Fellow Minneapolitans: What a beautiful day this Saturday was for me! As you may recall (or not) I sustainably transport myself on a tricycle for work and play and family errands about town.
Today I rode from my house near MLK, Jr. Park in Kingfield, to 47th and Vincent for my first job of the day. What a ride! The wind felt to be hurtling out of the north or northwest - most powerful and exhilerating as I rode westward around the South side of Lake Harriet. One runner hollered out "Hey, get a sail!" with a big grin. "Good idea!" I yelled back, as he disappeared behind me into a swirl of snow driven across the lake. Looking ahead, I sometimes had only 15 or 20 feet of visibility. Looking back into my tiny safety mirror, I had a tiny glimpse of folks disappearing into glorious swirls. Finally, a lovely winter day here in Minneapolis! I'd been waiting for this all winter, as has my studded trike-snow-tire. Many grins and waves were exchanged between myself and runners and walkers near the lake. After working for some good folks on the West side of the Lake, I wheeled home to check in with my family, eat, and ride the other way -- to about 36th and Bloomington, to work for another near-neighbor there. A few people struggling to start or de-ice cars and such paused as I passed -- some offering a smile with a hello, others a curious stare, as if to say: "Wait a sec - I can't start my car, but there you go on a ..... tricycle....thingy???" I dropped off books and videos at Hosmer Library on my way, and enjoyed the look of wonder and joy on a little child's face as she saw me roll up. Children so often see with beginner's eyes, and so help me to see again, too. Always they inspire and renew me. She was scrambling across the icy sidewalk to a waiting car, but her little grin told me wordlessly that we shared a wonderful moment in our urban world, and a playful sense of possibilities..... for..... tricycles! After working for my client at 36th and Bloomington, we had a short, enlightening conversation about the history of solar power (from late 19th century to present) as well as sustainable/non-sustainable transportation. I headed home. It was nearly 9 PM, and now winter's-night beautiful. As usual on my night-ride home, my biggest problem was overheating. I wore a hat-under-helmet, T-shirt and light "day-glo-orange" sweatshirt, sweatpants over bike shorts, and winter boots and mitts. No coat needed. By the time I arrived at home, I was sweating again; another nice workout built into my increasingly sustainable urban life. I am thankful for the neighborhoods, for the quiet residential streets, for the opportunity to move through them as a friend, neighbor, lover-of-earth, and "trike-boy". I dream of the day when nearly pollution-free, neighbor-friendly transportation options will be the usual mode of transportation, bringing about healthier bodies, more communion with nature, and the kind of gentle and playful connections I experienced today. (Part 2: In which this trike boy decided to do some research at the World Health Organization's website, and found provocative, relevant, and moving information to blend with the sweet, icy blast of winter triking about town......) At home tonight I looked at the World Health Organization's website, and found the "World Health Day" (7 April, 2,002) pages. It is rich with excellent, short readings which may help to inform and re-shape our daily life decisons about transportation, and our urban policy and infrastructure decisions as well. I encourage you to visit the site and spend time contemplating the readings, as well as possible implications for your/our daily transportation choices and for our transportation and infrastructure planning. The WHO World Health Day theme is "Move For Health!" - how about that! (Not "re-locate for health" - but, you know, move our arms and legs.) One of the key readings offered at the site is kinda' the bad news: "Sedentary Lifestyle: a Global Public Health Problem." According to this article, "sedentary lifestyle is a major underlying cause of death, disease, and disability...physical inactivity increases all causes of mortality, doubles the risk of cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, and obesity. It also increases the risk of colon and breast cancer, high blood pressure, lipid disorders, osteoporosis, depression and anxiety." While more than half of adults in developing countries are not active enough, the article states that this problem is most acute in large cities. Between 60 and 85% of adults world-wide are sedentary or nearly so. Other articles specialize: "Benefits of physical activity, women and physical activity, older people and physical activity," and so forth. I recommend "policy related to physical activity" for folks participating on this list. While prevention and health-promotion activities are hardly considered on the policy level, "physical inactivity is not merely about individual behaviour...." My thought is that such things as "crowding, crime, traffic, poor air quality" and other factors require intentionality and commitment in shaping public policy as well as urban infrastructure.... So I imagine a possible Minneapolis of the very-near-future.... Part 3: Trike-boy Revisions Urban Transportation As I ride my tricycle, I see this zero-emission form of transportation -- whether configured for cargo, pedicab, or commuter, or recreational activity -- to be one key element to integrate solutions to a great variety of complex, interrelated