"As a result of the credit crunch and high oil prices, new car registrations in the UK fell by 21% last month. In the US, sales by the major manufacturers have declined this year by between 20 and 35%." read more
--George Monbiot
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
World Car Free Day
Today is September 22, 2008 and its World Car-free day!
So leave your bucket o bolts pollution machine at home (preferably forever--they make nice car-dens, you know) and ride a bike, take transit and get out and walk.
You will earn bonus points for flipping off people driving Hummers!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
How the U.S. Auto Industry Wrecked Itself
By RALPH NADER
The Big Three are in big trouble, and they have themselves to thank for it.
Ford and General Motors have reported substantial losses in the second quarter amounting to $15.5 billion, and $8.7 billion, respectively, while Chrysler, which was bought off last year by a private equity firm, Cerberus, refuses to reveal its financial standing.
It is no wonder why their lobbyists were spotted schmoozing with members of Congress at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, liquoring up in their plush suites and private parties while they made their case for direct government loans which, if approved, would likely add to our federal deficit.
Last December, Congress approved a $25 billion loan to automakers and their suppliers under the Energy Independence and Security Act, though it has yet to be funded. That bill includes a modest requirement for automakers to increase their average vehicle fuel efficiency to 35 mpg -- a benchmark we should have set decades ago, and would allow the companies to have their way with virtually no oversight or accountability.
This corporate Congress cannot be expected to issue serious demands, set tough conditions, or impose strict rules on the auto companies to ensure their workers receive fair pay and benefits, and prevent their fat-cat executives from making off big while leaving their companies in shambles.
more
The Big Three are in big trouble, and they have themselves to thank for it.
Ford and General Motors have reported substantial losses in the second quarter amounting to $15.5 billion, and $8.7 billion, respectively, while Chrysler, which was bought off last year by a private equity firm, Cerberus, refuses to reveal its financial standing.
It is no wonder why their lobbyists were spotted schmoozing with members of Congress at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, liquoring up in their plush suites and private parties while they made their case for direct government loans which, if approved, would likely add to our federal deficit.
Last December, Congress approved a $25 billion loan to automakers and their suppliers under the Energy Independence and Security Act, though it has yet to be funded. That bill includes a modest requirement for automakers to increase their average vehicle fuel efficiency to 35 mpg -- a benchmark we should have set decades ago, and would allow the companies to have their way with virtually no oversight or accountability.
This corporate Congress cannot be expected to issue serious demands, set tough conditions, or impose strict rules on the auto companies to ensure their workers receive fair pay and benefits, and prevent their fat-cat executives from making off big while leaving their companies in shambles.
more
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Duelling with Buses
Anyone who is running a stop sign at full speed and failing to check if the other stops are occupied, is obviously a danger to herself and other road users. It seems that many people never studied rudimentary physics and have no understanding of inertia and braking distance, and the dangers large heavy vehicles can pose. But like the jerk who collided with me, no amount of public campaigning or private instruction will change idiotic behavior in those who are idiots.
Away from stop signs, duelling with buses on busy streets is one of the most dangerous situations facing a rider. The uneducated person on a bike may believe that to suck the curb on the right hand side is the prime directive, whereas experience or skills courses teach us that this is not so.
For example, on a street like Broadway, where parked cars, bikes and buses essentially must share the right hand lane, the dangers posed by passing a bus, especially the elongated ones are extreme. Approaching a stopped and loading bus from behind I will typically check the bus' rear lights and indicators, and have a look down the right hand side to guage the progress of the loading/unloading of passengers. If I see the bus is about to pull out and re-enter traffic lanes, I will yield and try to be visible in the driver's mirrors, as I do not want to suck bus exhaust and leapfrog with the bus all the way down the road.
However, if I am confident i can pass the bus on its leftside before he pulls out, I will do so. The real danger comes, and frequently happens, when the driver fails to check his traffic side mirror, and fails to see or ignores the (always assumed) invisible cyclist. It is indeed terrrifying when you are halfway past the bus, and it starts to roll and edge to the left, back into the traffic lane. This presents the cyclist with a tough dilemma and no place to go but to sprint for the front of the bus, hoping the driver sees you or is slow enough into traffic before you reach the front of the bus. Also hoping a motorist behind you doesn't have the same idea--ie, failing to yield and instead choosing to race past.
