Readers Overwhelmingly Support Bill Regulating Scrap Metal Dealers

Last week readers voted overwhelmingly in support of BB86 which sets up requirements for scrap metal dealers to help reduce metal theft:

1. Good, something needs to stop metal thieves 94 [77.69%]
2. Something needs to be done but mailing checks isn’t realistic 15 [12.4%]
3. Other answer… 5 [4.13%]
4. Bad, more government regulation of private business 4 [3.31%]
5. Requiring the mailing of checks will hurt honest scrappers 3 [2.48%]
6. Unsure/no opinion 0 [0%]

The five other answers were:

1. both the 3rd and 4th option
2. I need more time to educate myself on the scrap industry and the legislation.
3. Expropriate the property of all scrap/brick dealers
4. Give them checks do not mail them.
5. take photo, match to drivers license before paying

I still think requiring computerization and the mailing of checks is unrealistic. Time will tell.

– Steve Patterson

One Year Anniversary of the Downtown Trolley

Tomorrow marks one year since the debut of the #99 Downtown Trolley, replacing the former #99 Downtown Circulator. I’ve ridden the trolley many times in the last year and ridership has steadily increased.  Even though the wrap is over an otherwise conventional bus, it and other aspects do the trick.

The wrap, signs, and posted route map give tourists comfort. I often see tourists looking at the map posted at stops.  I ask if they need help, which occasionally they do. Big crowds often get on/off at City Museum.

The one flaw with the trolley is it doesn’t run on Sunday. Visitors here for a weekend or perhaps arriving early for a convention don’t have the trolley to help them get around downtown to spend money. In cold, rainy, or hot & humid weather the trolley is a critical part of the downtown transportation system.

The trolley is also important to locals. Most MetroBus lines entering downtown stop at the Civic Center MetroBud Transfer Center, adjacent to the MetroLink station, at 14th & Spruce. Workers trying to get to work on Sunday must now walk rather than use the trolley the rest of the way.

Metro, the Partnership for Downtown St. Louis and the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission need to find a way to also operate the trolley on Sundays.

– Steve Patterson

Happy July 4th, Steve Patterson on KDHX 88.1FM Tonight at 8:30pm (CST)

Happy 235th Birthday America! Tonight I will be DJ Wilson’s guest on KDHX 88.1FM at 8:30pm CST.  For those of you who don’t live in the St. Louis region, you can listen online here.  The show will be available later as a podcast.

– Steve Patterson

Poll: Which Alderperson(s) would you like to see out of office?

If you follow politics in the City of St. Louis you probably have a favorite member of the Board of Aldermen.  And conversely, you probably have at least one you think should no longer be in office.  Through not running, defeat at the polls or even a recall, I’d like you to pick the alderperson(s) you think shouldn’t be in office.

I don’t typically vote in my own poll but I want to this week.  I realized I couldn’t pick just one , or even three, so I’m allowing you to pick up to five answers. I want more than five out of office but I felt I could fairly narrow my list down to five.  I realize this poll  isn’t entirely fair, some alderpersons have barely been in office two months, whereas others have been in office more than two decades.

Typically I have the poll software randomize the answers but this week they are fixed, presented in order of ward number.  The poll is in the upper right corner of the blog.  If all goes as planned on Wednesday July 13th I will be able to present a ranking of all 28 plus the citywide President. Who knows, I might even name the five I ‘m going to select in this poll.

– Steve Patterson

Three Years of Driving Post-Stroke

It was three years ago yesterday when I registered a used car I had bought, a 2004 Toyota Corolla.  For the prior 12 months I didn’t own a car, I just had my trusty 49cc Honda Metropolitan scooter. But after my stroke I could no longer ride the scooter or a bike.

I felt bad about buying a car, I enjoyed not having the expense.

In the last three years I’ve driven just under 17,000 miles. About 4,500 of that was three trips to Oklahoma and two to Chicago leaving 12,500 for local driving. Many people drive this much, or more, in a single year. Granted, I don’t have to drive to a job everyday like most folks do.

But it has only been the last 10-11 months that I’ve managed to cut down my miles driven in half — by using public transit. Most of the time my car collects dust sitting in the basement garage at my building. I’d sell the car but it does come in handy at times. Insurance is the single biggest auto expense for me, the car is paid for and it gets decent fuel economy.

Thankfully Progressive Insurance introduced a program they call Snapshot.

With Snapshot, Progressive’s usage-based insurance program, you could turn your good driving into huge savings—of up to 30 percent—on your car insurance.

For the next 30 days, you’ll keep track of your good driving habits with the Snapshot device. You can log in to your Progressive policy anytime to see your projected Snapshot DiscountSM.

On day 31, your initial Snapshot savings—which can be anywhere from 0 to 30 percent— kicks in. After six months, you’ll send back the device, we’ll finalize your driving snapshot, and you can keep saving for as long as you’re insured by Progressive.

You can only save money with Snapshot—your rate won’t go up—but if at any point, you decide the program isn’t right for you, just call us and then send back your device.

Here is the annoying Flo to explain:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggWY7OPag0s

I’m nearing the end of my initial 30 days. I have to say I like seeing the reports, although I have more hard braking than I thought I would. I’ll report back after my initial savings and at the end of six months.

– Steve Patterson