Duane, please post this on the website, several people got unlawful tickets so
if you could post the code on the front page that would be ideal.

Several people asked about the code after the cops pulled us over just before 7
(and literally five minutes from Annas). The several tickets given out at the
mass today were not righteous, we had half an hour left on the clock when they
pulled us just before 6:55. Sunset was about 6:50 so we had until 7:20. Even the
cop that was lying had the time down as 7:12 which is still not a righteous
ticket.

Pulling us over to give unlawful tickets is harassment. They started to get
irritated and wanted to lay down some law. The problem is that they were not
actually familiar with the law...

You would think that with their radios they could get in contact with someone
who knows the code. You might even think that the bicycle officers, particularly
the ones assigned to enforce the laws on a bike ride, would familiarize
themselves with the couple of pages of code that apply to bikes.

Next time we should make an effort to ditch the 2,000 pounds of bacon that has
taken to following the Mass around... They are not there to do anything but bide
their time and fuck with us if an opportunity arises, and now they are making
their own opportunities. What will they do next, run into one of us and charge
us with assaulting a police officer? They are hostile, and are more and more
willing to express their hostility.

§291C-147  Lamps and other equipment on bicycles.  (a)  Any bicycle used from
thirty minutes after sunset until thirty minutes before sunrise shall be
equipped with a lamp on the front emitting a white light visible from a distance
of at least five hundred feet to the front.
      (b)  Every bicycle shall be equipped with a red reflector at least four
square inches in size which shall be visible for six hundred feet to the rear
when directly in front of lawful lower beams of head lamps on a motor vehicle.
      (c)  Every bicycle when in use at the time described in subsection (a)
shall be equipped with reflective material at least four square inches in size
and of sufficient size and reflectivity to be visible from both sides for six
hundred feet when directly in front of lawful lower beams of head lamps on a
motor vehicle, or, in lieu of such reflective material, with a lighted lamp
visible from both sides from a distance of at least five hundred feet.
      (d)  A bicycle or its rider may be equipped with lights or reflectors in
addition to those required by the foregoing subsections.
      (e)  A lamp meeting the specification of subsection (a) displayed on the
left arm or left leg of the bicycle operator shall be considered to meet the
requirements of subsection (a).
      (f)  A bicycle shall be equipped with a brake or brakes which enable the
bicycle's driver to stop the bicycle within twenty-five feet from a speed of ten
miles per hour on dry, level, clean pavement. [L 1971, c 150, pt of §1; am L
1974, c 133, §6; am L 1976, c 148, §5; am L 1978, c 175, §14; am L 1984, c 273,
§14]

a pig can walk in the mountains
a pig can walk in the sea
a pig can walk anywhere he wants
BUT NO PIG WALKS ON ME

-The Matt With The Bad Attitude

_________________________________________________________________
Get thousands of games on your PC, your mobile phone, and the web with Windows®.
http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/108588800/direct/01/

From http://hbl.org/documents/snw/SnW-Mar2008.pdf Page 2
Please note that the "Spoke-N-Word" has the wrong date listed (May 21
is correct).


HONOLULU RIDE OF SILENCE
May 21, 2008
The Honolulu Ride of Silence aims to raise cycling awareness during
bike safety month among the community, public officials, and
motorists and cyclists alike. The ride is a chance to mourn and
respect those who have already killed or injured while cycling; all
riders wear black arm bands, red if you have had a bike/motor vehicle
accident.

Who: Cyclists especially, but also runners and others who share the
road.

When: May 21, 2008, 5:00pm. Registration and Check-in at Kakaako
Waterfront Park
(677 Ala Moana Boulevard) traveling on Ala Moana Blvd. to Nimitz
Highway to Dillingham
Blvd., to Waikamilo Road (heading Diamond Head) to N. King Street
(turns into S.
King Street, to Kapahulu Avenue to Ala Wai Blvd., to Kapiolani Blvd.,
to Cooke Street,
ending at Kakaako Waterfront Park.

Why:
• to mourn and respect cyclists killed or injured;
• to raise awareness among the community, public officials, and
motorists of cyclists
on the road;
• to heighten the awareness of the "Share the Road" philosophy.

For more information call 808-735-5756 or visit www.hbl.org or
www.rideofsilence.org

HONOLULU -- Honolulu police said they want to avoid a clash with bicyclists during an upcoming Critical Mass Bike Ride after the last event was marred by an incident between an officer and a rider.

KITV's Catherine Cruz reported that police were caught by surprise last month when a large group of riders took over key roadways during Friday afternoon traffic.

The said they did not know if the ride was a publicity stunt or an act of civil disobedience.

In some cities where the event has taken on political overtones, things had the potential to get out of hand.

The 60 riders biking on the roadways during peak downtown traffic last month triggered a flood of phone calls to police.

"There were a lot of calls from motorists not knowing what was going on, why were so many on the road and slowing traffic," Honolulu Police Department Maj. Clayton Saito said.

