🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <nxljkbl.allyn@netcom.com> allyn@netcom.com (Mark Allyn) writes:
>I use the bicycle for everything; commuting 10 miles to work, three miles
>to choir/church; even riding the 5 miles to the opera, ballet, and symphoney.
>It can be done. It is good for your health. 

Not clear.  Maybe things are different in Seattle (where the above poster
hails from), but here in New England I quit using my bicycle nearly ten
years ago after two accidents in a period of several months.  There are few
safe routes for bicycles here, and it's dangerous enough for one's health
to drive a car on the streets, let alone riding a bicycle on them.

I'd love to see more bike routes and more attention to safety given to
them by those who develop transportation systems, but I sharply
disagree with the statement that regular use of a bike is "good for
your health" here in Boston.

A week ago, another motorist sailed through a stop sign, coming in
from a side street on the right, and hit my front bumper despite the
fact that I braked and honked for a solid three seconds.  My car was
stationary at the time of impact.  "I didn't see you," said the other
driver.  I always _thought_ that the reason most cars are provided
with a window up front was to permit the driver to look before
proceeding.  (This driver wasn't listening for horns either.)  Had I
been on a bike, the consequences would have been far worse than the
scuff marks on my front bumper.

-rich