Shek’s Footprint

Johny Jones was killed crossing a road on a bicycle in Jacksonville. Thanks to the efforts of Matt Uhrig, this accident has been brought to the attention of a news channel that was ready to do some real investigation contrary of this channel (please read their comments) and this one.

Please see the news report and video here: link

A ghost bike has been planted on the site as a quite statement to remind us of who we lost and to remind motorists to be more careful. More info on ghost bikes here: link

(picture courtesy First Coast News)

Burger, tater-tots, sausage and baked beans were finished off with a cool mango-pineapple smoothie from cold stone creamery. That and a movie later, I knew the ride back home from my friend’s house would be great, especially since it was past 10:30 PM. 

The roads were empty and the air was cool. Some humidity was being formed into mist as I quitely cut through it on my bicycle. The five and a half mile ride was very refreshing, probably one of my best rides at night. The sounds of frogs croaking and insects chirping was accompanied by a background score of the wind swishing by my ears. I could see the busy JT Butler Blvd through openings in the trees. Impatient cars rushed by on it while I pedaled through the misty and empty AC Skinner Rd. People do not realize how much more there is to gain by slowing down a bit. 

The unsoiled late night air got me motivated to do a little bit more in preserving its sterility. It got me thinking about the cans of dog food and plastic water bottles that I throw away. My usage of cans is two a day and if I can find a place that recycles cans, I could gather them and take them to the center. I have already talked about using a filter for water to reduce my plastic bottled water usage. Even though Zphyrhills have been making their bottles with 30% less plastic, it should still be either recycled or not used at all. 

Over the next week, I will be researching recycling centers near my apartment. Updates will be posted.

I am picking up this line from one of Ron White’s shows. It goes something like, “Marry intelligent! Plastic surgery is a wonderful thing but there aint a pill in this world to fix stupid!”

Bike Commuting Tips blog has this post earlier today: link

It talks about how accidents with cyclists have increased as more cyclists get on the road without adequate knowledge of bicycle safety. I read it in the afternoon and thought about all the safe steps I take, the safest of them all being knowing my bicycle and its limits. Controlling the lane when necessary is also very important. As I was coming back home at 8:45 pm (fairly dark), there is a section of road that is only two lanes, no shoulder and very unsafe sidewalk. Three or four cyclists were traveling in the opposite direction. No lights, front or rear which is against the law and no reflective strips and clothes. They were just asking for an accident to happen.

Not only an accident, they are also contributing to motorists discomfort towards cyclists that I have to deal with when I am on the road tomorrow. I do occasionally flip a bird at agitated motorists but it is not adding to their frustration. Then ones that blare their horns and pass me at impatient speeds have already decided that I am the scum that is holding them from going 40 in a 35. Flipping a bird is merely self satisfaction.

Another day, I saw a man riding his bike with a kid (10-14 yrs old). The boy was not wearing a helmet, neither was the man. They were riding on sidewalks and not even waiting for the walk signal. All this drama at rush hour traffic. I was waiting at the light to cross and yelled at them to get the child a helmet. Not only is that unsafe for the child but he is also learning bicycling the wrong way.

The irony is to talk about saving the planet when people arent going to take an extra step in their own safety!

Yehuda Moon has a funny article on this:

Why should we wear a helmet!

This is the only reason that I would never buy a single-family-home in a suburbia type environment. Even though the values of single-family homes appreciate more than that of condos, I’d pay the price in stress, overweight, diabetes or heart disease. Living in a closer packed environment is a lot better for the mind. You get to step out of your door and be a part of the society instead of enclosing yourself in a capsule and driving 2 miles to just get out of the neighborhood.

I wish my work moves Downtown so I can move to San Marco or Downtown and live a more healthy life. Till then, it is me on my bicycle and irritated suburbia-living-drivers wondering how I can be on the road with them!

Other than utilities, the biggest thing that leaves a sizable footprint on nature is to own and drive a car. My car usage has reduced to 20% from previous months since I have started riding a bicycle. A car is a wonderful invention and has certainly gone to improve the standard of living of man. The correlation goes that owning and using a car equals good standard of living and the better the car you own, the better is your image and higher is your standard of living. I own a fairly good car. It is a 2007 Saturn Aura XE, 3.5L V6 engine, leather, nifty electronics, great sound system, good comfort, lots of room and in general a good value for money. Moreover, I love driving a car and plan to autocross some day. So why is it that I enjoy not using it and I feel that my standard of living has improved since then?

I bought a bicycle and started riding it to have a more active lifestyle. The idea was to go to and from work on it. Gym memberships never worked for me and I have always enjoyed bicycling. The joy of not depending on my car was a surprise to me as I used it less and less. I started going to the grocery store on my bike, the DVD store, visiting friends, departmental store etc. I even went to the beach!

This proves to me that there is a disconnect between owning a car and having a higher standard of living. The fundamental definition of ’standard of living’ needs to be addressed. (more…)