"For city bicycling to catch on we need a revolution in our society's infrastructure" and many other quotes
His Highness the TibetanMonkey & the Free Spirits of the Jungle
infrastructure. Right now a city rider needs to be a road warrior, and
the bike needs to be cheap and ugly so it won't get stolen. That's not
a bike friendly culture."
- Gary Fisher, founder and CEO of Fisher Bicycles Riding
That's a BIG TRUTH which denies civilization, placing us right next to
the Taliban and their denial of humanity to women. Further, it
indicates the breakdown of culture and the prevalence of ANIMAL
INSTINCTS among us. We are looking for INJUSTICE in far away places,
and we have it right around the corner. We don't discriminate women.
They too can ride bicycle on sidewalks.
This is a clever observation: "Bicycles are the indicator species of a
community..." So we have abandoned the idea of community centered
around the bicycle and embraced the one centered around the SUV.
Enough said, now enjoy the quotes...
http://www.gtdbike.com/bike_quotes.htm
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His Highness the TibetanMonkey & the Free Spirits of the Jungle
On Nov 21, 7:44 pm, xeno <69black...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Nov 21, 1:17 pm, "His Highness the TibetanMonkey & the Free Spirits
> of the Jungle" <comandante.ban...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > "For city bicycling to catch on we need a revolution in our society's
> > infrastructure. ...
>
> In order to have a revolution in the infrastructure, you're going to
> need a revolution in superstructure & to do that you need a
> revolutionary change in the economic base.
And that requires a revolutionary change in thinking... something the
Christians --presumably the majority of voters-- may not be ready for.
Plan B: Do it somewhere else. ;)
His Highness the TibetanMonkey & the Free Spirits of the Jungle
On Nov 22, 9:49 am, thea <thea.n...@gmail.com> wrote:
> the following was from ScienceDaily:
>
> Risk Factors That Lead to Bicycling Injuries in City Traffic
>
> ScienceDaily (Nov. 16, 2010) — The streets of New York City can be dangerous
> for bicyclists, but they can be especially risky for young adult male
> bicyclists who don't wear helmets, have too much to drink, or are listening
> to music through earphones, a group of investigators from New York City's
> Bellevue Hospital reported at the 2010 Annual Clinical Congress of the
> American College of Surgeons.
> In a preliminary analysis of 143 bicyclists injured in traffic crashes, the
> researchers aimed to identify contributing risk factors. "The most
> interesting things are the number of cyclists who have alcohol in their
> system,
I bet a lot of winos use bikes to get around. Well, at least they
don't kill other people as they would as drivers.
> and the number of cyclists who wear helmets is unbelievably low,"
Unless I use a road (fast) bike, I often don't wear helmets because
the hat will protect my skin and make it much cooler in the hotter
months. Hey, at night I do!
That's a calculated risk.
> according to principal investigator Spiros Frangos, MD, MPH, FACS.
> This study, commissioned by the State of New York, is unique in that it
> looks at injuries bicyclists sustain in motor vehicle crashes, Dr. Frangos
> said. "A lot of what's been done in this realm by city and state agencies
> has more to do with bicyclists' mortality in motor vehicle crashes," he
> said. "If you look just at mortalities, you're looking at less than one
> percent of these incidents." Added coinvestigator Patricia Ayoung-Chee, MD,
I bet some are crippled, which is worse than dying --at least for me.
> "We're looking at morbidity, hospitalization, and the need for
> rehabilitation, which is all information that we can then use to determine
> how this affects the health care system overall."
I guess they are talking about the bottom line: money. And what's a
breadwinner to do when injured?
> The investigators reported on preliminary results from the first year of a
> three-year study. The completed study will also include data on pedestrians
> struck by vehicles, Dr. Frangos said. The first phase of data analysis
> identified these risk factors among injured cyclists: 87 percent were men
> and 96 percent were over age 18; 13 percent were intoxicated; five percent
> were listening to music.
Hey, you must block all that honking behind you.
> Despite helmet laws, only 24 percent of the injured bicyclists were wearing
> helmets. New York State law requires all cyclists 13 and younger to wear
> helmets, and New York City mandates helmets on all working cyclists -- the
> latter typified by the bicycle delivery persons weaving through Midtown
> traffic. Forty-one percent of the study subjects sustained injuries on the
> job, but only about one-third of those working cyclists (32 percent) were
> wearing helmets.
They don't in Mecca (Holland).
> "I don't think the New York City laws are being enforced," Dr. Frangos said.
> The study also looked at the nature of bicycle-motor vehicle accidents.
> Eighteen percent of the injured cyclists were using a bike lane and 17
> percent collided with a vehicle door. Seventeen percent of the incidents
> were hit-and-run. Taxi cabs accounted for 35 percent of bicyclists'
> injuries.
