July 4, 2007
by julie
Comments Off on Another Day to Love Those Wacky Dutch
Alkmaar, best known for a cheese market or something like that (never been there), now gets international media coverage for a drunk guy on a bike on top of a car.
He got the Dutch equivalent of public intox (yes, they have one), but not a drunk driving charge. He wasn’t driving, after all.
July 2, 2007
by julie
Comments Off on Minneapolis Cycle-Commuting
The US Census Bureau reports Minneapolis as the #2 city for bike commuters, behind notoriously-friendly Portland, Oregon.
I think the next big area for inquiry will be how many months a year this cycle-commuting core put their buns in the saddle… not that failure to ride in January is a bad thing, ’round these here parts.
June 27, 2007
by julie
Comments Off on Mississippi River Bridge for Greenway Dropped
The Star-Trib reports that Hennepin County is dropping a plan for a bike-ped bridge over the Mississippi River for the Midtown Greenway.
I can’t say I disagree. Of all the bicycle/pedestrian transit initiatives to spend $10-12 million on, I’m not overwhelmed by the need for this bridge. I think the completion of the Grand Round parkway system is more interesting, or since we are talking Hennepin County, doing something about the Old Cedar Avenue bridge.
The proposed bridge location can’t be more than a half mile from the Lake Street Bridge. I know some people are going to say that’s a mile out of their way (in each direction for some trips). But it’s a MILE. This isn’t like the Old Cedar Avenue bridge problem, where it creates a fairly significant reroute need.
I realize that when getting grants, you can’t just apply one set of federal funds to random other projects. However, I think you need to look closely at even which projects you’re asking to fund. For $10 million, this was something of a dud.
June 25, 2007
by julie
Comments Off on On Being Called a ‘Hippy’
This weekend, while riding on a county road with a 4-foot shoulder, I was called a ‘hippy,’ along with a number of words unsuitable for family consumption, by a dude in a large SUV-like vehicle.
The chief point of his out-the-window rant was that as a ‘hippy’ on a bicycle, I had no right to use the roads, and I am not a proper tax-paying citizen of this fine state or nation.
Beyond the simple fact that I was in a 4-foot shoulder, and thus really not in anyone’s way to start with even were I NOT legally entitled to road use, the economic argument against bicycle road use is perhaps the one I dislike most.
Myth: Cyclists do not contribute to road upkeep and maintenance.
Fact: Only part of the funding for road construction and maintenance comes from vehicle taxes and gas taxes. Much of the rest comes from state and federal general funding. Anyone who pays income taxes contributes.
Myth: We build trails so bikes don’t have to be on the road.
Fact: Trails are built for many reasons, including pedestrian and recreational use. In many cases, those trails are really rotten as options to do anything non-recreational, as they do not connect shopping hubs, employment hubs, and residential hubs.
Myth: Only people who can’t afford a car bicycle commute.
Fact: Don’t underestimate the incomes of some of those spandex-clad warriors or those who bicycle commute as a lifestyle choice, either — beyond looking at their incomes, their equipment isn’t always especially cheap, and does carry sales tax at purchase. Some studies suggest that cycle commuters have higher educational attainment than the median.
Plus, even if someone is on a bicycle because they can’t afford a car (or gas), that bicycle is their means to work and contribute economically, and should be encouraged.
Myth: All bicyclists are hippies.
Fact: I showered twice yesterday.
When stuck in a debate with some of the people espousing these views, none of the above work as arguments. At such moments, I like to point out that Gatorade is an American product, and that by buying $3/gallon gas, they’re enriching the Middle East, and the terrorists, and don’t they love FREEDOM?!? Heh.
June 17, 2007
by julie
Comments Off on New Jersey Bans Quick Releases
New Jersey has passed legislation that will effectively ban the sale of every commercially-made bike of reasonable quality, according to Bicycle Retailer magazine:
Under the bill, it would be illegal to sell bicycles with quick release wheels unless they met performance specifications that are not commercially available. Assembly bill A2686, which was introduced in February 2006, passed in the assembly with a vote of 77-3 and is now headed to the Senate Commerce Committee.
It is to be hoped the Commerce Committee shows some sense. Quick release levers aren’t dangerous. All it takes is a brief pre-ride safety check to ensure that they’re closed and tight every time. I suspect that even if the Committee continue down the path of dumb, this can be overturned via lawsuit quickly.