Commuting - Crime vs. crash

We are afraid.

We are afraid of many things, among them, crime. ****, robbery, murder, violence. Billions of dollars change hands because of these fears. We buy alarm systems for home and vehicle and pay for self-defense classes. We carry handguns and pepper spray. We even move to far away neighborhoods. The television replays every act of violence in every city to be sure we get the message: we are afraid.

But, thank goodness, there is one thing we are not afraid of: driving our cars. Hundreds of thousands of deaths from car "accidents" every year, but we are afraid of the handful of *******, robbers and thieves that might break into our homes or properties. A gambler would never take those odds.

But let's not bring that up. No, no. The great American dream machine, the motor vehicle, is an icon. An idol we love to lust after, it's taboo on the "no-no" list. To suggest that it dangerous to operate a motor vehicle would be sacreligious in America. So let's just hush up about it, eh?

(In fact, let's play up the idea that bicycling is dangerous, just to distract us from the problem.)

But let's not bring that up. No, no. The great American dream machine, the motor vehicle, is an icon. An idol we love to lust after, it's taboo on the "no-no" list. To suggest that it dangerous to operate a motor vehicle would be sacreligious in America. So let's just hush up about it, eh?



... And when the numbers are so great that they simply cannot be ignored any longer, let's find a suitable scape-goat. "It was raining" is a good one (even if it wasn't), "it was a busy road" is another (gee, I wonder why?), or how about "that particular road is dangerous so we need to spend $300 million of taxpayer's money on 'making improvements' (read 'vote buying'). Anything to make it look like we're taking "decisive action" without revealing the real problem.

Unfortunately, corporate america has everybody by their throats.
I recently read that the average sentence for **** is 3 years while the sentence for software piracy is 4.
How messed up is it that the government thinks depriving a corporation of money that may or may not have been lost anyway is worse than the violation of a woman's most private dignities.
And speaking of cars, god forbid I pirate adobe photoshop which I would've never bought if I had to pay for it with my own money but to recklessly pilot a 3000+ pound piece of machinery at high speed without any regard for where the hell I'm going and taking away the life of a human being, well the sun was in my eyes so that's ok because the CAR the almighty CAR has become a fundamental 'constitutional' right of the people. God forbid we take away this irresponsible person's CAR over a few lives lost.

Unfortunately, corporate america has everybody by their throats.
I recently read that the average sentence for **** is 3 years while the sentence for software piracy is 4.
How messed up is it that the government thinks depriving a corporation of money that may or may not have been lost anyway is worse than the violation of a woman's most private dignities.

It's not just in America. Out here you get a longer sentence for insider trading than for murder - and even less if that murderer used a car rather than a gun (and less still if they were drunk, but I'll leave that one alone for now). So it's ok to jump in a car and run someone down (as long as I didn't steal the car), but heaven forbid if I make a clever investment in a few shares that leaves some FRC out of pocket without first checking the messages on my phone.

We are afraid.

We are afraid of many things, among them, crime. ****, robbery, murder, violence. Billions of dollars change hands because of these fears. We buy alarm systems for home and vehicle and pay for self-defense classes. We carry handguns and pepper spray. We even move to far away neighborhoods. The television replays every act of violence in every city to be sure we get the message: we are afraid.

(In fact, let's play up the idea that bicycling is dangerous, just to distract us from the problem.)

Actually: This cycle of violence is really an American problem. In Canada or Europe, they sleep with their doors open and have no where near the hand gun killing that plagues American cities. I hate to say this but Americans in general, are a violent group of people.

I find the bicycle actually protects me from violence. During this past summer, I rode in some of worse neighborhoods in New York City. I did this because I was tired of riding in all the good neighborhoods and wanted to see what the other side looked like. It was an incredible experience. I took my bike through bad areas like East New York, Harlem and the South Bronx and was never robbed or even felt in danger in most cases. It would be a much different story if I had to walk but on a bicycle, I'm immune to being robbed. Seriously. Here's what I discovered.