Hit-and-run are all too common. I'd apply Modified Sharia Law to them
until it's eradicated.
Maybe we can put a tattoo on his forehead with an "R" (rat).
> The investigators have been sharing their data with the state and city
> departments of transportation and health as well as the New York Police
> Department. They are also seeking a state grant that would have
> practitioners speak to community groups to reinforce bicycle safety measures
> and prevent further traumatic injuries to bicyclists.
We have many reports already but it doesn't hurt to have one more to
prove the obvious.
>
> Now tell me that you would rather ride the rails than be on a bicycle.
I confess to being intimidated by it all. I'd rather be a couch-
potato. Better yet, I'd rather do my stationary bike.
His Highness the TibetanMonkey & the Free Spirits of the Jungle
On Nov 22, 3:03 pm, zencycle <zency...@bikerider.com> wrote:
> It isn't as much as revolution in the infrastructure that's necessary
> to accommodate bike travel, but a revolution in the american culture.
> Certainly, bike lanes and secure parking facilities would be helpful,
> but what it really comes down to is mutual respect on both the part of
> the cyclist and the motorist.
>
> As someone who has been an amatuer racer and commuter since the mid
> 80's, I can make a few comments on infrastructure improvements as they
> relate to 'cycling friendly' culture.
I have slowly but surely moved away from infrastructure to equality. I
mean the bicycle TAKE THE LANE or nothing at all. No sidewalk or edge
of the road. You can not possibly share the lane with a 5 ton vehicle.
You share the road, but not the lane. You are too fragile to squeeze
into the lane with another vehicle which feels entitled to the whole
lane and harasses you and pushes you out.
You share the lane when there's a one lane road. One point we got to
make is:
ONE MORE BIKE = ONE FEWER CAR
>
> 1) bike lanes are dangerous - Motorists generally show little regard
> for a strip reserved for cyclists. People pull out of parking spaces
> and open doors without looking, delivery vehicles park right on them,
> and the more clueless riders travel the wrong direction.
>
> 2) bike paths are dangerous - bike paths get clogged with: runners,
> mothers with strollers, and the worst of all - rollerbladers. It's
> literally impossible to ride on an urban bike path at anything faster
> than a walking speed when the weather is nice.
>
> I worked in boston for a few years, and commuted from bedford to
> downtown, directly alongside the minuteman bike path. It was safer,
> faster, and easier to ride on the street.
>
> But I'm an anomaly among commuters. Since I'm a competitive cyclist, I
> usually keep up with traffic in urban areas and have no problem taking
> a lane to make a turn. I've been honked at a few times as I draft a
> truck at 30 mph, but I'm not getting in anyone's way or slowing anyone
> down. I'm one of the rare cyclist that you see stopping for traffic
> lights and stop signs, and I normally yield the right of way to cars -
> as if I were driving.
Yep, you are far above the average. Most practical cycling occurs at
no more than 10 mph.
>
> I've found that by giving respect to other vehicles on the road by not
> _expecting_ them to yield to me, I end up not getting harassed too
> often. Just like every other commuter, I take the same route at about
> the same time of day, and I'm seen every day by the same people. They
> give me room, and I do my best to make sure I don't make them have to
> slow down.
>
> This is what needs to change if we are to create a culture more
> amenable to cycling in the US, not demanding our own infrastructure,
> but showing a mutual respect for other users of the motorways. You
> have to get to work, just like I do.
Well, my good neighbor (he's really nice but stupid) doesn't consider
that bicycles should be on the road. The bad drivers just harass you
or pass you within inches.
>
> But that's me, and I know I'm not like everyone else. I've seen
> cyclists blast through a redlight on the alewife brook parkway at mass
> ave, forcing cars to lock up their brakes. I've seen a messenger hop a
> median strip into oncoming traffic. stupid, stupid, stupid.
Yes but Darwin's law takes care of them.
>
> Gary Fisher laments the lack of a euro-style cycling culture in the US
> - It isn't he infrastructure that's the issue, it's the attitude. If
> the motoring public is going to be more amenable to accommodations in
> infrastructure, they're going to have to accept bicycles as
> alternative transportation and not toys, and that isn't going to
> happen until they see the cycling commuting ride like adults instead
> of children.
We admit our inferior place in the food chain by placing ourselves
next to the gutter. Critical Mass is pretty stupid too in blocking
roads. TAKE THE LANE --just one lane, and let the cars worry about
you.
