U.S. cities that have long promoted bicycle use by commuters are now seeing a steady rise in the popularity of pedal power as gasoline prices soar.
Campaigns originally designed to cut down on traffic and pollution are now paying off for people looking for an option to driving with national gas prices averaging a record $4 per gallon.
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
Congratulations Georgie-boy, you have turned America into Vietnam. All we are missing are the hookers on every street corner.
We need changes to the laws(and roads) to allow scooters on the roadways and the tranformation will be complete
If this is true . . . invest in spandex now!
I am an avid bike rider, I have been all my life. I use to ride racing bikes, then I went to mountain bikes, and in my later years, Ive become a recumbent enthusiasts. I still ride around 40 to 50 miles a week in the summer even if I dont have to. I know a lot of people who ride as well, and one thing I hate, absolutely hate, is people who complain about traffic, but then I watch them blast through stop signs and lights, but in and out of traffic like 15 year olds trying to show how cool they are. When I ask them why they complain about car, and yet break the traffic laws , like not stopping at stop signs, the excuse I get the most is " Because its harder for me to get started on a bike "
That is a BS cop out & very child like. They do it because they think they dont have to obey any rules on a bike. They are arrogant AHoles, and they just Piss me Off. Then they whine and cry when someone who rides like them gets hit by a car while blasting through a stop or weaving in an out of traffic. I think if you respect the rules of the road, as you are suppose to do by the law in most states, you usually get along well in traffic. At least that is my experience in 40 years of riding.
Agreed 100%! As a once and future bicycle commuter, I have zero respect for cyclists who don't stop at traffic lights.
Once, when I was driving my car, I almost hit a cyclist who ignored a traffic light. What was he thinking? He was fully equipped, with a helmet and even knee pads. But none of those things will help him stay safe, if he leaves his brain at home when he goes cycling.
This is exactly my problem with Critical Mass rides. I ride a lot too, and I obey the traffic laws. I don't like CM rides because they blow stop signs and red lights, and take up the entire street, all of which are illegal.
One thing that really impressed me on a CM ride was when an ambulance with siren and lights came up behind us. We parted like the Red Sea and the ambulance was able to pass easily.
Yes, CM is bad for bike riders who are not arrogant.
Holly crap, Tim Russert just died form a heart attack! !
I bike daily but the idea of riding in six lanes of exhaust sounds positively deadly , especially when the ozone is high. Some streets should be dedicated to bikes alone.
bicycle commuting is a joke. I live in a supposed "bicycle friendly" town. I'm a cyclist.
too many idiots talking on cellphones.
too many drivers who believe "bikes don't belong"
roads with insufficient shoulders.
bicycle to work and you're going to have a "near miss" once a week or more.
gasoline would have to be $50 a gallon before cities will REALLY start doing what it takes to make cycle commuting safe.
"...too many drivers who believe 'bikes don't belong'..."
...and wouldn't you know it, several people fitting that description have already taken the time to seek out this forum to express their disdain for the rest of us.
People in cars probably have at least 1 near miss every week to. Its going to happen with this many people on the road, be it with bicycles , cars, or mules. Its defensive driving/ riding that will help here. And its obeying the laws unless its unavoidable, and not thinking your above the laws just because you are on a bike, or in a car.
Yes, but no one dies when two 2000# vehicles collide at low speeds.
I've been bicylcing to work in LA for three years now and have not had an accident. Some near misses yeah sure but that can happen in a car. I take comfort in the fact that the idiot blathering away on their cellphone hogging the road in their SUV is going to get theirs at the pump.
"Some near misses yeah sure but that can happen in a car"
Difference is, a direct hit in a car most often means a trip to the bump and paint shop.
A direct hit on a Bicycle means a trip to the hospital.
We drive for many reasons, safety is a big one.
I'm sure your co-workers enjoy the smell of BO all day.
It will not have to be promoted soon.
If the cities want to promote bike riding they need to construct bikeways. The cost is modest, and is paid back quickly. Bike friendly towns are healthy for the environment and people.
Visualize an enlightened city like Amsterdam or Portland, WA, where those who are able to ride can safely enjoy the satisfaction of self propulsion. It's no big deal, just a way of life.
The United States already has the most extensive system of bike paths in the world. All we have to do is figure out how to get all those damn cars off of them.
