Tom Konrad, Ph.D. is an Investment Analyst at AltEnergyStocks.com, a provider of high-quality, original research into alternative energy, renewable energy, and clean technology companies. This is a guest post for Carectomy.com.
When I first read about the motorboard on Carectomy, it offered a solution to a problem I’d been thinking about for some time. I often need to go downtown (about a mile and a half) from my office, and I usually need to be well dressed when I do so. Since downtown is only a 3 mile round trip, my preferred method (if I have time) is to simply walk the distance. Walking takes care of my exercise for the day and can also be quite pleasant and relaxing.
Unfortunately, I don’t always have time to walk, biking can be impractical in dress clothes, and driving and using a parking meter usually involves rushing out at the end of a 2 hour meeting to avoid getting a ticket (and often saves little time due to the hunt for a parking spot.) Taking the bus does not save time for such a short distance, since the bus I would use only runs every half hour during the day.
The motorboard seemed an excellent compromise which would not get me sweaty in summer months (since it’s electric) and the upright stance meant that my slacks are in little danger. Like a bike, I could take the motorboard with me on a bus if I had to go far, although folding it up and carrying it with me would be simpler than loading and unloading the bike from the rack in front of the bus.
That was the plan. Here’s what happened:
[finish reading this story…]
Tom Konrad, Ph.D. is an Investment Analyst at AltEnergyStocks.com, a provider of high-quality, original research into alternative energy, renewable energy, and clean technology companies. This is a guest post for Carectomy.com.
When I first read about the motorboard on Carectomy, it offered a solution to a problem I’d been thinking about for some time. I often need to go downtown (about a mile and a half) from my office, and I usually need to be well dressed when I do so. Since downtown is only a 3 mile round trip, my preferred method (if I have time) is to simply walk the distance. Walking takes care of my exercise for the day and can also be quite pleasant and relaxing.
Unfortunately, I don’t always have time to walk, biking can be impractical in dress clothes, and driving and using a parking meter usually involves rushing out at the end of a 2 hour meeting to avoid getting a ticket (and often saves little time due to the hunt for a parking spot.) Taking the bus does not save time for such a short distance, since the bus I would use only runs every half hour during the day.
The motorboard seemed an excellent compromise which would not get me sweaty in summer months (since it’s electric) and the upright stance meant that my slacks are in little danger. Like a bike, I could take the motorboard with me on a bus if I had to go far, although folding it up and carrying it with me would be simpler than loading and unloading the bike from the rack in front of the bus.
That was the plan. Here’s what happened:
[finish reading this story…]
Ditching the Car for a Motorboard in L.A.
We at Carectomy are always pleased to come across news of people making the car-free plunge. But when the news comes from Los Angeles, the quintessential car-centric, freeway-laden American city, there’s an extra degree of joy. Kathryn Pope’s surgical tools for her carectomy: public transportation, car-sharing for “special occasions” via Flexcar, and a motorboard for local scurries.
Bike-Sharing Programs Coming Our Way
Lyon and Paris, France offer the successful bike-sharing models that other cities are scrambling to copy. Their Velo’v and Vélib programs, respectively, offer thousands of bikes available for checkout at automated stations all over the city. Here’s a partial recap of some of the U.S. bike sharing initiatives underway.
Oregon’s Bike-Friendly License Plates
Oregon has just made available new “Share the Road” specialty, non-profit license plates. The plates cost an additional $10 over normal licensing fees, with the extra funds going to the
Bicycle Transportation Alliance and
Cycle Oregon.
So, partial carectomy patients in Oregon: now when you’re out driving your cars, you can still help to be part of the solution.
Good for the Planet, Good for Us
A recent article by No Impact Man reiterates what is perhaps the environmentalist’s most persuasive argument: what’s good for the planet is good for us. This is as true in our diet decisions (natural, wholesome foods versus packaged, processed, nutrient-stripped crap) as it is in our transportation selections.
Cars Contribute to Polar Bears’ Demise
What, you may ask, do polar bears have to do with carectomies? One of the many negatives of our car-driving is the associated contributions to global warming – both directly from the tailpipes as well as through other factors like the paved world we’ve created.
Lose the Traffic Lights to Improve Our Streets?
Traffic lights are an integral part of how pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicles interact and how traffic flows in a somewhat orderly fashion. According to organizations like Shared Space, along with prevailing street design philosophy, they’re also to blame for man’s isolation and alienation from one another. Interpersonal interactions and relations are replaced by red, yellow, and green.
Bikes Outsell Cars in Oz
2007 marks the eighth consecutive year that bicycle sales have trumped the car market in Australia, with 1.47 million bicycles sold.
“Soaring petrol prices, concern over climate change, crippling traffic congestion and the desire to lead healthier lifestyles all contributed to the record breaking year” said Elliot Fishman, Policy Advisor at the Cycling Promotion Fund.
[finish reading this story…]
We at Carectomy are always pleased to come across news of people making the car-free plunge. But when the news comes from Los Angeles, the quintessential car-centric, freeway-laden American city, there’s an extra degree of joy.
As we reported last week, the Cave family recently went
Car-Free in the O.C. after a series of car breakdowns pushed them over the edge. The Caves, not exactly the poster children for environmentalism or fitness, outfitted themselves with practical bikes and trailers and pedaled their way to financial solvency.
“L.A. girl” Kathryn Pope was similarly pushed to go car-free by the demise of her aging vehicle.
[finish reading this story…]
