You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!
The banners on the left side and below do not show for registered users!
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.
Vancouver Off-Topic / Current EventsThe off-topic forum for Vancouver, funnies, non-auto centered discussions, WORK SAFE. While the rules are more relaxed here, there are still rules. Please refer to sticky thread in this forum.
Not a fat ass in sight = no drain to public health care
Possible traffic fatalities = low. Bike on bike accidents = people walk away with some scrapes at most.
Everybody poo-poos on the bike lanes, and I agree, cause they were poorly implemented. If we could get bikes into downtown and clear up just a sector that is car-free, I bet we would start seeing something like this... At least on a sunny day.
Bike lanes at Rogers Arena?
Mayor Gregor Robertson has proposed a bike lane through centre ice.
The controversial plan to install a bike lane in Rogers Arena will enter its early stages tonight at Game 2 of the Canucks/Predators series. While the idea has been universally panned by both players and fans alike, Mayor Robertson was able to make this statement between hits from his crack pipe.
“What Vancouver is doing is showing the rest of Canada what to do. It’s a good city for pedestrians, mediocre for cyclists and now I'm moving it to the next level. Before the invention of the automobile there were no traffic jams. I'm just trying to bring our city back to a level before technology. Technology is bad"
Some feel that what Mayor Gregor doesn't understand is that the volume of cyclists simply using these lanes. "In a city where it rains ten months out of the year, and the majority of it's population lives 20 km away in the suburbs, how is it feasible to keep adding bike lanes" Laura Tam, a 26 year old city planner, commented. "He looked into the idea of turning parts of the Trans Canada highway into one giant bike lane but was told he didn't the authority to." She continued with "I thought he was the wheelchair mayor anyway. Whats that guy doing on a bike?"
Some disagree. We talked to one of the six people known to use the Vancouver bike lanes. "Peanut", a resident of the Down Town East Side, feels that they're great. "Since I've stolen this bike I've been able to get everywhere. What used to take me 45 minutes takes me 20. I'm breaking into cars and pawning the merchandise at twice the speed! Plus, I've been dropping my used syringes in parts of the city that were once safe for children. I love these bike lanes!"
As for the reasoning behind a bike lane through centre ice which begins at BC Place stadium, spanning end zone to end zone, and ending in the exact centre of Empire field, Mayor Robertson had this to say: "Because I can"
She taught me right from wrong and always told me to stay positive and help others no matter how small the deed - that helping others gives us meaning to carry on. The sun is out today and it's a new day. Life is good. I just needed a slap in the face.
Not a fat ass in sight = no drain to public health care
Possible traffic fatalities = low. Bike on bike accidents = people walk away with some scrapes at most.
Everybody poo-poos on the bike lanes, and I agree, cause they were poorly implemented. If we could get bikes into downtown and clear up just a sector that is car-free, I bet we would start seeing something like this... At least on a sunny day.
In Raincouver, that's only like what? 3 months during the summer. Leaving that sector, 9 months empty and cyclist-free. Look at all the other bike lanes downtown as a scaled-down example.
Keep in mind, we pay for insurance while they don't. Let's not spoil 'them' some more. Them, being the 2 - 3 people using the Burrard Bridge every 2 - 3 hours.
__________________
I speak the truth, and nothin' but. If I am wrong, well then there is no right.
Rule 1: You do not talk about Fight Club. Rule 2: You do not talk about Fight Club.
"It's called Sex Panther by Odeon. It's illegal in nine countries... Yep, it's made with bits of real panther, so you know it's good ... They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time. "
Good video, but this is case in point of how countries like the Netherlands built the city around the bike lanes, not the other way around like Mayor Moonbeam has been trying. This works mainly because cyclists in Europe realize that they're a part of traffic flow as much as cars are, unlike the people here who have a God complex because they picked a "green" method of commuting.
My bookmarks are Reddit and REVscene, in that order
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Vancouver
Posts: 4,442
Thanked 13,465 Times in 1,814 Posts
Failed 1,625 Times in 307 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by CorneringArtist
This works mainly because cyclists in Europe realize that they're a part of traffic flow as much as cars are, unlike the people here who have a God complex because they picked a "green" method of commuting.
