Posts by George Darroch
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McCain=Bush is the core stuff they need to keep on banging home...it has legs and is a swinging vote winner especially as the Bush economy staggers again and again. Blue collar workers understand that..they really don't care about polar bears or troopers in Alaska..really.
Both campaigns have gone on the attack over the economy this week, which signals that they both have a lot to lose from a debate over 'morality' and identity issues, but the Democrats a lot more, as Paul notes. If McCain wins, America looks set to become even further behind, and further divided along lines of culture and class.
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it is teh awesome
Brilliantly so. I was in tears when I realised what was about to happen.
I don't think I've ever seen this kind of disagreement between the GOP faithful about any other issue, ever.
David Frum of the American Enterprise Institute, an intellectual bedrock of the American hard right, is doing deep soul searching of the type you would expect after a heavy loss, not before an election. His acknowledgement of the failures of capitalism and a coverage of class issues is of a type that has conspicuously absent in American public discourse for many years, until the last few months at least. It's kind of strange to see.
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Paul, you'd be more than pleased with the Copenhagen girls on bicycles website linked upthread then!
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How about cycling lanes and paths as a health investment ?
Indeed. There are many different areas where this could be justified. The cost benefit ratio of public investment far outstrips the return from the billions the current Government is spending on roads (and the opposition promises to spend more).
At the risk of sounding like Tom Waits there ain't much this technology isn't good for. One of the simplest and efficient technologies ever invented, it'll save you money, improve your sex life, take pounds off your waist, save the environment, bring you closer to the people. It emancipated women and improved the gene pool. Step right up.
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I see Velorbis have an Australian distributor, so import might not be quite so difficult after all.
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So where can I find one of dem uber-stylish Copenhagen style cruisers for my Grey Lynn to CBD jaunts?
Alan Preston in Christchurch has links to a number of decent bikes retailed in NZ. Unfortunately however, the prevailing tendency of bicycle store owners is still to stock overwhelmingly with racing and mountain bikes, with some bikes that are essentially racing or mountain, modified to make them less specialised. There are some good non-sport bicycles sold in NZ, but not many.
If you have the money, I'd recommend checking out Velorbis (warning, beautiful bike pr0n), and looking at importing. Pricey for a bike, but when you consider what you'd spend on any other vehicle, they suddenly don't seem so expensive. And if you're looking to carry round children and/or groceries, Christiana are also top quality.
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Sheer mass made them safe
There's safety in numbers alright. Check out these numbers.
The correlation between the percentage cycling and safety is very strong. The correlation between helmet wearing and safety is very strongly negative.
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Interesting, the NZ Herald views section generally seems to back the cycleway
There actually seems to be signs of intelligent life there. It must be the absence of the Granny staples; politics, boobs, and crime.
I liked this gem:
NZ roads are designed to kill those who ride bikes, so any lane across the bridge should be on the outer edges with no railing.
Heh.
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I should note that the Manukau Harbour has the lovely old bridge, with fresh air and beautiful views and friendly old fishermen, so there really isn't much reason not to use it!
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Greg, most of your objections about Auckland are also true of the northern European countries and cities that have 20-40% rates of cycling, or at least were until the cities consciously addressed them.
The weather we can't do much about, but it doesn't stop high rates of cycling in rainy (and colder) cycling mecca Denmark.
The flat country = bike country thing is a myth too.
Many cities built around the car have successfully started moving to integrate cycling into the infrastructure, so that's not a good reason not to.
Angry and aggressive drivers can be dealt with by keeping them away from cyclists, where they can't do any harm. Green lines on the road are a very half-hearted response to the issue. A "nanny state" would build proper segregated lanes.
I almost never used the Mangere Bridge cycle/pedestrian path, despite crossing the harbour daily for years, because it was unsafe, very dirty, required going uphill, and had a large risk of punctures. I'm partly opposed to an Auckland Harbour Bridge path because I can see the same very easily happening there.