When the bicycle rider is already in the right hand flow lane and the bus starts to move, the rider runs the risk of being cut off and/or side-swiped by the merging bus, or else is forced into the lefthand flow lane, a place where no rider wants to find herself.
Yet also implicit in this discussion, although usually unvoiced, is the motorists' (and society in general) perception that bicycles are toys, riders are out for recreation only, and so are not legitimate road users. A bus driver with a schedule to maintain will typically view the cyclist as an annoyance, as an illigitimate road user, and so as someone who deserves no respect as a road user. John Forrester refers to this as "cyclist inferiority".
Lately I have been wondering about exactly what instruction does the typical sixteen year old beginning driver recieve in 'driver's ed" courses in regard to dealing safely with bicycles--my guess is none. Similarly, what instruction do city bus drivers get in relation to co-mingling with bicycles on the road. Here again, my guess would be next to none.
Away from stop signs, duelling with buses on busy streets is one of the most dangerous situations facing a rider. The uneducated person on a bike may believe that to suck the curb on the right hand side is the prime directive, whereas experience or skills courses teach us that this is not so.
For example, on a street like Broadway, where parked cars, bikes and buses essentially must share the right hand lane, the dangers posed by passing a bus, especially the elongated ones are extreme. Approaching a stopped and loading bus from behind I will typically check the bus' rear lights and indicators, and have a look down the right hand side to guage the progress of the loading/unloading of passengers. If I see the bus is about to pull out and re-enter traffic lanes, I will yield and try to be visible in the driver's mirrors, as I do not want to suck bus exhaust and leapfrog with the bus all the way down the road.
However, if I am confident i can pass the bus on its leftside before he pulls out, I will do so. The real danger comes, and frequently happens, when the driver fails to check his traffic side mirror, and fails to see or ignores the (always assumed) invisible cyclist. It is indeed terrrifying when you are halfway past the bus, and it starts to roll and edge to the left, back into the traffic lane. This presents the cyclist with a tough dilemma and no place to go but to sprint for the front of the bus, hoping the driver sees you or is slow enough into traffic before you reach the front of the bus. Also hoping a motorist behind you doesn't have the same idea--ie, failing to yield and instead choosing to race past.
When the bicycle rider is already in the right hand flow lane and the bus starts to move, the rider runs the risk of being cut off and/or side-swiped by the merging bus, or else is forced into the lefthand flow lane, a place where no rider wants to find herself.
Yet also implicit in this discussion, although usually unvoiced, is the motorists' (and society in general) perception that bicycles are toys, riders are out for recreation only, and so are not legitimate road users. A bus driver with a schedule to maintain will typically view the cyclist as an annoyance, as an illigitimate road user, and so as someone who deserves no respect as a road user. John Forrester refers to this as "cyclist inferiority".
Lately I have been wondering about exactly what instruction does the typical sixteen year old beginning driver recieve in 'driver's ed" courses in regard to dealing safely with bicycles--my guess is none. Similarly, what instruction do city bus drivers get in relation to co-mingling with bicycles on the road. Here again, my guess would be next to none.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Around the Neighbourhood
CHIMBY: Can't Happen in My Back Yard: People, who despite both scientific and anecdotal evidence of man made climate change happening around us everyday, refuse to see the wider implications and refuse to face up to the real decisions that must be made. People who have a firm belief that the worst will always happen elsewhere.
