Today is World Carfree Day!

[gone-ot]

...I'm at home, wife is driving = half-assed success.

[gc-steve]

Perfect!!! I totaled my car yesterday.

[groar]

I didn't heard about it

At best I would have worked from home, as by public transportation I have to spend nearly 2 hours while I spend 40 minutes by car and up to 1h30 with heavy traffic.

At least today I beat my longest tank : 1825.3km (1134.4mi)

I will fill-up tomorrow just after reaching 1900.0km (1180.9mi)

And as everything finishes by a strike in France, public transportation are in strike tomorrow...

Denis.

[RobertSmalls]

Groar,

Are they really going to let public transit workers strike? And does your car really redline at 50kph?

[Tweety]

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

Groar,

Are they really going to let public transit workers strike? And does your car really redline at 50kph?

In France everybody goes on strike at one time or another I believe... Perfectly normal...

[The Toecutter]

When I lived in Texas, at least 5 days a week were car free days. Biking back and forth to work was awesome. In most of the U.S., this is not a viable proposition due to all of the idiot drivers on the road and/or distances of the commute. I relegated the car as a means to make money offering neighbors who couldn't afford cars rides to places outside the city, or as a play thing for the highways and rural roads during early morning hours when no one was looking, or the occasional 1000+ mile trip where a bicycle really wouldn't do(otherwise, I'd have gone without a car altogether).

Originally Posted by Tweety

In France everybody goes on strike at one time or another I believe... Perfectly normal...

I wish it were that way here in the U.S. Although, if Americans actually showed some spine for a change, there would probably be mass arrests(or worse), never mind the ever present outsourcing to the 3rd world.

[Piwoslaw]

OK, so Carfree Day in Warsaw started off with a bicyclist getting hit in the city center, then a mega traffic jam on one of the major roads into town. In the afternoon a 3-car collision on another major road blocked everything except for the bus lane, so cars used it and busses also got jammed. In all, even though the weather was very nice (sunny and warm), the Wife and I noticed less bikers than usual on the bike trail on our way home, and there were more traffic jams and car-related accidents than average. I'll add that public transport yesterday was FREE for anyone who ditched their car (just show your car's papers instead of ticket), and since last year there are 2 or 3 new Park&Ride parking lots next to train and subway stations.

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

And does your car really redline at 50kph?

Most European cars' speedo has a red line at 50 km/h to make it easier to stay at the urban speed limit. In Groar's case I doubt he goes much faster... Just kidding, I know that's not his top speed, which makes 1900km on one tank even more awesome

Originally Posted by Tweety

In France everybody goes on strike at one time or another I believe... Perfectly normal...

I think they got it from us. Then took it to a new level...

[groar]

In fact strikes are against government plan to raise the retirement age, so not limited to public transportation. Since a few years a minimal service should be guaranteed in public transportation, but people are always using personal transportation during strikes.

The speedometer is red lined at 50km/h which is the main city speed. Lots of cars also have redlines at 90, 110 & 130km/h (56, 68 & 80mph) which are more common speed limitation. Stock max speed at 180km/h (111mph) but it should be higher now, if tapped chloroplast could survive

I'm usually doing steady speed at 70km/h (43mph) or P&G at 70-85km/h (43-53mph).

Denis.

[TimJFowler]

I only heard about World Car Free Day on the morning of that day. Yet, appropriately enough I gave a talk at Ignite-NM in Santa Fe titled Your Car is Making You Fat, Angry and Broke, and what you can do about it. I couldn't have planned it better if I had tried.

If you haven't heard about Ignite (or don't have Ignite in your town) it is a evening of presentations on a WIDE variety of subjects. The fun part is the presentations are strictly limited to 5 minutes. Their motto is - Enlighten us, but make it quick. The night goes by quickly and even the less-interesting talks are over in 5 minutes.

The Ignite talks are posted to YouTube and I can link the video as soon as it is posted.

Here is a link to a longer article version of Your Car is Making You Fat, Angry and Broke, and what you can do about it.

Thanks,
Tim

P.S. Yes, I rode my bike to and from Ignite

[Thymeclock]

Originally Posted by Piwoslaw

OK, so Carfree Day in Warsaw started off with a bicyclist getting hit in the city center, then a mega traffic jam on one of the major roads into town. In the afternoon a 3-car collision on another major road blocked everything except for the bus lane, so cars used it and busses also got jammed. In all, even though the weather was very nice (sunny and warm), the Wife and I noticed less bikers than usual on the bike trail on our way home, and there were more traffic jams and car-related accidents than average. I'll add that public transport yesterday was FREE for anyone who ditched their car (just show your car's papers instead of ticket), and since last year there are 2 or 3 new Park&Ride parking lots next to train and subway stations.

I thought Poland got over it's socialist jag? Or actually, I expected that you might not be an ardent supporter of it?

The only place in America I know of that might support such nonsensical political correctness on an official bureaucratic level is NY City, which, under Mayor Bloomberg (the eminently wealthy and powerful political leader) is, in effect running a micro nanny state. He found a way to undo local term limits that were placed upon his mayoral position so he can be in office interminably. Might we call it the politburo?

Maybe your socialist politicos should try running "Car free day" in January. Let's see how many people would be willing or able to walk or bicycle under adverse weather conditions. I suspect the politicians who suggest or impose such things ride in limousines daily, no matter what the weather may be, political or actual. However it never really affects them; it only affects the 'little people' who vote for them.