It's hard to feel too sorry for the poor, beleagured single-occupant vehicle drivers, who are dealing with stop-and-go traffic, record gas prices, etc., when so many other options are available for anybody willing to exercise them.
This morning on the (bus) ride to the office, a guy put his bike onto the front rack of the bus and for $2, he bought a full-day unlimited bus pass. Then he sat down in the sunshine, pulled a paperback novel out of his backpack, and got to readin'.
I felt a tinge of jealousy. (I bet he wasn't headed for work.)
THAT, my friends, is quality transportation. Think about it - he relaxes while somebody else takes him to anywhere on the Valleyride grid (not sure about Canyon County - I think it's more expensive). And when he gets to a point close to his destination, he just hops on his bicycle and completes the trip. And the most it will cost him is 2 lousy bucks, whether he takes 2 trips or 20, or travels 5 miles or 50. (By the way, 4 miles is about as far as you can go on 2 bucks, as a car owner.)
Tireless advocate for the most efficient form of
human transportation ever devised - bicycles!
8 comments:
Absolutely agreed. Very few people have any room to complain about any automobile-related irritations.
however, it sucks when the bus bike rack is filled. it is unfortunately too unreliable for everyday commuting.
I understand that the driver has the latitude to let you carry your bike onboard. Of course, if the bus is crowded, that wouldn't work very well. That is DEFINITELY a wrench-in-the-cogs. (Sadly, some of us have schedules to keep, which kinda ruins everything. grin)
There is such a thing as folding bicycles that could easily be taken onto the bus.
Folding bikes are certainly an option, but I would buy one only if I was going to go multi-modal frequently.
Since I frequently just ride (bypassing the bus), and since I like to ride more than 10 miles at a pop, a folding bike would not be a great option, in my opinion. For those in more urban areas with shorter trips, though, I think that they are great:
Conversation about Dahon bikes.
Wouldn't another option be to put a second rack on the back of the bus?
By the way, Josh, I like your blog. I wonder why your Flickr photos aren't showing up for me, though. When I click on the box with an X, however, the photo displays on its Flickr page, so at least there's a work-around.
Here is a great article about multi-model trans and a folder bike.
http://www.bikecommuters.com/ article from today.
db- can you tell me how to hotlink like you do?
Hey Clancy, I just came back to post that link to BikeCommuters.com.
To make a hot link, use the following code:
<a href="url_goes_here">hot_text_here</a>
It's amazing that "folding bikes" surfaced in the discussion, because I was thinking about them as I composed this piece.
If I had the time to travel a lot, I'd love to have a folder, and use it and local public transportation to get around. I'm assuming you can check 'em like luggage (without an additional cost) when flying. (Realizing, of course, that nowadays you're limited by many carriers to one piece of luggage.)
Dahons have been around for a LONG time! A friend used to have a "Bike Friday" folder that looked pretty sweet. (He had to give it up and go recumbent due to a bad back.)
A guy at the office has a "Paratrooper" full-size bike with a foldup frame; looks just dandy. (And unlike most bikes, you can wear a beret while riding it, without people laughing. As long as you're wearing combat fatigues, too!)
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