urban problems. Individual health is increased through exercise in so many ways -- physical and psychological. Pollution is dramatically reduced: air pollution by 100% per vehicle, and run-off from oil and transmission fluid, radiator fluid and other auto-sourced pollutants are also eleiminated. The tiny drop of chain lube is minuscule compared to car-care pollutants. (This trike-boy intends to experiment with linseed oil and such as chain lube as well, to further reduce pollution!) Lake waters and icy winter winds of Minneapolis, rejoice at the thought: 60-to-80% of urban trips under two miles being done nearly pollution free! Trips taken by living, breathing, human creatures, moving through space in a joyous dance, communing, celebrating, strengthening inwardly and outwardly. Here, moving through space is a dance and a prayer, and ... Forgive me, I digress ...... And for those not quite into such self-propulsion -- though one gets v-e-r-y strong v-e-r-y quickly doing so - Neighborhood Electric Vehicles can be of great help. Global Electric Motors of Fargo (owned by Daimler-Chrysler) offers neighborhood/urban vehicles which are zero-emission, safe, and s-l-o-o-w friendly to peds and children and bikers. These machines (check out GEM's website!) are cruising front porches for those who like to meet and greet, but can be load-hauling or child-transporting vehicles for those more focused on an errand. Also; they have rigid removable farings for those who sometimes flinch at the notion of open-air/all-weather riding. The problems solved by these HPVs and NEVs? 1. Congestion: far smaller and more versatile than traditional cars. HPVs (Human Powered Vehicles) can ride paths or roads, freeing up streets even more than NEVs (Neighborhood Electric Vehicles). 2. Air and water pollution: zero-emission; drastically less run-off from petroleum and other car-related fluids. 3. Speed & Safety: many NEVs run at 25 mph top-speed -- these just won't do 45 on Du Pont or even 35 around the lakes! My HPV trike goes between 5 and 25 MPH, but nearly always about 10 MPH, and stops in about 5 feet if a quick stop is needed. 4. Relationship-building (rather than isolating or destroying): While fast, closed-up cars tend to isolate folks and act as dangerous missiles cutting through our neighborhoods, these slower, more open vehicles allow people to connect more freely, to see, hear, and smell as "one-within-the-neighborhood" rather than as "one-encapsulated-from-the-neighborhood". This can build emotional health and community, and reduce crime as bikers and trikers are more directly aware of surroundings. 5. National security: Yes! Believe it or not, our energy and transportation systems are narrow, brittle, and vulnerable -- not to mention eco-terroristic in terms of the energy- material- and pollution-intensive infrastructures we build, maintain, and rebuild to keep them going. In contrast, HPVs and NEVs provide local flexibility and independence in times of difficulty. HPVs run without gas or electricty. Police and Ambulance HPVs are used increasingly (mostly for good economic and job-specific technical reasons) but are also not gas or grid-dependant. NEVs need electricity -- which could so easily be solar or wind sourced at many sites -- home, work, or cooperative community sites. Energy- and transportation- dependance weakens us as a city, and weakens our nation terribly. We can inexpensively address this while improving our health and our communities -- if we are willing to see these things anew. Stronger people and stronger communities make a stronger, more independent city, contributing to a stronger, more independent nation. I submit that individual and community health are fundamental *not incidental* to our security. 6. Health Care Costs: As the WHO site notes, prevention is inexpensive and vital to the world's health. Health care costs can dramatically be reduced in our city if we design our daily lives and our infrastructure to integrate a new vision of urban transportation. To ignore this invites health and health-care-cost disaster. Intentional activity-encouraging policy and infrastructure planning are critical to health, and to economic health as well. Yes - parks and recreation are superb. Integrated into a city which is itself and active, safe, healthy environment, our parks will sparkle more than ever. Healthy, clean air and water will be the perfect place for healthy, active citizens to relax, play, and commune. Sustainable, independent, nearly pollution free transportation may be the least expensive, most effective step we can take as a city toward a smart, livable future. It is fiscally responsible and essential to the health of our urban citizens and our urban environment. I will ride again tomorrow! Will you join me? Walk or ride to your neighborhood destinations -- if it is less than a mile each way, you might want to detour to see and enjoy parts of your neighborhood you normally don't move through at a human pace, on a human scale. Immerse yourself. Listen to children's laughter, look at the icicles very closely, feel the power of the wind again. This is Minneapolis! Will you join me, and contribute to re-visioning our transportation on this list? Can you see with eyes of a child, can you see another world of possibilities opening? -If you've read this far -- you deserve a cup of coffee or tea, on me. Perhaps at a local spot in the 'hood -- yours or mine? -Gary Hoover Kingfield Ward 10 _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