The group of cyclists asserted their right to the road, took over multiple lanes at times and blocked traffic on King and Beretania streets.

In Waikiki, police said they confiscated some bikes and cited riders for unregistered bicycles.

While there was one arrest, the HPD said it wasn't for taking part in the ride.

"It was totally unrelated to the event. It was because of some warrants on another issue," Saito said.

An incident involving an officer falling into the path of an oncoming cyclist while he was citing a rider caused more friction between the riders and police.

The HPD said it doesn't want any friction from the last ride to carry over or escalate any possible disturbances this time.

"We want to preempt that by sitting down with them and telling them, 'Let's get the issues on the table and deal with it in a safe way,'" Saito said.

Officials said part of the problem is that Honolulu is not a very bike-friendly city, so motorist and cyclists have to learn to share the road.

A growing sense of frustration has caused many in the cycling community to fear a backlash from motorists.

The next Critical Mass Bike Ride is scheduled for a week from Friday.

I have included both of Matt's last two Mass reports, as well as the video that
was taken on the March Ride. From now on, when I receive a Mass report, it will
be posted on the page for the Friday rides. The most recent submissions will be
at the top.

As requested by HBL, I have removed their link from the site, as well as the
American League of Bicyclists link.

I have received a submission on the Opinions page, which I have posted. All
submissions are welcome, whether they like Critical Mass or not.

I have also taken the liberty of including a donation link on the index page, so
that people can help with the monthly costs of maintaining the site.

Duane
Webmaster, criticalmasshonolulu.org

---

To: criticalmasshonolulu@...; hawaiibicyclists@yahoogroups.com; criticalmasshonolulu@...
From: dearestparamour@...
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:39:03 -1000
Subject: [hawaiibicyclists] Volent Thugs Critical Mass Feb. 29th! Spread the Word!

A few new items of interest in the local Craigslist. I am probably going to reply to the violent thugs one, just for fun. I hope to see you all at Mass this week:
 
Honolulu Critical Mass Bike Ride--Feb. 29th! Spread the Word!
http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/bik/578311980.html
http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/bik/586383214.html 
 
Date and time; February 29th, 2008 at 4:30 p.m.-----

Location: the state capitol building near the intersection of Richards and Hotel streets
 
The Honolulu Critical Mass has arrived! The word is spreading and the numbers look MASSively promising! Join us in solidarity for a fun, community bike ride. Help assert cyclists right to the road, promote bicycles or simply come to meet like minded individuals. The more the merrier! Whether you are a veteran bicyclist or new to the scene, please come down and enjoy the energized atmosphere
 
CRITICAL MASS: Violent Thugs:
 
http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/bik/587156215.html
 
Just FYI.
 
-Matt

a pig can walk in the mountains
a pig can walk in the sea
a pig can walk anywhere he wants
BUT NO PIG WALKS ON ME

---

Need to know the score, the latest news, or you need your Hotmail®-get your 'fix'. Check it out.

As of March 1st, Fly Right Messenger Service will merge with Crosstown
Couriers and the bike messenger scene in Honolulu will be made whole
again.

The previous owner of Crosstown has fled to the Mainland, hopefully
never to be heard from again.

I had neglected to delete the membership of Crosstown's old boss from
this Group's members list. That mistake will now be corrected.


DUANE

---

To: hawaiibicyclists@yahoogroups.com
From: mythreeseize@...
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2008 22:23:16 -0800
Subject: Re: [hawaiibicyclists] dying in the streets...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-biker_fatal_26feb26,0,533633.story



chris coleman <mythreeseize@yahoo.com> wrote:

an alleycat first?

http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=391217

---

Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage.

---

Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage.

an alleycat first?

http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=391217

---

Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage.

If anyone cares, Adchoppers is gone, possibly forever.

The website registration expired a few weeks ago and all the
remaining choppers have long been off our sidewalks. According to
rumor, the owner of Adchoppers sold-off his remaining bikes on
Craigslist.

I found-out that Adchoppers still has its own page on YouTube and it
shows Mark Bell talking about his ad campaign, with the video
description saying that the whole thing is a "brilliant idea" and
describing Bell as a "marketing guru", which I found laughable. The
funniest part of one video was where the reporter mentioned that ten
adchoppers had been stolen, but Bell had promised to replace the
bikes and expand his fleet to cover more of the island. Of course,
that didn't happen, despite Bell's demands that I pay him for the
stolen bikes and cut locks and he even called the cops on the members
of this Group and the Critical Mass e-list.

To this day, I can't imagine what Mark Bell was thinking about when
he began his venture. I also found-out that Adchoppers was not a
registered company name in Hawaii, so I don't know to whom people
were to make their checks out to in order to pay $125 a month to put
a ad on one of those bikes. You read that right: $125 to advertise on
*one* bike.

Well, that's the epitaph for this whole mess.

