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From: His Highness the TibetanMonkey, Creator of the Movement of Tantra-Hammock on 30 Jul 2010 18:48
My sources in London (Yahoo News) tell me that such is the nature of
riding a bike in London. But things are relative and not black and
white, and probably riding a bike in Miami or NYC is far more
dangerous.

London though is launching 6,000 bikes and it may see some peace after
the initial mayhem. Is it really that bad? Here they kill you for
giving the finger. What it would be like to ride a bike in
Afghanistan? Or will it be more deadly to ride an SUV?

LONDON – Feel like living dangerously?

Riding a bike in London will soon be more convenient, though it's
unlikely to be any less scary. Riders already dodge the city's famed
black cabs and double-decker buses — to say nothing of other cyclists.

A bike rental program launched Friday by London's Mayor Boris Johnson
will add an additional 6,000 bikes to the capital's congested streets.
Under the initiative, cyclists will be able to rent bikes from 400
docking stations around town.

Johnson called it "a new dawn for the bicycle in the capital" — but
veterans of the London cycling scene are bracing for a new era of
transit mayhem.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100730/ap_on_re_eu/eu_biking_in_london


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

THE WISE TIBETAN MONKEY SAYS

"The jungle is a very dangerous place to be for the unwise"

http://webspawner.com/users/BIKEFORPEACE

(the revolution starts with the turning of a wheel and the bipedal
monkey)
From: Clive on 30 Jul 2010 21:27
In message
<61b34632-497f-4c5c-9fed-1a67ad283b40(a)j9g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>, "His
Highness the TibetanMonkey, Creator of the Movement of Tantra-Hammock"
<nolionnoproblem(a)yahoo.com> writes
> What it would be like to ride a bike in
>Afghanistan?
Why don't you try it?
--
Clive

From: His Highness the TibetanMonkey, Creator of the Movement of Tantra-Hammock on 31 Jul 2010 09:48
On Jul 30, 9:27 pm, Clive <cl...(a)yewbank.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> In message
> <61b34632-497f-4c5c-9fed-1a67ad283...(a)j9g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>, "His
> Highness the TibetanMonkey, Creator of the Movement of Tantra-Hammock"
> <nolionnoprob...(a)yahoo.com> writes> What it would be like to ride abikein
> >Afghanistan?
>
> Why don't you try it?
> --
> Clive

I'm happy to hear the news report. I'm all against violence.
From: His Highness the TibetanMonkey, Creator of the Movement of Tantra-Hammock on 31 Jul 2010 09:48
On Jul 31, 8:40 am, fur...(a)mail.croydon.ac.uk wrote:
> On 30 July, 23:37, "His Highness the TibetanMonkey, Creator of the
> Movement of Tantra-Hammock" <comandante.ban...(a)yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > My sources in London (Yahoo News) tell me that such is the nature of
> > riding a bike in London. But things are relative and not black and
> > white, and probably riding a bike in Miami or NYC is far more
> > dangerous.
>
> I can't comment on Miami, I've never been there. I would say that
> London and New York would be pretty similar in terms of risk; I
> wouldn't want to ride a bike in either of them, and there's not much
> that scares me. It's not only the danger, the roads are also dirty
> and fume-filled. If there was a dedicated bike route, not just a
> narrow lane at the side of a normal road, the whole way from home to
> work, then I'd probably buy a bike, and use it. Of course, there's
> still the problem of arriving at work soaking wet in bad weather. As
> it is, I'll keep going by bus.
>
> Of course, different parts of London, or New York, are totally
> different to each other. Overall, I'd say much of London is pretty
> terrible, I hated driving in it during the few years that I had a car,
> but that was almost 28 years ago, and it's certainly got worse since.

London vs. NYC vs. Miami?

Miami bus system is in shambles so getting around by bus is not an
option (unless you are retired). And riding a bike is something you do
short of Euthanasia...

Now, America shares some common dangers not seen in the civilized
world: PEOPLE DRIVE CUSTOMARILY PHONE IN HAND. I don't know about NYC,
but here is the norm. We also have the lion's share of Supersized
Unnecessary Vehicles that add extra aggressiveness and size to the
road (they really ROAR). Road rage is daily life in the city, and I've
been attacked and spit upon for giving a finger to a driver minding my
business.

I guess we are down there with Kabul.

>
>
>
> > London though is launching 6,000 bikes and it may see some peace after
> > the initial mayhem. Is it really that bad? Here they kill you for
> > giving the finger. What it would be like to ride a bike in
> > Afghanistan? Or will it be more deadly to ride an SUV?
>
> > LONDON – Feel like living dangerously?
>
> > Riding a bike in London will soon be more convenient, though it's
> > unlikely to be any less scary. Riders already dodge the city's famed
> > black cabs and double-decker buses — to say nothing of other cyclists..
>
> > A bike rental program launched Friday by London's Mayor Boris Johnson
> > will add an additional 6,000 bikes to the capital's congested streets.
> > Under the initiative, cyclists will be able to rent bikes from 400
> > docking stations around town.
>
> > Johnson called it "a new dawn for the bicycle in the capital" — but
> > veterans of the London cycling scene are bracing for a new era of
> > transit mayhem.
>
> I've seen these bike rental things when I was up in London last
> weekend, though they were not in use then. How do they cope with the
> fact that a bicycle is supposed to be adjusted to fit each rider; do
> you carry a set of spanners with you to make such adjustments?

There must be a way. The Velib is already in place after all. The
Parisian model is interesting. I think they ride mostly on the road
and people are fine. THERE'S SAFETY IN NUMBERS.

>
> Another Boris gimmick I think; if somebody wants to ride a bike, why
> not buy their own? There are a lot of these rental station things in
> the central area, so you would not need to walk far to find one. they
> look like high-tech bike racks, with what I think are contactless
> smart card readers attached to them. I'm not sure how the scheme
> works, where it's pre-pay and you top up the card, or you're billed
> for the use you make, and whether it's charged by the hour, day, mile
> or what.

Buying your own is always an option, but I guess it sends a signal
that the city is not about cars only. They promised such here in Miami
Beach. I wonder what became of it?

Maybe if I do a Google search?

'While the "City of Lights" is the poster child for what's right and
wrong about bike-sharing, it's only one of scores of programs
springing up all around the world, including here in North America.
Bike share programs are up and running in Washington, D.C.,
Philadelphia (see the short documentary below), and Miami Beach.'

http://evworld.com/currents.cfm?jid=124

Wow, it says they are out there! What have I been missing by being in
the cage! Still around here you see monkeys riding Walmart bikes on
sidewalks. They are true survivors, but it's really more dangerous
than the road.

I'll check into Velib Miami.

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