The start of Bike-to-Work Month is upon us, and it appears that there are a few people taking advantage of it at our office. Till today, I'd never seen more than three bikes including mine at the rack and today there were four (still including mine). And campus police have removed that bike that had been here, unmoved, since November (at least). So that's four bikes utilized regularly!
Granted, many of the folks who work here are students getting work-study time. But... you can take that as good or bad. Good, because younger folks are getting out on their bikes more often, and that bodes well for the future. Bad, because people my age or older are still too lazy to get out of their gas guzzlers.
I was sort of amused by the fact that I had to fight for a parking space, actually... for the first time ever, it was a nice feeling!
In other news, I picked up a couple of new books on Amazon: How to Live Well Without Owning a Car: Save Money, Breathe Easier, and Get More Mileage Out of Life, and Asphalt Nation: How the Automobile Took Over America and How We Can Take It Back. I've started the first book and I'll talk more about it when I'm done. So far I like it - I'm on chapter two and the author, Chris Balish, has been chatting about the financial benefits of not owning a car. It's not a bike-specific book but I've glanced through it and biking most certainly is a big part of it.
I've also ordered Divorce Your Car from Amazon but it's coming in another shipment, for whatever bizarre reason.
Granted, many of the folks who work here are students getting work-study time. But... you can take that as good or bad. Good, because younger folks are getting out on their bikes more often, and that bodes well for the future. Bad, because people my age or older are still too lazy to get out of their gas guzzlers.
I was sort of amused by the fact that I had to fight for a parking space, actually... for the first time ever, it was a nice feeling!
In other news, I picked up a couple of new books on Amazon: How to Live Well Without Owning a Car: Save Money, Breathe Easier, and Get More Mileage Out of Life, and Asphalt Nation: How the Automobile Took Over America and How We Can Take It Back. I've started the first book and I'll talk more about it when I'm done. So far I like it - I'm on chapter two and the author, Chris Balish, has been chatting about the financial benefits of not owning a car. It's not a bike-specific book but I've glanced through it and biking most certainly is a big part of it.
I've also ordered Divorce Your Car from Amazon but it's coming in another shipment, for whatever bizarre reason.
Here's one to read when you finish those. Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream http://www.amazon.com/Suburban-Nation-Sprawl-Decline-American/dp/0865475571
ReplyDeleteOh, sounds good. I'll have to pick that one up, too. It strikes me, though, that books like that one and Asphalt Nation are probably not going to be read by the people who need to be reading them.
ReplyDeleteFor example, I plan on leaving the two living-sans-auto books around the house so that maybe my wife picks them up and starts reading. But she's a genuine car nut - classic cars and the whole nine yards.
Lead by example, brother. Pushing the issue only gets you resentment and no more snuggles.
ReplyDeleteYou're better off with baby-steps. Just get her to ride to the ice crean shop or to a picnic spot for a date. If it never goes further, then be happy with what you've got.
I pretty much know that this is a fight I'm not going to win 100% - but if she thinks twice about driving to the supermarket or other within-a-mile away places a few times, I've won.
ReplyDeleteRight now, though, she's pregnant, and shouldn't be on a bike anyway. :)
Well, that is true. And if this is #1, then congratulations and get ready for some drastic changes, my friend. On the plus side, getting kids in and out of a car is a hassle and she'll be less inclined to run out by car unless she really needs something. She may decide to just ask you to go, and then you can go by bike and you both win.
ReplyDeleteActually, it's #2. #1 is 2 1/2 now and he's going to be a bicyclist like daddy - he already loves my bike and he has a little trike of his own to play with.
ReplyDeleteShe actually suggested the other day that I go shopping and use our boy's bike trailer to haul the groceries. She gets it, I just think she's having more of an issue getting rid of the car than I did. Of course, she's originally from Houston where the sprawl is worse than here. So it can be understood to some extent.