Ideas within topic government,local: (click suns to rate or comment on ideas)

1		For children to wash their hands, one sink in every public restroom should be placed low, with the faucet closer to the front edge. Now I always need to pick up my child awkwardly, as if giving him an "airplane ride", to let him wash his hands.	E-mail
2		Hand Me Downs: a service pairing rich families with poor families so that instead of discarding used stuff, the rich can give it to the poor, like many extended families and close friends do with their old cell phones, toys, clothes, etc.	E-mail
3		Governments should run shelters for all street children and supply basic food, clothing, health care, and education.	E-mail
4		Many tolled highways are avoided because of the cost. Instead, promote carpooling by exempting cars filled with three or more occupants. Prevents traffic jams and pollution.	E-mail
5		Build cities for people and bikes - not for cars! Bicycles should have their own lane with a divider between it and the road, and also have a separate stoplight system. This is in place in parts of Europe (example: The Netherlands) and works remarkably.	E-mail
6		To improve health, teach preventative measures at school: good fitness, sensible eating, weight control, non-smoking, moderate drinking, etc. Less visits to doctor = lower overall costs.
7		To prevent further damage to our Earth, I think that we need to have education in our schools that teaches the consequences that our actions have on the Earth.	E-mail
8		Why are school buildings reminiscent of Gothic, Medieval, and Prison architecture? If you want kids to be bright and creative, let them learn and develop in unique and colorful buildings that combine technology with nature. Hire some new architects.	E-mail
9		Libraries could digitise all their books and put them on an online database. In doing so, they can offer paid online membership throughout the world. Well-known libraries would benefit from this kind of project to the maximum extent.	E-mail
10		In most cities, there are many trash bins, but almost no recycling bins. To decrease the amount of waste, have recycling bins right beside garbage bins.	E-mail
11		Make public transit more convenient: replace coins with cash card accepted on buses and subways by swiping near a machine. Refill card at machines in subway stations. Hong Kong uses one.	E-mail
12		Non-air-conditioned public transport buses in hot countries like India should have exhaust fans. When the buses are crowded, exhaust fan would bring some comfort to the passengers.	E-mail
13		To save paper, trees, energy, and money, try to make your workplace paperless. Instead of printing documents, read and store them on your computer. Use e-mail instead of paper memos, faxes, or letters.	E-mail
14		A separate household garbage bin, colour-coded for collection by the local garbage service, only for organic waste (eg. vegetable waste etc.) and without plastic bags, for conversion into organic manure at a central plant.	E-mail
15		Building codes should require new structures to use motion detectors in lighting of offices, classrooms, conference rooms, etc. When nobody is there, the lights go out. I know the devices exist--just make them mandatory. Cary Ma (energy conservation)	E-mail
16		Polluted cities can give a rebate to residents who buy hybrid (gasoline-electric) cars and turn in a conventional gasoline car for recycling. Pay for it with a gasoline and diesel tax.	E-mail
17		The cost of printing and distribution of public transport tickets could be recovered by putting printed advertisements on them.	E-mail
18		Energy wastage fines. Thermal imaging equipment mounted on an aircraft could be used in winter over towns/cities. Wasteful buildings could be pinpointed and given a financial incentive to insulate.
19		In flood-prone areas, build high-rise flats/condominiums instead of single-family homes so that the homes will stay dry in floods. Build parks on the remaining land.	E-mail
20		We need computer and camera driven traffic lights, so that traffic will not be held up when the other lanes are clear. Especially at night and during other low volume periods. For gasoline savings and personal safety. (energy conservation)	E-mail
21		The train average speed falls due to stopping at stations. Increase average speed by not stopping. Passengers enter and exit by a pilot box which will add to the front or detach from the back of the non-stop train near each station.	E-mail
22		Prisoner mixing allows them to learn new crime methods and have the worst role models: other inmates. Instead, isolate all prisoners in cells (tiny, to save money) and provide job education and good role models via books and selected videos. (jail)	E-mail
23		Given the problems that elderly people are having with declining retirement savings and having to work again, a temporary employment agency should be set up for old people that will focus on jobs they can do. (work)	E-mail
24		Send nutritionists along with the normal, required, health inspections to all restaurants and vending machine companies to advise on healthy nutrition. Many restaurants haven't changed their recipes in decades despite advances in health knowledge.	E-mail
25		The government should implement some sort of highly inexpensive electrified coil that would be strategically placed on major intersections to melt instantaneously all snow that falls, thus reducing the bulk of winter accidents. (driving safety)	E-mail
26		Judge schools not by testing, but by how interested the kids are in the subjects being taught. When you interest people in a subject, then they want to learn more, and more, and more. The fish that never bites never gets hooked.	E-mail
27		Cities make transition to 40 buildings or so. Super structures. That way we solve urban sprawl, population problems, consumption levels of energy and water and get rid of inefficiencies of populations commuting. Elevators to work.	E-mail
28		Every community should have a place where one can deposit unwanted items with no questions asked or fees charged. This would stop a lot of illegal dumping. Also, the public should be allowed to remove any item they desire, i.e. take it or leave it.	E-mail
29		Large-scale deployment of cell phones, which contain self-locator technology, might permit police departments to track criminals. They could contact individuals in a target area to ask assistance in locating criminals, or report criminal behavior.
