|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#21
|
|||
|
|||
Do you feel like biking makes you a loser?
"Republican Congressman Blasts Bicycles"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip8nozp7vs8 The Republicans are represented by the elephant, which believes that "bigger is better"; the Democrats are represented by the donkey, which is slow to change; and the Banana Revolution is represented by a clever monkey that believes "small is better" and wants to change ASAP. PS: We also use a chihuahua, so take your pick. |
Ads |
#22
|
|||
|
|||
Would you favor bringing bike planners from Holland?
On Jul 8, 10:42*am, KingOfTheApes wrote:
But I do propose another alternative: Open all right hand lanes to bikes and reduce the speed limit on them to 20MPH. That would be the "American way." I hope SOMEONE (hopefully a politician) reads this and draws some lessons from the Dutch... Originally Posted by Pig_Chaser "Maybe we could bring over the Dutch laws... if a motorist hits a cyclist he is assumed at fault unless it can be proven the cyclist was negligent." meb wrote: Can you confirm that this law was actually passed? I've seen press articles that such a law was considered: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/despatches/34915.stm However, reading a Dutch version of a FAQ on site: http://www.fietsersbond.nl/urlsearch...itemnumber=790 suggests it was considered but not passed. As far as cycling comparisons go, I've cycled in all 12 Dutch provinces and in all 50 US states. They are fairly different systems. The size of the Netherlands is about same size as MA/CT/RI together with 16-million people. A good percentage of these people live in a megalopolis in the west. There isn't much space to put new roads there and some Dutch still definitely like their cars with miles-long traffic jams happening at times. Minimum driving age is 18 and getting a license is tougher. There is a fairly complete separate bike network with paths and traffic signals. Bicycles are basic transportation with a reasonable percentage of the population cycling. For example, my grandmother kept riding until age of 92 (not very fast mind you). A reasonable percentage of the population cycles and it is probably easier to do without owning a car. Last time I was there (2007), I liked some of the separate path network - though found some bumpier than I remembered from previous visits. I've cycled on some paths/lanes in the US. Some are quite good, though my typical complaint is that they aren't always "continuous" or designed as a system. Occasionally, a piecemeal solution is as bad as no solution at all. In some places you have a different size/scale as compared to the Netherlands (e.g. Colorado is eight times as large as the Netherlands with a quarter of the population). So, I think it is useful to understand and learn from other areas such as the Netherlands - but one will still need to create a solution that meets needs of Colorado. |
#23
|
|||
|
|||
Do you feel like biking makes you a loser?
cyclezealot wrote:
"Check it out Quixote. There is a bicycle caucus in the Congress. Headed by the congressman Earl ( something) from Portland, Or. Not all pols are dumb heads. That caucus does all it can to further bike infrastructure." Yeah, I think we discussed it before. They can only do so much with little resources. Nothing like the Pentagon, or even NASA. That's where the real money goes. I'm even sure the War on Drugs gets more money than bikes. Come to think of it, if we brought the Dutch system, we could use that money for bike facilities. |
#24
|
|||
|
|||
Have you ever been to Bikelandia?
No, it's not a new theme park in Orlando, but a whole region of Europe
where cycling can still be a pleasant experience. And it's NOT that I'm promoting tourism over there either, but that it shows what America could be if there was the political will to make it happen. In the meantime, dream on folks! "Bikelandia is my name for a huge bike-friendly chunk of Europe that embraces most of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Holland and Denmark plus France, Corsica, Belgium and Luxembourg. While monstrous trucks and obscene-sized RVs have made bike touring less and less inviting on America's roads, touring by bicycle is flourishing in Bikelandia and is soaring in popularity with each passing year. In Bikelandia, everything America's bike activists are striving for already exists. Without exaggeration, cycling is ten times safer and more pleasant than it is on most American roads. People are friendly and helpful and in most hotels, someone speaks English. All of which makes Bikelandia the the one best place for touring by bike. From spring through fall, millions of men and women of all ages use bikes every day for shopping or riding to work or school. Bike parking racks exist within a few yards of almost every store. There are no drive-in banks or restaurants or loose dogs, no pick-up trucks or U.S. style motels, and most motorists seem patient and willing to share the roads with cyclists. In many ways, cycling is much like it was in the great days of biking 40 years or more ago." http://www.tourvelo.org/bikeland.html |
#25
|
|||
|
|||
There is no proper place for bicycles
Originally Posted by Ed Holland
"I think this must be the worst case of cyclist inferiority syndrome we have ever seen?" The 99.6% of commuters who do NOT use a bike to work seem to agree with me. Even kids understand this... Why do so many people who ride bicycles ride in the streets when there is a sidewalk nearby? Now I ride my bike all the time and definitely stay on the sidewalks... so why do so many people ride in the streets and slow traffic and risk getting hit? Its sooo annoying and stupid (in my opinion) Answerer 4 By law, a bicycle is a vehicle and belongs in the street. Of course, common sense says that a bicycle is too frail for being in motor vehicle traffic. Conclusion: There is no proper place for bicycles. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...0182657AArONFj Hey, it would be interesting to take kids to Bikelandia! Originally Posted by Ed Holland I think this must be the worst case of cyclist inferiority syndrome we have ever seen? The 99.6% of commuters who do NOT use a bike to work seem to agree with me. Even kids understand this... Why do so many people who ride bicycles ride in the streets when there is a sidewalk nearby? Now I ride my bike all the time and definitely stay on the sidewalks... so why do so many people ride in the streets and slow traffic and risk getting hit? Its sooo annoying and stupid (in my opinion) Answerer 4 By law, a bicycle is a vehicle and belongs in the street. Of course, common sense says that a bicycle is too frail for being in motor vehicle traffic. Conclusion: There is no proper place for bicycles. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...0182657AArONFj Hey, it would be interesting to take kids to Bikelandia! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Republicans are represented by an Elephant, the Democrats by a Donkey, and we, the Banana Revolution, are represented by a Chihuahua. "Small Is Better!" |
#26
|
|||
|
|||
Here's the poll of polls!
