The Wobblin' Sprocket

Caption: Adonia Lugo, a UC Irvine doctoral candidate in anthropology, has dedicated much of her academic and personal life to alternative transportation; everyday, she uses a combination of buses, trains, and bicycling to commute to Irvine from Los Angeles.

I doubt that Adonia commutes in a red dress and yellow panniers, but I do like her style!

My own sense is that things are changing for the good at an ever faster pace for cyclists.   Perhaps the biggest shift is that concern for the environment, health issues, higher energy prices and congestion have caused local governments, as well as the national government, to hire personnel, invest in infrastructure and attempt to tackle the safety issues that arise from using our streets for more than the vehicles they were commonly designed for.

The one downside of the whole thing is that the increased popularity of cycling (and other non-vehicular usage), of course, increases competition for  what is a limited physical resource…..the roads.   The latter can be ameliorated through additional bike paths and bike lanes and better design of new roads but there also needs to be education, enforcement of practical laws and probably, most importantly, an attitude and cultural shift on the part of some elements of both the biking and driving communities that engage in both anti-cyclist and anti-driver behavior.

Good for Adonia!  I give her a thumbs up!

UCI student challenges anti-cyclist attitudes | bike, car, lugo – News – The Orange County Register.

That’s a good question.  Fresh air, exercise,  transportation, the challenge, the thrill of victory….and the agony of defeat?  What else?    Save the planet?  I don’t know that I can really put saving the planet on my list.  I would, of course, like to take credit for it right along with Al Gore.  Like Al though, I jet all over the place in order to save it.  I’m not sure that works.

I think this guy has it right.  If saving the planet has to be the motivation….might as well just swim.  We all may be doing more of that whether we want to or not.

What’s your motivation?  Inquiring minds want to know.  I think I just enjoy the motion and the ability to see new things under my own power.

Geeze.  This makes it Australia – 3  and The Rest of the World -0.  Willie has been to Vietnam, Laos and India  so she knows exactly what she is getting into.   Willie toured in the USA this past summer with an Aussie Gospel singing group.  If we need some inspiration on this tour, I know where to turn.

Here are John and Willie in India:

Namaste!