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America's most dangerous city for cyclists

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His Highness the Wise TibetanMonkey, Most Humble Philosopher

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May 5, 2013, 7:28:24 PM5/5/13
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No, it's not Miami Beach. We are officially among the "10 MOST BIKE
FRIENDLY CITIES" in America, according to the glossy magazine "Miami
Beach." Lots of people are riding all over the place, mostly on
sidewalks, while some really brave the streets. They are brave indeed,
but I'm waiting for the most anticipated bike path to connect the
beaches. Maybe it'll never happen after all the money that goes down
the black hole of corruption, in which case...

I will destroy my bicycles in the bonfire of lost dreams. "Coming
soon."

NOTE: This city is home to a bike sharing program similar to London's
and Paris'. Did I say I'm walking on flip flops? Yes, they are
actually liberating compared to regular shoes. Even sneakers seem like
a cage. No cage for the monkey.

Anyway, what's the most dangerous city to bike in America?

---------------------------------------------------------------

http://webspawner.com/users/BANANAREVOLUTION

His Highness the Wise TibetanMonkey, Most Humble Philosopher

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May 6, 2013, 11:04:32 AM5/6/13
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On May 6, 5:14 am, Huge <H...@nowhere.much.invalid> wrote:
> On 2013-05-05, His Highness the Wise TibetanMonkey, Most Humble Philosopher <thetibetanmon...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Lots of people are riding all over the place, mostly on
> > sidewalks,
>
> Figures.
>
> --
> Today is Sweetmorn, the 53rd day of Discord in the YOLD 3179
> "Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine"

Well our sidewalks are rather narrow, not exactly empty like in most
sprawls, so you must fight for space with pedestrians as well. And the
sidewalks are often blocked by delivery vehicles while the few bike
lanes that you find are also blocked. Oh, and people walking dogs on
long leashes are also common among our affluent neighbors.

You feel like a mouse surrounded by rats.

His Highness the Wise TibetanMonkey, Most Humble Philosopher

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May 6, 2013, 11:57:51 AM5/6/13
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On May 6, 3:53 am, JNugent <jennings...@fastmail.fm> wrote:
> On 06/05/2013 00:22, His Highness the Wise TibetanMonkey, Most Humble
>
> Philosopher wrote:
> > No, it's not Miami Beach. We are officially among the "10 MOST BIKE
> > FRIENDLY CITIES" in America, according to the glossy magazine "Miami
> > Beach." Lots of people are riding all over the place, mostly on
> > sidewalks, while some really brave the streets. They are brave indeed,
> > but I'm waiting for the most anticipated bike path to connect the
> > beaches. Maybe it'll never happen after all the money that goes down
> > the black hole of corruption, in which case...
> > I will destroy my bicycles in the bonfire of lost dreams. "Coming
> > soon."
> > NOTE: This city is home to a bike sharing program similar to London's
> > and Paris'. Did I say I'm walking on flip flops? Yes, they are
> > actually liberating compared to regular shoes. Even sneakers seem like
> > a cage. No cage for the monkey.
> > Anyway, what's the most dangerous city to bike in America?
>
> Detroit, of course.
>
> It's apparently the most dangerous city in the USA, hands down, and I
> can conceive of no reason why those on bicycles would be immune from the
> dangers faced by people there.
>
> <http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mlj45jggj/1-detroit/>

You know, I just thought of something:

Detroit is the crappiest city in America because is the home of the
automobile industry.

A bicycle friendly city would be green and clean. It would have less
crime and road rage because people would come out.

Wait, do people come out first or crime and road rage are reduced
first? I see people here slowly coming out on the road but last time I
tried it I had a BMW blasting the horn on my back.

