January 2019 – Person versus Automobile

Duo Bikes (guest post, Adrienne)

Mission: To promote driving less so all may live more.

[Adrienne, from England, has ties to Holland, where her father lives. Adapted from an email of hers and a link she sent, this short post introduces some of us to the duo bike. These devices, being stabilized with 3 wheels, seem particularly useful for those who want to ride a bike but shouldn’t. They also lend themselves to conversation, in a way that tandem bikes do not. — Louis]

[as an aside, a true one]: Holland could teach everyone a lot re cycling and not even in a boring, ‘kikkerlandish’ way … 🙂^[1]

Have you seen any of these duo bikes over your way?

Well, this is one.

Duo Bike, Holland — “My father is on the left and a volunteer is on the right.”

Why We Run in the Street (a picture story)

Mission: To promote driving less so all may live more.

This post is a public service announcement. With a web log named “Person versus Automobile,” I owe drivers an explanation of why I still risk running in the street. In this respect, there is no antagonism, only competing risks.

There’s a slight analogy here: as far as I know, my father avoided crosswalks because they provided false security. Whenever I feel I may trip on the sidewalk (if it exists), I shift to the street, assuming it’s empty.

Ok, on with the picture story.

Sometimes the sidewalk ends suddenly...happens a lot where I live. — Sometimes the sidewalk ends suddenly…happens a lot where I live.

Quotes & Notes

"The [Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices'] definition of a crosswalk does not require paint or other markings of any kind. The presence of intersections, not paint, will create a crosswalk, much like the type of road (urban, rural, etc.) will determine the speed limit if one is not posted. However, media and police reports of pedestrian deaths following collisions with vehicles regularly note that the deceased pedestrian was 'not in a marked crosswalk,' suggesting pervasive and / damaging misunderstandings about whether markings are required."—Gregory Shill, "Should Law Subsidize Driving?"