Oh yeah, I totally agree with that, however, I just want to point out the the opposite is true. There are drivers who have a God complex just because they think the insurance they pay entitles them ownership of the road.
Quote:
Originally Posted by v.Rossi
Keep in mind, we pay for insurance while they don't. Let's not spoil 'them' some more. Them, being the 2 - 3 people using the Burrard Bridge every 2 - 3 hours.
Wake up and smell the coffee, you pay more for insurance because you are handling a deadly weapon. You can run over stop signs, crash into buildings, kill pedestrians and total other vehicles. THAT is why you pay insurance, it's not a road ownership fee. For that same reason, a bike will never damage a stop sign, break a bone on a pedestrian or do any real damage to a storefront. And that is why my scooter pays less insurance, because the only harm I can do, is probably break a few bones on somebody and end up killing myself.
I really wish drivers would stop using "paying for insurance" as the exclusive right to own the road. It's just bad logic.
i was going to comment on how the bikers stop and yield, but someone beat me to it.
bikers here are a pain in the ass. they just dont follow the rules of the road. instead of handing out fines to people for not wearing helmets, they should start ticketing heavy those that dont obey stop signs and red lights.
just curious, and the answer is probably No, but does a biker have to follow the cell phone rules aswell?
Oh yeah, I totally agree with that, however, I just want to point out the the opposite is true. There are drivers who have a God complex just because they think the insurance they pay entitles them ownership of the road.
Solid point. I don't interpret insurance payments as road ownership myself, I see it as the fee to use a car on the road.
I like how the people on bikes there actually FOLLOW traffic rules, I have respect for them and would love to bike in a place like that. The majority of bicyclers here are just assholes thinking they own the road trying to prove something. Bike lanes are such a waste of money, if you want to bike, learn to obey rules like cars and share the road. I have no problems sharing the road with bikes that don't act like they own the road.
90% of people who work downtown do not live downtown
therefor your theory is in fact, fail.
Downtown is quite accessible through public transit.
A LOT of people use cars to drive to places where public transit is available. I have people who live near a skytrain station INSIST on driving to Metrotown.
There are people who need a car for their jobs, such as early risers/late-night workers. Delivery and foodstuff transportation are obvious. But I will argue that, on the whole, people are just too lazy. A lot of people do not need cars for their day-to-day activities.
I understand if you live in a rural area or in the suburbs. But there is no excuse if you live in the Lower Mainland.
I'm not a tree-hugger by any means, but we are really fucking up this world badly. People are seriously underestimating the effect of global warming.
Great post and civilized discussion. Here is a quote from a previous thread on this topic:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Acuracura
Just a note about North America and driving, North Americans have always been used to driving, and cities were built according to that. Comparing us to Tokyo or all those European cities (Paris, Amesterdam, Frankfurt, Zurich, etc.) isn't quite fair because those cities have been around a lot longer than Vancouver, Toronto, etc. They were originally walking/bicycling, got some cars and a ton of motorbikes, built a complicated system of underground trains, and still maintain that original walking/bicycling mentality. Those cities are older so they’ve had that much more time to build it properly, unlike Vancouver which is constantly experimenting with more car lanes, bike lanes, rapid transit, etc. If you’ve been to those places in Europe you’ll notice the cities are very dense, like how Vancouver is getting to be. Paris, for example, is extremely dense around the River Seine and has ‘suburbs’ around central area. Most people actually live in the center of Paris and either work there or out in those suburb areas. For those working centrally, they either walk, bike, or metro it. Those working outside of the center still bike or take transit to where they need to go. The metro is incredibly efficient and is very busy, but not white-gloved-pushers busy, during peak hours. This allows them to invest huge amounts into the city’s public transit as they can concentrate it all in the middle where it’s needed. Adversely, the GVRD has pods of people and not enough money to fund infrastructure to serve them all. You build a skytrain to Poco and it’ll be another decade before you can build one to Langley. In the mean time all those people and their cars commute daily to the center (Downtown Vancouver) and it creates major congestion, parking, and pollution problems. You’ll also notice those European cities build a lot of pedestrian only streets/bridges, bicycles outnumber and take the right of way over cars, and scooters/motorcycles squeeze in wherever they fit and park wherever they want. Not saying their system is better, but it doesn’t seem to suffer from the problems we’re having here. The difference is those solutions were built from the ground up, starting with the attitudes and expectations of the people living there.
