This Wasn’t Supposed to Happen
Friday, April 29, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Sunday, April 03, 2011
P.J. O'Rourke on the Scourge of Bike Lanes
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| Getty Images, via The Wall Street Journal |
The money quote...
Bike lanes violate a fundamental principle of democracy. We, the majority who do not ride bicycles, are being forced to sacrifice our left turns, parking places and chances to squeeze by delivery trucks so that an affluent elite can feel good about itself for getting wet, cold, tired and run-over. Our tax dollars are being used to subsidize our annoyance.
Bicycle riders must be made to bear the burden of this special-interest boondoggle. Bicycle registration fees should be raised until they produce enough revenue to build and maintain new expressways so that drivers can avoid city streets clogged by bike lanes.
P.J. O'Rourke on the Scourge of Bike Lanes - WSJ.com
Friday, April 01, 2011
The Economic Case for bike lanes.
Hard times call for hard logic.
The installation and upkeep of bike lanes, often seen as an unnecessary expenditure of municipal funds, actually pay for themselves in reduced maintenance costs for damage caused by automobiles, according to a recent study funded by the Washington D.C.-based bike lane lobby group Bike Lanes for America.
Every year, thousands of street signs, poles, and fire hydrants have to be replaced because they have been run over by careless and hostile automobile drivers. Simply by striping in 3' bike lanes (the preferred size in BLA bike-friendly communities like Austin, Texas), at a cost of only $20,000 per lane mile (plus annual maintenance costs of up to $10,000 per lane mile), motorists would no longer be able to hit street fixtures. The costs for the bike lanes would be easily offset by never again having to replace street signs, meter posts, and fire hydrants. Not only do cities become bike friendly by installing bike lanes, they become sign and hydrant friendly, too, and coincidentally, more fiscally responsible in these lean economic times.
"The logic is inescapable" says BLA executive director Clark Wallabees.
The installation and upkeep of bike lanes, often seen as an unnecessary expenditure of municipal funds, actually pay for themselves in reduced maintenance costs for damage caused by automobiles, according to a recent study funded by the Washington D.C.-based bike lane lobby group Bike Lanes for America.
Every year, thousands of street signs, poles, and fire hydrants have to be replaced because they have been run over by careless and hostile automobile drivers. Simply by striping in 3' bike lanes (the preferred size in BLA bike-friendly communities like Austin, Texas), at a cost of only $20,000 per lane mile (plus annual maintenance costs of up to $10,000 per lane mile), motorists would no longer be able to hit street fixtures. The costs for the bike lanes would be easily offset by never again having to replace street signs, meter posts, and fire hydrants. Not only do cities become bike friendly by installing bike lanes, they become sign and hydrant friendly, too, and coincidentally, more fiscally responsible in these lean economic times.
"The logic is inescapable" says BLA executive director Clark Wallabees.
Command performance.
(April 1, 1960: Birmingham)
The League of American Black Separatists has awarded Birmingham, Alabama the coveted Gold Black Friendly Community award. Said Andrew X of the League of American Black Separatists (LABS), "In looking to separate Black America from White America, we found few communities that had made as much effort towards this goal as Birmingham has." Andrew X pointed to the usual "separate but equal" segregated schools, and the safety of all Black or all White neighborhoods as good examples of being Black Friendly. But what vaulted Birmingham to Gold status was the city's "cost is no object" implementation of completely segregated water fountains and restrooms.
Andrew X also said that one of the keys to this prestigious award was when he sat down with Birmingham's white mayor, Mr. James Crow, and discovered how much they had in common, and how their seemingly disparate goals really overlapped. "We had always wanted to maintain a purely white society" said Mr. Crow, "but extremist 'Freedom Riders' kept trying to force Birmingham to integrate, claiming that blacks and white can live together peaceably. We just were never comfortable sharing white space with black folks. But we didn't like being called racist and backwards, either."
That's when Andrew X and LABS came in with a proposal to Mr. Crow to help Birmingham achieve the LABS "Black Friendly" recognition. "Here at LABS, we have long believed that Blacks and White can't coexist in the same places, but need separation between each other. Look at the history between Blacks and Whites. There are more of the Whites, they have more power than Blacks do, and we have seen numerous examples of White on Black violence that could only have been prevented by complete separation."
The breakthrough came when Mr. Crow and Andrew X discovered that their seemingly opposed ideas were really the same, only using different words. "When I discovered that 'separation' meant the same thing as 'segregation', but was just a more 'user-friendly' term, I realized that Andrew X and I had common ground on which to work."
Birmingham has expressed a desire to achieve the LABS' pinnacle rating of Platinum status, and already has a plan in the works. "By creating separate (or segregated) entrances to buildings for blacks and whites, and creating special 'colored eating areas' (or "black boxes') in the alleys behind restaurants, Birmingham can be an even more black friendly town that is is now" said Mr. Crow. "Colored is the new sign of safety, and we intend to place signs in separated areas all over town that proudly proclaim these facilities as being for 'Coloreds Only.'" said a beaming Andrew X.
All irony, sarcasm and satire aside, we must never forget.
And on a lighter (shade of jade) note...
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