And, I'm not against those who ride their bicycles specifically for that reason. It's great to have a strong passion for the environment. But, I do find it extremely interesting that one would solely ride a bicycle in order to live the green life, if for no other reason at all. I guess they would have to enjoy riding a bicycle somewhat, right? As much as I love riding my bicycle for transportation, I could never completely give up my car. I've often thought about it, but it's not something I can fathom. Kudos to the many who have done it.
I'd love to know if there are any of you out there who ride bicycles solely for that reason: to go green, for the greater good of the environment. If you do, well, I think you are pretty special. That's all.
Not I... though I am aware of it and I support those who do ride for the "greenness" of it. For me it's just a good side-effect :)
ReplyDeleteLuc, absolutely, it's a great side-effect.
ReplyDeleteBeing that you are also an artist, I think you would appreciate the following blog post on the anthropology of the color green. It was a fun read.
http://thegeekanthropologist.com/2012/11/21/weekly-photo-challenge-green-and-the-anthropology-of-color/
I think when I started to become a "city cyclist" so many years ago, going green was a big part of it, along with giving up my car. And yep, there are quite a bit o' folk in Portland who do it for that reason alone. I'm still into the green aspect, but it is one of the many reasons why I ride. I ride primarily because I like to ride. I enjoy riding. I've seen enough folk who ride as "a statement" over the years, and they never looked like they were having fun, and then they started to make excuses why they're not riding much (or at all) anymore...
ReplyDeleteThat's great Shawn, I never knew that was one of the main reasons you started riding. Happy Thanksgiving btw.
DeletePor Moi? I just like to ride also. There was a time when we only had one operating vehicle and it went to my husband for his long commute. That summer I rode everyday, through lots of rain because I had to. There is not alternative transportation to my workplace. Sometimes I hated riding in inclement weather; other times it was okay. It made me appreciate those who choose to not own an automobile.
ReplyDeleteSue,
ReplyDeleteGiven that you are into advocacy and bike safety I wanted to send you this:
boston.cbslocal(dot)com/2012/12/06/person-hit-by-truck-on-commonwealth-avenue/
This just happened this morning.
I no longer ride this route, but I did for several years. Comm Ave is a heavily traveled road (bikes, cars, and too many pedestrians to shake a stick at being that it goes directly through the Boston University campus) and (thankfully) has a wide and well marked bike lane along this length.
That being said, it was still a nightmare to ride down on a daily basis. Mostly because delivery trucks and taxis would routinely (and with impunity, I suspect, as I never witnessed a citation being given during my near 2-years riding this route) use the bike lave for offloading and the like. Between the trucks, traffic, and crush of students I called it "Riding the Gauntlet".
Also, while traveling this road I experienced more near collisions as a result of "right-hooking" than along any other route I have ridden in this city. Many right where this collision in the news article above occurred.
Now, it's early in the investigation and I do not want to jump to conclusions; but I suspect that this incident may be as a result of a "right-hook", which was, consequently, made illegal and a citable offense a few years back here in the Commonwealth.
I sincerely hope that this young cyclist (he was 26) was not doing anything foolish, but if so than so be it and may he rest in peace; but if it shows that the truck driver was at fault, I sincerely hope to see serious charges levied against them.
If anything it goes to show that infrastructure isn't enough (as I said, that area is well developed in that respect), we need education, awareness, and respect for each other on the road.
It will be interesting to see how things pan out in a city that is really trying to push bike safety and advocacy.
(I would have e-mailed this rather than posting as a comment, but I could not locate an email address for you through the blog.)
P.S. I actually copied the body of this mssg and posted it as a blog entry.
Ride safe!
Thanks Luc for letting me know about this accident. I will try to find out more information and get back to you. I actually prefer and don't mind at all that you share your experiences and thoughts here. As a bicycling community this type of comment can help educate others as well. If only one truck driver, or one motor vehicle driver, reads this comment, and it encourages them to have a positive outlook on a person who rides a bicycle, for transportation or leisure, then our work is done.
ReplyDeleteHer is my email address if you ever need it: wanderlust2b at yahoo dot com.
Thank you,
ReplyDeleteOne of the most disheartening things about this whole affair has been the comments on the various news sites that have reported it. Whether it be the local Fox affiliate or NPR doesn't seem to matter, the knee jerk reaction seems to be (from cyclists and motorists) that the cyclist was somehow at fault.
The little info I have been able to gather so far shows the contrary: Witnesses say the cyclist was in the bike lane, traveling with traffic, and the truck appears to have been taking a wide turn from the outside (left) lane, crossing both the right driving lane and the bike lane.
It's sad and sorry that a young man is dead and the thing people want to do is blame him.
I do know that the internet does have the tendency to often bring out the worst element of people, and it scares me that there may be people with such extreme views as to be happy about this... people who may being driving by me on any given day.