Cycle commuting taking off in Leftpondia

Tony Raven said:

Article from the Wall Street Journal about the growth in commuter cycling.
http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2006/10/08/business/stories_from_ap/iq_3633024.txt

I especially like the bit about the new state laws that motorists must
give at least 3ft clearance when overtaking a cyclist.

I had to smile at the Boulder yuppie whose 'cross bike "doesn't do well
in rain or snow". Maybe someone could explain to the poor girl just what
cyclocross bikes are for? At any rate, I've never thought of Boulder as
a place that got a whole lot of rain or snow.

I agree about that the new state laws are nice, but the to me the
article was more about commuter bicycles as a trendy new toy than about
people seriously trying to get to and fro work on a regular basis.

mark

Tony Raven said:

Article from the Wall Street Journal about the growth in commuter cycling.
http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2006/10/08/business/stories_from_ap/iq_3633024.txt

That's quite interesting because I watched The 40 Year Old Virgin
yesterday (not my choice) and apparently the only people who ride bikes
over there are 6 year-olds and the eponimous character.

LN

Tony Raven said:

Article from the Wall Street Journal about the growth in commuter cycling.
http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2006/10/08/business/stories_from_ap/iq_3633024.txt

It's a fairly standard article on the subject. Not that that's bad, I
always appreciate cycle commuting getting some more positive press.
This quote did get my back up though:

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Less than 0.5 percent of Americans commute by bike, according to the
2000 U.S. Census report. "There's no way it will happen here," says
Bicycle Market Research Institute President Ash Jaising, who projects
the segment's rise in sales will slow to 5 percent to 10 percent over
the next two years. "The roads are just too dangerous."
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Just what we need, more uninformed fear-mongering to keep people off
bikes. It's especially sad since it's someone from the bike industry.

Of course, I think our recent drop in gas prices from a 'high' of
$3/gallon to roughly $2/gallon isn't helping. Honestly, I think making
driving more expensive in the day to day sense is one of the more
effective ways of getting people on bikes.

Quoted message said:

I especially like the bit about the new state laws that motorists must
give at least 3ft clearance when overtaking a cyclist.

Washington state has recently passed such an ordinance. I haven't
noticed any improvement in driver's behaviour, but it is still nice.

--
Dane Buson - [email hidden]
"I'll carry your books, I'll carry a tune, I'll carry on, carry over, carry
forward, Cary Grant, cash & carry, Carry Me Back To Old Virginia, I'll even Hara
Kari if you show me how, but I will *not* carry a gun." -- Hawkeye, M*A*S*H

lardyninja said:

Tony Raven said:

Article from the Wall Street Journal about the growth in commuter cycling.
http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2006/10/08/business/stories_from_ap/iq_3633024.txt

That's quite interesting because I watched The 40 Year Old Virgin
yesterday (not my choice) and apparently the only people who ride bikes
over there are 6 year-olds and the eponimous character.

In a lot of the areas of the country this is sadly not that far from
reality.

During the summer months, people don't think I'm that odd for riding my
bike. However, when it's January and it's raining and about 2 C out,
they all think I'm insane. I will admit to being a touch eccentric, but
I think I'm reasonably grounded in reality.

Some of my co-workers have actually continued bike commuting into the
winter this year. A few of them were summer commuters previously, but
now a couple have been commuting even after the rains started last
month.

Of course Seattle is one of the areas of the country that does have the
second highest bike commute rate IIRC.

--
Dane Buson - [email hidden]
"English doesn't borrow from other languages. English follows other
languages down dark alleys, knocks them over, and goes through their
pockets for loose grammar."

Dane Buson said:

Quoted message said:

I especially like the bit about the new state laws that motorists must
give at least 3ft clearance when overtaking a cyclist.

Washington state has recently passed such an ordinance. I haven't
noticed any improvement in driver's behaviour, but it is still nice.

At least it should make it harder for a driver who hits a cyclist when
overtaking to convince a court that he was driving reasonably.

--
Dave...

dkahn400 said:

Dane Buson said:

Quoted message said:

I especially like the bit about the new state laws that motorists must
give at least 3ft clearance when overtaking a cyclist.

Washington state has recently passed such an ordinance. I haven't
noticed any improvement in driver's behaviour, but it is still nice.

At least it should make it harder for a driver who hits a cyclist when
overtaking to convince a court that he was driving reasonably.

That's what I rather hope anyway. Drivers in Seattle are reasonably
decent towards cyclists (comparatively), so this wasn't as necessary as
in other regions of the country. Of course in other regions, bicycles
are considered toys that only children, indigent, and insane people ride.
These are the regions that really need the law and probably won't
address the issue anytime soon.

--
Dane Buson - [email hidden]
Arrakis teaches the attitude of the knife - chopping off what's
incomplete and saying: "Now it's complete because it's ended here."
-- Muad'dib, "Dune"

Dane Buson <[email hidden]> writed in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

dkahn400 <[email hidden]> wrote:

Of course in other regions,

Quoted message said:

bicycles are considered toys that only children, indigent, and insane
people ride.

And Lance