On Your Left!

I'm sure there's a rational explanation for this, but I have not been able to come up with one. In the United States, we drive on the right side of the road. That holds for both cars and bicycles. Pedestrians are supposed to walk on the left side, facing traffic. That lets pedestrians see oncoming cars and bicycles, and take evasive action if necessary.

On multi-use trails, though, pedestrians end up walking on the right side with the flow of prevailing traffic. This results in peds being overtaken from behind by faster-moving bicyclists. Thus ensues the endless debate of how cyclists should alert pedestrians to their approach, etc. Why don't pedestrians walk on the left side of the trail, the same as they would on the road? Cyclists and pedestrians would be facing one another, with each moving slightly to the left as they pass. Cyclists wouldn't have to continually call out "On your left!" Pedestrians wouldn't be startled by either the sudden appearance of a bicycle, or the disembodied (and ambiguous) command "On your left!"

Works for me.

Changing Perspectives

So, I've decided to do a couple of things: (1) post more regularly on this blog, and (2) use it to communicate some of my views on the environment and other topics. I'll start with an interesting change of perspective that hit me a couple of days ago. We had one of those rare snowstorms that hit our area during the winter months. Since it happens so infrequently, it tends to paralyze the transportation system, which consists primarily of solo car drivers. I normally commute by bike, but not knowing what the conditions were like, and acceding to my wife's desire to have someone drive her to work, we carpooled.

My first thought was, "I should throw my bike in the back of the car, just in case we get stuck somewhere along the way". Sometime during the last 2 or 3 years, my thinking has shifted from the car as "universal transportation device", to the car as "2 tons of steel that requires a parking space". My bike will take me anywhere, in (practically) any conditions, whereas the car has become this huge liability that can easily get stranded/gridlocked at the first sign of inclement weather.

On the bleeding edge of technology…

This post is actually being sent directly from a word-processing program. I can’t tell you who the vendor is, since it’s still in beta. Not that it really matters anyway. I’m sure if the powers that be really wanted to know what I’m using to post this, they can just intercept my email/phone/bathroom rantings. Just kidding about the last one. At least I think so. Just to be safe: if you’re still listening, ignore my little tirade against the current Administration.

Parking lots are not parks

I know it has the word "park" in it, but a parking lot is not a park. Parking lots are for cars. Parks are for people, birds, bunny rabbits, slugs. Putting a stray tree here and there, or 10 square feet of salal doth not a habitat create. If you're going to pave, pave it all and get it over with. Then gather together the random bits of open space into one contiguous park. Now you have two habitats: asphalt and flourescent lights for the cars; and trees, grass, and yes, salal for the people, birds, and bunnies. Slugs get pitched back onto the asphalt.

Shouting down the well...

Much as I expected, after completely ignoring this blog for over a month, I come back to find that the rest of the world has been doing pretty much the same.

Let's make a deal: I'll make the effort to post at least weekly if you make the effort to read my postings. Both of you. Not just Mom. Dad has to read it too.