tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post6077489491806233972..comments2023-09-28T08:13:11.489-07:00Comments on Only In It For The Gold: Mayor of Austin "Feels My Pain"Michael Tobishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08229460438349093944noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-4115269437437410452007-06-13T11:38:00.000-07:002007-06-13T11:38:00.000-07:00A friend of mine described bicycling in Texas with...A friend of mine described bicycling in Texas with his then college math professor. A pickup truck pulled up alongside them and began edging over, to push them off the road.<BR/><BR/>The prof calmly reached into his vest and pulled out a handgun, laid it across his forearm, pointed at the truck's cab, and kept pedaling.<BR/><BR/>He never even looked at the truck, the whole time, just kept riding.<BR/><BR/>The truck departed.<BR/><BR/>The professor said safe bicycling in Texas isn't a problem --- you have to communicate your intentions.<BR/><BR/>Regrettably this is probably not a useful approach inside the city limits.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-10973776913788176962007-06-13T01:10:00.000-07:002007-06-13T01:10:00.000-07:00So it seems like you'll be going the longer route ...So it seems like you'll be going the longer route and getting a little more exercise then :-)<BR/><BR/>As it happens, I've actually been to Austin (and by strange coincidence, I'm even wearing the t-shirt today, although it is a little tatty). A friend got married there, we stayed in a motel somewhere on the edge and then had a very pleasant cycling tour in the hill country. I did notice that the traffic on the edge of the city was noticeably nastier than well out of town.<BR/><BR/>In fact, the 3rd pic down <A HREF="http://www.sandsmachine.com/a_swa_r1.htm" REL="nofollow">here</A>, is Texas - the other ones are bicycle-friendly Boulder, Colorado :-)James Annanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04318741813895533700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-57148039504001268172007-06-12T21:09:00.000-07:002007-06-12T21:09:00.000-07:00James, let me describe Burnet Road between Researc...James, let me describe Burnet Road between Research Drive and Braker "Lane" in person. The lanes are narrow, the legal traffic goes at 40 MPH, a significant fraction of Texas drivers are (what do you know) cowboys who like to go 50% over the limit with negligible safety margins, and there is literally no shoulder at all, just a thicket of weeds hard up against the outer lane. What is more, I'd have to make a left turn across two lanes of traffic without a signal. The alternative is the north entrance to the campus (it's a closed and fenced campus, so there are only two entrances), which is further, involves a left turn across a huge intersection, and an extra mile of pedaling, but at least the final entrance into the site would have a signal when cutting across the vastness of Braker "Lane".<BR/><BR/>It's literally not something I would recommend to a very athletic person on safety grounds, though a few students do manage it. I believe there may be as many as half a dozen bicyclists among the thousand or so people there on a typical day, but I am not brave enough to be among them.Michael Tobishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08229460438349093944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-27258454273106968262007-06-12T19:30:00.000-07:002007-06-12T19:30:00.000-07:00haha HAHAHA hahahahaand HAHAHhahahHAAAAH!! Welcome...haha HAHAHA hahahaha<BR/>and HAHAHhahahHAAAAH!! <BR/><BR/>Welcome to Austin. <BR/><BR/>I had a little problem digesting SustainLane's ranking of Austin as <BR/>14th "greenist" city, was it (?).. this was, without a doubt, one of the reasons I believed that rating was maybe a little generous.<BR/><BR/>On the basis of their approach:<BR/><BR/>"Among those standards:<BR/><BR/> * Public transit use<BR/> * Air and tap water quality<BR/> * Planning/land use<BR/> * City innovation<BR/> * Affordability<BR/> * Energy/climate change policy<BR/> * Local food/agriculture<BR/> * Green economy<BR/> * Sustainability management"<BR/><BR/>I find several factors lacking. <BR/><BR/>Still, all things considered, a lot of these shortcomings are elements of the city that Wynn inherited once he won the election. Still, he willfully accepted responsibility to make things better, and some of his plans are indeed woefully lacking.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-42783698982565451962007-06-12T19:24:00.000-07:002007-06-12T19:24:00.000-07:00I'm not sure I understand why you cannot cycle to ...I'm not sure I understand why you cannot cycle to work. Is it just that you don't like the road? You might be surprised at how quickly you get used to it - and how quickly the regular commuters get used to seeing you on it, especially if you try to travel at a regular time.James Annanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04318741813895533700noreply@blogger.com