In case you live under a rock, bike paths are pointless tto build because the people that ride bikes will still ride on the street because they think they are entitled to being like a car.
In many states the a law says that bicycles have 48" of the road, and must obey traffic laws just as cars do.
Why don't you read the rules of the road sometime. How did you ever get a driver's license? Bicycles have just as much right to the roads as cars do.
It depends on how and where the bike paths are built. Here in Ohio we have a lot of "rails to trails" which were built on old railroad right of ways. They're great for recreation, but they tend to be out in the middle of nowhere. That puts me in the silly position of having to put my bike on the car and drive somewhere just so I can ride my bike.
Bikes are not only "entitled" to ride on the street but it's actually illegal (though not usually enforced) to ride them on the sidewalks. And yes, there are plenty of stupid cyclists who don't obey traffic laws.
Psst - in NYC there are bike lanes - but the cars double park in them forcing the bikes further into the streets. Bike paths are used and used frequently - they keep the cars and bikes from each other but paths don't go to buildings and bikers have to rely on bike lanes which bikers do use as far as they are able.
Because in all 50 states, we are entitled to use the street, just like a car.
"Get on your bikes and ride!" Freddy Mercury (Ride in Peace)
"I'd rather die on my bike, than live in a car!" el ciclista
"Oil is for bicycle chains!" davidly
NOW they're interested in bikes.
THANKS A LOT YOU TROGLODYTES!!
*
I do not see any Limousine Liberals switching to bicycle.
You can usually tell when they don't have an argument when they start resorting to straw-man attacks.
Maybe you can make a list of "limousine liberals" and see if you are right or not vs. just making a statement and leaving it out there as if you know you're right.
Also - what difference would it make if a liberal or conservative or a moderate did or didn't switch?
In case you haven't noticed - this is not a liberal or conservative or moderate problem.
We live in a country that uses more energy than any other country on earth
We are, as a people, more overweight than any other people on earth
Liberals, Conservatives and Moderates alike are all equally affected by high energy costs and an environment that's polluted and a climate that's changing. Limousine Liberals can be just as wrong as Monster-Truck Conservatives. Waste is waste.
Riding a bike can save a few gallons of gasoline. Multiply that across millions of short trips to the store, office, school, etc..., and you gave millions or billions of gallons of Gasoline over time.
In a time when we have men and women in uniform fighting and dying in Iraq in part to ensure that we maintain our supply of oil, isn't it more patriotic to conserve energy than to waste it? Rather than putting a yellow ribbon on your SUV to support the troops, why not honor them by using energy wisely? What if it were patriotic to conserve and (voluntarily) ration energy? Worked for my parents and grandparents in WWII - why not now?
I would ditch my car in a heartbeat (at least for 9 months of the year) if I could cycle to work.
Then again,... I do drive a non-limosine Mazda Protege now,... so I am probably NOT a Limo-Liberal,... whatever the hell that is.
"Limousine Liberals" are the Al Gores and Hollywood people that preach for you to use less but they don't follow what they preach.
I'm a liberal and I've gotten rid of my car; I own a bicycle and a motorcyle. the price of gas is not even bothering me. During the week I don't use gas to get to work.
I daresay that the average avid bicyclist doesn't identify with major party politics and the kind of attitudes it produces. It's long past the time to get off the pendulum and do what's good for all of us.
The South, Southeast and Southwest are ideal for bikers. In comparison biking in Europe is a drag because of poor weather conditions except during summer.
Per Capita, Europeans Ride much much more than the average North American....
..... so I guess what I'm saying is that you're wrong. It's a mindset - if you are waiting for perfect weather and smooth unblemished pavement, you will never ride your bike.
And you'll use more gas
And you'll get no exercise
Bad weather is a bad excuse not to ride however. I find riding in the cold winter to be exhilarating once I've gotten a few revolutions under my belt, which takes about a minute. I sympathize with what amanda85 says about extreme heat and hurricanes, but these are extremes that all too often serve as a red herring to the discussion, which should focus on the fact that we are driving far too much.
Oil is for bicycle chains!
Apparently when it gets below zero the grease that lubricates the pedals will freeze.
Reuters | Jon Hurdle | June 12, 2008 08:33 PM