Michael, Judging by how the roads fared down here this winter, yours must have been just destroyed.
RGZ On Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 8:50 AM, MichaelH <mhech...@gmail.com> wrote: > My experience confirms that safety concerns are the biggest impediment > to getting people on bicycles. No doubt, the ubiquitous helmet > contributes to that fear, but I am convinced that fear has two other > deeper causes. First, far too many roads where most commuters ride > are unnecessarily dangerous and new riders lack the skill and moxie to > take their share of the lane. Second, Americans watch way too much > TV, which is an entire industry composed of fearful, angry, unhappy > people intent on making everyone else fearful, resentful, and > unhappy. There are many things that people ought to be concerned > about, like climate change and spreading poverty, but instead, as this > video clip pointed out, we are all encouraged to be stressed out about > minimal or non existent dangers. Too many people simply approach > life, including cycling, from that place of fear. > > I just retired from a physically and emotionally demanding job at a > major medical center. Whenever I mentioned the slightest ache or pain > I would invariably be asked or simply assumed that I had hurt myself > commuting to work. Yet, with a daily census of around 450 inpatients > we probably averaged two admissions a year for cycling injuries. > > Promoting reason over fear is a good thing to do, but I doubt that the > bicycle helmet is the best place to start. > > michael, > not enjoying mud season in VT! > > On Mar 16, 4:20 am, newenglandbike <matthiasbe...@gmail.com> wrote: >> Can't comment on the speaker's delivery, but what does that matter? >> I pretty much agreed with most of what the guy said, that is, to >> get people on bicycles, you don't want to force them to wear a helmet >> and imply that they are doing something more dangerous than >> driving. Conversely, the overbearing prevalence of private- >> automobile culture could probably be combatted effectively by >> enforcing a strict automobile helmet law. >> >> 'Copenhagencyclechic' and it's sister-sites across the web represent >> exactly the kind of campaign bicycling needs-- something that appeals >> to peoples' (women and men's) sense of freedom and individuality (and >> vanity), and incidentally the idea of bicycling for utility/ >> transportation rather than for sport or recreation. The bottom line >> is, the energy-rich, complacent people (not saying this is ALL people) >> of the industrialized world aren't going to hop on bikes because of >> Peak >> Oil or 390ppm CO2 in the atmosphere, and the hotter, more barren >> planet that we have created and will leave to the next generation. >> But if you appeal to their sense of vanity, you could make some >> headway. This is exactly what the automobile industry does to sell >> cars- and they know what they are doing. >> >> -Matt >> >> On Mar 16, 12:33 am, PATRICK MOORE <bertin...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> >> >> > Damn, Jim, it's about time someone had the courage to raise this highly >> > troublesome subject; moral standards in this our little world of odd, retro >> > bike geekdom are tumbling fast. >> >> > Patrick "Sarah Palin for President -- as long as she promises complete >> > silence for four years: Moore >> >> > On Tue, Mar 15, 2011 at 7:17 PM, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery < >> >> > thill....@gmail.com> wrote: >> > > I have nothing against professional photographers or exploiting people, >> > > but >> > > I am greatly offended by the shameless portrayal of internal gear hubs >> > > and >> > > chain guards as sensible for transportation bikes! Both of these cause me >> > > lots of trouble on a daily basis! >> >> > > -- >> > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> > > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> > > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. >> > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> > > rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >> > > For more options, visit this group at >> > >http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. >> >> > -- >> > Patrick Moore >> > Albuquerque, NM >> > For professional resumes, contact >> > Patrick Moore, ACRW at patrickmo...@resumespecialties.com > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
