What American Cities are Missing: Bikes by the Thousands

Will we ever see the day when American cities have thousands of
cyclists going up and down the street without unnecessary risks? It's
healthy for you as well as for your pocket and for the environment.
And it can be combined with public transportation for greater
flexibility.

Well, Paris is just making that possible, but France is the site of
the Tour de France. That surely is behind that overdue decision. But
hey, we do have a champion or two to show. And we even have some
politicians who are into bicycling and not SUVing.

Reality check, it ain't happening here in your lifetime. Too many
vested interests.

That would take a revolution, but that's another subject...


"Official Washington likes to think that it is bicycle-friendly. But
we often hear a different story, involving dodging bricks, menacing
drivers, annoying registrations, and brazen theives. For all but the
most hardcore cyclists among us, the thought of negotiating D.C.'s
streets on two wheels is harrowing, which is a shame. Washington is
blessed with compact development, historic neighborhoods, and
beautiful scenery which may be a bit spread out to enjoy on foot, but
is easily covered by bike. Many who would love to tour the miles
between Arlington Cemetary and the Capitol and beyond on two wheels
are relegated to tour busses and Metro, which both limits their
mobility and annoys the hell out of commuters. So, in the spirit of
the upcoming Bike to Work Day on May 18, we pass on a solution from
across the pond: municipal bikes.

In Paris, city officials have long wrestled with similar issues:
Thousands of sightseers filling the roads with cars (and the air with
exhaust) while attempting to visit its many historic sites. In
response, the Parisian goverment is launching an effort this summer to
provide cheap rental bikes. Lots of them.

From WaPo:

On July 15, the day after Bastille Day, Parisians will wake up to
discover thousands of low-cost rental bikes at hundreds of high-tech
bicycle stations scattered throughout the city, an ambitious program
to cut traffic, reduce pollution, improve parking and enhance the
city's image as a greener, quieter, more relaxed place.

By the end of the year, organizers and city officials say, there
should be 20,600 bikes at 1,450 stations -- or about one station every
250 yards across the entire city. Based on experience elsewhere --
particularly in Lyon, France's third-largest city, which launched a
similar system two years ago -- regular users of the bikes will ride
them almost for free.

At first, we cringe at the thought of hundreds of street-clogging lost
tourists and a cottage industry of bike thefts. With more examination,
though, there's a lot to like. Providing bikes in those numbers
creates a critical mass that changes the way the city deals with them
-- pushing DDOT to crate a more continuous and extensive bike network
in the city. Streets and paths appropriate for bikers would get even
more so, which pulls bicycles off of streets that aren't, lessening
the dangerous competition with autos.

In Denmark, Copenhagen's City Bikes program has been established for
years, resulting in huge shifts in transportation, pollution, and the
city's image. As for theft, both Copenhagen and Helsinki's bicycle
programs have actually reduced it. The free bike use provided by the
program both eliminates the need for theft and removes a considerable
market for resale.

Now that we've got a triathlete Mayor, isn't it time to get Washington
some bikes?"

http://www.dcist.com/2007/05/02/what_were_missi.php

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
http://webspawner.com/users/donquijote

THE BANANA REVOLUTION
http://webspawner.com/users/donquijote40

BIKE FOR PEACE
http://webspawner.com/users/bikeforpeace

"donquijote1954" wrote in message
oups.com...
Will we ever see the day when American cities have thousands of
cyclists going up and down the street without unnecessary risks?

Go to India to fulfill your dream. They do that now. You can even lock
your bicycle up at the train station and let it sit in the rain all day for
a few cents.

On Wed, 16 May 2007 19:08:13 GMT, "George Conklin"
wrote:


"donquijote1954" wrote in message
roups.com...
Will we ever see the day when American cities have thousands of
cyclists going up and down the street without unnecessary risks?

Go to India to fulfill your dream. They do that now. You can even lock
your bicycle up at the train station and let it sit in the rain all day for
a few cents.


And for the obverse: come visit cities of the like of Vancouver BC,
Seattle WA, and Portland OR in the fall, winter, and spring.

Why the Bloody Hell would anyone ride a bicycle, and risk getting
drowned in any month from October to April?

The Bicycle Lobby lives in a Dream World.

