A Poll About Air Traffic

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

I know matters are not this simple. Clearly it's not simply a question of either/or... but, as a sort of thought experiment, I'm curious how people here would feel about the following:

A few years ago Handscom Airforce Base in Concord started opening up to commercial traffic. There was a huge push-back, both from the residents of Concord, but also from those whose interest was in the Walden Pond State Reservation, and the Minuteman National Historical Park and Wildlife Refuge. But there are commercial flights out of there now, with increased road traffic to and from the airport, etc. Periodically their license to run commercial flights, and how many, will come up for review.

*If* it was a simple matter of this or that, which would you prefer?
(Radio Buttons, because, while yes, "it depends" and "neither" (or "both") are all valid points, for the purposes of a straight opinion poll, we'll push it to an either/or anyway.)

[Poll #1499801]

Comments

Noise Pollution

[msr-tim.livejournal.com]

It's mind boggling to me how many people are so defensive of noise pollution.

Re: Noise Pollution

[genesayssitdown.livejournal.com]

i don't defend noise pollution, having these airports right in the middle of densely populated areas, is just a terrible idea. having grown up in boston, it's kind of upsetting to me that davis square and somerville, for all this time (up until recently), was immune to airplane noise. better to distribute this noise around to every one, and not just keep it isolated to certain geographic areas. we should all share the pain of living in the boston area, this close to logan. not just wish it back to whence it came.

Re: Noise Pollution

[koshmom.livejournal.com]

Um, I'm not defending noise pollution, I'd just like to correct your incorrect assumption. Logan airport was first put into service in 1923, in East Boston, and over the years has filled in the harbor to make more land for landing strips. I doubt that many people who currently read this LJ group were living in Somerville or Medford at that time. In 1923, East Boston was nowhere as populated as it is today. The airport was built (at the time) "out in the sticks". Therefore, you are incorrect in your assumption that this airport was built in the middle of a densely populated area. The densely populated area was built around the airport! While Boston definitely was a city at the time, noise pollution from aircraft taking off/landing was not at all a problem back then. If someone says that they had no idea that there was an airport nearby, with it's associated noise when they moved in, they are delusional. You picked your home, the airport didn't pick the lot next to your home to land planes.

(no, I'm not addressing this to genesayssitdown, but responding to your post was a good place to put this).

Re: Noise Pollution

[genesayssitdown.livejournal.com]

hmm. this. ifotismeni below commented about the hong kong airport, on an island far away from hong kong. we should relocate the airport to a remote island, and turn logan international airport into logan park!

Re: Noise Pollution

[ifotismeni]

w00t!

i mean to me the big issue is that these planes are going to keep flying -- so if we can't get the planes to reroute, let's move the airport instead! :D

Re: Noise Pollution

[amy-s1.livejournal.com]

But, the poeple living in those other areas KNEW there was noise there when they moved there. So those people are they types that don't mind the noise as much, right?

Re: Noise Pollution

[infinitemorning.livejournal.com]

This is totally how Boston real estate works. You never ever have to settle for things like living over a nightclub or under a flight lane or beside a vacant lot! The magical house fairy always finds you your perfect home at just the price you can afford!

Re: Noise Pollution

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

It's mind-boggling to me how self-righteous people can get over this issue.