I also get annoyed with the State and labor union concerning potholes.
The State spent our tax money on a very nice heavy equipment pothole
repair machine.  They never used it because of union objections.  You
see the machine only required one operator and the repairs lasted due
to the high pressure the machine was able to apply (among other
technical points).  The union insisted we stay with the proven methods
of scooping asphalt out of the back of a dump truck and tapping in with
hand shovels.  Thereby keeping a dump truck driver, 2 shovel operators
and a supervisor fulling employed with significant overtime after a
little rain.

There are 2 potholes at the highway entrance where I get onto Kam.
Although the State will occasionally fill in the potholes, they open
right back up after the next rain and stay that way for at least 6
months.  It has been that way for the last 15 years.

Many of the pot hole problems have been caused by substandard road beds.

I am with you on constantly calling them to report the pot holes.

A list of State Roads on O'ahu can be found at:
http://www.hawaii.gov/dot/highways/oahu/oahuroad.htm

All other roads are City and County roads (unless they are private roads.

I DO get mad about the potholes when they are constantly showing up in
the same place because that shows the underlying road bed needs to be
redone.  Take for example the Pali in Nuuanu - the right lane in both
directions is terrible and it takes only a few months after
re-surfacing for it to get that way.  Why? Because the cheap bastards
didn't put in a new road bed when they made it into a six lane highway
by re-striping the shoulder as a traffic lane (and depriving us of a
place to ride our bikes out of traffic I might add).  That shoulder
was never designed to handle a daily flow of hundreds of buses and
trucks and they should have put in a new roadbed for the shoulder when
they made it six lanes.  I've complained to them about this probably a
1,000 times but they don't do a damn thing.

There is simply no excuse for the same potholes re-appearing every
time it rains.  Keep records of where they occur, prioritize them and
start fixing the underlying roadbed instead of merely filling in the
potholes.

Riding along the roads and streets of Honolulu, a bicyclist cannot
help but notice how many potholes there are out there. Some are small
and a relative nuisance, but not really serious. Others are much more
dangerous and can result, at times, in an ijured cyclist and/or
damage to your bicycle.

I've decided that I'm going to be a bit more proactive regarding
potholes, rather than simply get mad at a pinchflat or getting hurt
when I'm knocked down after hitting a pothole. I've come to the
decision that I'm going to report every single serious pothole I see
on the road at the very moment I see it. I'm going to call the
appropriate phone number and let the City or State know that there is
a pothole at a specific location and that it needs fixing.

Now, a pothole isn't a negative reflection of the quality of the
paving job that the City or State workers did. The asphalt can have
been laid down perfectly. But, the asphalt sits on the ground and the
ground is little more than dirt and rock, which shifts along, due to
constant vibration from traffic, as well as rain soaking into the
ground and causing the ground under the asphalt to shift and this
results in the asphalt giving way and that is how we get potholes.

Understanding the HOW of it keeps me from getting mad at the
government for the pothole itself. But, when a pothole is at a given
location for week or months, then it's either the government's fault
for not monitoring the condition of the roads or it's the fault of
the citizenry for not informing the government that there is a
problem somewhere that needs fixing.

Rather than share an equal part of the blame with the government, I'm
going to become the Pothole Patrol and bug the government to fix any
potholes I find and I am going to encourage everyone to join-in and
become part of the Solution.

So, if you want to know how you can report those everpresent potholes
to the government and shift the burden to them, here you go:

If the pothole is on a state road or highway — including Likelike,
most of Kamehameha, Kahekili, Nimitz, Pali, most of Farrington,
Kalaniana'ole, H-1, H-2 or H-3 (including on- and off-ramps), Ala
Moana or Vineyard Boulevard — call the state pothole report line at
536-PUKA (7852).

To report a pothole on a city street, call 768-7777 or fill out a
form at www.honolulu.gov


DUANE

I've seen them around, too. They look like they are comfortable to
ride on flat ground, but I doubt if they'd be any good trying to
climb even a small hill.

They seemed to be very popular at first glance for some buyers, since
they do look nice. But, I noticed a number of them for sale on
Craigslist. So, it seems that they weren't the type of bike you'd
want to hold onto for very long.

I heard a rumor that Bell had sold-off his remaining choppers on
Craigslist, after his business went belly-up. He probably sold them
at a loss, due to the weather damage and vandalism most had suffered.

You know, it didn't take a brain surgeon to figure-out that
Adchoppers was a doomed venture from the beginning. When I see one of
those Schwinn Stingrays being ridden by the downtown streetlife, I
just have to smile and know that at least somebody was glad those
bikes were left unattended 24/7 in Downtown and Waikiki.

