Like it or not, most Americans must go around with the bike on the back of the car to get somewhere

On Mon, 6 Jul 2009 15:44:16 -0500, "Edward Dolan"
wrote:


"Jeff Grippe" wrote in message
om...

"Edward Dolan" wrote in message
news:OfadnQJygdwZ3s_XnZ2dnUVZ_rydnZ2d@prairiewave. com...
I believe ComandanteBanana is almost on my level. He knows how to think
big thoughts. And he hates g.d. motor vehicles almost as much as I do.
Bravo ComandanteBanana!

The MV is one of the great unstoppable forces of our time Ed. People like
Robert Moses, who is almost a god in this area (at least that is what he
thought of himself), practically re-built the New York area to be based
around the car.

The same thing has happened with the Truck. The results are that we have
no good inter-city rail left (with a few exceptions), We have way too many
cars and trucks, We have an economy that depends on people buying more new
cars and trucks, and lastly but (to me) not least, a country that is
basically unsafe for cyclists.

Having said all that, however, not only isn't the tide turning but its
getting stronger in the direction of the MV's.

If you want a world safe for cyclists with more rational distribution
between auto, truck, rail and bike, move to Denmark.

Light rail is the only way to go in every large metro. New York City has the
subway which saves it from total chaos. I remember back in the 40's there
was a pretty good trolley car system in Minneapolis. Alas, the tracks were
all torn out in the 50's and the trolleys were replaced with buses. I think
Europe is light years ahead of us in this regard. Most European cities
actually have a pretty good system of mass transit.

A possible solution to the grid lock which threatens all of our metro areas
is $100 a gallon gasoline. This would cause everyone to abandon their cars
and we could go back to a rational light rail system of getting around. The
present motor vehicle centered system is unsustainable and is going to drive
every one crazy who is not already crazy.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota


Careful there guy, that's almost rational.

"dgk" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 6 Jul 2009 15:44:16 -0500, "Edward Dolan"
wrote:


"Jeff Grippe" wrote in message
news:36qdnZaI366Sz8_XnZ2dnUVZ_hKdnZ2d@supernews. com...

"Edward Dolan" wrote in message
news:OfadnQJygdwZ3s_XnZ2dnUVZ_rydnZ2d@prairiewave. com...
I believe ComandanteBanana is almost on my level. He knows how to think
big thoughts. And he hates g.d. motor vehicles almost as much as I do.
Bravo ComandanteBanana!

The MV is one of the great unstoppable forces of our time Ed. People
like
Robert Moses, who is almost a god in this area (at least that is what he
thought of himself), practically re-built the New York area to be based
around the car.

The same thing has happened with the Truck. The results are that we have
no good inter-city rail left (with a few exceptions), We have way too
many
cars and trucks, We have an economy that depends on people buying more
new
cars and trucks, and lastly but (to me) not least, a country that is
basically unsafe for cyclists.

Having said all that, however, not only isn't the tide turning but its
getting stronger in the direction of the MV's.

If you want a world safe for cyclists with more rational distribution
between auto, truck, rail and bike, move to Denmark.

Light rail is the only way to go in every large metro. New York City has
the
subway which saves it from total chaos. I remember back in the 40's there
was a pretty good trolley car system in Minneapolis. Alas, the tracks were
all torn out in the 50's and the trolleys were replaced with buses. I
think
Europe is light years ahead of us in this regard. Most European cities
actually have a pretty good system of mass transit.

A possible solution to the grid lock which threatens all of our metro
areas
is $100 a gallon gasoline. This would cause everyone to abandon their cars
and we could go back to a rational light rail system of getting around.
The
present motor vehicle centered system is unsustainable and is going to
drive
every one crazy who is not already crazy.

Careful there guy, that's almost rational.

Always remember, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

"Edward Dolan" wrote in message

Always remember, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

You are comparing yourself to a stopped clock Ed? That is an interesting
metaphor indeed. I dare say that for some people (probably not me) but for
some people you are probably right more often than once a day. For others,
probably not at all.

I'm with you on the $100 per gl gas. Get people out of the cars and trucks.
You need to build something else first, however.

On Jul 8, 10:24*am, "Jeff Grippe" wrote:
"Edward Dolan" wrote in message
Always remember, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

You are comparing yourself to a stopped clock Ed? That is an interesting
metaphor indeed. I dare say that for some people (probably not me) but for
some people you are probably right more often than once a day. For others,
probably not at all.

I'm with you on the $100 per gl gas. Get people out of the cars and trucks.
You need to build something else first, however.

Yeah, I think that's called "bicycle infrastructure"...

Maybe just TAMING TRAFFIC will do the trick but I don't hear about
either one being planned.

I just have put this mental picture together:

I'm a knight fighting for JUSTICE riding a bike with no armor, but
wearing a helmet, a pennant, and a banana...

Yes, a banana since no offensive weapons are allowed in this joust.

And the SUVs are NOT playing by the CHIVALRY CODES... Do I stand a
chance against the evil giants?

"Jeff Grippe" wrote in message
m...

"Edward Dolan" wrote in message

Always remember, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

You are comparing yourself to a stopped clock Ed? That is an interesting
metaphor indeed. I dare say that for some people (probably not me) but for
some people you are probably right more often than once a day. For others,
probably not at all.

I like to state matters in an extreme way so as to get the attention of the
casual reader. How else can you do it? Sweet reason is wasted on these
forums.

I'm with you on the $100 per gl gas. Get people out of the cars and
trucks. You need to build something else first, however.

