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De Clarke | 1 Jun 2001 08:13
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Re: Re: "Biking Is Weird"


These are the top three reasons that my adult friends give me 
for not using their bikes for routine errands. 

1) fear -- "cycling is so dangerous"

2) inconvenience -- "I just don't have the time"

3) difficulty -- "I'm not in that kind of shape"

I point out patiently (when I have the time and inclination) 
that (3) I myself am more dumpling shaped than pencil shaped, 
and I do just fine... that cycling uses fewer calories than 
walking a similar distance... that our buses almost all have 
bike racks.... (2) I have more free time since I got rid of my 
cars... and more discretionary spending money too... some of my 
friends are spending money and time on exercise machines in 
"health spas" which they might not need if they actually walked 
or biked anywhere... (1) cycling is nowhere near as dangerous 
as most Americans peculiarly believe it to be. 

and of course there is not wanting to be weird.

But when it comes to not using a bike even for easy, short 
errands -- I find the number one reason, that I hear over and 
over again, is "it's so dangerous" -- "the traffic is so bad 
these days" [so you go out and make it even worse by driving, 
right] -- "I feel afraid all the time when I ride my bike" -- 
"at least in my car I won't die" -- "I don't know how you can 
be so brave [foolish]" -- "are you sure you wouldn't like me to
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renegadebuddhacoach | 1 Jun 2001 11:12

Re: Re: "longer commute

Is any one doing a commute of over 25 miles CarFree?
I may be doing this for a while next August I am hoping some bus service may
be viable but doubt it. I am considering making an electric Bob trailer saw
one on the net looks like it might work out. Any one have any experience
with this or any other power assist or electric bikes for longer commutes?

NetZero Platinum
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Lanyon, Ryan | 1 Jun 2001 15:05
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Cycling is Safe(r)

Why anyone would think an SUV like the Ford Explorer, complete with
Bridgestone/Firestone tires, is safer than cycling is beyond me.

Health Canada measured risk factors for a number of activities in 1991 and
rated them. It is more dangerous to swim, consume alcohol or fall than it
is to cycle. See below for more information.

http://www.cfsc.ottawa.on.ca/safety/RelativeSafety.html

-RL
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Karen Sandness | 1 Jun 2001 16:48
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Biking is Weird

CarFree@... wrote:

> One of the Catch-22's of our time is that the more everyone
> abandons the public street, the less of an audience is left
> to witness and/or intervene if bad things are happening.
> The fewer cyclists there are on the road, the more danger
> for each remaining cyclist; the fewer pedestrians on the
> street or path, the greater the opportunity for unwitnessed
> crime. Again, each person acting to make him/herself more
> "safe" is contributing to the overall increase in danger
> and the breakdown of civil life... sigh.
> 
> de
> 
Exactly. This first struck me after I lived in Japan and noticed people
walking around fearlessly after dark. Not coincidentally, the
family-owned stores stayed open until the owners went to bed, so there
was always a potential "refuge" if anyone tried anything illegal.

When I went back to the States to finish up graduate school, I lived in
an apartment three blocks off campus. Some people thought that I was
foolhardy for walking through this high-crime area at night, but I had
it figured out: there were restaurants and other establishments the
whole way. 

I now walk home from the bus stop after dark whenever I need to, and I
have never been attacked or threatened. In fact, a relatively large
number of people walk around at night in my neighborhood (just a couple
of blocks from N.W. 23rd Avenue in Portland).
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Alicia Clancy | 1 Jun 2001 23:56
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THE ENGINE OF PROGRESS?

an interesting point of view in the progress of cars....alicia.

THE ENGINE OF PROGRESS?
One-third of all new cars sold in Europe are diesel-powered, and
analysts think the number will rise to at least 40 percent by 2005.
Diesel engines can use 30 percent less fuel than gasoline ones, and
they emit far less carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. In the
U.S., meanwhile, less than 1 percent of new cars have diesel engines.
A draft report to Congress by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences
says diesel engines may be the quickest way to improve the fuel
economy of America cars. But U.S. environmental groups remain
opposed to the engines because of the sooty particulate emissions
that come from them. Daniel Becker of the Sierra Club said, "As long
as we have other technologies that are clean, I don't see the point
in producing carcinogenic soot."

straight to the source: New York Times, Edmund L. Andrews and Keith
Bradsher, 27 May 2001
<http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/27/business/27DIES.html>
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Jym Dyer | 2 Jun 2001 00:57
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Esso (Exxon) Boycott frightens Friedman

=v= Today's _New_York_Times_ has an opinion piece by that smug
neocon, Thomas Friedman:

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/01/opinion/01FRIE.html

Looks like he's running scared from the Esso Boycott in England.
Something we could learn from.
<_Jym_≥

A Tiger by the Tail
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

And now for a wild prediction. Within 12 months President Bush,
Vice President Dick Cheney and all their backers in the oil
industry will be begging -- begging -- to revive the Kyoto
protocol on climate change, the accord Mr. Bush yanked America
out of after taking office.

