Bicycle Infrastructure, Traffic Congestion, and Safety Regulations
A discussion regarding urban planning in Berkeley and Austin focuses on the conversion of four-lane roads into two-lane roads with underutilized bike lanes, which reportedly increases traffic congestion and fuel waste. Comparisons are made to the bicycle culture in the Netherlands, where bells and lights are mandatory safety equipment. The lack of bells and proper lighting on American bicycles is highlighted as a significant safety concern and a sign of arrogance among cyclists.
berkeley· austin· netherlands· bike lanes· traffic safety· bicycle bells
00:00 You wrote it down and you didn't catch yourself? Adam Curry, John C. Dvorak. It's Thursday, April 24th, 2015 time for your Gitmo Nation Media Assassination Episode 715. This is no agenda. Exonerated by a hair! And broadcasting live from the Crackpot condo in FEMA Region 6 in the capital of the drone star state in the morning everybody, I'm Adam Curry. And from Northern Silicon Valley where the trucks very slowly go up the road wasting nothing but fuel, I'm John C. Dvorak. It's Crackpot and Buzzkill in the morning! What are you still in Earth Day mode or something?
00:36 Well, it seems to me that when you have all these local governments, for example, in the Berkeley area, they take nice four-lane roads that keep traffic moving, and then they make it a two-lane road with two bike lanes that nobody uses. And so now the traffic gets all backed up and just wastes fuel because you're just sitting there slow. So really it's an underhanded slam at the bike lanes. Yes, actually it is. And by the way, I haven't really gone on one of my recent rents, but these guys, these bikers with all these privileges, you'd think they'd follow the rules of the road. They never stop at stop signs. They go through intersections, they're on the wrong side of the road, going the wrong way, they're up and down the sidewalks and then off the sidewalks. This is ridiculous. The only thing that bothers me really about the bicycle culture in America, and Austin right now, downtown, is all
01:29 broken up, all construction because we're building bike lanes and nice ones too. Bike lanes with a high curb to protect the bike lane. They don't have bells. This is so baffling to me. This is the number one. You buy a bike in that even if you steal a bike in Holland, right? Which is normal. You know, your bike gets stolen. I need a bike to go steal someone else's bike. It's kind of a circle of life. Yeah. So it's all based on Nazi philosophy. Yeah, precisely. Uh, you, the only thing you will have is you will have your own bell. You will buy a bell so you can ding people as you're, you know, it's a warning system. It's really good. Instead of, Hey, I'm coming. That is what I don't like. I just get a bell. That's interesting. I never noticed this, but you're absolutely correct. Nobody has a bell and they don't even have the little, they used to, when I was a kid, we had little horns. Yeah. Cute little horns and bells. We had the horns and bells and bells.
02:27 They did help you know the safety, but no these guys have no horns. No bells. No light lights I'm in the Netherlands around at night expecting that you to see them based on a reflector They might have in in Amsterdam or in the Netherlands. It's extremely arrogant They did you know you wonder why these guys get run down and they bitch I got run down. Yeah You need a light and you need a light in the back as well. I see people with big headlights. You need a light in the back and you need a bell. If you don't have a working bell in the Netherlands, you can get a fine. And rightly so. Nobody has a bell here at all. Nobody has them. I know. And they drive like maniacs. It's ridiculous. And then you have the one, the creepy one, which is going down the road and on the other side of the road you see this very, it's like a small headlamp. It's way up in the air. The guy's wearing it on his head. And they all have helmets by the way. Everyone's got a helmet. Not only are you dangerous, but you look dumb.
