Every time you talk about building a new airport or expanding an existing one, the public always says “do it somwhere else.” Then the people living in somewhere else say the same thing.
I don’t claim to be an expert on human psychology, but, are all people fundamentally self-serving or what? Can’t we make sacrifices anymore?
There’s a small general aviation airport near to where I live, and few years back they proposed installing the main (4,000-foot) runway with an ILS, and the neighbors went ballistic and voted it down. Ridiculous. We’re not talking about any new runways, any increase in air traffic or expansion of the airport, just an ILS to make the airport safer and possibly save lives.
Without airports, we could always go back to what they did 100 years ago and just use trains and boats (“enjoy your 54-hour ride from New York to Los Angeles”). But wait, then people would complain about railroad tracks being laid down near their homes. Oops, bad idea.
I haven’t a clue about this one. I rarely fly and since 9/11 I am really careful about what I take to the airport. Guess I am a small town freak!
July 1st, 2009 at 11:01 pm
they need something to complain about
July 4th, 2009 at 11:53 am
Yeah. I wonder if all the people who scream about noise are taking the train, so that THEY don’t make any noise flying over someone elses house
July 7th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
you can please some of the people some of the time but………
you haven’t lost any sleep over this have you?
July 9th, 2009 at 10:10 am
The lagradia air port was very busy. Air ports would be needed but not nessaccery so busy.
July 11th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
Self-serving? You might look at it like that. However, a person must look after his or her interests for the purposes of survival. I only consider a person’s ’self-service’ a completely negative thing if others are harmed or there is malicious intent involved. Even with that, it is a shame that people get what they want (an airport) but then decide that they only want it a certain way (next to someone else’s house). But why? I don’t know much about real estate, but I think an airport within earshot might bring property values down for a homeowner. Money is a means for survival (as I’m sure you know), and with a decreased property value, the homeowner would be out money. Also, I currently work at an airport. It was built with tax payer’s dollars (from what I’ve heard) and there were many angry tax payers. That kind of fits into your question. They might want it, but they don’t want to pay for it.
July 13th, 2009 at 9:39 am
because people like to complain.
also in general, the people who fly, don’t have to live next to the airport. the peoplet that complain live there (but of course by choice).
there are some sacrifices you can make, but if you have to live next to a smelly, loud, terrorist target – then you would see their point.
longer runways take away from housing, extends pollution, and crash zones. it also depends on where the runway went (like into whatever was left of the trees).
there will always be a yin and yang for every situation. but you have to see both sides from their point of view.
July 14th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
It isn’t the airports being built that is the problem. It is the growing mass of human flesh in this country requiring the increases in infrastructure to accomodate them. It’s all of the billions of tons of concrete and urban sprawl forcing them into the sticks to find any semblence of natural harmony. This is REALLY what people who ***** are saying. Soon, people will be wanting to eat fish, but will ***** when the price of fish quadruples because we consume more than nature can replenish…well, either that or they’ll ***** about the hatcheries, or the soy fields or the well, you get the idea.
To put it simply, people often ***** about issues that are only related to what their true complaint is, or they ***** out of ignorance. In the case of airports, it is a matter of invasion of personal space and peace. Ask someone sometime what really bothers them about this issue and I’ll bet the answers will be quite simple to understand.
July 15th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Sorry bro,i feel same way about wind power,it wood be a great source of energy but no one wants to look at them.I never been on a plane and i wood be happy to never go on one.Everyone is in a hurry to get somewhere,and that is what is ruining this planet,sorry so negative but that is the only thing i am negative about.Every one wants to be like the next guy,and the next guy is doing the most harm to the world.Sports what wood we do without them,probably breathe a lot easier,everyone going to see them damm games it should b outlawed.What the helll have a tv for!
July 17th, 2009 at 3:31 am
before the invention of aeroplaens they couldnt have known
jet engines would be this F***** noisy?
July 17th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
In the UK we call them NIMBYs (as in Not In My Back Yard). One of the leaders of an anti-expansion campaign group was spotted having a long haul holiday a couple of years ago, and most of the politicians against UK airport expansion are currently sunning themselves having flown abroad. The family of one leading environmentalist regularly winters in the Caribbean.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:41 pm