This stencil has apparently been seen around the place in New York, on streets and on walls. Sorry, can't find the name of the maker.But I did find a lot of great work that has been done by the Friends of the Earth in Manchester to promote the benefits of biking over taking the car.
I like the idea and endorse the sentiment but....and it's a big but...a bike on Lewis if you live out of town is not an option for general use given the wind and rain which are so prevalent. I used to cycle 20k/day before breakfast when I first came to NZ but living in a rural area with a narrow dangerous road and very steep hill into Napier I've lost the enthusiasm although I still take the bike into Napier and cycle there. But nowhere near as often as I should.
ReplyDeleteThanks, by coincidence a group of friends and yours truly have been meeting over the last fortnight to set up our own bike-promoting group here in Tortosa (Catalonia - Europe - yes, the place with the crisis, where markets can dictate whether a country can have a referendum or choose its own leader, he says raging off the path ....).
ReplyDeleteAnyway, we've been brainstorming for ideas also so all this will come in handy.
What a coincidence (great minds ....)!
Geeb. I think it's probably more relevant for the urban homo sapians. I appreciate your problem. Wind is not nice on a bike. Or in a closed room either :-)
ReplyDeleteBrian. I can understand you getting off the path at the moment. Great to have bike-promo. We have a good number of cycle lanes on the main roads, and some dedicated paths here in Tauranga. But I'd like to see a lot more.
Nice poster. It is so true, but putting biking in practice involves taking a lot of hurdles.
ReplyDeletePersonally I do 5000 km a year by bike and 20,000 by car. Public transportation often does not deliver the service I desire, so I take it only when going by car has been made impossible. For instance big city centers.
Regarding biking there are some technological developments that make it easier to use, especially for the older and less sportive type of people. It is called the E-Bike.
A small electro motor in the front or rear hub of the bike serves as a pedal assist. It works only when you pedal and you can choose the level of assistance depending on the circumstances (maximum speed is 25 km/h). Head wind, tail wind or steep grades. A relative small battery on the rear bike rack delivers the power and is good for 60 – 100 km of assistance. At home or at cafés you simply plug in and charge the battery. No excuses for headwinds or grades. ( I dream of constructing it in my racing bike and hiding the battery in a bike pannier and beating young bike racers in the alps.).
The E-bike has been made possible as a result of recent technological developments in low power, slow turning DC motors as well as high tec batteries.
It is a great success in the Netherlands. 20 % of the bikes sold in the Netherlands in 2011 are E-bikes and it is increasing rapidly, although the prices are at least 400 Euro (700 NZ Dollars) higher than normal bikes.
It attracts mostly people of the baby boom generation, The grey wave we call them. It is an intelligent way of staying active while physical powers diminish. At the other hand it can make commuting more attractive, arriving at the office without any sweat. When the electrical power has been generated by green systems we are a little bit closer to a healthier world and people.
Ha ha word verification is sedle
Wow, Ben. Thanks for all that info. You've made me think. I did a google search to see if we can get e-bikes in New Zealand and came up with a company that will fit motors on any bike 'even a unicycle'! http://theelectricbicycle.co.nz/
ReplyDeleteI already have a great bike and have joined the loose organization of 'Frocks on Bikes'. But a discrete little motor would be very handy!
By the way, 'Sedle' is exactly how a Kiwi accent would say 'saddle' :-)
Katherine, where have you gone?
ReplyDeleteAw, Robert, did you miss me? I've been away. Pikkies soon.
ReplyDeleteJust before I leave this posting: a cyclist to a car-driver: "You're not stuck in traffic, you ARE traffic! Get a bike!"
ReplyDelete