they have tested out this fleet of hybrids and the cars that meet that the mayor’s standard can’t hold up to the wear and tear of city traffic. They stated that the cars were constantly in need of repair and some were rendered unsafe within a year of taxi service. They filed a lawsuit against the city and a judge decided that the mayor does not have the right to set any type of gas limit. Only the state can set such limits. Therefore, he doesn’t have the right to combat smog. Doesn’t have a right to keep our asthma rates from constantly increasing. Doesn’t have the right to try and start a new greener path for New Yorkers. Doesn’t have the right to move us one step closer to energy independence. They won. Strike three for the breathers. We all lost big.

Utter frustration. Who’s to blame? A deactivist judge? The taxi commission? The car industry for the inability to produce a car that can meet the qualifications necessary? The state for not setting this standard across the board for all of our cities? Very frustrated. Very disappointed. Please let me get happier news tomorrow night. Otherwise I may be shopping for a nice cave to curl up in for awhile. Hey…Gollum did it and look how well he turned out!
What? Palin 2012! Noooooo….back to the cave!