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The more things change, the more they stay the same. The Times' cycling blog, Spokes, reports today that the paper's coverage of bike-related issues has remained strangely consistent over the past century. In the Gray Lady's 1890s "Gossip of the Cyclers" column — which was apparently the StreetsBlog.org of the McKinnley administration — the paper covered strikingly contemporary bike issues including reckless cyclists, brake-less bikes, and even concerns about bicycle access to the Brooklyn Bridge. In fact, the Times has covered each of these issues within the past few months. Though the Times no longer refers to bicycles as "the wheel" or fast cyclists as "scorchers," it's remarkable that more than 100 years later, both the paper — and the city — are still arguing the same topics.
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Wait, are you saying bikes have been around longer than automobiles? B-b-b-but I thought cars and trucks and motorcycles and SUVs were the only natural way to get around the city.
Maybe this means that drivers shouldn't act like they have exclusive rights to the roadways, huh?
Ah, never mind. Keep up the killing.
what? you weird fuck. i drive a car sometimes and sometimes i walk and sometimes i ride a bike. it depends what i'm doing. you don't use all these things? good luck moving your heavy items, you animal. god how ignorant to think that people are a "cyclist" or "pedestrian" or "car user". ugh you internet loser.
Well, no, I never drive (and never have) but I do walk and bike. What I'm referring to is a culture of lawlessness and immorality among people (not all, but too many) when they are driving their cars.
They run red lights, don't stop at stop signs, speed, don't signal before they turn, double park, and otherwise engage in reckless behavior. I'm in public most of the day and I see this almost constantly. It regularly results in people being needlessly killed and maimed by people protected by several tons of steel, all so that the person in the steel bubble can get to where s/he is going 20 seconds faster. And it rarely results in any serious penalties for dangerous drivers.
By the way, calling someone a driver does not suggest that I think that's all that defines them. I'm an internet user, but it takes up a scant minority of my time.
By the way, using name calling and not responding to legitimate points makes you seem pretty unreasonable.
yes i think so that bikes are older than cars because it is easier to produce that cars. less parts are needed to make bikes.. it is less expensive too.. have you think of that?
Why yes, I have. I've also thought of the fact that they're more efficient to use most of the time, they cost far less to maintain and repair, and that they're better for the environment.
I'm not sure what point you're trying to make though. Is it that cars are better because they're bigger, more expensive and more complicated?
uh oh hunter.blatherer - you are about to start a big argument about how "cyclists ALSO run red lights, and don't stop at stop signs, etc" and then the "but BIKES don't kill people" response, and then the "but they do hurt people" reply, and blah blah blah.
these old articles are amazing though - in discussing women riding among the "scorchers", one woman said "it does not seem possible that a woman could make such a public exhibition of herself in a crowd of men. it is undignified, and i'm sure it shocks every womanly woman who sees it. and in bloomers too, and astride a man's wheel!" love it.
The popularity of cycling among women is one of the more interesting aspects of late 19th century transportation history.
As for the rest, I'm not about to declare unilateral disarmament.
Today I saw a bike messenger's back wheel fall off while he was riding up 8th. And he started cursing, blaming the car blocking the bike lane for causing him to exert too much pressure on his poor little wheels.
I laughed, HARD.
Wow... we've never heard THIS debate before.