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i walk the line
I dropped off my bike at the LBS on my to work the other night. Come the end
of shift I decided to walk home. The ~15 minute bike commute isn't too much to walk and the weather at 6 am was a pleasantly cool mid-September morning.. It gave for a different perspective walking the same route I usually bike. Things I noticed in random musings: Wind matters. Although lately I've almost reach the point of upgrading my clothing from shorts and t's to something more substantial, when walking the lesser dress is quite sufficient given morning temps in the single digits C. I saw more bikes [including the no-light-wrong-way rider of York Rd I have seen previously]. I guessing when I'm on the bike we're all moving at the same speed and are thus less likely to pass each other. People are more likely to say hello in passing on foot than on bike. Makes sense I guess - a slower closure rate. Where the trail crosses the street I found myself automatically gauging the gaps in traffic based on my bike speed - not my foot speed. Nothing profound - just things that make Arsenio go 'Hmmmmmm'. -- 'Just because you're wearing a tie Doesn't mean you're bloody important' -chumbawamba |
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#2
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"loki" wrote in message
... I dropped off my bike at the LBS on my to work the other night. Come the end of shift I decided to walk home. The ~15 minute bike commute isn't too much to walk and the weather at 6 am was a pleasantly cool mid-September morning.. It gave for a different perspective walking the same route I usually bike. I did something similar, about 8 months ago -- I didn't ride the bike to work but took the bus. I got off the bus at the freeway stop just before downtown and walked to work from there, just so I could have a little exercise. The walk duplicated about the same length as your walk back from the LBS. One of the things that really struck me was how I was oblivious to the decorations that they put on the posts when you enter Chinatown. I guess they are up higher than my eye level on the bike, and I have enough things to look out for when on the bike. You mention that more people greeted you on foot. I certainly got greeted more by panhandlers while on foot, but this a function of the neighborhood I was walking through. I also spotted even more debris by the side of the road -- usually all I am focused on is avoiding that which is directly in my direction of travel. Something else I recognized was how much more willing I was to stop while on foot. I walked by a bakery in Chinatown, and was much more willing to stop and see what they had, for example. I wonder how much better/more secure bicycle parking would make a difference in how likely people are to stop on their bicycles. I also wonder how different it is for cars willing to stop vs bicycles vs pedestrians, and if these sorts of things should go into the consideration of the design of urban shopping districts. -- Warm Regards, Claire Petersky please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply Home of the meditative cyclist: http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/ See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky |
#3
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Sat, 25 Sep 2004 14:57:42 GMT,
. net, "Claire Petersky" wrote, in part: Something else I recognized was how much more willing I was to stop while on foot. I walked by a bakery in Chinatown, and was much more willing to stop and see what they had, for example. I wonder how much better/more secure bicycle parking would make a difference in how likely people are to stop on their bicycles. I also wonder how different it is for cars willing to stop vs bicycles vs pedestrians, and if these sorts of things should go into the consideration of the design of urban shopping districts. We've seen the popularity of "drive-through" restaurants and services in areas where the pedestrian traffic couldn't support a business. Having sufficient volume of cars to sustain a "drive-through" operation precludes having an adequate pedestrian customer base. The scale and geometry is wrong for humans. These areas are places to be merely passed through. Nobody lives there. Civility diminishes in an inverse proportion to the amount of asphalt paving. I think if we look at the areas of a city that have lively pedestrian streets we'll see a whole different scale. The most popular areas are generally those established before the suburban sprawl phenomenon gutted the cities. They have narrower streets, fewer and slower moving motor vehicles. They're usually well served by public transit and are central to large population bases. Parking should be situated at the edges of these areas to protect the qualities which make them good places for people to walk. I think Jane Jacobs and Christopher Alexander have long ago done the research and identified the elements required for the successful pedestrian shopping districts that are essential for creating livable cities. Neither of them are huge fans of the impact car-culture has had on civilisation. Sidewalks in Vancouver's Chinatown are packed full of people and wares. There aren't many convenient or designated bicycle parking facilities in that neighbourhood. Parking meters and phoney poles are about all there is handy for locking a bike. But, I don't think that discourages anyone from riding there to do their shopping. -- zk |
#4
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"Claire Petersky" wrote in message link.net...