His Highness the Wise TibetanMonkey, Most Humble Philosopher

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May 6, 2013, 12:59:35 PM5/6/13
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On May 6, 12:27 pm, Huge <H...@nowhere.much.invalid> wrote:
> Bigotted twat.
>
> > A bicycle friendly city would be green and clean. It would have less
> > crime and road rage because people would come out.
>
> Milton Keynes is "bicycle friendly". Except nobody will use the Redways
> (bicycle routes) because of the number of people who have been mugged
> and/or raped on them.
>
> > Wait, do people come out first or crime and road rage are reduced
> > first? I see people here slowly coming out on the road but last time I
> > tried it I had a BMW blasting the horn on my back.
>
> Perhaps you should get your stupid toy off the roads, then?
>
> --
> Today is Sweetmorn, the 53rd day of Discord in the YOLD 3179
> "Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine"

I thought a man on a bike was something serious --good for his health,
the community and the environment-- but I may be wrong.

Someone in a little Toyota or big SUV is something very serious for
the economy. Mostly the latter.

His Highness the Wise TibetanMonkey, Most Humble Philosopher

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May 6, 2013, 7:04:20 PM5/6/13
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Worry not. The first step of the Revolutionary Committee in Exile is
to assign undercover police on bikes. I was reading around (doing my
homework) and it seems that those bushes are indeed good camouflage
for predators.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_Keynes_redway_system

And then it's this most frustrating issue that I also face here:

"As all Redways are shared use with no cycle/pedestrian lane marking
or separation, the need for frequent braking to pass pedestrians,
other cyclists, children, dogs etc. safely is another cause of
frustration."

His Highness the Wise TibetanMonkey, Most Humble Philosopher

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May 7, 2013, 11:12:00 AM5/7/13
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On May 7, 2:40 am, Martin Edwards <big_mart...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> >> Wait, do people come out first or crime and road rage are reduced
> >> first? I see people here slowly coming out on the road but last time I
> >> tried it I had a BMW blasting the horn on my back.
>
> > Perhaps you should get your stupid toy off the roads, then?
>
> Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain.


Well, maybe Satan is stupid instead of evil. I heard "Never attribute
to evil what you can attribute to stupidity."

But there's no doubt in my mind what kind of vehicle they would
choose. God would choose the bicycle. And Satan a black SUV.

His Highness the Wise TibetanMonkey, Most Humble Philosopher

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May 7, 2013, 11:32:49 AM5/7/13
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On May 7, 2:38 am, Martin Edwards <big_mart...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> On 06/05/2013 18:07, His Highness the Wise TibetanMonkey, Most Humble
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Philosopher wrote:
> > On May 6, 2:31 am, Martin Edwards <big_mart...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> >> On 05/05/2013 22:46, His Highness the TibetanMonkey, Most Humble
>
> >> Philosopher wrote:
> >>> On May 3, 2:49 am, Martin Edwards <big_mart...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> >>>> On 01/05/2013 22:03, His Highness the Wise TibetanMonkey, Most Humble
>
> >>>> Philosopher wrote:
> >>>>> Or the UK is an epigone of America. Two parties with small variations
> >>>>> of the same.
>
> >>>> Yes, I very much agree with that.
>
> >>>> --
> >>>> Myth, after all, is what we believe naturally. History is what we must
> >>>> painfully learn and struggle to remember. -Albert Goldman
>
> >>> Very little variation and yet they hate each other with a passion?
>
> >>> This side of the Atlantic "liberal" is worse than gay.
>
> >>> I would be afraid to say such word out loud. If I were to come out of
> >>> the closet I think it would be safe to admit being a liberal in NYC.
>
> >> Yes, I think so. The Law and Order stable is generally liberal and
> >> Lennie (pbuh) was sometimes suspected of reactionary tendencies.
>
> > Well, what counts is that the parks are free of homeless and the
> > streets free of litter.
>
> > That's the problem in my reactionary town, mostly corruption. Though I
> > think that's a bipartisan issue.
>
> Could you identify it? I'm interested in that kind of thing. While NY
> looks like what Europeans think of as a city, I found in, eg, Louisiana,
> that the cities are not really cities but collections of buildings.
> Lafayette, Lake Charles and even Baton Rouge do not seem busy at any
> time of day.