1. You have 5 seconds to rob me -- If a potential robber is going to mug me, he has to make that decision within 5 seconds or I'm gone. Robberies when they do take place often take more decision time than that.

2. The cyclists is considered too poor to rob --- Riding a used old bike in a poor neighborhood give the appearance that you're too broke to own a car. The potential robber will pass you by since he thinks you obviously have little or no money because you're riding a bicycle. The bicycle in a poor neighborhood is often considered the poor mans motorcar.

2. The cyclists is considered too poor to rob --- Riding a used old bike in a poor neighborhood give the appearance that you're too broke to own a car. The potential robber will pass you by since he thinks you obviously have little or no money because you're riding a bicycle. The bicycle in a poor neighborhood is often considered the poor mans motorcar.

While I agree 95%, let's not forget the guy who was mugged and shot for a $5 cell phone and $10 bike while crossing the williamsberg bridge.

I too feel much safer in a bad inner city neighborhood on my bike than by foot. For some reason, I've even been able to ride along people who look like they'll probably kill me for my shoes. Cycling is the only common bond that I can think of with them. Only if I'm riding through though, I doubt you'll be much safer cruising along at 5 mph every day on the same route if you looked like you had something of value they'd want such as your bike, clothes, shoes, etc.

We are afraid.

We are afraid of many things...

But, thank goodness, there is one thing we are not afraid of: driving our cars...

(In fact, let's play up the idea that bicycling is dangerous, just to distract us from the problem.)

Classic technique. Charm, scare, then sell. It's been done forever.

The auto industry wants as many people as possible to drive even if it makes more sense for people to take a bus, train, bike or just walk.

Media outlets want to capture viewers so products can be sold.

Fear is a selling tool.

We're reasonably intelligent people here. We can figure it out and find out what is danger. Don't expect someone who has something to sell to be reasonable. They're sales people.

Sometimes, I really hope that I am alive when fossil fuels run out, so I can see how screwed everyone is. I really wish that I could be without a car, but living where I live(suburbs)it is impractical to not have one, especially when the only time I currently use my car is to travel 140 miles back to Cleveland.Later in life, I see a life without a car as a possiblity, but right now I'm afraid that I am a "slave" to the pop-culture icon of Americana

I really wish that I could be without a car, but living where I live(suburbs)it is impractical to not have one...
I'm right there with you. So are millions upon millions of others in America and abroad.

Transportation planners in America made the decision long ago to redesign our cities around automobile transport as the only real alternative short of public trans. Today we can't even go to the store unless we want to spend an extra hour walking with a huge load of groceries. If you don't have a car, you are snickered.

But I'm still working towards my goal of substituting my bike for my car more and more. I'm really in love with my bike, you know. A couple of miles on the bike usually takes less than 10 minutes.

:)

And how about the new schools? They are not being built within neighborhoods any longer, but instead are built along busy roadways on the outskirts where no child would dare ride a bicycle. A school my children will attend in a few years doesn't even have sidewalk access. What does this tell us?

Sometimes, I really hope that I am alive when fossil fuels run out, so I can see how screwed everyone is. I really wish that I could be without a car, but living where I live(suburbs)it is impractical to not have one, especially when the only time I currently use my car is to travel 140 miles back to Cleveland.

I guess it's a question of what came first - the chicken or the egg? Seriously, do you think developers would build these massive sprawling suburbs if people had decided they actually wanted to be closer to schools and shops? Just imagine if that outer urban trailer park behind Nerang had not sold any property to people working in Southport. The whole thing would have gone broke and would never have been tried again.

It wasn't always this way folks. In Tasmania I discovered "cities" (i.e. Hobart, Launceston) that didn't have anywhere near the urban sprawl of places around here (Gold Coast, Brisbane or even Toowoomba). Perhaps it's because these places were designed a long time ago, and haven't really had a population increase in the last 20 years. My point is that the whole urban sprawl thing is only a recent phenomenon brought on by people's insatiable desire to drive.

