JIM GRAHAM wrote: "The anti-car people need to get real and stop trying to fight until there is a viable alternative to automobiles. I am sorry but bicycles are not a viable option for anyone but the crazy, the militant, or the desperate from now until April each year."
Jim, do you consider your purpose on this list to be as offensive as possible? I know at least fifty Minneapolis winter bicyclists who are entirely sane, gentle, and economically comfortable. Why on earth must you sink to the level of ridiculous, stereotypical insults? How would you react if I unfairly and inaccurately characterized ALL drivers as meanspirited, lazy, careless, obese louts? How many Minneapolis bicyclists have you ever actually spoken with? Whether you like it or not, Jim, bicycling is not only a viable option for this city, but it is an option exercised by many of us every single day. Your opinions of Minnesota weather and your feelings about of the necessity of bike lanes and other bike-friendly infrastructure policies (not to mention your misguided notions of those who choose to bike) notwithstanding, Minneapolis outshines EVERY comparably-sized city in percentage of commuting done by bicycle. Those bike lanes accomplish something. They help keep more cars off the streets. Why is it important to keep more cars off the streets? Because driving a car is a demonstrably socially harmful behavior. Mountains in Africa that have been shrouded in ice for thousands of years are losing their ice caps. See Peter Klausler's recent post for proof that the necessity of policing the behavior of drivers competes with policing our neighborhoods and fighting the violent crime you make noises about so frequently. See Jason Goray's wonderful posts to learn the extent to which the public must subsidize driving behavior to make it an economically viable option for those of moderate to low income. Now, is there any reason for me to believe that if I "stop trying to fight until there is [what you would consider] a viable alternative to automobiles," that such a day will ever come? Please point out to me what positive social change came about without the active engagement and agitation of concerned individuals. The lack of "viable" alternatives is PRECISELY the reason to stand up and fight. I'd like to bring this discussion back to Alan's original post. He wasn't talking about one-ways. He was talking about the plan to limit Hennepin and Lyndale to one lane each direction. On a very personal note, I think this is a fine idea: the closest I've been to being killed by an automobile was at the corner of Lyndale and 24th. Most accidents occur at city street intersections. The safest place for automobiles, therefore, is freeways: everyone is moving in the same direction, at similar speeds, and all are similarly protected by a heavy steel cage. On city streets, we "crazies" who choose to travel around as mere fragile organic critters are inordinately vulnerable to the mistakes of drivers. Additional arguments for shunting traffic onto freeways include: a) For all motor vehicles except the new electric hybrids, gas mileage is better on the freeway than on city streets. This reduces pollution and financial burden. b) Reducing the "commute overflow" from freeways to city streets will give greater impetus to mass transit from the burbs into the core, and increase car pooling. One last point and I'm done. Commercial corridors should serve the immediately surrounding community. The separation of neighborhoods from commercial nodes, necessitating long distance trips, contributes significantly to our current transportation woes. If your concern about the traffic mitigation centers around some idea that we will be less able to draw dollars in... let those who live in Edina shop there - and those who live in Minneapolis shop here. Let's make our streets - and, by extension, our neighborhoods - safer by limiting them as much as possible to intra-city use. Robin Garwood Seward _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
