San Francisco Man Equates Cyclists to Islamic Fanatics

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For every treadly - that's an extra car space and cheaper gas for the rest of you

Gas prices are high, Pollution from cars is causing climate change which is causing world food shortages from droughts and wild storms and you want to keep the car?

European cities have made cycling to work much much safer, and big numbers of treadlies are being used. This has a multiple beneficial effect.

1. Health benefits for each cyclist.

2 Fitter people, skinnier people - keeps health costs down for everybody. USA has an obesity epidemic and you want to keep using your cars to commute?

3. About Eight treadlies and riders can fit into the space normally taken up by a car with one occupant - the driver - so this must surely reduce the traffic problems. This has been the European experience. And as Chinese take up driving cars - their cities have been choked with cars, traffic jams and pollution. There's your real evidence.

4. The reduced space occupied by treadlies - means more parks in town for people who really need them.

I don't know why I'm surprised at Ron's attitude or the support he's getting. Look who you voted President of the USA.

For those cities where winter is icy - perhaps you could have more buses and park and ride - so people park in their satellite shopping centres or football parks and ride the bus to work, or better still - work from home, part or all of the week.

Jessie in Australia of AK @ Aug 22, 2008 09:44:21 AM

Doesn't he have a point?

Aside from the overblown and stupid rhetoric about Islamic fanatics, doesn't he actually have a point worth considering? Is it not plausible that more bike lanes could lead to more cars idling in traffic, and thus even WORSE pollution?

This is an empirical question that deserves investigation. It shouldn't be dismissed out of hand.

Matt of @ Aug 21, 2008 16:38:24 PM

Sorry, bikers. You will probably also be compared to the homeless, as well. It's the price of being either less wealthy or more thoughtful about energy in a country where some football player jerks graduated to Lexus, Infiniti and Acura.

of @ Aug 21, 2008 15:54:46 PM

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Fresh Greens

Fresh Greens

Maura Judkis is a producer at U.S. News. She writes about the green movement and looks for ways to be an ecofriendly consumer without breaking the bank. Send her your green tips.

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