Mission accomplished



E

Eric S. Sande

Guest
The objective was hazy but elements of the 123nd commuter
squadra moved out on National Bike to Work Day.

Traffic was as usual heavy in the Nation's Capital but the
turnout was good, bike to work day '04 featured, well, more
than normal numbers of people riding bicycles.

I had not been previously informed of this activity.

Therefore I was surprised to find a couple of ersatz
couriers dogging my rack, in MY PARKING SPACE on the
commuter rack, they if they were messengers know the
proper rack.

They weren't real messengers, just college kids out
for a lark.

So I locked on a signpost that I have marked as a
secondary, my friend at work remarked that she noticed I
was atypically locked.

This kind of hosing around is just another natural
consequence of bad bicycle education, I mean what the heck
are we teaching our children etc.

Anyway on my morning break I relocated to my proper space.

--

_______________________ALL AMIGA IN MY
MIND_______________________ ------------------"Buddy Holly,
the Texas Elvis"------------------ __________306.350.357.38-
>>[email protected]__________
 
"Eric S. Sande" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> The objective was hazy but elements of the 123nd commuter
> squadra moved out on National Bike to Work Day.
>
Huh? Isn't Bike to Work Week in two weeks? There's a Bike to
Work Day, also?
 
On Sat, 08 May 2004 03:37:43 -0400, "Eric S. Sande" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Traffic was as usual heavy in the Nation's Capital but the
>turnout was good, bike to work day '04 featured, well, more
>than normal numbers of people riding bicycles.

Come on, it was Friday, the easy commute day. My normal
commute takes an hour, Friday it was 45 minutes (not
counting the final bike part).

Of course, it was a bit longer on Thursday. A truck dropped
a load of pipes right at John Hanson and U.S.50, then they
closed most of the bridge over the rails at Florida. That
took 3 hours and change. Should have gotten on my bike in
Odenton...

Curtis L. Russell Odenton, MD (USA) Just someone on
two wheels...
 
In article <[email protected]>,
"Eric S. Sande" <[email protected]> writes:

> Therefore I was surprised to find a couple of ersatz
> couriers dogging my rack, in MY PARKING SPACE on the
> commuter rack, they if they were messengers know the
> proper rack.
>
> They weren't real messengers, just college kids out
> for a lark.

What would have happened to them if they locked to the
messengers' rack?

Anyhow, you handled the situation with great aplomb.

cheers, Tom

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>> The objective was hazy but elements of the 123nd commuter
>> squadra moved out on National Bike to Work Day.
>>
>Huh? Isn't Bike to Work Week in two weeks? There's a Bike
>to Work Day, also?

It's "Take your Bike to Work" day. It helps encourage casual
recreation bicycles by showing them life beyond the garage .
It empowers them by showing them that someday they can
become commuter bikes.

--
mac the naïf
 
>Come on, it was Friday, the easy commute day. My normal
>commute takes an hour, Friday it was 45 minutes (not
>counting the final bike part).

Come to think of it, Friday IS the easy day, isn't it?

At least on the way in. It's not so great on the ride
home, though.

Luckily I missed the rush hours and managed to get myself
back to the shack by 0 dark thirty, riding in the rain, but
I didn't have to deal with the thunderstorm.

--

_______________________ALL AMIGA IN MY
MIND_______________________ ------------------"Buddy Holly,
the Texas Elvis"------------------ __________306.350.357.38-
>>[email protected]__________
 
>What would have happened to them if they locked to the
>messengers' rack?

Nothing, they were short timers. That's the whole principle
of bicycle racks. Either you Bogart or not. A commuter
Bogarts the rack, we're going to be there all day.

A messenger is a non-Bogarting rack user but still a
legitimate rack user, that's why we segregate the racks.

It's in and out parking as opposed to long term parking, and
it's administered by community consent.

What can I say, this is the way it is. Parking is parking.
People in DC have been shot over parking issues.

--

_______________________ALL AMIGA IN MY
MIND_______________________ ------------------"Buddy Holly,
the Texas Elvis"------------------ __________306.350.357.38-
>>[email protected]__________
 
Sat, 08 May 2004 17:23:59 -0400, <[email protected]>,
"Eric S. Sande" <[email protected]> wrote:

>It's in and out parking as opposed to long term parking,
>and it's administered by community consent.
>
>What can I say, this is the way it is. Parking is parking.
>People in DC have been shot over parking issues.

But not cyclists shooting cyclists over which rack is whose.
Well, not in DC yet anyway. Maybe in Amsterdam where bike
parking _is_ an issue and you've got all those wild Dutchmen
riding around on dope.