30		We need computer and camera control of evacuation routes. Do not let anyone onto highway unless they can drive route at 50 MPH. Make all drivers turn off engines until they are permitted onto highway. Do not allow cars with too little gasoline onto route.	E-mail
31		Heavily populated nations such as India face water on roads, canal jams, and mosquitoes. A solution is to construct drainage canals in a V shape so that the canals will not store mud and thus water. There would be free flow in canals and fewer mosquitoes.	E-mail
32		Smart cards are being impregnated into numberplates of cars by many city authorities for quick information retrieval about any vehicle and its owners. This can further be used to track cars violating speed limits. Tickets could be mailed to speeders.	E-mail
33		The government should create cost-effective street light systems that can sense if a car is nearby and automatically turn on only then, thus reducing HUGE amounts of power for lights.	E-mail
34		Forbid dark garbage bags since many murdered people are found in these. Instead, use transparent bags so that murderers will be unable to hide bodies in them, and will be at least slightly hindered. Seeing trash is a small price to pay to deter murder.	E-mail
35		Repairs of pipes and wires under sidewalks require digging up concrete, which is very inefficient. Instead, install all utility lines under durable, removable plates, strips, or blocks of concrete or other material.	E-mail
36		To save energy and reduce air pollution, insulate minibuses (smaller windows, insulated body, white paint) so driver can turn engine & air con. off. when stopped waiting for passengers and still stay cool in summer. (conservation)	E-mail
37		On multi-lane highways near an on-ramp, mark both sides of the white lane-boundary line (of the lane closest to the onramp) red to encourage traffic to merge left and warn them not to pass because of the danger of being forced off by merging cars.	E-mail
38		Make it compulsory under the Home Ownership Act for builders or individuals to install & use solar energy at least for heating water and external lights for home: a good way to reduce use of electricity. Roopa Karkhanis	E-mail
39		Tiny chips, complete with the owner's information could be compulsorily put under the skin of every legal pet. In doing so, the pet owners could be traced back and fined heavily if they abandon their pets.	E-mail
40		Dead people should be buried vertically. This will save a lot of space and will help in areas where there is a problem of congested burial grounds.	E-mail
41		Reduce the number of staff people who work for elected officials. This will mean the officials will listen to citizens more, thus making democracies work better.	E-mail
42		Ban the manufacture of 2 and 4 stroke petrol mowers in order to cut pollution. Replace with either electric (mains or battery) mowers or push mowers -- assists in keeping your body fit as well as the atmosphere.	E-mail
43		Advisory eco signs should be put on traffic lights with suggestions to save fuel when driving, in an attempt to reduce the carbon footprint of drivers.	E-mail
44		The tube system, much like a drive-thru banker tube. You could order goods on your TV or computer from your couch and have them delivered through the tube system right to your waiting hands.
45		Let students attend high school online, going to a school building weekly for tutoring or testing. This would save money for buildings and buses, protect kids from dangerous school neighborhoods, and teach kids independence.	E-mail
46		Add on an optional very small amount of money to hotel bills. Money would accrue and be donated to homeless charities in the same town/city. Temporarily homeless people (hotel customers) would thus help permanently homeless people.	E-mail
47		To conserve water, require builders to replace old, wasteful toilets or other water "sinks" with more efficient ones to earn the right to build new homes or buildings. Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA does this.	E-mail
48		In countries like India, generally people are found peeing on walls in spite of strict notices on the wall. One way to stop this can be by painting pictures of god on the wall. This can be effective in curbing the graffitti problem in western countries.	E-mail
49		To quickly evacuate people from a dangerous region, make prior arrangements to order buses to designated pick-up points to take people to designated evacuation centers.	E-mail
50		To save energy, close the doors of air-conditioned buildings.	E-mail