Great videos! They make biking seem so ... civilized. Its all here - fun, exercise, food, humanity, multi-modal transportation, natural beauty.
Remember, an experienced cyclist always wants to avoid getting 'a touch of the bonk'. -- ===== darin ---- john wagnitz <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Throwing your bike on the train is the quickest way to get to Rugby. > > Rugby?....who wants to go to Rugby? > > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyz5d3entBw > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGYngjxJP1I > > > > --- On Tue, 3/10/09, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote: > > From: [email protected] <[email protected]> > Subject: [Bikies] bikes and transit - thetransportpolitic.com > To: [email protected] > Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2009, 11:08 AM > > Hello all: > > You might not agree with the conclusion about bringing bicycles on trains and > buses, but it's good to see transit advocates addressing bicycles as > transportation. This web site is a good one - see the link at the bottom. > > Al Matano > > Serving the Bike/Transit Commuter > How can we best facilitate transit service for those who arrive or depart on > bikes? > > Portland’s Tri-Met transit agency announced yesterday that it would spend $1 > million of its stimulus funds on improving the region’s bike facilities near > transit stations. The agency will invest in two major bike garages, such as > that pictured here, as well as improving the existing bike stations > throughout > the system. Tri-Met will also apply for $1.7 million of funds from the Oregon > Department of Transportation for another five bike garages. > > Portland isn’t alone in attempting to find ways to improve the commute for > bike > enthusiasts: Salt Lake City will build a new bike station downtown; last > year, > Washington announced its intention to create a large bike center just outside > of Union Station. > > These improved bike storage locations go beyond the rudimentary street bulb- > outs and u-rack parking that New York City, for instance, has emphasized in > recent years. They offer bikers the same parking conveniences that are > usually > provided only to automobile commuters; in some cases, such as the station in > Chicago’s Millenium Park, they offer more, such as showers, toilets, and > cafes. > > And indeed, improving the services provided to bike commuters fulfills an > important mission of transit agencies: getting people from home to work > without > > using an automobile. Unfortunately, the construction of car park-and-ride > lots > that make it all too easy to drive to transit stations encourages > automobility > and sprawl; diverting some funds to bike stations can reverse the equation > and > expand the 1/2-mile radius that is typically considered the maximum walk > distance for people to transit station. > > Why shouldn’t bikes be allowed onto trains and buses? That would make the > construction of such bike lockers unnecessary, as commuters could keep their > bikes with them either at home or at work. Tri-Met makes the argument that > only > > four bikes can fit on a train (8 when the train is twice as long), and only > two > > on the front of a bus. Caltrain, which runs between San Francisco and San > Jose, > > can carry between 16 and 32 bikes on its trains, making them ideal movers for > that area’s bike commuters, but the result is complete madness during rush > hour. When there’s room left for bikes, they’re difficult to get through > doorways, and non-bikers are often blocked by them. Delays ensue. It’s not an > > ideal situation. > > It probably makes sense, then, to encourage the use of biking - but only on > one > > end of a commute. Taking bikes on trains or buses simply causes too much of a > headache. For the most part, employment locations should be close enough to > transit stations that biking from an arrival station to work shouldn’t be > necessary. > > But there’s another solution, of course: bikeshare. Paris and Barcelona have > placed thousands of public rental bikes at stations throughout the city that > are freely accessible to subscribers to their respective services with the > touch of a card. Such systems, in connection with efficient mass transit > programs, make commuting around a dense city quite convenient. They also make > the idea of taking a bike along on a bus or train absurd - because there will > be a bike waiting at either end. > > By implementing bike share systems, American cities have the potential to > increase the use of biking while also discouraging the nasty habit of > bringing > bikes onto transit vehicles. > > Image above: Future Beaverton Transit Center bike locker, from Tri-Met > > 6 comments 10 March 2009 > > http://thetransportpolitic.com/ > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Bikies mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org > _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
