An addendum to the previous post:
I think the City of Vancouver will only listen to proposals which utilize pedal power or electric power and will turn down any motions which involve internal combustion machines. They think that being Green is the elimination of pollutants or hydrocarbons or any other oil based propulsion system. This has been evident from the beginning. Look at how they have catered to bicycles by closing off one lane of a very busy (Burrard) Bridge for the exclusive use of bicycles. You only have to be there during rush hours to see how impractical this is with all the car lanes jammed with vehicles and the bike lanes being virtually unused.
Now on the news today they announce that another $25M will be used to establish more bike lanes to criss cross the city for the bicyclists. They have also removed another lane from another busy viaduct for exclusive bike use. Every time I travel over the Dunsmuir Viaduct it is very busy with cars, and hardly ever one bike can be spotted using this lane.
Even at Vancouver City hall where employees were previously allowed to park their scooters & motorcycles for free, they have withdrawn this priviledge. Employees must pay full price for a parking space. I don't think the city understands the situation. Most bikes are now fuel injected and their lower weight causes less damage on the roads, and they consume much less than a 4 wheeled vehicle. I hope that our peaceful demonstation will garner some attention to our plight.
More information can be found here:
http://vanbikeparking.com/
Bob - Thanks for keeping us posted on this. Vancouver did hit the national news last night for its focus on bicycles (apparently your mayor is an avid cyclist?). Keep up the pressure, it's the only way things will change.
ReplyDeleteBob, its good to see such a large diverse group with a common goal. I hope that you can get your message across to those that can make a difference. I would like to think we could pull-off a protest like yours here in St Louis, but I'm not sure we could. It seems like most employment / shopping is in the burbs around here and most people a bit apathetic about such issues.
ReplyDeleteGood luck.
GAW
Dear Bob:
ReplyDeleteThis was a very refreshing protest that I could easily get behind. Next time, try it with 500 bikes. Two hundred and fifty of them could get there early and take up all the spots, while another 250 could ride around City Hall at the absolute speed limit. Do that for ten weeks and watch what happens.
Change comes when you start to cost the most vocal segment of people real money.
Congratulations.
I notice an attractive-looking woman ducked your video. She's probably a government spy collecting plate numbers.
Fondest regards,
Jack • reep • Toad
Twisted Roads
Good luck Bob! I agree with Jack, you should take up the spaces longer. Only when it starts to hurt will they change.
ReplyDeleteBobskoot,
ReplyDeleteKeep it up. I took a class recently and found out if I rode my KLR the same miles as I drive my pickup I cut my carbon footprint by about 80%. That is a huge savings on fuel and obviously the impact on the environment. I wish I was closer to you as I would join in.