--- In hawaiibicyclists@yahoogroups.com, "Bikeoahu" <bikeoahu@...>
wrote:
>
> I just saw a homeless guy riding what looked like one of the former
> Adchoppers, in front of Ala Moana Shopping Center.  He had a juice
> carton on the back and when it fell off, he stopped, threw the bike
> down, then walked back to pick up his juice.
>

I just saw a homeless guy riding what looked like one of the former
Adchoppers, in front of Ala Moana Shopping Center.  He had a juice
carton on the back and when it fell off, he stopped, threw the bike
down, then walked back to pick up his juice.

---

To: criticalmasshonolulu@...
From: ddb1965@...
Subject: Critical Mass - Honolulu Website
Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2007 22:20:03 -0700

If anyone would like to help with the website by making a contribution for its upkeep, let me know.

 

There's not a lot of traffic on this list anymore and I have no idea even if the monthly rides are still taking place.

 

 

DUANE

As most of you already know, August is national 'Kick a Car' month... If
every bicyclist in the country kicks just ten cars this month, then we will
have gotten our message across to millions of poor car-bound commuters...

So remember, during the month of August, whenever you get cut off, almost
hit, disregarded, disrespected, cursed, yelled at, honked at, or find
yourself in any way irritated by an automobile.... Kick That
Motherfucker!!!! Kick it HARD and leave a dent! Let them Know they have
Sinned!

If you are a Christian then Kick a Car for Jesus! If you are Buddhist, then
kick a car for Buddha! If you are an athiest, then kick a car for the cold,
souless universe you choose to inhabit, but for the love of whatever God you
hold dear, KICK A CAR!!!

Also, THIS Friday is also LAST Friday, the traditional Mass day... Are any
of you going to come out for Mass?

- Kick-a-Car Matt

_________________________________________________________________
http://liveearth.msn.com

Absolutely Free Advance Pre-Registration for the 2007 Annual F.U. HBL
Century Ride is now open!  The ride this year will be held on Sunday,
September 30th and will begin at 6:00 am at Kapiolani Park.

This year there will be free snacks (provided by others)!

Helmets, clothing, lycra, camelbacks, and respect for the rules of the road
are strictly optional!

To pre-register, please just send an email saying 'I'm in!' to
dearestparamour@.... You will receive your number and additional
course and sign in information via email.

Thanks as always for supporting bicycling in Hawaii!

Duane: Please post this information to your blog. I left out the profanity
per your request.

Thanks!

-Matt


>From: Duane Browning <ddb1965@...>
>Reply-To: criticalmasshonolulu@...
>To: Critical Mass <criticalmasshonolulu@...>
>Subject: New Blog for Hawaii's Cycling Community
>Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2007 02:36:45 -0700 (PDT)
>
>Since setting-up a website costs money, but I can get a blog for free, I
>decided to get a blog.
>   I've set it up to be like a newsletter, where everyone can participate.
>If you want to post an editorial, just send it to me by email and I will
>post it. Keep in mind that profanity isn't something that would look good
>on a blog like this. I'd like to keep it presentable and don't want to
>discourage anyone from feeling free to post their own stuff.
>   If you want to get the word out about a stolen bike, review a bike shop
>or mention an upcoming cycling event, that's what the blog is for.
>   A good way to start would be to post all local and State laws pertaining
>to bicycles in the blog. I think that it would be bother helpful and
>informative.
>   You can sign your submission with either your name or a pseudonym and
>choose whether, or not to include your email address.
>   So, now we have it: a blog of our own, where veryone is encouraged to
>participate and no group of people would be excluded from participating. My
>only purpose would be to post submissions sent to me.
>   But, if you post an editorial, understand that other will be able to
>respond to it in the comments section. If you can't handle negative
>feedback, then you probably won't be sending anything.
>   Here's the blog as it is right now
>http://hawaiibicyclists.blogspot.com/
>   Blogger doesn't offer many choices of templates, so I'm sorry if you
>don't like the one I picked-out.
>
>   DUANE
>
>Critical Mass - Take to the streets to make bicycling more than just a
>"transportation alternative"
>--^----------------------------------------------------------------
>This email was sent to: dearestparamour@...
>
>EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84GTE.bexNxQ.ZGVhcmVz
>Or send an email to: criticalmasshonolulu-unsubscribe@...
>
>For Topica's complete suite of email marketing solutions visit:
>http://www.topica.com/?p=TEXFOOTER
>--^----------------------------------------------------------------
>

_________________________________________________________________
Picture this – share your photos and you could win big!
http://www.GETREALPhotoContest.com?ocid=TXT_TAGHM&loc=us

Absolutely Free Advance Pre-Registration for the 2007 Annual F.U. HBL
Century Ride is now open! The ride this year will be held on Sunday,
September 30th and will begin at 6:00 am at Kapiolani Park.

This year there will be free snacks (provided by others)!

Helmets, clothing, lycra, camelbacks, and respect for the rules of the road
are strictly optional!

To pre-register, please just send an email saying 'I'm in!' to
dearestparamour@.... You will receive your number and additional
course and sign in information via email.

Thanks as always for supporting bicycling in Hawaii!

