December 11, 2005
WEATHER WINERS
From my friend and Chicago-based blogger-extraordinaire, Luke over at the very insightful Decisive Moments... commenting on those who ridicule his choice of mode of transportation:
The people complaining about the cold now are the same ones who complained about the heat in June. Look, I want to tell them, it's Chicago. Shut the fuck up and deal. Want to spend 15 minutes on a freezing platform so you can ride the train with the flu-ridden sickies? Fine. Want to spend 15 minutes shoveling your car so you can sit an hour in weather-related gridlock? Fine. Me, I want to go as fast and be as warm and as healthy as possible, so I bike. Now leave me alone.
As many people who read this blog know, I didn't get my driver's license until I was 36-and-a-half-years-old. Numerous bikes and public transportation were my chosen modes of transportation, and even in Boulder, Colorado--the bastion of bicycling and bicycle commuters--I still ran into people who didn't 'get it.'
Apparently, I didnít 'get it' either... my first car, purchased after my Internet company sold in the winter of 2002, was a brand-spanking-new Land Rover Discovery II SE (pictured here), which went by the wayside this past January in favor of a more economical and environmentally-friendly Honda Civic.
My next car... a Marin... the very same Indiana Fire Trail model that hangs from a wall in my apartment. Get ready naysayers because the day WILL come... as Luke wrote:
The winter cycling is no longer just about me showing off. It's about me shutting the fuck up and dealing. My way.
Posted by Mikal at December 11, 2005 10:48 AM
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Mikal, I think you were the first bike commuter I ever knew. You were quite the role model. Seeing you ride through the Boulder winter was probably one of the top five formative bike moments for me. Ten years later, thanks!
I applaud you Mikal and I myself have tried to embrace bicycle commuting in Indianapolis with some degree of success, however articles such as the one below and personal experience just continue to re-emphasize how ill-equipped (and often unsafe) this city is for bicycle commuters. The Monon Trail is primarily for pedestrians(and I often feel I pose a threat to those walkers when on my bike), most roads have no shoulders and bike trails are scarce.
(Apologies in advance for the public service announcement) but cyclists and those interested in commuting in Indiana should visit: (and support if possible): http://www.bicycleindiana.org/
It's the advocacy group for making Indiana a better and safer place for bicycle commuting.
___________
Below article taken from www.indystar.com:
Massive trauma killed bicyclist in hit-run
By Tom Spalding
tom.spalding@indystar.com
The 61-year-old victim of a hit-and-run accident died as a result of suffering multiple trauma, according to a Marion County coroner's report released today. Police, meanwhile, continue to search for the driver of the vehicle involved in Sunday's crash.
Authorities have identified the victim but are withholding his name until family notification is made.
The fatal collision was reported about 9 p.m. Sunday on Holt Road just south of Michigan Street. Investigators said a man, whose name was not released, was riding a bicycle north on Holt Road when he was struck from behind and killed. The bicyclist's body was thrown to the pavement, but the bike was jammed under the SUV as it drove away. The SUV was found in a Westside apartment complex shortly after the accident.
Police went to the apartments and found the SUV parked in the 500 block of Linden Hill Circle. The bike had been removed from the SUV's undercarriage and thrown into a ravine in the middle of the apartments.
Investigators followed a blood trail to an apartment but did not find the SUV's driver. Police said it appeared the driver was injured after the collision triggered the vehicle's air bags.
Mikal,
Forget the bicycle. Your next "car" is this.
http://www.envbike.com
Dave
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