That is unlikely to change in this era of mob-rule government, so we're basically stuck with it unless proponents of transportation alternatives can manage to pull off the hard sell.

Sometimes, I really hope that I am alive when fossil fuels run out, so I can see how screwed everyone is. I really wish that I could be without a car, but living where I live(suburbs)it is impractical to not have one, especially when the only time I currently use my car is to travel 140 miles back to Cleveland.Later in life, I see a life without a car as a possiblity, but right now I'm afraid that I am a "slave" to the pop-culture icon of Americana

How often do you travel to cleveland? If it's everyday to go to work, then you are, indeed, stuck with a car. If you need to go once a month, you could probably just rent a car when you need one and come out far cheaper than the ownership cost of the one you have. If it's once a week, then are there alternative methods like a train, or shuttle bus that you can take.

How often do you travel to cleveland? If it's everyday to go to work, then you are, indeed, stuck with a car. If you need to go once a month, you could probably just rent a car when you need one and come out far cheaper than the ownership cost of the one you have. If it's once a week, then are there alternative methods like a train, or shuttle bus that you can take.

It is actually more cost effective to drive. I took a train once, that was 40 bucks round trip, and taking greyhound would have been 50 dollars. Driving I can make the round trip on 30, well at least then I could have. I will most likely have a car for a while, but that doesn't mean it will get used all the time.

Consider that even if you don't drive the car, you still have to pay insurance, registration, safety inspection on it. How much does that average per month? If you still owe money on the car, add the monthly loan payment in there. If all you use the car for is to go to Cleveland once a month, then that trip surely costs much more than $30.

The IRS, which is not known to be generous, allows $0.375/mile for buisness dedction. A 280 mile round trip comes to $105 as an estimate of the true cost.

Consider that even if you don't drive the car, you still have to pay insurance, registration, safety inspection on it. How much does that average per month? If you still owe money on the car, add the monthly loan payment in there. If all you use the car for is to go to Cleveland once a month, then that trip surely costs much more than $30.

The IRS, which is not known to be generous, allows $0.375/mile for buisness dedction. A 280 mile round trip comes to $105 as an estimate of the true cost.

Believe me, I have worked out the amount I would save if I got rid of the car...It is a staggering amount (about $3000 a year). It just is not practical to be without a car living the lifestyle that I have, being away from home, having to travel, working 15 miles from where I live. Maybe when I am older and married, we will have one car and live close enough to everything so I can cycle to work and just giver her the car, but right now it is impractical, which is a sad state of affairs.

Very valid points, LittleBigMan and others. The car has become an ingrained part of our lives, and not just in America. I don't believe that a motor vehicle itself is inherently dangerous. Sitting parked it poses virtually no danger at all! It is, however, dangerous to operate a motor vehicle without giving this practice the high level of care and attention it deserves. Cars rarely have 'accidents' by themselves - the ignoramus behind the wheel has the 'accident' (or should that be 'avoidable incident'?).


Believe me, I have worked out the amount I would save if I got rid of the car...It is a staggering amount (about $3000 a year). It just is not practical to be without a car living the lifestyle that I have, being away from home, having to travel, working 15 miles from where I live. Maybe when I am older and married, we will have one car and live close enough to everything so I can cycle to work and just giver her the car, but right now it is impractical, which is a sad state of affairs.
I've wondered if we could get by without a car and just rent one when needed, but when I weighed it all up I'm happy to pay a very slight potential premium to have it in the garage. We've only ever owned an older, no-payments car. If I lived in a less sprawling city with better public transport and cheaper taxis, I'm sure a car-free lifestyle would be a much more viable option.

As to having one car when older and married? It can work quite well... we have one car, and absolutely no need for two. We've been together for 7 years, and have only ever had one car. Mind you, we have three bikes each! I'm 12 miles from work, my wife is 12 miles from school. My wife used to take the car all the time (especially when we were living in Australia - she didn't like riding in the QLD summer heat and humidity), but watching me get fitter from commuting encouraged her to jump on her bike too, so don't assume that your lady won't want to ride.