Duane: Please post this information to your blog. I left out the profanity
per your request.

Thanks!

-Matt


>From: Duane Browning
>Reply-To: criticalmasshonolulu@...
>To: Critical Mass
>Subject: New Blog for Hawaii's Cycling Community
>Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2007 02:36:45 -0700 (PDT)
>
>Since setting-up a website costs money, but I can get a blog for free, I
>decided to get a blog.
> I've set it up to be like a newsletter, where everyone can participate.
>If you want to post an editorial, just send it to me by email and I will
>post it. Keep in mind that profanity isn't something that would look good
>on a blog like this. I'd like to keep it presentable and don't want to
>discourage anyone from feeling free to post their own stuff.
> If you want to get the word out about a stolen bike, review a bike shop
>or mention an upcoming cycling event, that's what the blog is for.
> A good way to start would be to post all local and State laws pertaining
>to bicycles in the blog. I think that it would be bother helpful and
>informative.
> You can sign your submission with either your name or a pseudonym and
>choose whether, or not to include your email address.
> So, now we have it: a blog of our own, where veryone is encouraged to
>participate and no group of people would be excluded from participating. My
>only purpose would be to post submissions sent to me.
> But, if you post an editorial, understand that other will be able to
>respond to it in the comments section. If you can't handle negative
>feedback, then you probably won't be sending anything.
> Here's the blog as it is right now
>http://hawaiibicyclists.blogspot.com/
> Blogger doesn't offer many choices of templates, so I'm sorry if you
>don't like the one I picked-out.
>
> DUANE
>
>Critical Mass - Take to the streets to make bicycling more than just a
>"transportation alternative"
>

_________________________________________________________________
Picture this – share your photos and you could win big!
http://www.GETREALPhotoContest.com?ocid=TXT_TAGHM&loc=us

Critical Mass - Take to the streets to make bicycling more than just a "transportation alternative"
--^----------------------------------------------------------------
This email was sent to: ddb1965@...

EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84GTE.beCwdg.ZGRiMTk2
Or send an email to: criticalmasshonolulu-unsubscribe@...

For Topica's complete suite of email marketing solutions visit:
http://www.topica.com/?p=TEXFOOTER
--^----------------------------------------------------------------

Since setting-up a website costs money, but I can get a blog for
free, I decided to get a blog.

I've set it up to be like a newsletter, where everyone can
participate. If you want to post an editorial, just send it to me by
email and I will post it. Keep in mind that profanity isn't something
that would look good on a blog like this. I'd like to keep it
presentable and don't want to discourage anyone from feeling free to
post their own stuff.

If you want to get the word out about a stolen bike, review a bike
shop or mention an upcoming cycling event, that's what the blog is
for.

A good way to start would be to post all local and State laws
pertaining to bicycles in the blog. I think that it would be bother
helpful and informative.

You can sign your submission with either your name or a pseudonym and
choose whether, or not to include your email address.

So, now we have it: a blog of our own, where veryone is encouraged to
participate and no group of people would be excluded from
participating. My only purpose would be to post submissions sent to
me.

But, if you post an editorial, understand that other will be able to
respond to it in the comments section. If you can't handle negative
feedback, then you probably won't be sending anything.

Here's the blog as it is right now
http://hawaiibicyclists.blogspot.com/

Blogger doesn't offer many choices of templates, so I'm sorry if you
don't like the one I picked-out.

DUANE

Why not here? If not Soon, When? rkin

http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,488359,00.html

PARIS À BICYCLETTE
Rediscovering the Romance of the Bicycle

By Stefan Simons in Paris
The French may love their bicycles, but in Paris, only
a courageous minority braves traffic on two wheels.
Mayor Bertrand Delanoe wants Parisians to consider
looking backward.

Yves Montand has a song called "À Bicyclette," a love
song to a woman whose name ("Paulette") rhymes
conveniently with the title means of transporation. It
is what outsiders think of as "typically French," both
the song and the sentiment. Except that the good old
wire donkey is considered as antique in 21st-century
France as Montand himself. There are exceptions --
like bicycles upgraded with high-tech equipment and
refashioned as instruments of speeding athleticism.
Sports riders in fluorescent sprinting outfits can be
admired as they whirl around the horse-racing tracks
of the Bois de Boulogne, for example. They usually
travel in throngs, which is hardly in keeping with the
French character.


PHOTO GALLERY: THE VÉLIB PRINCIPLE
Click on a picture to launch the image gallery (3
Photos)

But all that may change if Parisian Mayor Bertrand
Delanoe and Denis Baupin of the Green Party -- the man
charged with transportation issues in Paris -- have
their way. They want to convert their fellow citizens
to the healthy and ecologically sound transportation
option of bike travel. On July 15 -- just after
Bastille Day -- Paris will introduce a citywide system
of public bike rentals called Vélib, intended to give
pedal power to the people.
The high-tech idea is to let Parisians as well as
tourists rent bikes from public stations with nothing
but a chip card. No fewer than 750 self-service
stations equipped with over 10,000 rentable bikes will
go into service in July. The city's Socialist-Green
administration has been promoting the idea that
bicycles produce no emissions, remain mobile in
traffic jams, and -- most importantly -- are easy to
park. They want people in Paris to choose the bicycle
over the car, the bus or the subway. Cycling isn't
even slower than driving, since car drivers in Paris
move through the avenues and boulevards at an average
speed of just five kilometers an hour (3.1 mph).