Monday, July 14, 2008
SPUD*
*SPontaneous Unplanned Dismount
Most people who ride bicycles are very aware of the dangers of automobile traffic, so it is somewhat ironic I should be the victim of a hit and run bicycle/bicycle collision. Here's what happened:
Smoked on Sunday
Last Sunday (July 6) I was riding my road bike westbound on Lougheed Highway. I wasn’t going anywhere in particular, just out for a lazy Sunday spin. I am a very experienced cyclist. I was wearing a helmet and operating a well tuned and perfectly functional bicycle. I was travelling about 20-25 kph, slightly off the traffic lane, about six inches off the fog line. I was positioned exactly where I feel I should have been. There was a fresh green light in my favour, it had just changed as I approached the intersection. I ensured that no approaching car travelling in the opposite direction was going to turn left in front of me.
From my right hand field of vision, a man on a bicycle appeared in an instant and within a second he collided into me. He appeared to make no effort to avoid this collision. He was travelling southbound down a very steep hill on Beta St. in Burnaby.
He obviously made the conscious decision to ignore the yellow light, ran through the red light and was planning on travelling down the highway on the wrong side of the road in the wrong direction. Coming down the hill and around the corner this man cut through the lane of opposite traffic on Beta St., and apexed his turn in the crosswalk/corner of Lougheed and Beta.
By my estimate and crude calculations of force, I figured this guy hit me with more than twice the force of impact than I had on him. (me: 140 lbs x 25 kph. the jerk: ~175 lbs x ~ 40 kph) You do the math. Its no wonder that he was able to walk away unscathed, as I took the brunt of impact.
When I saw this jerk on a bike there was no time to react. Collision was imminent and unavoidable. I hit my brakes and tried to avoid him to the outside (my left) but with no chance.
We collided with a mighty whack.
I didn’t lose consciousness, and ended up in the right hand traffic lane. I landed on my left side and was fortunate that my pedals both released and I didn’t get twisted up in the bike at all. Still I landed in a twisted position, but again, fortunately, don’t seem to be suffering any ill effects from that.
So I landed on my left hip and felt relatively unscathed, more angry than hurt, until I went to pick myself up and could not raise my hip off the pavement. I realised immediately that my leg was probably broken.
I saw that the other bike rider had been dismounted as well. He was almost directly behind me, I could see him when I looked back over my shoulder. I suppose I should have relaxed some and took a very good look at him, because I think the description I ended up giving to the police was pretty much useless. Also I had a small digital camera in my jersey pocket--but totally forgot about it, or I could have snapped a few candids of the jerk on a bike.
I was lucid enough to be righteously pissed and began a blue streaked harangue at the jerk. I think I less than politely mentioned what a stupid fool he was for his stupid and criminal actions. “You broke my f-in leg, you c***” was an oft repeated phrase. The jerk started to get up. “Stay there! Don’t you go anywhere!” I was screaming at him.
By this time I noticed that traffic had stopped on my side of the highway. I saw that a large SUV was stopped in the right hand lane, a vehicle that would have been my agent of doom if it had been passing me at the time of the collision. I clearly saw a blond woman in the passenger seat of a small silver car was stopped directly beside me, but in the left hand lane. She had a look of detached curiosity, even though by this time i was shouting for someone to help me, as I saw that the jerk was getting up and picking up his bike.
It seemed a police cruiser was there very quickly, the officers later said they were driving down the highway and moved up to investigate when they saw traffic had stopped. And although the police told me they spoke to some witnesses, they said no-one actually saw the collision. This is not too surprising, considering that it happened so quickly, and both cyclists and jerks on bikes are pretty much invisible to car drivers.
When I saw that the other bike rider was on his feet and pushing his bike back up the hill through the intersection, in the direction from which he had originally come, is when my visible distress became acute. I began to flair my arms about and yelling for someone to help. It seemed many people were quite content to sit in their cars and watch things unfold, as if it were on TV.
So I was flailing about, begging for someone to help, begging for someone to stop the jerk who I could see was getting away. I saw a man in glasses and a faded red tee-shirt approach from the stopped traffic. I asked him to stop the guy who had hit me, that he was getting away. Apparently the jerk’s bike was still functional, as I was later told he rode off through Brentwood Mall parking lot, and was not found by the bystander or police.