If the government put $5/gal tax on the gas, and gave every car owner a yearly tax rebate of $2000, people would only use their cars when really necessary.

I My point is that the whole urban sprawl thing is only a recent phenomenon brought on by people's insatiable desire to drive.

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I dunno Chris L. I used to live in a city of 100,000 people and lived 5km from work (10k round trip) and I would ride to work everyday, even in winter. I was transferred to another bigger city of 300,000 people and lived in it for a year, and rode 22km round trip to work only in summer though.

I then decided to move outta that city and built a house in a rural setting. I have a 1 acre treed lot that is very private and I love it.

I now drive 35km or 25 minutes to work (70km round trip). I didn't move out of the city so I could drive. My reasons for moving out of the city are complicated, but I didn't move to drive though.

But I *AM* a cyclist, so not a normal person. :D

Digger

While I agree 95%, let's not forget the guy who was mugged and shot for a $5 cell phone and $10 bike while crossing the williamsberg bridge.

Agreed. However, I tend to view that particular case as just generalized New York craziness, akin to the guys who randomly slashed the subway riders at Jay Street a few months back - just random lunatics. I think if the mugger had made an attempt to get away, I might think otherwise, but the fact that police reportedly captured him at the base of the bridge, standing around with the bike and phone and having a smoke, makes me suspect he was just a loonie and not a harbinger of new-style anti-bike muggers.


If the government put $5/gal tax on the gas, and gave every car owner a yearly tax rebate of $2000, people would only use their cars when really necessary.

Tax rebate? I'm not sure how giving car owners money back for owning cars would help... Giving rebates of up to $35,000 to buyers of oversized SUVs (as is current policy) sure hasn't removed many of THOSE from the roads! As far as gas taxes go, though, I'm with you - though I'd sooner see the gov't end the current price protections on gas, which would raise prices up to that $5 level or higher, rather than adding additional sales taxes. And who knows - without gov't subsidies for the energy industry, we might even get some real alternative fuels research!

-chris

While I agree 95%, let's not forget the guy who was mugged and shot for a $5 cell phone and $10 bike while crossing the williamsberg bridge.
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I read about this one. I've gone over the Williamsberg bridge many times during the day and it's safe. I see all sorts of people walking over that bridge including children. At night, it's a different story. The cyclist who get mugged on New York City bridges usually get attacked at night. Furthermore, the mugger wanted his cell phone and displaying this expensive device brought upon the attack. I've said before, if you're going in a poor neighborhood, it's best to dress down and use and old beater bike. Ride during the day and make sure you're out of there by nightfall. This weekend, I'll be riding in a tough neighborhood AGAIN but it won't be at night I can assure you!

Believe me, I have worked out the amount I would save if I got rid of the car...It is a staggering amount (about $3000 a year). It just is not practical to be without a car living the lifestyle that I have, being away from home, having to travel, working 15 miles from where I live.

According to AAA the average motor car will cost you 6K a year to operate if new. If the car is used, the cost will be around 4K.

When I was a motorist, I was paying around 4 - 5 K a year to drive on weekends only! About 15% of my net income was going on transportation costs alone. Insanity. According to Asphalt Nation, the average two car family spends 20% of their income on transportation costs. Under such circumstances, you can understand why we have hundreds of thousands declaring bankruptcy each year while savings average 1 or 2 percent per year. This is because the automobile absorbs so much of your income, there very little left for savings unless your a high income earner.

I decided the only logical way to get out of the motorcar "trap" was to move close to public transportation. In the new town I moved to, we have multiple bus lines that run down every boulevard and a billion dollar lightrail for my use. All I did was move 5 miles to the next town. THAT'S ALL! Why didn't I think of this before?? The money I'm saving from becoming car free is incredible.

The motor car was supposed to bring you limitless freedom of travel. Now get back to work and pay for that freedom!

