Walked for my commute again. When I get back on my bike, it will be less work getting to and from work. How many people get to say that?
Out of curiosity I took the Tiger Trail up the hill this morning. It is very do-able. Thank Gawd for the Ipod, podcasts, and of course, Lee Scratch Perry.
The Sheriff canceled school today (what kind of message does that send the kids?). I guess the sheriff runs the city, the county, the school district, etc. He is waiting for the sidewalks to clear so kids walking to school won't get hit by cars. Lincoln's sidewalks are under about 6 feet of compact graterized snow. Good luck with that.
As long as cars rule in Spokane, the sidewalks will never be clear - because they keep getting buried to make it easier for cars to travel. This forces pedestrians into the street and we have to mix it up with the cars. That's just the way it is - Sheriff. It's not a perfect world. As long as cars slow down, and pedestrians get out of the way when they need to, it should all work out.
I don't think we need a Critical Mass event for pedestrians. Most drivers are very courteous and accommodating to pedestrians. There will be the occasional jerk, but there always is. However, there is something to be said for strength in numbers. Plus it shows drivers that there are better alternatives - maybe.
Sarah had a great idea this morning. What if the Sheriff (as he seems to be running the show) announced that, between certain hours, school children own the streets, and that motorists should plan accordingly. A great solution.
Anyway, here are some pictures of the Tiger Trail in case you are wondering what it's like for your commute:
On my way to work this morning (3:30am), I ran into two drunk pedestrians walking...(trying to walk)in the middle of South. Regal. I slowed down and waited for them to move out of the way. Instead they turned around at me and shouted "Go the fuck around you fucking whore!" Shocked and pissed off. I honked my horn at them and called the cops on them. Rawr.
ReplyDeleteMy co-worker experiences the same thing at the intersection of 57th and Regal. They were in the middle of the intersection that time.
Oi! I hope this story didn't kill your hopes and dreams. I gave them a chance :(
John: I was thinking similar thoughts today as I skied to work: what's going on with the city here?
ReplyDeleteMaybe we should just cancel school in the winter now?
I think spending a lot of time as a pedestrian makes you see the folly of our crappy single-occupancy-car-centered design much more clearly.
Really, it's hard to imagine a more costly or less efficient way to move people around: put each person in a giant metal box. Now spend gobs of money and time making sure the metal boxes can maneuver through any weather conditions; prioritize the movement of the giant metal boxes over all other forms of transportation; keep all pedestrians, animals, and kids out of the way of the giant metal boxes; make sure there is a place to store the giant metal boxes when they're not moving a person around (and that it's out of the way of other giant metal boxes that are moving around); design all public spaces for the optimization of storing and moving the giant metal boxes... the list goes on.
blush response, I'm sorry to hear about your experience. But how much better that the drunk travelers were on foot and not behind the wheel.
ReplyDeleteJohn, These are exciting times. I hope (gawd I hope) that we are all starting to examine the irrational way we seem to spend our money, our time and our energies. Sometimes it takes the significant emotional event to snap people out of their stupor.
Not to get political, but I heard a lady on the radio a couple of years ago who said we should all be thankful for W. Her thinking was that now we will start paying more attention, stand up to the people who try cramming lies down our collective throat and start thinking rationally. All this would come about because people would realize that you get W when you are lazy, are irrational, when you don't show courage.
Maybe all this snow is a naturally occurring W in our lives! Let's ski on it, walk on it and ride on it!