[sustran] Coherent transport systems - EcoTrack

[Obwon]

Gerry Hawkes wrote:
> 
> Dear Obwon:
> 
> Thanks for the very helpful information on file formats for web
> site photos.
> 
[...]

  But across the board it seems they are unable to find very
> >efficient racks to provide.
> 
> RESPONSE:  You might want to look at
> http://www.biketrack.com/protect.htm .  These bike parking module
> configurations are designed to protect trees while providing
> parking and security for up to 8 bikes per tree.  If you want to
> keep bikes parallel between a curb and sidewalk, you just use 4
> modules instead of 8.

 Nice looking rack, but I don't think it will do for NYC, where we have
the most troublesome 'unauthorized bicycle removers', who easily defeat
all but the case-hardened lock and chain devices.  U locks such as
Kryptonite will cost you your bike sure as shootin.  Thieves break them 
easily with 2"x4" 's, this rack would quickly be filled by locked front
tires missing the bike attached to them. 

  I don't know how these guys work, but they even get bikes parked in
very busy areas. Given our complex city laws etc., people are likely to
interfere with a thief who goes to work on your bike after you walk away
from it.  Though it does happen sometimes the good samaritan takes quite
a risk.  If in the process of protecting your property he causes the
thief to injure himself, he just might have to defend a law suit. 

  I know, it's terrible but what can you do?  A man who stopped to help
a stricken person was later sued for 'mistreatment' that resulted in
harm, though it wasn't meant to. NY'ers are so often treated to such
news stories, it's amazing to see that anyone still even comes to the
aid of another.  Thank heavens we still do, but then too many walk on by
(if the situation is less than life threatening) and New Yorkers
understand that too.  

  What we need for NYC, is a rack that can lock on the frame for short
lock ups and frame/wheels for longer periods.  

  The tiles are nice and will prevent puddling.  But I worry about
puddles only when they might cover ice. For bike riding I prefer smoothe
to finely textured surface.  This is largely because coarse textured
surfaces produce a buzzing sound up around 20+ mph. The buzz may sound
nice, especially on downhills where it's 'free' energy being wasted. But
when you get on a flat, and the tires keep buzzing you know that's your
work going up in sound. <g>  

  So I see the tiles as good for low speed bike areas, I wouldn't
recommend that they be deployed on segments of long distance routes with
out good cause.  Such as segments of routes where bikers should slow
because of various hazards, children, elderly etc.  But often if I'm
riding a long distance and I know that a route has hazards or obstacles
I'm not above going 3 to 5 miles out of my way to avoid them. 

  Covered trails are good in certain urban areas, wide enough to
accommodate both bike and pedestrian traffic they'd be a plus and
probably encourage more walking.  In urban environments, if the
weather's a bit off, taxi trips will replace walks as short as 1/4
mile.  

 for example: Say 50th street 7th avenue, train station to Radio
City/Rockefeller center at 50th street from 6th ave to 5th.  A standard
trip to be sure, but from 1/5th to 1/4 mile.  Easily walk-able, but when
it rains everyone will hail cabs. If there was a covered walkway,
however, most people would probably continue to walk this route.  That
probably goes for many other routes as well (you can probably think of
one's in your cities).  Thus covered walks would free up taxi's for
longer fares and probably reduce their concentration in the cities
center during inclement weather.  

  A good network of covered walkways/bicycle/hpv paths could do much to
encourage people to park their car once in the urban area instead of
continuing to drive it around, thus contributing to urban congestion
where inefficient speeds (traffic lights etc) increase the pollution
they generate in the exact place where we need it the least.

  What I'd like to see is the parking lots offering people hpv's or ev's
to use locally after they park their car.  Tricycles, carryalls,
pedicars, perhaps station cars, all better suited to mobility in a
congested area.  Lower speeds require less energy, more energy-efficient
vehicles.  Lower speeds allow safer operation, I often wondered why some
powerful car, out of control, didn't just mow it's way through NYC's
building to curb throngs.  It probably is just that we've been very
lucky.

  We have had, over the last several years, car's and cabs mounting the
sidewalk and doing damage to buildings and killing people. But for the
few people killed and little property damaged, it seems small by
comparison to what we know could have happed given our usual crowds.  A
single car out of control on a noon day sidewalk in midtown could easily
kill and injure hundreds of people. The few mishaps we've had occured at
low trafficed times of the day or somehow otherwise missed many people
who might have been injured.  So I guess that took some of the edge off
what should have been a rising clamor for car control.  

  A delivery person on a bike, a month or two ago, riding on the
sidewalk, resulted in the death of a pedestrian.  So now we've a
campaign against biker's going on in the city with 10,000 $100 summonses
being issued to cyclers in the last week alone. Our city councilmen are
crying "Never again!"  and "Stop the Killer Bicycles!"  People are
nodding their heads in agreement about just how dangerous bicycles are. 
Meanwhile there's little attention paid while cars continue to kill or
injure one person every 43 seconds or so.  Go figure.

 Obwon