A good compromise would be community cars - a group of people in a neighborhood would get together and buy/maintain a car(s) - each one has a set amount of time they can use it per their contribution.

I've seen a couple things about it on PBS where they are trying stuff like that in cities in Asia. It's mainly been used for business people who commute by train or bus to downtown, and who might have to get around the downtown area for an hour or two on business. It's used like a rental service - you have a card you wave at the car and a pin number... You get in the car, drive for a couple hours, then leave it wherever. Other people will come along and use it.

Imagine This :

A suburb designed/built for non-car transportation. Bike paths everywhere. Sidewalks everywhere. Membership in the community involves dues, but includes use of 'member cars' that can be used by people living in that suburb. Probably, you would need pick-up/drop-off stations to keep the cars, but it should be workable...

You'd need to be able to have a local bus system or something that would connect you to the metro mass transit (bus, train, subway, etc) that would take you to work...

If you have enough people that don't want cars as part of their neighborhood, they could probably get together and create a prototype...

Pipe Dreams?

A good compromise would be community cars - a group of people in a neighborhood would get together and buy/maintain a car(s) - each one has a set amount of time they can use it per their contribution.

Have a look at www.zipcar.com - this is a fantastic idea, and they're spreading fairly rapidly...

-chris

I'm just making a point that in NYC, these crack pots exist and these things still happen.
BTW: I go to school right next to the ACF jay street station, when was this slashing?

I dunno Chris L. I used to live in a city of 100,000 people and lived 5km from work (10k round trip) and I would ride to work everyday, even in winter. I was transferred to another bigger city of 300,000 people and lived in it for a year, and rode 22km round trip to work only in summer though.

I then decided to move outta that city and built a house in a rural setting. I have a 1 acre treed lot that is very private and I love it.

Question -- how long do you think it will be private? This was one of my points about urban sprawl. I know of many areas around here that were "rural" as little as five years ago, which are just now an extension of suburbia.


Consider that even if you don't drive the car, you still have to pay insurance, registration, safety inspection on it. How much does that average per month? If you still owe money on the car, add the monthly loan payment in there. If all you use the car for is to go to Cleveland once a month, then that trip surely costs much more than $30.

This illustrates the farcical nature of the current situation perfectly. The guy who buys a car and only uses it for long hauls pays basically the same amount as the guy who uses the car to go everywhere. It's ridiculous! Who said a Consumption tax was a bad idea?

I stoped watching TV (actually, I don't pay for cable TV anymore). I was the most paranoid person when I watched TV. My mom is a forensic scientist so I always got that drilled into my head every day from her that "the worst things are going to happen." After I stopped watching TV I don't lock my door, I don't worry about murders or robbers. The American culture is making us more enemies than communities. It's gotten easier and easier, with our suburbs to keep us out of the city away from the crime. We become secluded, our whole society is about secluding ourselves from each other. I say skrew it, I'd rather get murdered and have a life where I'm not worrying about it than to live scared someone is going to kill me or rob me. Bottom line, if you stop watching TV you'll start living life and stop going by what the media tells you life is (and life, as it turns out, isn't as scary as they make it seem). Peace.

Question -- how long do you think it will be private? This was one of my points about urban sprawl. I know of many areas around here that were "rural" as little as five years ago, which are just now an extension of suburbia.

Good point. But it is an acre and the trees surrounding my house are never gonna be removed. Doubtfull anyone would ever build behind me, and if they do I have about 75 feet of trees there. Although the lots on that street are all sold (7 including mine) and looks as if this summer they will be pushing the road down further, so more houses. Yup urban sprawl.

But I can't imagine myself living downtown in a condo. Sure, I'm close to all the cool book stores, MEC (outdoor sports store) coffee shops, movie theatres, etc. Now I have to drive in town to go a movie or to MEC, but I can spend my time (when not cycling) outdoors puttering around my house instead of being cramped in a condo.

We can't all live downtown or 5k from work....can we?

