Comments on: RocBike.com featured in Messenger-Post papers http://www.rocbike.com/2007/11/27/rocbikecom-featured-in-messenger-post-papers/ Nothing To Lose But Our Chains! Sun, 09 Oct 2011 19:38:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Smudgemo http://www.rocbike.com/2007/11/27/rocbikecom-featured-in-messenger-post-papers/comment-page-1/#comment-1748 Smudgemo Wed, 28 Nov 2007 04:09:40 +0000 http://www.rocbike.com/2007/11/27/rocbikecom-featured-in-messenger-post-papers/#comment-1748 It's a nice article, but the part that bugs me is this: There are various reasons people don't try riding bicycles to work. Brandes said he is lucky to have the space to store his bike and to take a shower at work. Other people just don't have the time to do it. A shower and a place to store a bike or lack of time is reality for most people, and in three sentences it conveniently lets them off the hook with a "valid" reason why they could never be a bike commuter. I personally have yet to find anyone give me a reason why they can't do at least a little to reduce driving and pollution. I know they are out there, but most people just don't want to (although that population will decline as fuel prices increase.) Kudos to Corey and every person that embraces change and starts pedaling. It’s a nice article, but the part that bugs me is this:
There are various reasons people don’t try riding bicycles to work. Brandes said he is lucky to have the space to store his bike and to take a shower at work.
Other people just don’t have the time to do it.

A shower and a place to store a bike or lack of time is reality for most people, and in three sentences it conveniently lets them off the hook with a “valid” reason why they could never be a bike commuter. I personally have yet to find anyone give me a reason why they can’t do at least a little to reduce driving and pollution. I know they are out there, but most people just don’t want to (although that population will decline as fuel prices increase.)
Kudos to Corey and every person that embraces change and starts pedaling.

]]> By: Jack http://www.rocbike.com/2007/11/27/rocbikecom-featured-in-messenger-post-papers/comment-page-1/#comment-1743 Jack Wed, 28 Nov 2007 03:30:48 +0000 http://www.rocbike.com/2007/11/27/rocbikecom-featured-in-messenger-post-papers/#comment-1743 There are great things in the article but also some not-so-great things. The lifestyle approach, just what you'd expect from a suburban paper, does draw some people in. But it excludes others. An example: I'm waiting for the mainstream to look at the many low-income (and mostly male) bike commuters seen around town in all kinds of weather (and without adequate equipment and clothing). I've never seen any statistics, but my hunch is these riders, who bike out of necessity, are the largest group of "serious" non-motorized commuters. Also, the M-P piece unwittingly promotes a counterproductive attitude toward car traffic. You don't have to be a John Forester fan (or a Critical Masser) to understand that cyclists have full rights to the road and must also be conscious that they are operators of vehicles with these rights. Yes, you have to watch your back - i.e. ride defensively - and you have to learn which stretches of roadway are particularly unfriendly to bikes, but overall the experienced bike commuter learns that most streets and roads are eminently bike-able. Let's not be segregated onto the trails, even as we choose to ride them because of their obvious attractions. One more thing: any serious piece about bike commuting in and around Monroe County should cover bike-bus intermodal travel. With all RTS buses equipped with racks, local bikers have a wealth of intermodal routes. But here again, it seems to me that the low-income riders are the vast majority of those who use the bike racks - I guess this is just another symptom of our local mass-transit apartheid, another topic that would be most unwelcome in the usual lifestyle piece. There are great things in the article but also some not-so-great things. The lifestyle approach, just what you’d expect from a suburban paper, does draw some people in. But it excludes others. An example: I’m waiting for the mainstream to look at the many low-income (and mostly male) bike commuters seen around town in all kinds of weather (and without adequate equipment and clothing). I’ve never seen any statistics, but my hunch is these riders, who bike out of necessity, are the largest group of “serious” non-motorized commuters. Also, the M-P piece unwittingly promotes a counterproductive attitude toward car traffic. You don’t have to be a John Forester fan (or a Critical Masser) to understand that cyclists have full rights to the road and must also be conscious that they are operators of vehicles with these rights. Yes, you have to watch your back – i.e. ride defensively – and you have to learn which stretches of roadway are particularly unfriendly to bikes, but overall the experienced bike commuter learns that most streets and roads are eminently bike-able. Let’s not be segregated onto the trails, even as we choose to ride them because of their obvious attractions. One more thing: any serious piece about bike commuting in and around Monroe County should cover bike-bus intermodal travel. With all RTS buses equipped with racks, local bikers have a wealth of intermodal routes. But here again, it seems to me that the low-income riders are the vast majority of those who use the bike racks – I guess this is just another symptom of our local mass-transit apartheid, another topic that would be most unwelcome in the usual lifestyle piece.

]]> By: Julie http://www.rocbike.com/2007/11/27/rocbikecom-featured-in-messenger-post-papers/comment-page-1/#comment-1722 Julie Tue, 27 Nov 2007 23:56:56 +0000 http://www.rocbike.com/2007/11/27/rocbikecom-featured-in-messenger-post-papers/#comment-1722 This a great article. Great tips from Jason on getting out there and "just doing it." I started my bike commute odyssey by vowing not to drive on any trip shorter than 2 miles. Also great how you all talked about the challenges of dealing with cars without bashing drivers. Let's hope it inspires more bikes on the road! This a great article. Great tips from Jason on getting out there and “just doing it.” I started my bike commute odyssey by vowing not to drive on any trip shorter than 2 miles. Also great how you all talked about the challenges of dealing with cars without bashing drivers. Let’s hope it inspires more bikes on the road!

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