In time, fire fighters and paramedics arrived where I lay. The mandatory neck brace was put in place, my helmet removed, then they managed to get a spine board underneath me. One of the paramedics put his index fingers together in an L shape and said my femur was broken like this, and they were going to have to pull the leg bone back into alignment. So they attempted to fill me up with nitrous, but that doesn’t really mitigate the pain, just makes it seem not so important to you. Then they gave my left leg the big yank to rejoin the ends of the fractured bone.
I was taken to Burnaby General Hospital where a surgery was performed, round about eight in the evening. The collision occurred about 3:30. The surgeons put a rod in my leg to stabilize the bone and also some kind of clamp around the upper part of the break as there were longitudinal fractures up the bone towards the hip joint.
I spent four nights in hospital, fortunately without complication, only discomfort and pain. I’m back home now in my little north Burnaby apartment.
The real challenges begin now, though, as I live alone and don’t know too many people here in town. I seem to be managing so far, but everything now requires three times the effort. I am trying to remain positive.
Every medical professional I talked to asked if I was wearing a helmet, and of course I was, although the other guy wasn’t. He rode away, and I’m left appreciating what a nice day it would be for a bike ride...
So just another reminder to be careful out there (as if we need that) and to always wear your helmet. Most of us are very cognizant of the dangers of auto traffic , but remember too that the SUV with your name on it might just be a jerk on a bike.
Most people who ride bicycles are very aware of the dangers of automobile traffic, so it is somewhat ironic I should be the victim of a hit and run bicycle/bicycle collision. Here's what happened:
Smoked on Sunday
Last Sunday (July 6) I was riding my road bike westbound on Lougheed Highway. I wasn’t going anywhere in particular, just out for a lazy Sunday spin. I am a very experienced cyclist. I was wearing a helmet and operating a well tuned and perfectly functional bicycle. I was travelling about 20-25 kph, slightly off the traffic lane, about six inches off the fog line. I was positioned exactly where I feel I should have been. There was a fresh green light in my favour, it had just changed as I approached the intersection. I ensured that no approaching car travelling in the opposite direction was going to turn left in front of me.
From my right hand field of vision, a man on a bicycle appeared in an instant and within a second he collided into me. He appeared to make no effort to avoid this collision. He was travelling southbound down a very steep hill on Beta St. in Burnaby.
He obviously made the conscious decision to ignore the yellow light, ran through the red light and was planning on travelling down the highway on the wrong side of the road in the wrong direction. Coming down the hill and around the corner this man cut through the lane of opposite traffic on Beta St., and apexed his turn in the crosswalk/corner of Lougheed and Beta.
By my estimate and crude calculations of force, I figured this guy hit me with more than twice the force of impact than I had on him. (me: 140 lbs x 25 kph. the jerk: ~175 lbs x ~ 40 kph) You do the math. Its no wonder that he was able to walk away unscathed, as I took the brunt of impact.
When I saw this jerk on a bike there was no time to react. Collision was imminent and unavoidable. I hit my brakes and tried to avoid him to the outside (my left) but with no chance.
We collided with a mighty whack.
I didn’t lose consciousness, and ended up in the right hand traffic lane. I landed on my left side and was fortunate that my pedals both released and I didn’t get twisted up in the bike at all. Still I landed in a twisted position, but again, fortunately, don’t seem to be suffering any ill effects from that.
So I landed on my left hip and felt relatively unscathed, more angry than hurt, until I went to pick myself up and could not raise my hip off the pavement. I realised immediately that my leg was probably broken.
I saw that the other bike rider had been dismounted as well. He was almost directly behind me, I could see him when I looked back over my shoulder. I suppose I should have relaxed some and took a very good look at him, because I think the description I ended up giving to the police was pretty much useless. Also I had a small digital camera in my jersey pocket--but totally forgot about it, or I could have snapped a few candids of the jerk on a bike.
I was lucid enough to be righteously pissed and began a blue streaked harangue at the jerk. I think I less than politely mentioned what a stupid fool he was for his stupid and criminal actions. “You broke my f-in leg, you c***” was an oft repeated phrase. The jerk started to get up. “Stay there! Don’t you go anywhere!” I was screaming at him.
