Thursday, April 27, 2006

Alternative uses for parking places

alternative use for parking spots
Drivers pay rent to occupy a parking spot, so what about using them for purposes other than storing a car? Michael Rakowitz proposes the use of car-shaped tents for camping in urban parking.

Michael also points to this Treehugger article about a large ride in Toronto in memory of Hubert Van Tol, a cyclist who was killed when he was right-hooked by a dump truck. This is the cyclist Tanya mentioned in several posts at her blog.

Bicycle news and blogs

Kori told me I'm getting too cranky -- maybe I should stop reading about stoopid people. At least Ed hasn't encountered any losers shooting guns at cyclists (yet).

Truth be told, riding in California is absolutely wonderful. The traffic is heavy but most of the drivers are amazingly courteous. There are the occasional idiots but then I'd encounter them whatever transportation mode I use. I was the idiot today also -- I was cycling down University in Palo Alto during lunch paying more attention to the traffic than the signals. I ran a red light and very nearly plowed into a young mom walking with her two small children. Bad bad bad on me.

To the west of me in Santa Cruz, gasoline prices are credited with increasing transit use and bike shop visits. On the other side of the Atlantic, meanwhile, a UK Lord proposes that "cyclists should display on their clothing a personal registration number that is clearly readable." Another Lord notes that "we do have to keep the problem of law-breaking cyclists in perspective. On the whole, problems with road accidents lie elsewhere, not too much with cyclists."

Confidential to Jennifer: Seven Cycles rock! And I'd say that even without the bribe. Thank you thank you thank you thank you from the very bottom of my heart.

1 comment:

Donna Tocci said...

Hey Fritz: I agree - Seven does rock and so does Jennifer!