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This is a national plea making the e-mail rounds lately. The idea is to bring down gas prices. Apparently it brought gas prices down 33 cents last year (unconfirmed). Umm.. how about no gas ever again ever, prices be damned, smash the fossil fuel industry forever, thank you.

World Web premere on Streetfilms

From the Contested Streets Homepage

 CONTESTED STREETS explores the history and culture of New York City streets from pre-automobile times to the present. This examination allows for an understanding of how the city - though the most well served by mass transit in the United States - has slowly relinquished what was a rich, multi-dimensional conception of the street as public space to a mindset that prioritizes the rapid movement of cars and trucks over all other functions.

Central to the story is a comparison of New York to what is experienced in London, Paris and Copenhagen. Interviews and footage shot in these cities showcase how limiting automobile use in recent years has improved air quality, minimized noise pollution and enriched commercial, recreational and community interaction. London's congestion pricing scheme, Paris' BRT (bus rapid transit) and Copenhagen's bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure are all examined in depth. New York City, though to many the most vibrant and dynamic city on Earth, still has lessons to learn from Old Europe.

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Greetings from a salty and soggy Portland, fellow OSHlings. I've got a serious case of cabin fever, I'm sick of doing the city circuit, and if I get one more sour-puss glance from another way-too-cool-for-school single snob or urban-extreme freestyle clown on his fully-hung goon scooter, I'm gunna puke. What's the remedy? The decade, of course. Post it as soon as its known, and save my sanity. Cheers.

Posted by teodubbledee

I have recently noticed an increase in the frequency of "motorists" recreating in our public spaces. While it does seem to be an exciting pastime, I am forced to question the wisdom of allowing the practice to go unchecked. I myself must admit to having been swept up in the intoxicating spectacle of the NASCAR racing series, but this type of thing does not belong in the roadway.

The danger presented by a hurtling hunk of steel in such close proximity to the places we live and work is terrifying. Think of the children for gosh sakes! I wouldn't prevent my son from watching the sport on television but neither would I want my child to come within five hundred feet of one of these "danger carts". The record cleary shows an increase in disfiguring injuries and fatalities in direct correlation with the increase of motor vehicle use in the public way.

It is a free county and I would never try to tell people how to spend their free time, but many motor hobbyists are directly infringing on the rights of others and creating an unreasonable tax burden. This type of thing is distinctly unamerican at it's core. Some extreemist have made the claim that horseless carrages are a viable and nessesary transportation alternative, but such claims are easily rebutted when one takes note of the stench emitting from their tailpipes and the outlandish cost of the fuel and lubricant. This extreem liberal thinking harkens back to communist and fascist states we fought so hard to quash during the great war and following cold war. In fact, I have read that Hitler himself was an internal combustion enthusiast.

Now, I understand that time marches forward, and I am no ludite, but certainly we can come up with something more innovative than these nightmarish contraptions. I could accept a powered assist on an appropriately sized vehicle such as the popular "motor bikes" or "scooters", especially for the disabled or infirmed who are not able travel under their own power. Perhapse the amount of horspower of a given vehicle should be tied to the degree of disability.

I have no doubt that my observations will be laid bare in our collective experience if the unhealthy fascination with petrol is allowed to continue. Who knows what kind of consiquences could result from such irresposible flirtation with disaster? In the mean time, it is clear that enthusiasts of this hobby should be confined to designated recreation areas or separated "car paths" away from populated areas where they won't confound legitimate transportation and daly life.

I have a Bike Survival class starting this coming Tuesday the 27th. I have three spots left so feel free to jump in. The cost is 60$ and payment holds your spot. For a description of the class look here.