One of the obstacles with regard to using a bicycle in my town is
that the local shopping centers forbid them. When I asked one of
the shopping center's management for the reason they're ban
bicycles from their property, they told me that their insurance
requires it.



On May 16, 11:16 am, donquijote1954
wrote:
Will we ever see the day when American cities have thousands of
cyclists going up and down the street without unnecessary risks? It's
healthy for you as well as for your pocket and for the environment.
And it can be combined with public transportation for greater
flexibility.

In rec.bicycles.misc Nobody wrote:
On Wed, 16 May 2007 19:08:13 GMT, "George Conklin"
wrote:

"donquijote1954" wrote in message
groups.com...
Will we ever see the day when American cities have thousands of
cyclists going up and down the street without unnecessary risks?

Go to India to fulfill your dream. They do that now. You can even lock
your bicycle up at the train station and let it sit in the rain all day for
a few cents.

And for the obverse: come visit cities of the like of Vancouver BC,
Seattle WA, and Portland OR in the fall, winter, and spring.

Oh, you mean like where I commute by bike year round? And where I see
people also commuting year round by bike? If you live in Seattle, you
don't let little things like rain stop you from doing things.

Why the Bloody Hell would anyone ride a bicycle, and risk getting
drowned in any month from October to April?

-- copied from a previous post of mine --

My reasons look more like this:
1. Enjoyment
2. Exercise as part of everyday life [1]
3. Money saving - I save a shedload of money by not having a second car.
4. Ease of parking [3]
5. I enjoy working on my bikes - I'm mechanically inclined
6. The social aspect - I see and talk to people on my bike I would never
get a chance to see in a car.[4]
7. It is often faster. In many cases [5] I get home faster from work
than the people driving.[6]
8. Pastry - I eat pastry instead of filling my car with gasoline.
9. Engineering reasons [7]
10. I don't like driving. [8]
11. Greeny-weeny reasons.
12. By riding my bike I build up self-righteousness points that i can
spend on making my friends feel bad about themselves for driving.
[9]

The Bicycle Lobby lives in a Dream World.

I would say in a better world, but you're allowed your opinion.

And god, can't you people stop replying to DQ's trolls? Killfile the
idiot already.

[1] I used to weigh 280 lbs, I weigh about 200 now. My father and
brother are both type II diabetics. [2]
[2] Additionally I'm a computer programmer, so my everyday job is very
sedentary.
[3] No joke this. You try and fight for parking at my favorite Asian
grocer with the little old Chinese ladies. F$#% that noise. I roll up
and park right at the front of the store. Parking at Pike Place market
is a dream on the bicycle.
[4] Footnote elided
[5] Baseball games, snow, heavy rains, wind storms. This last winter
many of my coworkers were trapped for many hours on roads completely
jammed with traffic caused by downed trees and powerlines. One poor guy
spent most of the night in his car. I rolled up to the downed sections
picked up my bike, walked around, and was home about 15 minutes later
than usual.
[6] The best case - where the highway was completely empty - it used to
take me 25 minutes to get to work. It takes 40 minutes by bike. 30
minutes extra a day. In return I get 80 minuts of quality exercise I
enjoy. And of course on the many days where traffic was not so good it
could take much much longer in the car.
[7] Using a 3000 lb car to move a single 200 lb person from point to
point is just an inefficient solution. It's always grated at my
engineering sensibilities. Not to mention the huge amount of
infrastructure needed.
[8] I'm far too concious of just how much damage you can do with a car
to yourself of other people. Driving is fine at 2am when I'm the only
idiot on the road, but how often does that happen?
[9] That's a joke people. God, don't you people have any sense of humour
at all?

--
Dane Buson -
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
-- Dykstra

On 16 May 2007 17:56:11 -0700, in misc.transport.urban-transit
drydem wrote in
.com:
One of the obstacles with regard to using a bicycle in my town is
that the local shopping centers forbid them. When I asked one of
the shopping center's management for the reason they're ban
bicycles from their property, they told me that their insurance
requires it.

Ask them for the evidence. Tell them you want to see the insurance
policy that says that. If the policy actually says that, then start
screaming to your state's insurance commissioner's office. There is no
reason to allow such a limitation -- still my guess is that he made it
up to deflect responsibility.