Liberated vélos

The Vélib model of public bike rentals -- variations
of which already exist in other cities such as Rennes,
Strasbourg and Lyon (not to mention Berlin) -- is
simple. Each station is equipped with 15 bicycles.
Customers release one bike from the station by means
of a chip card, which then lets them deposit the bike
at any other station at the end of the journey.
Payment occurs electronically. A customer has to load
up the card by buying a subscription to the service,
which can be purchased online, in town halls or at
post offices. Using a metro ticket as a subscription
will also be possible at some stations.

The bicycles -- "chic and cosmopolitan," according to
Céline Lepault from the city administration; painted
in "elegant gray" according to French daily Le Monde
-- are genuinely sterling objects. They weigh 22
kilograms (49 pounds) and have a basket attached to
the handlebars. They're also equipped with a light, a
lock and an easily handled three-speed gear shift.
They're not the sort of dapper racing bikes or
fashionable mountain bikes that might tempt thieves,
but sound means of transportation suited to the urban
jungle and appropriate for short distances. The key to
the Vélib model is that the bikes can change hands
quickly and often: The price structure encourages
users to ride them for short one-way stretches and
deposit them again in the electronic stations --
rather than renting a bike for a whole day or week.

The advertising firm JCDecaux, which provides the
bikes, has promised to double the number by the end of
the year. Almost 2,100 bikes should be in circulation
throughout Paris by the end of 2007, tended by 300
JCDecaux employees.

Like truckers in Citroëns

The Vélib debut comes after a number of private and
government initiatives encouraging people to ride.
Three hundred cities in France celebrated the
"Festival of the Bicycle" in June, and only a week
later bicylists took to the streets naked in an
internationally-organized protest ride to promote
clean transportation and underscore the vulnerability
of cyclists in cities.


PHOTO GALLERY: BIKING NAKED FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
  Click on a picture to launch the image gallery (9
Photos)

This vulnerability is something Baupin and Delanoe
also want to address, because riding a bike through
Paris still requires a measure of courage. Trapped
between a solid wall of motor traffic and breakneck
motorcyclists -- or kamikaze scooter drivers --
bicyclists in this city of two million need strong
nerves as well as strong calves, all the more so
because the average French cyclist tends to navigate
the streets in a Jacobin spirit of revolt. Red lights
aren't considered a stop signal; 71 percent told the
newspaper Le Parisien that they just zip through the
intersection. One-way streets are mainly symbolic. The
French cyclist is assertive and reckless, like the
Parisian motorist, who tends to behave like a truck
driver even when he sits behind the wheel of a
Citroën.
But the city has invested heavily in its bicycle
infrastructure over the past three years. This measure
is part of a larger strategy to spoil the fun for car
drivers, a strategy that has earned Mayor Baupin the
reputation of being a "dangerous madman," or even a
"Khmer Vert."

The "man who declared war on cars" (as the magazine Le
Nouvel Observateur calls him) can understand the anger
of the drivers: "It's about more than a means of
transportation, after all," says Mayor Baupin. "It's
about their place in society." Still, the technocrat
and advocate of metropolitan transit ("I drive in a
car with a hundred seats: It's called the metro") is
convinced that it is only by such means that problems
like air pollution and congestion can be avoided.

Since 2001, Paris's network of bike paths has been
expanded to a total length of 320 kilometers (199
miles). Many of the paths are separate traffic
corridors, or else marked tracks along the streets,
and outside Paris along the canals. That's certainly
an improvement. But statisticians also count those 118
kilometers (73 miles) of chaussée routes that cyclists
"share" with buses as bike paths. And even where the
paths are exemplary, such as along the banks of the
Seine, cyclists cannot ride undisturbed -- since
motorcyclists race their machines along them during
rush hour, leading to encounters that sometimes curdle
the blood.
So Paris may remain dangerous territory for
pedal-pushing commuters, but the bicycle is still a
pleasant alternative for tourists. Associations like
"Mieux se déplacer à bicyclette" (MDB, or "Better to
Travel By Bike") or "Paris Rando Vélo" organize
excursions and nightly rides. Meanwhile companies like
"Paris à Vélo, C'est Sympa," "Paris Vélo Rent-a-bike"
and "Paris Bike Tour" offer extravagant tours -- also
in foreign languages. Bike rental agencies offer their
own services, and those who fear the inclines on the
city's hills -- as on the Butte Montmartre or the
approach to the Champs Elysées -- can resort to the
bikes rented by "Paris Charms Secrets," which are
equipped with electric auxiliary engines.