By this time I noticed that traffic had stopped on my side of the highway. I saw that a large SUV was stopped in the right hand lane, a vehicle that would have been my agent of doom if it had been passing me at the time of the collision. I clearly saw a blond woman in the passenger seat of a small silver car was stopped directly beside me, but in the left hand lane. She had a look of detached curiosity, even though by this time i was shouting for someone to help me, as I saw that the jerk was getting up and picking up his bike.
It seemed a police cruiser was there very quickly, the officers later said they were driving down the highway and moved up to investigate when they saw traffic had stopped. And although the police told me they spoke to some witnesses, they said no-one actually saw the collision. This is not too surprising, considering that it happened so quickly, and both cyclists and jerks on bikes are pretty much invisible to car drivers.
When I saw that the other bike rider was on his feet and pushing his bike back up the hill through the intersection, in the direction from which he had originally come, is when my visible distress became acute. I began to flair my arms about and yelling for someone to help. It seemed many people were quite content to sit in their cars and watch things unfold, as if it were on TV.
So I was flailing about, begging for someone to help, begging for someone to stop the jerk who I could see was getting away. I saw a man in glasses and a faded red tee-shirt approach from the stopped traffic. I asked him to stop the guy who had hit me, that he was getting away. Apparently the jerk’s bike was still functional, as I was later told he rode off through Brentwood Mall parking lot, and was not found by the bystander or police.
In time, fire fighters and paramedics arrived where I lay. The mandatory neck brace was put in place, my helmet removed, then they managed to get a spine board underneath me. One of the paramedics put his index fingers together in an L shape and said my femur was broken like this, and they were going to have to pull the leg bone back into alignment. So they attempted to fill me up with nitrous, but that doesn’t really mitigate the pain, just makes it seem not so important to you. Then they gave my left leg the big yank to rejoin the ends of the fractured bone.
I was taken to Burnaby General Hospital where a surgery was performed, round about eight in the evening. The collision occurred about 3:30. The surgeons put a rod in my leg to stabilize the bone and also some kind of clamp around the upper part of the break as there were longitudinal fractures up the bone towards the hip joint.
I spent four nights in hospital, fortunately without complication, only discomfort and pain. I’m back home now in my little north Burnaby apartment.
The real challenges begin now, though, as I live alone and don’t know too many people here in town. I seem to be managing so far, but everything now requires three times the effort. I am trying to remain positive.
Every medical professional I talked to asked if I was wearing a helmet, and of course I was, although the other guy wasn’t. He rode away, and I’m left appreciating what a nice day it would be for a bike ride...
So just another reminder to be careful out there (as if we need that) and to always wear your helmet. Most of us are very cognizant of the dangers of auto traffic , but remember too that the SUV with your name on it might just be a jerk on a bike.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Desperate Times Call for...
The reek of desperation among the automobile manufacturers is palpable. "Free" financing has been a staple of auto enticemnents for years, now dealers are promising "free" gas, or some convoluted scheme to guarantee future gas price for increasingly desperate customers.
I wonder if the future of the oil/car pushers will be modeled upon a one-time fantasy of the computer industry. It was once opined that the price of computer hardware will fall towards zero and the profits for suppliers will be realized through the sale of software. This has been a pipe-dream of the computer industry, as it's seen now that almost the opposite is true. The price of Macs keeps going up, yet a company like Google can provide a number of useful applications for free.
Will we soon see advertisements offering a free car with the purchase of gasoline?
It wouldn't surprise me, as nothing does anymore.
I wonder if the future of the oil/car pushers will be modeled upon a one-time fantasy of the computer industry. It was once opined that the price of computer hardware will fall towards zero and the profits for suppliers will be realized through the sale of software. This has been a pipe-dream of the computer industry, as it's seen now that almost the opposite is true. The price of Macs keeps going up, yet a company like Google can provide a number of useful applications for free.
Will we soon see advertisements offering a free car with the purchase of gasoline?
It wouldn't surprise me, as nothing does anymore.
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