Do bicycles and cars mix?

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"George Conklin" wrote in message
hlink.net...

FActs do not get in the way of a Usent diatribe.

Especially true of George's posts.

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

AIUI it was "light trucks," and SUVs were / are classed as light
trucks, which is how they also escape CAFE and some passenger car
safety legislation.

There was some discussion around here wether SUVs should be registered
as trucks, rather than cars. Their weight would normally require that
under German regulations.

That would not only increase taxes, it would place them under the 80
km/h (about 48 miles/h) speed limit for trucks and basically finish the
market for those darn things. Haven't heard anything about that proposal
lately, though. Probably blocked by industry lobbyists.

Dr Engelbert Buxbaum wrote in message
...
Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

AIUI it was "light trucks," and SUVs were / are classed as light
trucks, which is how they also escape CAFE and some passenger car
safety legislation.

There was some discussion around here wether SUVs should be registered
as trucks, rather than cars. Their weight would normally require that
under German regulations.

That would not only increase taxes, it would place them under the 80
km/h (about 48 miles/h) speed limit for trucks and basically finish the
market for those darn things. Haven't heard anything about that proposal
lately, though. Probably blocked by industry lobbyists.

Well, that would give the $120,000 Mercedes less competition. I am
sure they get even worse fuel economy, but then you could lock out foreign
competition.

Dr Engelbert Buxbaum wrote:
The issue never was to stop travel, that would be nonsense. The idea
must be to use the right mode of transportation for each journey at
hand. For short (up to about 20 km) trips of a healthy single person
without heavy luggage, this is the bike.

Nonsense.

This is probably the most comman type of trip.

If you can't even spell words like "common", come back when you finish middle
school.

"John David Galt" wrote in message
.. .
Dr Engelbert Buxbaum wrote:
The issue never was to stop travel, that would be nonsense. The idea
must be to use the right mode of transportation for each journey at
hand. For short (up to about 20 km) trips of a healthy single person
without heavy luggage, this is the bike.

Nonsense.

This is probably the most comman type of trip.

If you can't even spell words like "common", come back when you finish
middle
school.

That also means that since the average commute in the USA is about 10
miles, then everyone ought to ride a bike to work and sell all their cars.
Why, within 1 year we could lower our standard of living to that of New
Delhi.

John David Galt wrote in
:

Dr Engelbert Buxbaum wrote:
The issue never was to stop travel, that would be nonsense. The idea
must be to use the right mode of transportation for each journey at
hand. For short (up to about 20 km) trips of a healthy single person
without heavy luggage, this is the bike.

Nonsense.

Yeah,try it in Florida in the summer months.(or up North in the winter.)
Especially if you want to stink once you reach your destination.




--
Jim Yanik,NRA member
jyanik-at-kua.net

Yeah,try it in Florida in the summer months.(or up North in the winter.)
Especially if you want to stink once you reach your destination.



Having done a 7.2 mile (15 mile round trip commute in Delaware (summer 90+
degrees, 90+% humidity and Code Red smog alerts; winter the occasional sleet
and snow storm, 25-40 degrees), I can tell you that it is possible to commute
that type of distance and still appear in the office clean and without
noticable unwanted smell. Just takes a little planning and a modest restroom or
locker room.

During the four years I was riding (I have a different job now about 0.1 miles
away), I went from 175 lbs. to 155 lbs.

Chris Law
Newark, DE

"Jim Yanik" wrote in message
.. .
John David Galt wrote in
:

Dr Engelbert Buxbaum wrote:
The issue never was to stop travel, that would be nonsense. The idea
must be to use the right mode of transportation for each journey at
hand. For short (up to about 20 km) trips of a healthy single person
without heavy luggage, this is the bike.

Nonsense.

Yeah,try it in Florida in the summer months.(or up North in the winter.)
Especially if you want to stink once you reach your destination.

Or even in sunny and mild Northern California, for that matter. After a trip
of even 5 km (= 3 miles), people are sweaty and stinky. These bicycle
bolsheviks obviously do not have to work in places where professional dress
and close contact with others is essential. Nor do they have to pick up
groceries, children, or hardware before or after work.

Don't get me wrong. Bicycling is wonderful recreation and exercise. I do it
many a weekend. But as a serious approach to commuting it is utter nonsense.


Nick Byram (Bay Area Exile)
Antelope, CA

In 1959, Nikita Khrushchev saw his first U.S. interstate freeway and said he
was shocked by the waste of time, money, and effort. In his country, "there
was little need for such roads because the Soviet people lived close
together, did not care for automobiles, and seldom moved."

Nicholas Byram wrote:

Or even in sunny and mild Northern California, for that matter. After a trip
of even 5 km (= 3 miles), people are sweaty and stinky. These bicycle
bolsheviks obviously do not have to work in places where professional dress
and close contact with others is essential. Nor do they have to pick up
groceries, children, or hardware before or after work.

Don't get me wrong. Bicycling is wonderful recreation and exercise. I do it
many a weekend. But as a serious approach to commuting it is utter nonsense.

Of course some of us have been doing it for decades and haven't encountered
any serious problems. In my case that covers climates from southern
Arizona to New Jersey to northern California, one-way distances from 2
miles to twelve, and dress requirements from business-casual to
suit/tie/dress shoes for business meetings. When our daughter was young
and needed transportation to preschool and kindergarden, she first rode in
a child seat over the rear wheel and later switched to the back seat of my
tandem (pedals moved way up to accommodate 4 year old legs). I'd drop her
off and continue on to work.

On Tue, 25 Nov 2003 22:58:23 +0000, George Conklin wrote:


That also means that since the average commute in the USA is about 10
miles, then everyone ought to ride a bike to work and sell all their cars.
Why, within 1 year we could lower our standard of living to that of New
Delhi.


On Tue, 25 Nov 2003 22:58:23 +0000, George Conklin wrote:


That also means that since the average commute in the USA is about 10
miles, then everyone ought to ride a bike to work and sell all their cars.
Why, within 1 year we could lower our standard of living to that of New
Delhi.

I've lived in New Dehli, and the average resident's lack of a car has very
little to with their standards of living. It's entirely possible to have
all you need in medicine, nutrition, and adequate living conditions
without use of cars. In fact, the buses and bicycle rickshaws are
sufficient for most of the population of Dehli, and a diversion of public
funds to build wider roads and subsidize private auto use is the last
thing the local government there needs to do, especially considering the
extremlely poor air quality of Dehli. That city is a perfect example of
how cars should not be a measure of standards of living, and can in fact
be a drain on already very scarce public resources. If we in the US
relied more on bicycles more for our basic commuter trips as a conscious
choice, it would be a fine step towards better standards of living here.
I thought that a newsgroup devoted to bikes in society would be the best
place to argue FOR increased use of this healthy, relatively less
polluting mode of transportation.

DC