I said it last summer: "If you hate people, you'll love America --
except if you live in NYC."

The sprawl atomizes people (what a fantastic word). People are
naturally SOCIAL until they get behind the wheel of the automobile.
The only friendly vehicle that could traverse a city (another nice
word) without destroying communities is the bicycle. Public
transportation too, but that requires some burning of gas and a lot of
patience in a spread out city. Buses can't really adapt to your route
as well.

Last summer I landed 100 miles from NYC, in a little town called
Woodbourne and I thought of Heaven and Hell. Absolutely beautiful but
absolutely nothing to do. No trails to hike, something the Europeans
enjoy as well. NYC is different. There are trails not far from the
city or at least as close as being practical. Central Park is a nice
getaway in the middle of the Urban Jungle. The rest of America is a
DESERT for the most part. Parks are full of homeless in my area, so
that's something to avoid. You see few people and when you find it's
often the wrong people. An Oasis is hard to find.

Hey, I got my nice desert cap...

http://www.ultra-running-insights.com/images/gear-desert-hat-north-face.jpg

His Highness the Wise TibetanMonkey, Most Humble Philosopher

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May 9, 2013, 11:06:04 AM5/9/13
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On May 9, 4:02 am, Martin Edwards <big_mart...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> On 08/05/2013 20:38, His Highness the Wise TibetanMonkey, Most Humble
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Philosopher wrote:
> > On May 8, 8:47 am, jane <jane.pla...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >> On May 7, 11:42 am, "His Highness the Wise TibetanMonkey, Most Humble
>
> >> Philosopher" <thetibetanmon...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>> That's a nice way to describe life in America. You often wonder
> >>> "Where's the people?" as you walk in America. Buses are totally
> >>> unreliable. Then there's NYC, often called the Asphalt Jungle, a place
> >>> where the "monkey within" (we all have a monkey within) can have fun
> >>> and socialize. It depends what feels "natural" to you, but you often
> >>> find yourself in a cage given the wrong conditions. And that's bad,
> >>> real bad. Actually, it's time for me to get out...
> >>>http://www.ultra-running-insights.com/images/gear-desert-hat-north-fa...
>
> >>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> >>>http://webspawner.com/users/BANANAREVOLUTION
>
> >> I was just in NYC and I would have to say that you have the scenario
> >> the wrong way around; NYC is the desert. I didn't see one blade of
> >> grass, one pant, one tree. What I did see was a lot of sand, rocks and
> >> limestone intermixed (concrete). When it rained, the water did not
> >> penetrate into the ground, but rather flowed off of the surface and
> >> was directed away from the city; the ground underneath was dry and
> >> arid. The inhabitants don't eat food or drink water from this desert
> >> area; both have to be imported from the plush and fertile areas
> >> surrounding this desert.
>
> > The sprawl has taken over farmland all over this nation and we find an
> > ever growing trend to import food. The trend here is more freeways and
> > parking lots.
>
> > And they don't grow food in the sprawl. It's a wasteland, with few
> > signs of life. There's a trend to build "liveable communities," but
> > that's only for the trendy.
>
> > The rest live in the desert.
>
> From the Sopranos it seems as if there is no kind of traditional land
> use in New Jersey, no cities, no towns, no country, just gobbets of
> housing, what remains of industry and nothing in particular scattered in
> amongst each other. Is this the future?

I think the American sprawl shows the power of the Real Estate
Industry and the Automobile Industry while the engineers just a lend a
hand in the execution. They have done a poor job at creating liveable
communities. The supreme monument to stupidity (or evil, whatever your
take) is to create a bicycle infrastructure that exposes the innocent
cyclist to greater danger.

And, of course, they can claim they are creating space for bikes.
Another PR campaign.
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