THIS IS MY PROPOSAL.: CARS MUST EXIT THE LANE 100' BEFORE AND AFTER A
BICYCLE. The distance is negotiable. ;)
His Highness the TibetanMonkey & the Free Spirits of the Jungle
> > THIS IS MY PROPOSAL: CARS MUST EXIT THE LANE 100' BEFORE AND AFTER A
> > BICYCLE. The distance is negotiable. ;)
>
> yea its always fun to go around a bend going up hill at speed limit of
> 45 mph and run into a cyclist who is pumping his ass of and going 3mph
> taking half the lane and cars comming in the other direction. I guess
> the only solution is to punt.
Hey, hey, hold those horses. The cyclist is going on the right lane
and you are a good boy going 20-25 on the slow lane, particularly
before a blind curve.
Besides, who's going 3mph, a grandmother? She deserves you to stop and
bow, OK?
His Highness the TibetanMonkey & the Free Spirits of the Jungle
> > Following trails may be good for leisure but not for going anywhere.
> > We need the same road, but perhaps we can educate the cyclists about
> > SPEED DIFFERENTIAL. Some kind of training and certificate could be in
> > order.
>
> With all due respects you are dreaming, if you lived in the hills of Pa.
> the last thing you want is a bike, steep hills narrow roads
> what good is a bike with 6 to 12 inches of snow on the road and no
> shoulders on the road
The bike is not a vehicle for all terrains or all seasons. I'm talking
whenever, wherever practical. My local supermarket is full of SUVs and
I can hardly make it on my bike. If I follow the main road, I'm dead
meat. If secondary roads, I must slow down at every corner. Flat
terrain, perfect weather and I'm in the cage.
The people who ride bikes do so on sidewalks, which makes me wonder
why they don't simply walk or stay home. I'm about to inquire into
home delivery. ;)
Walking is painfully slow and sometimes is too hot for it. My bicycles
have the rack and everything and are gathering rust by the sea.
His Highness the TibetanMonkey & the Free Spirits of the Jungle
> On 11/22/10 7:19 PM, Tom wrote:
> <...>
>
> > Instead of a bike lane all bikes should be banned on roads.
>
> No, people who ride or drive stupidly should be banned.
Well, at least they would be as honest as the Taliban, not teasing
that bikes are welcomed on the road.
"The American Taliban want no bicycles, period."
His Highness the TibetanMonkey & the Free Spirits of the Jungle
> On 11/22/10 16:32, Jeff Strickland wrote:
>
> > "Tom"<t...@comcast.net> wrote in message
> >news:iceml9$kln$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
> >> On 11/22/10 3:48 PM, His Highness the TibetanMonkey& the Free Spirits of
> >> the Jungle wrote:
>
> >>> On Nov 22, 3:03 pm, zencycle<zency...@bikerider.com> wrote:
> >>>> It isn't as much as revolution in the infrastructure that's necessary
> >>>> to accommodate bike travel, but a revolution in the american culture.
> >>>> Certainly, bike lanes and secure parking facilities would be helpful,
> >>>> but what it really comes down to is mutual respect on both the part of
> >>>> the cyclist and the motorist.
>
> > Until that happens, I'm gonna do my construction work with my truck.
>
> I know a guy who has crossed the country a couple of times on a
> motorcycle pulling one of those 2-bed fold-out trailers. BIG
> motorcycle, of course.
Well, we know a bicycle is better than going on foot anytime...
http://www.themorgans.info/expedition/images/threesixteenth/Pict1704-banana-loaded-bicy.jpg
Perhaps we should remove the pedestrians from sidewalks and give it to
bikes. Pedestrians are closer to the hunter-gatherer and our society
relies on progress.
His Highness the TibetanMonkey & the Free Spirits of the Jungle
On Nov 23, 6:49 pm, xeno <69black...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Nov 22, 12:43 pm, "His Highness the TibetanMonkey & the Free
> Spirits of the Jungle" <nolionnoprob...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > I have slowly but surely moved away from infrastructure to equality. I
> > mean the bicycle TAKE THE LANE or nothing at all. No sidewalk or edge
> > of the road. You can not possibly share the lane with a 5 ton vehicle.
> > You share the road, but not the lane. You are too fragile to squeeze
> > into the lane with another vehicle which feels entitled to the whole
> > lane and harasses you and pushes you out.
>
> Yikes. The infrastructure, as it is, forces you off the road when a 5
> ton truck comes along. So there is no fucking equality there. Now
> you're on the sidewalk & some ped's going to shit their pants when
> some bike impedes on their space. No equality there as well.
>
> So, it's take the lane, & take your chances. Take whatever space you
> can when you can get it. Or get off the fucking
> bike when you need to & walk until you can get on again. Otherwise
> you'll end up just passing the buck while being indignant.
DO WHAT YOU CAN IN ORDER TO SURVIVE. Don't give up. When you can't
pedal, walk. When you can't walk, crawl. And when you can't crawl,
climb a tree.
I don't know why monkeys came down from the trees in the first place.