We need to build light rail. Our forefathers from another century had it
figured out perfectly. Let's face it, we do not know what the hell we are
doing because we have become degenerate. Every generation is dumber than the
one before it.

And now for a typical Ed Dolan the Great rant.

Liberals pretty much control the political and social dialogue in this
country. Except for talk radio and Fox News, they dominate all of the media.
And liberals are mean spirited as hell. They gang up and destroy whoever
they think is a threat to them. The Sarah Palin affair is just the latest in
a long line of liberal assassinations.

I am mainly a conservative (but not entirely). But like liberals, I know how
to get low down and dirty. Most conservatives simply do not know how to do
this. I now believe I am as good at kicking ass as they are. You can utterly
depend on liberals to be scoundrels forever, so I never hesitate to kick
their dumb asses. No liberal ever born (or made) knows the meaning of fair
play - and so I play by their rules. I do to them before they can do to me.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

"ComandanteBanana" wrote in message
...
I just have put this mental picture together:

I'm a knight fighting for JUSTICE riding a bike with no armor, but
wearing a helmet, a pennant, and a banana...

Yes, a banana since no offensive weapons are allowed in this joust.

And the SUVs are NOT playing by the CHIVALRY CODES... Do I stand a
chance against the evil giants?

Nope, not a chance! Fire has to be fought with fire. Niceness means defeat.
Where the hell do you think I would have ended up if I had ever been nice to
Tom Sherman, the most notorious liberal ever to infest Usenet?

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

"Edward Dolan" wrote in message
news:e4KdnYlhk_9iLsnXnZ2dnUVZ_uidnZ2d@prairiewave. com...


We need to build light rail. Our forefathers from another century had it
figured out perfectly. Let's face it, we do not know what the hell we are
doing because we have become degenerate. Every generation is dumber than
the one before it.


Yes to the light rail part. The rest is actually the beginning of the rant.

And now for a typical Ed Dolan the Great rant.

Liberals pretty much control the political and social dialogue in this
country. Except for talk radio and Fox News, they dominate all of the
media. And liberals are mean spirited as hell. They gang up and destroy
whoever they think is a threat to them. The Sarah Palin affair is just the
latest in a long line of liberal assassinations.

I am mainly a conservative (but not entirely). But like liberals, I know
how to get low down and dirty. Most conservatives simply do not know how
to do this. I now believe I am as good at kicking ass as they are. You can
utterly depend on liberals to be scoundrels forever, so I never hesitate
to kick their dumb asses. No liberal ever born (or made) knows the meaning
of fair play - and so I play by their rules. I do to them before they can
do to me.


As you know, I detest the "down and dirty". I've now reached the point where
I detest both liberals and conservatives. Both of them can't see past the
noses on there own smug little faces. I've been a liberal for a long time
and I can tell you that it is a point of view, like all points of view, that
can get in the way.

I don't dare speak for you Ed, but most conservatives believe what they
believe because they feel it is what is best for everyone. This is true for
most liberals too. The problem is that neither one of them can understand
this simple fact.

So I now call myself a recovering liberal. The trick is that I'm not
recovering to conservative. I'm just fed up with beliefs that tear apart
instead of join together.

Jeff

"Jeff Grippe" wrote in message
m...

"Edward Dolan" wrote in message
news:e4KdnYlhk_9iLsnXnZ2dnUVZ_uidnZ2d@prairiewave. com...


We need to build light rail. Our forefathers from another century had it
figured out perfectly. Let's face it, we do not know what the hell we are
doing because we have become degenerate. Every generation is dumber than
the one before it.


Yes to the light rail part. The rest is actually the beginning of the
rant.

And now for a typical Ed Dolan the Great rant.

Liberals pretty much control the political and social dialogue in this
country. Except for talk radio and Fox News, they dominate all of the
media. And liberals are mean spirited as hell. They gang up and destroy
whoever they think is a threat to them. The Sarah Palin affair is just
the latest in a long line of liberal assassinations.

I am mainly a conservative (but not entirely). But like liberals, I know
how to get low down and dirty. Most conservatives simply do not know how
to do this. I now believe I am as good at kicking ass as they are. You
can utterly depend on liberals to be scoundrels forever, so I never
hesitate to kick their dumb asses. No liberal ever born (or made) knows
the meaning of fair play - and so I play by their rules. I do to them
before they can do to me.


As you know, I detest the "down and dirty". I've now reached the point
where I detest both liberals and conservatives. Both of them can't see
past the noses on there own smug little faces. I've been a liberal for a
long time and I can tell you that it is a point of view, like all points
of view, that can get in the way.

I don't dare speak for you Ed, but most conservatives believe what they
believe because they feel it is what is best for everyone. This is true
for most liberals too. The problem is that neither one of them can
understand this simple fact.

So I now call myself a recovering liberal. The trick is that I'm not
recovering to conservative. I'm just fed up with beliefs that tear apart
instead of join together.

This country will never return to the days of everyone working together for
the common good. It is now divide and conquer - and take no prisoners. All
the media have now chosen sides and if you are not on one side or the other,
then you are just in the way. I am reconciled to eternal divisiveness. After
all, I have met the enemy and he is us!

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

"But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao
You ain't going to make it with anyone, anyhow."

"Revolution", The Beatles

Tell me again how you cyclists (0.1% of the population) intend to
prevent drivers (99.9% of the population) from driving their cars. It
really is amusing. (But then again, I guess I have a sick sense of
humor.)