Stevie Wonder

"Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful?"

That's my bike, well more like my bikes identical cousin, but you get the drift. And my bike's name is Lucky...not Stevie Wonder.

In exciting personal news, I'm going to Seattle! YAY! My friend Heidi is getting married out there in October, AND my friend Devon is moving back to Seattle just before my visit. I get to stay with Devon, then she and I will drive 2 hours north to the wedding location. Turns out this place is only an hour south of Vancouver...So after the wedding we'll go visit Mary! HURRAY! What a successful tour of the Pacific Northwest. Vancouver is said to have one of the best bicycling systems anywhere, so I'm pretty excited to check it out. :)

My aunt sent me this article from The New York Times. http://www.transalt.org/press/media/2006/559.html

The article is from September 2006, but the issues addressed still exist, and don't appear to be vastly improving anytime soon. Though, if I'm not mistaken I believe New York has made some progress in moving forward with implementing a congestion pricing model? Nonetheless, the article is still interesting, and makes the important point that there isn't just one solution (ahem, more lanes alone is not the answer. period.).

It's a matter of improving infrastructure, safety, environment, as well as education and enforcement efforts for all modes simultaneously, that will lead to improving congestion and a better quality of life. Yes, by enforcement I mean ticketing cars for moving violations regarding pedestrians (the line BEFORE the crosswalk is there for a reason) AND ticketing cyclists who run red-lights, and operate their bicycles in an unpredictable endangering manner. There are laws and rules, and I am of the opinion that nobody (cars, semis, trucks, buses, cyclists, pedestrians) is above them. Anywho, all of this stuff GREATLY interests me, but bores most to tears.