Well, what I mean is, we should approach the people and ask them, "Why
don't you ride a bike?" Then if they say, "Well, because it's dangerous out there, stupid!" Then the politicians go to work and fix it! But if they say, "Just because I'm lazy and stupid," then everything is left like it is. It makes so much sense, you know, that in the nation where everything is polled, we poll this issue, shouldn't we? Now let's take a poll... http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=439585 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Republicans are represented by an Elephant, the Democrats by a Donkey, and we, the Banana Revolution, are represented by a Chihuahua. "Small Is Better!" |
#27
|
|||
|
|||
Are bikes a toy?
Originally Posted by Longfemur
"If you're a child, ride on the sidewalk. If you're an adult who has the mind of a child, walk." The system tries to kill the child within, so you give up the bike and become an avid consumer of oil and everything related with the automobile industry. But some adults refuse to grow and pay the price --their bike being considered "a toy" by the rest of society. Am I getting too philosophical? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Riding a bike costs peanuts --which is why monkeys love biking" http://webspawner.com/users/donquijote88 |
#28
|
|||
|
|||
Are bikes a toy?
On Jul 16, 12:00*pm, KingOfTheApes
wrote: Originally Posted by Longfemur "If you're a child, ride on the sidewalk. If you're an adult who has the mind of a child, walk." The system tries to kill the child within, so you give up the bike and become an avid consumer of oil and everything related with the automobile industry. But some adults refuse to grow and pay the price --their bike being considered "a toy" by the rest of society. Am I getting too philosophical? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------*----- "Riding a bike costs peanuts --which is why monkeys love biking" http://webspawner.com/users/donquijote88 According to the California Vehicle Code, bicycles are considered vehicles in their own right, and are subject to the same rights and responsibilities as motorists. I think the age requirement is what makes many people think bikes are toys. When gas prices to $10/gallon, I'm sure people would reconsider the bike's status. My biking range is extensive: Hollister, Santa Cruz, Half Moon Bay, San Francisco, Oakland, Sunol, and Sausalito. Just muscle power! I have been compared to Lance Armstrong, a huge biker who won the Tour De France 7 times. Of course Europe has a bigger bike culture than the USA due to exorbitant gas prices and compact urban areas. The USA's addiction to cars would make it difficult to get people on bikes. High gas prices alone would not do it. Bike To Work Day is one attempt which is somewhat successful, although I started 5 years before the first BTWD. Bike To Work Day is the third Thursday in May, and began in 1994, one month before my first ride to Gilroy. I had ridden to San Francisco once or twice then, now 21 times |
#29
|
|||
|
|||
Are bikes a toy?
On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 03:48:17 -0700 (PDT), said
in : According to the California Vehicle Code, bicycles are considered vehicles in their own right Followup-to amended to remove uk.rec.cycling, since the California Vehicle Code does not apply in the uk. Guy -- May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting. http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk 85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound |
#30
|
|||
|
|||
Here's the poll of polls!
On Jul 10, 10:17*am, KingOfTheApes
wrote: Well, what I mean is, we should approach the people and ask them, "Why don't you ride a bike?" Then if they say, "Well, because it's dangerous out there, stupid!" Then the politicians go to work and fix it! But if they say, "Just because I'm lazy and stupid," then everything is left like it is. It makes so much sense, you know, that in the nation where everything is polled, we poll this issue, shouldn't we? Now let's take a poll... http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=439585 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------*----- The Republicans are represented by an Elephant, the Democrats by a Donkey, and we, the Banana Revolution, are represented by a Chihuahua. "Small Is Better!" Many people think biking is dangerous because they are sharing the road with people who shouldn't be driving. The roadway planners were trying to shoehorn bike lanes onto streets that were not originally biking routes. That's why bikers get doored. Most of our streets were designed when gasoline was cheap and people rarely biked. It was assumed that we would drive cars. The addition of bike lanes was prompted by rising gas prices, the fitness movement, etc. Los Angeles had a bike path in 1910 where Hwy 110 is now. Only two miles of the bike path was completed before the auto and oil industry wanted it torn down. At that time, the toll on the bike path was $.05, train fare was $.25. The railroad wanted the bike path torn down because it was losing passengers, and therefore money. The automotive industry is very powerful, as is the oil industry. These industries effectively told us that bikes are toys and do not belong on streets. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Do you feel like biking makes you a loser? | KingOfTheApes | General | 38 | August 30th 08 03:01 PM |
Do you feel like biking makes you a loser? | KingOfTheApes | Social Issues | 39 | August 30th 08 03:01 PM |
What makes you feel old? (Fatty masters only) | Mike Jacoubowsky | Racing | 59 | December 4th 07 11:07 PM |
OT, but makes me feel better whilst towing ... | Paul - xxx | UK | 8 | January 24th 05 09:01 PM |
My LBS Makes Me Feel Like A Moron | winnard | Techniques | 24 | August 4th 04 10:24 PM |