Comments for Bike Commuters

Comment on Bike Vending Machine – NYC Trippin’ by neil warner

neil warner — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:27:33 +0000

Cool as!

Continental and Schwalbe have recycled cigarette machines filled with inner tubes. sadly over here you need planning permission to mount them and some mindless oik would trash them.

Comment on Coast-to-Coast Connector vetoed by David

David — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:25:13 +0000

I hate to see this. I love living in Florida, but I feel like we’re so backwards here when it comes to bicycling infrastructure.

Comment on Coast-to-Coast Connector vetoed by BluesCat

BluesCat — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:41:11 +0000

Scott is a Republican, a wealthy Republican to boot (the vast majority of them are), so we really can’t expect anything else.

Republicans are totally deaf to the facts which indicate that every $1 spent on bike infrastructure can allow cities save as much $5 in hard and soft costs. That sets aside the whole issue of the tourism dollars which are gained.

Very, very few Republicans — as they cruise around in their pickup trucks, huge SUV’s and limousines — view bicycles as viable transportation alternatives for Americans. In their minds, bicycles are ONLY for those people over in the Far East who labor for pennies a day to make cheap clothing for the wealthy merchants in the West. And bicycles are ONLY for those who come here illegally from south of The Border. And bicycles are ONLY for those hippie, pinko, Socialistic Democratic-leaning traitors who want to take away all of our guns. (roll eyes)

This is the official BluesCat 2¢.

Comment on Commuting growth in the U.S. by Ghost Rider

Ghost Rider — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:17:32 +0000

Aw, I always really enjoyed my bike rides around NOLA, especially at night. I avoided the main roads and got to see some wILD stuff in the various neighborhoods between the Garden District and Warehouse District/French Quarter. This was all very pre-Katrina (late 80s, early 90s).

Comment on Commuting growth in the U.S. by Matthew

Matthew — Mon, 20 May 2013 04:47:01 +0000

It is great to see such a rapid growth across the country though. The possibility of being mugged in NO that Mike worries about aside, the health benefits are still positive. And in a lot of these areas cycling is quicker, cheaper and way more relaxing than driving!

Comment on Commuting growth in the U.S. by Mike Myers

Mike Myers — Sun, 19 May 2013 12:20:30 +0000

I really couldn’t imagine a less pleasant place to be a bike commuter than New Orleans.

Let’s see—-I want to ride my bike for transporation in a place that’s hotter and more humid than Florida, has a massively high crime rate AND an inept police force. No thanks.

It’s nice that NO is spending the money to provide bike infrastructure, but in New Orleans I think I want a car to separate me from the murderous horde. Just a thought from an expat Louisiana native.

Comment on National Bike Month is here! by Bob

Bob — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:16:56 +0000

For the past year, I’ve been riding my bicycle to work, to run errands and to visit friends. There have only been 2 or 3 days where I drove my car to work because of icy road conditions. I’ve managed to do grocery shopping on my bike. I’ve visited friends in nearby towns riding my bike. I use my car only once or twice a month. In fact, I used my car so little that the battery drained. I now purposely run the car just to charge the battery when I don’t use the car for two weeks.
I’m excited that May is national bike month. Let’s encourage others to commute by bike.

http://melphleg.blogspot.com/2013/05/commuter-biking-in-boulder.html

Comment on Bike lanes bring business… by Mike Myers

Mike Myers — Tue, 14 May 2013 23:04:47 +0000

Tying trails into bike lanes encourages trail users to explore cities. Except on the Suncoast Trail. I’ve ridden it from the northern terminus to Pasco county, and I’ll be damned if I’m getting onto a 4 lane highway in order to get a snack.

I can’t imagine on-street bike lanes being anything but beneficial. More access is always good. I particularly like the idea of the “bike box”. I live in fear of being right hooked if I’m in the bike lane at a light or stop sign. The bike box fixes that–and even just putting the cyclists’ stop line 10 feet ahead of the cars’ helps.

If I could live in a town with bike infrastructure, I’d only use my car for trips over 20 miles.

Comment on Bike lanes bring business… by Ghost Rider

Ghost Rider — Tue, 14 May 2013 11:39:48 +0000

Look at the Pinellas Trail, too — designed so that it runs right through the downtown areas of a number of towns along the way (Dunedin is my favorite). Easy to grab lunch or do a little shopping, all by bike.

My experiences in high school were similar — the D.C. Metro area’s “Washington and Old Dominion Trail” — where there were a number of places to get something to eat or rest and walk around along the trail.

Bike trails are not really the scope of this study, however. This focuses on urban-corridor development of bike routes and onstreet bike lanes/sharrows/bike boulevards. Naysayers claim it will damage businesses, but the opposite appears to be true!

Comment on Bike lanes bring business… by Mike Myers

Mike Myers — Tue, 14 May 2013 11:16:56 +0000

I live not far from the Withlacoochee Trail, the longest paved trail in Florida. It goes through Citrus, Hernando, and Pasco counties, and travels through a bunch of small towns.

The largest city it intersects is Inverness, which was a town with very little tourism. The city renovated its downtown, and made sure to make the town bike-friendly. Bike racks are everywhere. If you visit there any day, you’ll find cyclists sitting outside at the local restaurants, bikes safely locked nearby. It’s been an absolute blessing for the city.

I’ve stopped at business along the trail I never would have visited otherwise. You provide access to the MUT and secure bike parking, and I’m likely to visit. Well, except for the bar on the trail with all the Harleys and ratty trucks parked outside. Not a lycra-friendly environment.