Comments on: Imagine… a different kind of friendliness http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2008/08/27/imagine-a-different-kind-of-friendliness/ Encouragement, Education & Advocacy for Bicycling in the Real World Fri, 30 Jul 2010 23:08:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Big Island Chronicle » Blog Archive » ***Commentary*** Hawai’i Pedal Power; A Fit City Is A Bike Friendly City http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2008/08/27/imagine-a-different-kind-of-friendliness/comment-page-1/#comment-2227 Big Island Chronicle » Blog Archive » ***Commentary*** Hawai’i Pedal Power; A Fit City Is A Bike Friendly City Tue, 12 May 2009 08:44:34 +0000 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=333#comment-2227 [...] “The name of this program, ‘Bicycle Friendly’ is symptomatic of the problem.  It’s not bicycles that need friends; it’s cyclists.  Here’s a discussion of a better way: Imagine … a different kind of friendliness.” [...] [...] “The name of this program, ‘Bicycle Friendly’ is symptomatic of the problem.  It’s not bicycles that need friends; it’s cyclists.  Here’s a discussion of a better way: Imagine … a different kind of friendliness.” [...]

]]> By: Tiffany http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2008/08/27/imagine-a-different-kind-of-friendliness/comment-page-1/#comment-2226 Tiffany Tue, 12 May 2009 08:08:46 +0000 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=333#comment-2226 Thanks for this... I'm referencing you on my blog at bigislandchronicle.com. With aloha! Thanks for this… I’m referencing you on my blog at bigislandchronicle.com. With aloha!

]]> By: Keri http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2008/08/27/imagine-a-different-kind-of-friendliness/comment-page-1/#comment-138 Keri Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:47:14 +0000 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=333#comment-138 PM has a great post today on CycleDallas about helmet-centric advocacy: <a href="http://cycledallas.blogspot.com/2008/08/advocacy-using-fear-to-promote-cycling.html" rel="nofollow">Advocacy: Using fear to promote cycling</a> It's a must-read! PM has a great post today on CycleDallas about helmet-centric advocacy: Advocacy: Using fear to promote cycling

It’s a must-read!

]]> By: fred_dot_u http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2008/08/27/imagine-a-different-kind-of-friendliness/comment-page-1/#comment-137 fred_dot_u Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:06:15 +0000 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=333#comment-137 pmsummer, I'd be willing to bet that the no-helmet scenes are shot in areas where drivers have more respect for the cyclists than they do in the USA and that the cyclists are probably better skilled than many here in this country. Not to start a helmet war, but I think helmets have become the wrong focus for many cycling advocates. I crashed into a tree in 1980, wearing a plastic mushroom known as a Bell, at a time when my wife and I were the only ones in the club with those funny things on our heads. I credit the helmet with limiting the injuries to my alleged mind, but have not had another crash since in which a helmet would have mattered. The funny thing is after the crash, there were six riders with helmets on the next ride and the following ride had six more. I've found that most of the roads on which I ride are bike happy, but only because I'm happy to be biking on them! pmsummer, I’d be willing to bet that the no-helmet scenes are shot in areas where drivers have more respect for the cyclists than they do in the USA and that the cyclists are probably better skilled than many here in this country. Not to start a helmet war, but I think helmets have become the wrong focus for many cycling advocates. I crashed into a tree in 1980, wearing a plastic mushroom known as a Bell, at a time when my wife and I were the only ones in the club with those funny things on our heads. I credit the helmet with limiting the injuries to my alleged mind, but have not had another crash since in which a helmet would have mattered. The funny thing is after the crash, there were six riders with helmets on the next ride and the following ride had six more.

I’ve found that most of the roads on which I ride are bike happy, but only because I’m happy to be biking on them!

]]> By: Keri http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2008/08/27/imagine-a-different-kind-of-friendliness/comment-page-1/#comment-134 Keri Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:06:36 +0000 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=333#comment-134 LOL! Well said! I have a post saved up about excuses and the Whack-a-Mole Principle... <em>coming soon</em> LOL! Well said!

I have a post saved up about excuses and the Whack-a-Mole Principle… coming soon

]]> By: pmsummer http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2008/08/27/imagine-a-different-kind-of-friendliness/comment-page-1/#comment-133 pmsummer Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:01:03 +0000 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=333#comment-133 I liked the music. It had a nice swing, with a jazzy beat. I give it a 7. As for the video... most of the scenes were very pleasant, but we need to get all those friendly people to wear happy helmets! They could get killed any second! [/snark] Of course, the real problem is the presumption that the "special facility" will go from your house to where you work or shop or eat. There's only one infrastructure element that will ever do that: public streets, and all public streets are never going to have "bike happy" treatments, but if that's the expectation, that will also always be the excuse. I also noticed the beautiful scenes, as opposed to the far more common reality of paths under bare power transmission corridors, bike lanes along crowded thoroughfares, hills, flood prone canal paths, etc. It's kind of like the old joke about Bill Gates choosing his eternity in hell. "Oh," says Satan, "that was just the screen saver." I liked the music. It had a nice swing, with a jazzy beat. I give it a 7.

As for the video… most of the scenes were very pleasant, but we need to get all those friendly people to wear happy helmets! They could get killed any second! [/snark]

Of course, the real problem is the presumption that the “special facility” will go from your house to where you work or shop or eat. There’s only one infrastructure element that will ever do that: public streets, and all public streets are never going to have “bike happy” treatments, but if that’s the expectation, that will also always be the excuse.

I also noticed the beautiful scenes, as opposed to the far more common reality of paths under bare power transmission corridors, bike lanes along crowded thoroughfares, hills, flood prone canal paths, etc.

It’s kind of like the old joke about Bill Gates choosing his eternity in hell. “Oh,” says Satan, “that was just the screen saver.”

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