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Biking in Mexico City

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Biking in Mexico City

Old 05-16-05, 11:52 AM
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Biking in Mexico City

New York Times May 15, 2005
https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/15/tr.../15T-BIKE.html

Mexico City has 3.5 million cars. Behind many a wheel is a maniac who believes that red lights are optional and that the right of way is a God-given entitlement. For the true urban biker, navigating this megalopolis offers an asphalt-enhanced adrenaline rush unmatched in the States. Last year, Mexico City unveiled a new 56-mile bike path, but the real action is still on the chaotic avenues. For a street survival course, join Bicitekas, a radical urban bike group, on a weekly ride; it's free, and there's safety in numbers. Go to www.bicitekas.org.
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Old 05-16-05, 02:15 PM
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I will check out this link that you have provided. This is very interesting, as I met my wife in D.F. 15 years ago, and have visited there before I met her, and we have traveled there many times since.
 
Old 05-16-05, 05:02 PM
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I've heard various places, Mexico City included, have a sort of "aggro" or "macho" ethic, in other words, you're expected to "stand up for yourself" rather aggressively, which can result in problems when drivers from there come here to the US and drive in our reletively more passive driving culture. I've run into the "aggro" thing in small-town Arizona, so it exists in the US too. It sucks.
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Old 05-17-05, 03:09 PM
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[QUOTE=lilHinault]I've heard various places, Mexico City included, have a sort of "aggro" or "macho" ethic, in other words, you're expected to "stand up for yourself" rather aggressively, which can result in problems when drivers from there come here to the US and drive in our reletively more passive driving culture. I've run into the "aggro" thing in small-town Arizona, so it exists in the US too. It sucks.[/QUOTE Driving in Mexico City is a very different attitude than here.It is amazing that the city of Distrito Federal works as well as it does.Completly chaotic. New York is a sleepy little town in comparison. D.F. is like no other place on earth. It is a crisis waiting to happen. Because of the economic crisis, population, envioromental contamination, social problems, is why so many educated "chilangos" ( habitantes of Mexico City) are immigrating here, legally and otherwise. I have a good friend, who was a veternarian, and an engineer of quality control for Volkswagen S.A. de Puebla, who immigrated here. Why? Because he is over 40 yrs. old. (45) and it is legal to discriminate against workers , age discrimination in Mexico. He cant find work to support his family. Be this as it may, I love Mexico City. It is facinating, beutiful, crazy.

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Old 05-17-05, 03:19 PM
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Necesita huevos grandes para montar en bicicleta en Mexico, DF.


Anyway, great link. My helmet is off to these two-wheeled Aztek warriors.
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Old 05-18-05, 07:28 AM
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Indeed big eggs yup.

Mexico is the most insane place to be in the world. I would not want to ride a bike nor a car their ever again. Pretty cool city to though
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Old 05-18-05, 03:57 PM
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Way cool that they are developing more for bicyclists but, yes, Mexico City is a mad house (traffic wise) and I would never consider driving a car there because driving a car would seem too dangerous, to me, the typical US driver. There is definitely a different attitude with drivers in el D.F. and it seems to work for them, but I would need to re-learn my driving skills. I have wondered how they would co-operate with cyclists doing VC...
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Old 05-18-05, 06:26 PM
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Maybe if you don't ride in the major avenues in Mexico City, but just ride on the side streets,and ride out in the colonias, like in the Estado de Mexico,etc.
 
Old 05-19-05, 10:31 AM
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chicharron: Do you know what the Segundo Piso they're talking about is? Is it an upper-deck freeway or something?
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Old 05-19-05, 02:04 PM
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Originally Posted by caloso
chicharron: Do you know what the Segundo Piso they're talking about is? Is it an upper-deck freeway or something?
No, sorry I do not. I read that link, and printed it off, and noticed that as well. It sounds as if the enviromentalist are opposed to it, don't you think? My guess was that it was somthing like an upper-deck freeway, like you. I'll ask my wife if she knows. BTW, do you follow Univision on TV or any of the Spanish language sattelite channels or cable channels,like TV Azteca? Might be somthing on Primer Impacto. I'll let you know,if I find our, or you can let me know.
I know one thing, they dont need anymore freeways in DF.
 
Old 05-19-05, 02:34 PM
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Usually just Sabado Gigante and the occasional futbol game, but maybe I'll look at Primer Impacto.
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Old 06-18-08, 03:59 AM
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what does aggro mean?
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Old 06-18-08, 07:02 AM
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My God man, where did you dig this thread up? Aggressive as far as I can tell and it's not en español.
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Old 06-18-08, 01:25 PM
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Originally Posted by caloso
Necesita huevos grandes para montar en bicicleta en Mexico, DF.

...
Maybe you mean ovaries. My wife and her female friend just spent a few days riding around DF. She said it was not exactly comfortable, but doable.
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Old 06-18-08, 02:49 PM
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A girlfriend of mine was living in Mexico City while she was pregnant. About a week before her due date, she was hit by a motorist there who decided to run a red. He didn't even stop for her. She and her daughter were very lucky, but she got a poor surgeon who damaged her bladder.

Anything anyone can do to slow down those homicidal maniacs would be an improvement.
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Old 06-18-08, 11:25 PM
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Was she walking when the man hit her? Hard to imagine him not stopping after running down a pregnant lady
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Old 06-18-08, 11:46 PM
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Yes. She was halfway across the street. He turned a corner into the street she was crossing and just barreled through the red and she went flying over his windshield. He never even slowed down.
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