Why, you ask? Well, look what's happening in England. A group
of celebrities there have joined with environmentalists to
launch a boycott against Exxon Mobil gas stations, which in
Europe go by the name Esso. Bianca Jagger, the pop star Annie
Lennox and Anita Rodrick, founder of the Body Shop chain, helped
launch the boycott because, as Ms. Jagger said, ``This is a way
to tell Esso that it's not right for them to be claiming that
there is no connection between CO2 emissions and climate
change.''

People connected with Exxon reportedly contributed more than
$1 million to the Bush campaign. Exxon is a key supporter
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Jym Dyer | 2 Jun 2001 02:26
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Re: Re: "longer commute

> Is any one doing a commute of over 25 miles CarFree?

=v= I used to. I had a 40 mile intermodal commute, using a rail
system + bicycle, though it was sort of onerous because bikes
were banned during commute hours. One time I showed up one
minute late and they wouldn't let me on the train, so I biked
the whole way. After that, I'd bike the whole way once or twice
each week.

> I am considering making an electric Bob trailer saw one on the
> net looks like it might work out.

=v= The setup I read about uses batteries and solar panels to
power the trailer's wheel, which gives the assist. However, it
sounded like the weight of the batteries cancelled it all out.
The tradeoff seemed to be getting a little help going up hills
in return for hauling the works around on the flats.
<_Jym_≥
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De Clarke | 2 Jun 2001 03:53
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funny driver story


A friend of mine reports this (which I completely believe,
knowing my town).

I was taking a walk on Saturday morning up near
the campus [upper-middle-class suburban ranch-home
neighbourhood]. I saw this car driving around very
strangely. It was going pretty fast and a woman
kept shouting out the window. They went up the
street and then around the block and back again,
about 30 miles per hr. I couldn't figure it out.
It was early morning, how could they be drunk already?

Finally I figured it out, when they passed me. She was 
yelling for their dog, I guess it wandered off from the 
house. But the crazy thing was, they were going so 
fast that even if the dog heard them it could never 
catch up with them! They were searching this small area 
just a few blocks around their home, roaring around in 
their car -- unbelievable. If they'd walked they might 
have found their dog. I guess they could not imagine 
actually walking a couple of blocks. 

When I left the area they were still at it. I was
hoping they did not get too close to the dog actually.
If it was a dumb dog it might hear them calling and
run right out to them, and they might run it over.

If these people had been cruising very slowly, I guess it might
have made sense. it's the 30 mph bit that amazes me. it's
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Roy Preston | 2 Jun 2001 09:35
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Re: Esso (Exxon) Boycott frightens Friedman

>A Tiger by the Tail

Thanks for that, Jym.

It looks as if 'the pumps' have taken the place of the altar over here.
News this morning reports protestors aginst fuel prices re-grouping at fuel
pumps around the country.

True democracy! But is it philosophically right? I dunno!

Roy P(anic!!)
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Douglas Muller | 3 Jun 2001 01:16
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Changing attitudes


The recent discussion about improving bike commuting's image through direct 
appeals to public opinion (rather than hoping that legislation or improved 
infrastructure will do it in a roundabout way) has got me thinkin'...

Could the pro-bike movement support a PeTA-esque activism and advocacy 
organization (how 'bout PeST--People for Sane Transportation <g>)?

I think PeTA does many questionable things, and I'm not at all trying to 
start a discussion about their tactics, but I wonder if our movement (if 
there is such a thing) would be bolstered by having a strong national-level 
advocacy group. Do we have the numbers to warrant such a group? I'm sure 
there aren't as many deliberately car-free people in America as vegetarians, 
but I sense our numbers are steadily increasing. And with the impending gas 
price crisis, I suspect that our ranks will swell even more, and that the 
public discourse about energy policy will be so widespread that the stage 
would be better set for the appearance of a bold pro-bike group than it has 
been for years.

The big stumbling block, as far as I can see, is money. PeTA's got plenty of 
wealthy benefactors, many of them celebrities. Sadly, it's hard to imagine a 
large number of car-free millionaires out there willing to support an 
equivalent organization for the bike community. So I guess I've answered my 
own question, since the existence of a group like PeTA takes a lot of money.

Still, the only organizations that work for car-freedom on a national level 
in a consciousness-raising capacity seem to be really fringe. I know we're 
pretty far from normal--all the recent posts on the "Biking is Weird" thread 
confirm that to be the public's perception of us--but when I hear of 
Critical Masses being started up in the most random small cities around the
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Gmane