Python
04-22-2007, 04:05 AM
Having taking up cycling again at the age of 50 I've been thinking about cars versus bikes.
My late mother was a very keen cyclist when she was young, back in the 1930's and 1940's. That was in an era when bikes ruled the road.
Mum and her friends thought nothing of cycling from Aberdeen (Scotland) out to Ballater some 40 miles away, having a picnic then cycling back to Aberdeen. She belonged to a cycling club. It wasn't until I was about 16 that she told me this (makes why banning me from riding a bike after a minor accident when I was 6 years old all the more confusing). She said she loved her bike. She was the only female in the club who had a man's bike - a Sun Racer. I asked her why she gave it up since she loved it so much. She just said there were too many cars on the road (in the 1940's?) and the outbreak of WWII in 1939.
Now, of course, we have so-called global warming. Our government is taxing car owners to death. Our roads are overcrowded with cars, lorries and buses. Fossil fuel is running out. People are leading more sedentary lifestyles which has the knock-on effect of causing health problems coupled with the fact that many people eat "junk" food. Not a good combination.
Over here in the UK, some councils are trying to promote the use of bikes more. In our town, we have many cycle paths. New housing estates are not given planning permission unless they include cycle paths in their plans which has given rise to some really nice cycle runs in the evening when I finish work.
I am going to be writing to our Council this week to ask when they are going to install a dedicated cycle path direct from the north end of town into the centre of town. At the moment the bus lanes allow cyclists on them but not cars. Unfortunately, some cars are using the bus lanes now. Buses and bikes (both pushbike and motorbike) are allowed to use the bus lanes between the hours of 7am and 7pm. After that, cars are allowed to use them too. Unfortunately so car drivers think they can use them all the time so I think we really need more dedicated cycle paths. Later on today son and I are going to cycle from our house to where I work and back to see how long it takes. Bet it's much quicker than going by car. Basically, I'm doing a trial run. Tomorrow I hope to take my bike to work.
Since going back on a bike (and really enjoying it), I've thought of my late Mum a lot. I wonder what she would say now to see that bikes are making a comeback. I believe that bikes, certainly in towns, will once more become king of the road within the next 10 to 20 years. What do you think?
My late mother was a very keen cyclist when she was young, back in the 1930's and 1940's. That was in an era when bikes ruled the road.
Mum and her friends thought nothing of cycling from Aberdeen (Scotland) out to Ballater some 40 miles away, having a picnic then cycling back to Aberdeen. She belonged to a cycling club. It wasn't until I was about 16 that she told me this (makes why banning me from riding a bike after a minor accident when I was 6 years old all the more confusing). She said she loved her bike. She was the only female in the club who had a man's bike - a Sun Racer. I asked her why she gave it up since she loved it so much. She just said there were too many cars on the road (in the 1940's?) and the outbreak of WWII in 1939.
Now, of course, we have so-called global warming. Our government is taxing car owners to death. Our roads are overcrowded with cars, lorries and buses. Fossil fuel is running out. People are leading more sedentary lifestyles which has the knock-on effect of causing health problems coupled with the fact that many people eat "junk" food. Not a good combination.
Over here in the UK, some councils are trying to promote the use of bikes more. In our town, we have many cycle paths. New housing estates are not given planning permission unless they include cycle paths in their plans which has given rise to some really nice cycle runs in the evening when I finish work.
I am going to be writing to our Council this week to ask when they are going to install a dedicated cycle path direct from the north end of town into the centre of town. At the moment the bus lanes allow cyclists on them but not cars. Unfortunately, some cars are using the bus lanes now. Buses and bikes (both pushbike and motorbike) are allowed to use the bus lanes between the hours of 7am and 7pm. After that, cars are allowed to use them too. Unfortunately so car drivers think they can use them all the time so I think we really need more dedicated cycle paths. Later on today son and I are going to cycle from our house to where I work and back to see how long it takes. Bet it's much quicker than going by car. Basically, I'm doing a trial run. Tomorrow I hope to take my bike to work.
Since going back on a bike (and really enjoying it), I've thought of my late Mum a lot. I wonder what she would say now to see that bikes are making a comeback. I believe that bikes, certainly in towns, will once more become king of the road within the next 10 to 20 years. What do you think?