As for the commutte, yeah bit of a pain, but there are advantages and disadvantages to everything. My job is easily doable from home, but I need a supercomputer. My work place just won't support it even tho I offered to buy the computer, they just don't have the people to support it. I even offered to learn how to support it myself, they don't want to give up control plus management may even feel that our informatics group is no longer needed if people can maintain their own computers. Maybe someday when the gas crises hits again.

It's all very complicated and not cut n dry, any one decision can affect others quite seriously.



This illustrates the farcical nature of the current situation perfectly. The guy who buys a car and only uses it for long hauls pays basically the same amount as the guy who uses the car to go everywhere. It's ridiculous! Who said a Consumption tax was a bad idea?

Makes sense as my pickup is basically used weekends. But I was able to reduce my insurance on the truck from $900 to $500 per year because I use it mostly weekends. Plus I am saving somewhat on maintance as I use it less often. But I AM paying for it tho.

The sheer convienence of it makes me keep it. After I get to a certain stage with the landscapeing on my house I MAY get rid of it and just have the one car. But by then I will be so use to it I'm afraid.

I am paying for convienence.

I don't disagree with anything you say guys. But people can do little things to help reduce congestion or reduce environmental impact. Such as me changing my hours to match my wifes so we take only one car to work. It's a minor inconvienence, but does free up 2 mornings a week for me to go for a 40km bike ride! So it's good that way. How many people would be willing to inconvienence themselves just a bit to help?

Digger

Sometimes, I really hope that I am alive when fossil fuels run out, so I can see how screwed everyone is.

Careful what you wish for ;)
I don't think we'll see the end of fossil fuels per se, but I'm reasonably confident we WILL see the end of cheap oil in the next decade or two. And that will, most assuredly, supply westernized societies with one horribly well-placed kick in the nads.

I'm just making a point that in NYC, these crack pots exist and these things still happen.
BTW: I go to school right next to the ACF jay street station, when was this slashing?

Honestly, I'm not certain I remember exactly ;) There were a handful (at least 3, maybe more?) episodes, and they eventually arrested the guy sometime last-summer-ish. I don't think anybody was seriously hurt - ie, no deaths and probably not even any hospital stays - so it was really just fodder for the scare-mongerers at the Daily News.

As for the fact that these guys do exist here: granted, no argument there! But I do think that despite that one mugging incident, you're safer on a bike than you would be on foot or even on transit most of the time. Though I'll admit I've been watching the shadows on the Manhattan bridge a little more closely than I used to the last couple of weeks!

-chris

We can't all live downtown or 5k from work....can we?

Perhaps not everyone, but I recently read in a Lonely Planet guide book that Melbourne is about 1/5 of the size of Paris, yet takes up about 5 times the land area. I think that just about says it all about the way cities are designed. I think the biggest problem is the space issue. Many of the older European cities were designed before the automobile, so they aren't clutted with massive roads and massive parking lots. That frees up a lot of space for other things. I think that's the whole point of the urban sprawl issue. If people didn't build such massive roads, there would be space for a lot more of us to live within 5km of the city centre -- and I suspect it would be a great deal more pleasant to do so.

Honestly, I'm not certain I remember exactly ;) There were a handful (at least 3, maybe more?) episodes, and they eventually arrested the guy sometime last-summer-ish. I don't think anybody was seriously hurt - ie, no deaths and probably not even any hospital stays - so it was really just fodder for the scare-mongerers at the Daily News.

As for the fact that these guys do exist here: granted, no argument there! But I do think that despite that one mugging incident, you're safer on a bike than you would be on foot or even on transit most of the time. Though I'll admit I've been watching the shadows on the Manhattan bridge a little more closely than I used to the last couple of weeks!

-chris

Granted most places are pretty safe, I genuinely felt scared biking through bedstuy at night.
Funny manhattan bridge story. I was going back from chinatown one night and didn't know about the stairs at the end of the bridge. Ended up bombing down the first flight.