Baupin and Delanoe hope a little government action can
turn Paris back to a slightly simpler era. Perhaps the
city of love will still allow for unexpected
encounters of the romantic kind, of the kind Yves
Montand sang about: à Bicyclette. Paulette, in any
case, would be thrilled.



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The main things that I noticed about the 'bike to work' thing was that:

1) I have never seen such a high proportion of ANCIENT lycra at any event...
there was an incredible textural juxtaposition of smooth,
expensive-when-new-30-years-ago sun-faded grey lycra and shriveled, leathery
folds of sun-browned and age spotted skin... I mean, not to be disgusting or
anything, it was actually quite inspiring to think that people that old can
still ride a bike, much less pack their junk into lycra... and for Ancients
they were Pretty Hot I guess... At least as long as they keep the lycra
on...

2) The ASS guys were out in force, they are always the 'bridge the gap' guys
you are talking about, and they are good guys who run good-looking steel. I
think one of the bike shops supports them to turn out for these things...
Their tatoos look generally more expensive than their bikes, and they always
add a good fun positivity...

3) I don't think I saw anybody that looked like they don't already bike to
work every day anyway, like myself and presumably Harvard Jess and some of
the others that were out... EXCEPT for the Ancient Lycra group...

4) The MAIN thing that is apparent about this bike to work event was that it
was just a political photo op for the established establishment bike people
to shake hands in front of a bunch of bicycles, and congratulate themselves
on a job well done... How many people actually biked to work just for this?
20? it was just smoke and mirrors!

5) And how many fucking cops do you need for a thing like this? They had one
cop for every three bike to work bikes, and those RIDICULOUS SEGWAY THINGS
(o my god I am DYING to race one of those things, they are SO HORRIFICALLY
LAME!!!) and I was suprised they did not have riot batons and fairings made
to look like those plastic riot shields... they looked like they were Ready
for Action (as long as that action did not involve going more than 18
MPH)...

I went out for a few HBL things, but I am not welcome on any of their events
because I do not wear a helmet. Everything they do is politicised and
exclusionary by nature, and I have started to find them irritating,
politically. I like your idea of competing events, and I have already
implimented a program of free rides to coincide with Official HBL Events...
I will keep you posted of course...

As far as 'cartown' bicycling improvements, you Townies have already paved
most of that side of the island, give it a rest. What the ISLAND (not the
City) could use is some safe routes that are NOT in town, out in the
country, through Kipapa Gulch, and from Kapolei, and out past the North
Shore... Whining about the sewage construction at the Ala Wai seems like a
sort of tunnel-vision-townie talk, considering the conditions that many of
the rest of us have to ride under... Show your displeasure every time you
ride by! TAKE THE FUCKING LANE for christs sake, and throw fingers at the
horns... or weave in and out of the traffic cones and tag the trucks, thats
what I do...  wrap some of that caution tape around your handlebars and have
some fucking fun with it! Why do you even HAVE a bike if you don't know how
to have fun with one? Are you in that much of a hurry?

Last but not least, did anyone turn out for Critical Mass yesterday? My
daughter was having her tonsils out and I was her ride, so I could not come
although I was there in spirit... unless nobody showed up, in which case my
spirit went out and got drunk.

Please report if you attended.

