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I agree with you, but this isn't necessarily the best example. In this case, frankly part of this issue had to be resolved by relaxing strict zoning laws that w

I agree with you, but this isn't necessarily the best example. In this case, frankly part of this issue had to be resolved by relaxing strict zoning laws that weren't allowing space to be used in a way that the market demanded (offloading empty chassis). Such a measure falls under deregulation/free-market/small-government. The other measures proposed (forcing railroads, national guards etc) are of course of a different order, but it's not clear they'd be necessary if the build-up of empty chassis at the port (because offloading in the nearby area wasn't allowed) never materialised into a massive bottleneck, because zoning laws were deregulated.

eecc 5y ago
Sure, although most of the measures proposed are about a massive mobilization subsidized by government. One could also argue that it’s still a brittle, overly lean organization if a landscape regulation tipped it into service disruption.
- empthought 5y ago
  It was the international demand imbalance that tipped it into service disruption; the landscape regulation just set the conditions for the existing bottleneck.
myself248 5y ago
Those 2-high zoning laws aren't new, are they? Presumably the port would've architected its systems to work within all sorts of constraints, come they from physics, or business, or regulation. The fact that one of them can easily be relaxed is immaterial to their failure to account for it in the first place.
- smileysteve 5y ago
  Presumably, the regulation had reasoning. Likely unsightfulness. But also likely danger. Will the port's insurer cover damages when a 3 or 4 high stack falls?
  - booleangate 5y ago
    Unsightliness maybe, but also California is no stranger to earthquakes. Stacking up to 6 high sounds like a deadly and expensive game of dominos.
    - KptMarchewa 5y ago
      They can be stacked higher on a container ship when full. And ships are subjected to what someone could think of as a "quake" - waves.
      - eecc 5y ago
        for sure, but the harmonic characteristics of sea waves are rather different. But yeah, you do have a point.

eecc 5y ago

Sure, although most of the measures proposed are about a massive mobilization subsidized by government. One could also argue that it’s still a brittle, overly lean organization if a landscape regulation tipped it into service disruption.

empthought 5y ago
It was the international demand imbalance that tipped it into service disruption; the landscape regulation just set the conditions for the existing bottleneck.

myself248 5y ago

Those 2-high zoning laws aren't new, are they? Presumably the port would've architected its systems to work within all sorts of constraints, come they from physics, or business, or regulation. The fact that one of them can easily be relaxed is immaterial to their failure to account for it in the first place.

smileysteve 5y ago
Presumably, the regulation had reasoning. Likely unsightfulness. But also likely danger. Will the port's insurer cover damages when a 3 or 4 high stack falls?
- booleangate 5y ago
  Unsightliness maybe, but also California is no stranger to earthquakes. Stacking up to 6 high sounds like a deadly and expensive game of dominos.
  - KptMarchewa 5y ago
    They can be stacked higher on a container ship when full. And ships are subjected to what someone could think of as a "quake" - waves.
    - eecc 5y ago
      for sure, but the harmonic characteristics of sea waves are rather different. But yeah, you do have a point.