On May 16, 11:16 am, donquijote1954
wrote:
Will we ever see the day when American cities have thousands of
cyclists going up and down the street without unnecessary risks? It's
healthy for you as well as for your pocket and for the environment.
And it can be combined with public transportation for greater
flexibility.

In article ,
Nobody writes:
On Wed, 16 May 2007 19:08:13 GMT, "George Conklin"
wrote:


"donquijote1954" wrote in message
groups.com...
Will we ever see the day when American cities have thousands of
cyclists going up and down the street without unnecessary risks?

Go to India to fulfill your dream. They do that now. You can even lock
your bicycle up at the train station and let it sit in the rain all day for
a few cents.


And for the obverse: come visit cities of the like of Vancouver BC,
Seattle WA, and Portland OR in the fall, winter, and spring.

Why the Bloody Hell would anyone ride a bicycle, and risk getting
drowned in any month from October to April?

As a lifelong cycling car-free Vancouverite, I avow bicycling
is my best option in wet weather. My inexpensive but effective
rain gear keeps me nice & dry -- drier than if I hoof it.
Fenders, and turning the bike lights on (even in the gloomy/
overcast/stormy/rainy daytime) complete my wet weather
defense system.

And cycling in the rain is much more pleasant than riding on
some steamy, crowded, jerky, disease-ridden, slow public
transit bus.

Vancouver drivers and cyclists are becoming quite well
habituated to the presence of each other. From what
I've read and heard, the same seems to be in effect in
Seattle and Portland (OR). I do know for sure that
each of these cities enjoy thriving bicycling cultures.

The Bicycle Lobby lives in a Dream World.

I note many drivers experience a false sense of privacy
as they sit in their cars, whistfully picking their noses.
Dream world indeed!

Anyways, we're not big enough to have a "Lobby" (despite
the grandiose affectations of such as the League of
American Bicyclists.) At best we have a bunch of
hat-in-hand advocates who can't even agree on what's
best for the bicycling community.

I think it's because there are at least /two/ major
bicycling communities (probably more,) each with
their respective needs & wants, and the advocates
unsuccessfully try to generalize what's best for all,
and end up competing against each other. So we're
also too fragmented to have a Lobby.

I used to have inclinations toward cycling advocacy.
Now I have inclinations toward what's good for the
City in which I live -- and citizens' mobility within
the City is a big part of "what's good". It doesn't
matter to the property-tax-paying businesses in the
City how their clienteles get there, as long as they
and their money get there.

I guess this is where some driver might pipe up and
say: "I can't get there soon enough with all these
bikes in my way!"

And some cycling advocate might say: "I can't get there
at all with all these cars in my way!"

And then there'll be those who hold their peace, and
quietly, safely get to where they want to be, regardless
of their transport of choice. No fuss, no muss, in all
kinds of weather.

A pleasant urban environment that doesn't get its citizens
anxiously grinding their teeth in their sleep or coming down
with athsma is also good.


--
Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

On May 16, 2:08 pm, "George Conklin"
wrote:
"donquijote1954" wrote in message

oups.com...

Will we ever see the day when American cities have thousands of
cyclists going up and down the street without unnecessary risks?

Go to India to fulfill your dream. They do that now. You can even lock
your bicycle up at the train station and let it sit in the rain all day for
a few cents.


Wow George your a dick not going to lie.

In rec.bicycles.misc Mr.Cool [Defender of Cities] wrote:
On May 16, 2:08 pm, "George Conklin"
wrote:
"donquijote1954" wrote in message

oups.com...

Will we ever see the day when American cities have thousands of
cyclists going up and down the street without unnecessary risks?

Go to India to fulfill your dream. They do that now. You can even lock
your bicycle up at the train station and let it sit in the rain all day for
a few cents.

Wow George your a dick not going to lie.

That should be "Wow George, you're a dick. I'm not going to lie."

See how much more erudite you sound now? [1]

It's "your", as in "your crack pipe".

It's "you're", as in "you're dumb as a bag of hammers".

[1] I'm not a member of the George Conklin Fan Club, but don't mangle
the language for Jehu's sake.

--
Dane Buson -
"A University without students is like an ointment without a fly."
-- Ed Nather, professor of astronomy at UT Austin

donquijote1954 wrote:

Didn't you say you were leaving Usenet? (Or at least the cycling
newsgroups?)