-Matt


>From: bonisvi@...
>Reply-To: criticalmasshonolulu@...
>To: criticalmasshonolulu@...
>Subject: RE: Bike to Work Day - OR: Critical Fucking Mufi
>Date: Sat, 26 May 2007 14:59:31 +0000
>
>bonisvi@... wrote:
>Speaking as one of among the many who worked with HBL's Director Kristy
>(and, new HBL Event Coordinator Mitchell) & C&C's Bike Coordinator Chris
>to help plan/organize/implement the Bike to Work; I was very skeptical
>that HBL, C&C, or any such "status quo" interests could or would really
>do a full-on Bike to Work thang as it should be done.  My skeptism was
>not entirely warranted and it was an ernest, if a bit half-assed,
>effort; and all acknowledged that we would use the experience to make
>next year's Bike to Work bigger, better and sexier.  Perhaps some of you
>might hopefully be interested in having a parallel, if somewhat
>contrasting, Bike to Work on the same day & time with the "critical mass
>mind-action set".  That could be make things really interesting.
>(Note that at the initial meeting on Bike to Work, I mentioned the
>Critical Mass "movement/group", such as it is, as a possible way to get
>more bicyclists involved in the event.  I got the general subtle
>impression that it was like I'd mentioned something really stupid.
>Maybe it was.)
>
>Mufi had told us earlier he could not bike there but that he would make
>a token appearance.  And, speaking of the Mayor & "his" Ala Wai
>bikepath, see the bikepath fuck-up at the other Makai end of it.  It
>sorta fizzles out into the twilight zone at McCully before continuing as
>a one block "homeless lane", then it literally hits Kalakaua where there
>is all indication of continuing across the busy (deadly busy)street but
>with no corresponding light or even a marked crosswalk(!) across, and,
>finally, it just ends at Ala Moana Blvd with no clear connection toward
>Ala Moana Park (Ewa) or Waikiki (Diamond Head).  Guess that's where a
>bicyclist just turns back around towards the sewer project barriers to
>toss them into the Ala Wai.> >
> > >
>Therein lies the divide.  The "Lycra Folks" make up much of the "status
>quo" bicycle interests in power in this Car-town.  They tend to put on
>their lycra to take recreational rides on expensive super-bikes while
>using their SUV's and luxury cars to commute.  They belong to the HBL
>and support C&C's bike shaped "sculptures" to lock bikes to as C&C's
>major contribution to bicycling.
>Across the divide are bikers of the "disenfranchised rabble" who tend to
>be hard-core bicyclists who have learned to ride while surviving on
>Car-town mean streets.
>With all things being as they are, most of the "non-bike public"
>vaguelly supports bicycling as a politically cool/correct mode of
>transportation, but feel bicycle commuting too remotely
>uncomfortable/inconvenient or dangerously "out there" for serious
>personal consideration.  Their attitude tends to be "yea, bicycling is
>great; let them bicycle as second-class carfodder and get their cars off
>the road and out of the way of mine."
>If that divide between status quo & hard-core bikers could somehow be
>bridged, it could be a powerful force.  With Cartown's relatively short
>commutes, generally flat terrain, and especially great biking weather;
>it could be powerful enough to even tug at many of the non-bike public
>to try a bike...
>Big if.

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I think most of you remember my post on the Adchoppers. If you don't
just go into the messege archive and have a look.

About a month after I posted that article, several adchopper bikes
disappeared from the Downtown area all in one night. The owner of
that company emailed me shortly afterwards and accused me of having
something to do with it. He even tried to get me to go to the Hawaii
Kai police substation to answer questions from HPD, without success
on his part.

Then, one day, members of this group and Critical Mass Honolulu began
to receive phone calls from HPD, asking if we stole the bikes or knew
who did. To the best of my knowledge, no arrests have been made for
the thefts or vandalisms of the adchoppers and I have not been
contacted my the owner of Adchoppers since then.

Over time, since the mass disappearance from Downtown, most of the
remaining adchoppers have been stolen, stripped for parts or removed
either by the owner or by the City. As far as I know, no adchopper
bikes remain locked to any bike rack in any part of Honolulu today.

There is a rumor circulating that the owner of adchoppers has either
sold his remaining bikes on Craigslist or is trying to do so.

So that's it. All the months of having the irritating sight of
adchoppers locked to bike racks around the city and never being
moved. There were seldom any ads on them and most ended-up looking
like crap after having been stripped or vandalized. The members of
two cycling-related groups were accused of being responsible for the
actions of unknown persons and valuable police time was spent chasing
wild geese.

When it was all over, there was no trumpet announcing it, no public
address from HBL, Critical Mass or anyone else. It was just over.

So, I decided to let you all know. We got pulled into a fight not of
our choosing and we were the last ones standing after it was over.


DUANE

All members are allowed to post to this board. Any messeges sent here
go directly online, since there is no approval process.

DUANE

--- In hawaiibicyclists@yahoogroups.com, "lapulapu12000"
<Mark.Dawson@...> wrote:
>
> The moderator of this site should cut the foul language from post. It
> hurts your cause.
>

The moderator of this site should cut the foul language from post. It
hurts your cause.

Tomorrow, downtown at one of the many Starbucks, Mayor Mufi will be passing
out free coffee and pastries, as well as speechifying on why bikes are so
cool!

He probably will NOT be talking about all that sewage he dumped in the
ocean, or why he is at war with the EPA, but he will supposedly have a
bicycle with him... If he can ride without falling off I am hoping to
challenge him to a Race for Pink Slips...

As oxymoronic and misleading as this Starbucked Up Corporate Political
Environmentalism may seem to the uninitiated, it is actually Very Very
Green! Just ask them! They will tell you!

Please come out and support giant corporations and eco-hostile politicians
as they pretend to support the environment in order to generate sales
and/votes, while in fact not actually giving a shit (unless they are giving
the shit to the ocean by the gigagallon)...

If nothing else you can enjoy a refreshing and delicious Starbucks coffee
and pastry while basking in the Radiant Irony of the whole thing... Or try
and catch a politician Lying out of Both Sides of His Face... Or just Sniff
the Corporate Coffee Fumes and Enjoy the Buzz...

-The Matt That Laughs to Keep From Crying


By the way, I missed the Ride o` Silence, if any of you went could you
Report on the Thunder of Silence that Shook Honolulu yesterday? How many
Acres of Lycra turned out?

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