__________________
check out BCaquaria for all your aquarium needs
also visit the Ham Radio Forums for discussion on radio communication
Oh yeah, I totally agree with that, however, I just want to point out the the opposite is true. There are drivers who have a God complex just because they think the insurance they pay entitles them ownership of the road.
Wake up and smell the coffee, you pay more for insurance because you are handling a deadly weapon. You can run over stop signs, crash into buildings, kill pedestrians and total other vehicles. THAT is why you pay insurance, it's not a road ownership fee. For that same reason, a bike will never damage a stop sign, break a bone on a pedestrian or do any real damage to a storefront. And that is why my scooter pays less insurance, because the only harm I can do, is probably break a few bones on somebody and end up killing myself.
I really wish drivers would stop using "paying for insurance" as the exclusive right to own the road. It's just bad logic.
Drivers and pedestrians get along fine. They each know their roles, they know the rules of the road, and so, coexist without problems.
"There are drivers who blah blah insurance blah blah." Notice the theme of the thread:
1) Respect the rules of the road.
2) Respect that your actions have an impact on others.
There's other threads that talk about bad drivers where ppl give them shit for deviating from the above two points. But we're here to talk about noob summertime cyclists. So let's address *this* instead of pointing fingers elsewhere - that's just an excuse a 9 yr old would make: "the other kid did it too."
And really it comes down to that:
1) Childish behavior
2) Childish attitudes
3) Childish excuses
The road is not a playground. I don't care that a cyclist isn't gonna cause much damage if he screws something up. If you can't see why it's completely NOT OK to have shit go wrong in the first place, then I'm sorry: GROW THE FUCK UP OR GET THE FUCK OFF THE ROAD. It's not a place for overgrown kids.
For that same reason, a bike will never damage a stop sign, break a bone on a pedestrian or do any real damage to a storefront. And that is why my scooter pays less insurance, because the only harm I can do, is probably break a few bones on somebody and end up killing myself.
I really wish drivers would stop using "paying for insurance" as the exclusive right to own the road. It's just bad logic.
The road is built with drivers in mind. Two lanes of asphalt, tons of steel and electrical wiring, and angles and slopes weren't engineered for bicycles. Rules haven't been written and refined over a hundred years for bicycles.
Aside from a helmet law its like the wild west out there for anyone on two wheels. Bicyclists are completely devoid of consequences and completely irresponsible for their own actions.
And I say this as a former downtown cyclist. Years ago before the era of having my own "dedicated lane"
She taught me right from wrong and always told me to stay positive and help others no matter how small the deed - that helping others gives us meaning to carry on. The sun is out today and it's a new day. Life is good. I just needed a slap in the face.
Downtown is quite accessible through public transit.
A LOT of people use cars to drive to places where public transit is available. I have people who live near a skytrain station INSIST on driving to Metrotown.
There are people who need a car for their jobs, such as early risers/late-night workers. Delivery and foodstuff transportation are obvious. But I will argue that, on the whole, people are just too lazy. A lot of people do not need cars for their day-to-day activities.
I understand if you live in a rural area or in the suburbs. But there is no excuse if you live in the Lower Mainland.
I'm not a tree-hugger by any means, but we are really fucking up this world badly. People are seriously underestimating the effect of global warming.
You sound like a flaming hippy
Or a hypocrite
I like to drive my ass down to the mall when I feel like it, because its convenient fast and reliable.
The 20 minutes that takes me to get to the mall driving my car is way better than 1 hour trip bus/skytrain. PLUS you don't have to deal with stinky weird fucken people on the skytrain and bus.
2 weeks ago, right by the soccer fields outside Rogers stadium there were these 2 cyclist just cruising in first gear.
They were side by side taking up the whole 1 lane road holding up traffic when there was a fucking bike lane right next to them!
Even a homeless guy on the sidewalk was giving them a huge WTF face.
You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!
The banners on the left side and below do not show for registered users!
