I’m up for an event. I’ve already been to city hall on the parking issue. They don’t want to budge. Their excuse for ticketing multiple parked cycles in metered spaces is that you could get the domino effect if one of the bikes went down.
I think they need a dose. How do we get started?

We were talking about filling up street parking around the market and perhaps taking a lot of the “first hour free” parking in the parking garage. That would be upsetting to a lot of folks who go to the market.

An early Saturday before all the Saturday market shoppers arrive would be cool. I’d like to surround City Hall with one bike in each parking spot.

Will get on the bike as soon as I get the bum knee fixed. What frosts my a** is the lack of two wheel parking in Boise. You will get a ticket if you share a metered space in downtown Boise with another cycle. Anyone want to get about 50 two wheeled commuters and meet up early one Saturday and park one cycle to a space and see wat happens?

lib.Redneck – I do not know of any hybrid lawn equipment, but there is solar-powered lawn equipment available. There are also electric models available in which you could power from solar energy. They even make some electric models with a remote control and others can be programmed to mow on their own. And just as the bicycle is human powered, so is the “old-fashioned” lawn cutter I saw on sale at Fred Meyer’s for $99.

I read somewhere that hydrogen fuel would be a better alternative to fueling jetliners and Boeing is actually investigating the feasibility of such a venture. Solar-powered boats and battery chargers are being developed and some items are currently available. And as for your trolling motor, you could limit emissions and leaks of oil or gas from getting into your fishing pond and into the fish you eat if you would just use a paddle.

I absolutely agree that there’s some risk to cycling. You’re much more vulnerable on a bicycle, than you are in your cage. (For you non-biker types, that’s your enclosed motor vehicle. “My other bike is a Harley-Davidson.”) To survive you need to ride defensively and assertively, and be as visible and predictable as possible.

In my 21 years of dedicated (5000-6000 miles per year) riding in and around Boise, I’ve had 3 accidents with motor vehicles.
1) I didn’t see an approaching car, due to a big truck that was blocking my view, and rode into its path. It clipped my back wheel. My helmet saved my life – I hit the pavement pretty hard. I was back riding later that same day. (I got a failure-to-yield ticket and a wake-up call.)
2) A lady rear-ended me at an intersection. (Super low-speed collision; we were both waiting for the light to change, and she inched forward into me. Says she was distracted by her crying baby.) Bent my wheel, which she replaced.
3) A happy-go-lucky teenager clipped my back wheel at an intersection in downtown Boise, when she ignored the stop sign. (God was watching out for me that day – if I’d been 1/2 second slower, I would have probably gone through her windshield. As it turned out – no injury, except maybe my vocal cords from expressing my disapproval. She was VERY apologetic and bought me a new back wheel. Hopefully she had a wake-up call.)

Despite the potential for problems, I would NEVER voluntarily go back to a cage, for my local transportation needs. I’m willing to live with the risk factor, which is far outweighed by the physical and spiritual rewards I derive from my cycling.

Oh, there I go again! OK… I’ll get off the soap box now.

Hey, are there any hybrid lawnmowers for all those landscaping companies? How about some hybrid jets to help those soaring fuel costs? Should I look for hybrid wakeboard boat owners scowling at me for running my little smoking two-stroke trolling motor?

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/specialreports/articles/103708/article.html This article does a better job at articulating who benefits the most from these vehicles and how they benefit. Also, google searching “batteries” pops up many articles regarding new technologies being developed for hybrid batteries that make them safer and longer lasting. I also ran into numerous battery recycling centers in my search. Go figure.

I have a friend who used to bike from his home near River Street to his work in Eagle – people would wave him on at intersections just to turn their head and decide that they could run into him. He stops now and refuses the polite wave ahead.

Perhaps drivers do not hit bikes on purpose, but they do hit them without the fault or the stupidity of the bike rider.