Saturday 31 December 2011

2011 Top 5(-ish)

As the train pulls out of station 2011, and we ride into 2012, let's quickly look back at the most read posts of the year.

5(+6). It was a tie for 5th place between my attempted arty photo 5 O'Clock Shadow and the Tour de France inspired Tour De Hometown - some scenic bike journeys in my local area.

4/3. It was another dead heat between the safety promotion A Metre Matters and the picture from Part 5 of my commute. (I have no idea what made it more popular than pics 1-4 ;)

2. The Really Aggresive Driver video showed the negative effect of driving on people's mental state.

1. The top post of the year was the t-shirt Burn Fat - Save Money. A piece of clothing that brilliantly summed up some of the main benefits of going car free.

Thursday 22 December 2011

Bike Riders Xmas Present

Was pleasantly surprised by this sign on my morning ride to work.


The Bicentennial Bikeway (from the GBB bridge to the city) has been under redevelopment and wasn't due to be finished until early next year.

I have mixed feelings. I'll miss seeing this view each morning, but i'll enjoy the more direct path, with this view and no bridge climbs.

Saturday 17 December 2011

Hello Goodbye

Saw this clever remark from a facebook friend.


Car registration is something i tend to forget about, now that i have none to pay. The comment made me stop to appreciate that particular benefit of being car free that i sometimes gloss over. And it's a pretty big benefit - avoiding an annual bill approaching a thousand dollars. :)

Saturday 10 December 2011

9 Bikes In A Pink Car

One of the great conveniences of going car free is parking. Either there's no parking to do, or parking your bike is so convenient - mostly because it is so space efficient.


This cleverly designed bike rack illustrates how many bikes can be parked in the same area as one car. By my count, the lady is about to add the 9th bike.

Saturday 3 December 2011

Mr Expert

I'm not sure why, but for some reason being on a bicycle seems to give a person a huge amount of credibility regarding local area knowledge.

I've written before about being approached by people not familiar to the local area. But the other day a European-sounding guy walked straight past 3 other people to ask me for directions - while i was standing with my bike waiting to cross an intersection.

Don't get me wrong, helping people out during my journey is a buzz (especially when a stranger picks me out as the most likely to be of help). But i still wonder why owning a bicycle brings with it such an amount of street-cred. Any thoughts?