Vancouver bike thieves on dope are weird.
=====/
From: [email protected] Newsgroups: bc.cycling Subject:
Helpful bike thief. Date: Thu, 06 May 2004 08:31:52 GMT Message-
ID: <[email protected]>

I had an interesting experience a couple of days ago. I
locked my bike against a sign-post in Chinatown and
went in for a doctor's appointment. When I returned, a
fellow was standing next to my bike and he asked me if
the bike was mine. When I said it was, he said: "****!
I was just about to steal it!" This gentleman then
pointed to a bolt located at the base of the sign post
and said that he could 've easily stolen my bike simply
by loosening the bolt and lifting the entire sign-post
out of it's metal base. He even opened his coat and
showed me his array of "tools" for liberating bikes
from their rightful owners. After warning me not to
lock my bike up against these type of sign-posts, he
wished me well and ran off with a wave and a smile.
======\

Or maybe that's an urban myth.

Anyway sign posts can be risky lockups. But you know that.
--
zk
 
In article <[email protected]>,
"Eric S. Sande" <[email protected]> writes:

> What can I say, this is the way it is. Parking is parking.
> People in DC have been shot over parking issues.

Lately I've been opting for parking meters instead of racks.
But today while out and about, I locked to the rack -- the
inside position, closest to the building. I was the first
one there, parked in the rack. I figure that way, subsequent
parkers could use the rack too, without my hogging all the
space. But when I returned from my shopping the rack was
full, and I was momentarily cut off from my bike. Shortly
afterward a cute lady came along, and got her bike off the
rack and out of my way. I chatted her up a bit. I think she
was admiring my road rash wounds. Or was amused by them
(gonna have tan-holes from the dressings.)

When there's plenty of room on either side of a rack, it
would really help if people would alternate, like:

R-bike bike-A C-bike bike-K

instead of:

R-bike A-bike C-bike K-bike

... where handlebars become entangled, and top shifters get
knocked out of whack.

But a parking meter all to yourself is nice and personal.

cheers, Tom

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Zoot Katz wrote: (snipped)

Appropos of nothing, really, I got behind a guy on a brand-
new red Specialized today. The logo on his butt was:

Zoot Sports.

Bill "just can't get away some times" S.
 
>Anyway sign posts can be risky lockups. But you know that.

Not if they're embedded in concrete.

But you knew that.

--

_______________________ALL AMIGA IN MY
MIND_______________________ ------------------"Buddy Holly,
the Texas Elvis"------------------ __________306.350.357.38-
>>[email protected]__________
 
In article <[email protected]>,
Zoot Katz <[email protected]> writes:

> Anyway sign posts can be risky lockups. But you know that.

The 'No Parking', 'Loading Zone' etc signs have those
collars and bolts holding them down. But stop-sign posts are
more permanently embedded. When cars hit them and bend them
over, I wouldn't be surprised if the City street workers
just pull 'em upright again with a tow truck. However, when
cars routinely hit stop signs, I guess it's probably not a
good idea to lock bikes to them.

cheers, Tom

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>However, when cars routinely hit stop signs, I guess it's
>probably not a good idea to lock bikes to them.

Not when you have a choice, no.

--

_______________________ALL AMIGA IN MY
MIND_______________________ ------------------"Buddy Holly,
the Texas Elvis"------------------ __________306.350.357.38-
>>[email protected]__________
 
Sat, 08 May 2004 20:27:57 -0400, <[email protected]>,
"Eric S. Sande" <[email protected]> wrote:

>>Anyway sign posts can be risky lockups. But you know that.
>
>Not if they're embedded in concrete.
>
Another message in that thread claimed the same tools could
be used to remove the sign and slide the bike over the top
of the post.
. . .yeah, me too.

>But you knew that.

I figured you'd reconnoitered that particular post and found
it acceptably secure for an emergeny fall back position.

Well done, Sande.
--
zk
 
>I figured you'd reconnoitered that particular post and
>found it acceptably secure for an emergeny fall back
>position.

It wasn't an emergeny. But I had checked out that post in
the immediate past, yes.

Thanks.

--

_______________________ALL AMIGA IN MY
MIND_______________________ ------------------"Buddy Holly,
the Texas Elvis"------------------ __________306.350.357.38-
>>[email protected]__________
 
"Zoot Katz" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]
> Sat, 08 May 2004 17:23:59 -0400,
> <[email protected]>, "Eric S. Sande"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> It's in and out parking as opposed to long term parking,
>> and it's administered by community consent.
>>
>> What can I say, this is the way it is. Parking is
>> parking. People in DC have been shot over parking issues.
>
> But not cyclists shooting cyclists over which rack is
> whose. Well, not in DC yet anyway. Maybe in Amsterdam
> where bike parking _is_ an issue and you've got all those
> wild Dutchmen riding around on dope.

You don't park your bike in Amsterdam. You merely return it
to the thieves from whom you bought for ?20 in the
Vondelpark. It's good for the economy.

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