I did something similar, about 8 months ago -- I didn't ride the bike to work but took the bus. A couple of weeks ago my wife picked me up from work and both of my bikes ended up at the office. The next work day, I went to the bus stop but I missed the bus. Instead of waiting a half hour for the next bus, I walked the six miles to work. As others note, the observations one makes while walking are different from driving and even from cycling. RFM |
#5
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"Claire Petersky" wrote in message ink.net... [...] Something else I recognized was how much more willing I was to stop while on foot. I walked by a bakery in Chinatown, and was much more willing to stop and see what they had, for example. I wonder how much better/more secure bicycle parking would make a difference in how likely people are to stop on their bicycles. For me it's convenience. I wouldn't have a problem locking up - even a kryptonite - it's just the minor hassle of doing so that might make me not stop. That and I often like to go sans lock if I don't plan on needing it. It would reduce the spontaneous stops, I guess. -- 'Oh lord! Won't you buy me, a Mercedes Benz? My friends all drive Porsches as sung by: I must make amends.' -janis joplin |
#6
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"Zoot Katz" wrote in message ... [...] We've seen the popularity of "drive-through" restaurants and services in areas where the pedestrian traffic couldn't support a business. Having sufficient volume of cars to sustain a "drive-through" operation precludes having an adequate pedestrian customer base. The scale and geometry is wrong for humans. These areas are places to be merely passed through. Nobody lives there. Civility diminishes in an inverse proportion to the amount of asphalt paving. Although I love their product dearly; Tim Horton's has at least two stores in town that totally bugger up traffic. The one I am most familiar with is close to my work place. It's one property short of the intersection and the drive through makes the entire area congested mess during the morning and afternoon rush hours. -- 'Do as you damn well please Or you could end up being a pot-bellied boring hairless fart' - billy connelly |
#7
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"dreaded" wrote in message
... "Claire Petersky" wrote in message Claire, do you work downtown seattle? Yup. Have your used that new place where they watch your bike? The Bikestation? Well. I was there this morning, because my shifter cable broke, and they're open supposedly at 7:00 AM. It was 7:50 AM and the place was locked up tighter than a drum. I'd hate to rely on it if it's that unreliable. Flipside, the one other time I was in there, because I had forgotten my pump, the tech replaced my tube in 30 seconds -- all I wanted was access to his floor pump, but he did the whole operation for me in nothing flat. i have a new class downtown and want to bike there but don't know where's the safest place to keep it. Where and when's your class? Email me. -- Warm Regards, Claire Petersky please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply Home of the meditative cyclist: http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/ See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky |
#8
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"Claire Petersky" wrote in message news [...] Flipside, the one other time I was in there, because I had forgotten my pump, the tech replaced my tube in 30 seconds -- all I wanted was access to his floor pump, but he did the whole operation for me in nothing flat. ^^^ So to speak. -- 'They stab it with their steely knives But they just can't kill the beast' -eagles |
#9
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Claire Petersky wrote:
Something else I recognized was how much more willing I was to stop while on foot. I walked by a bakery in Chinatown, and was much more willing to stop and see what they had, for example. Which one? Yum yum, My Favorite Cake House, The one near Eighth & King (Sweet & Fresh - I think), A Piece of Cake, Mon Hei, Cake House? My Favorite Cake House is definitely my favorite, their Mango tarts are fantastic (assuming you get them earlier in the day). What? Stop looking at me like that. No, I don't spend a lot of time perusing Chinese bakeries. You can't prove anything! I wonder how much better/more secure bicycle parking would make a difference in how likely people are to stop on their bicycles. I also wonder how different it is for cars willing to stop vs bicycles vs pedestrians, and if these sorts of things should go into the consideration of the design of urban shopping districts. Eh, there are few enough other cyclists usually that there are plenty of poles or postal boxes to lock up to. Bike parking would be nice though. It is definitely easier to cycle down and pick up take-out than to drive. Parking in the ID is, of course, sparse and hotly contested. Plus my favorite takeout (Hing Loon) [1] is right next to my favorite bakery. [2] [1] They do a great Szechuan eggplant, and my daughter loves their green onion pancakes. [2] Which is also conviently just down the block from my favorite soup noodle place. Canton Wonton is a great hole in the wall. -- Dane Jackson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g Thus spake the master programmer: "When you have learned to snatch the error code from the trap frame, it will be time for you to leave." -- Geoffrey James, "The Tao of Programming" |
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