mode whenever they spot other dogs while riding; power windows were on the
'must have' list). I love mine. but it's one major repair away from the scrap yard...
http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/35244630?profile=original
James BlackHeron said:
If I could find a Gen3 Camry Wagon in fair body shape with +/-120k on it for $2000 I'd snap that baby up. The wagons are pretty hard to find though so when my current Gen3 LX sedan finally gives up the ghost I'll probably be forced to buy another 4-door.
Portland isn't too far to go though. I bought a Gen1 Camry diesel (yes, they made a diesel) on ebay and drove it from Seattle to Chicago after flying out there to pick it up. Tricolor said:
Personally I'd go to Portland and find a nice low-rust Volvo 240 wagon for about two thousand or so.
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, starting at 6 pm to gather, then rolling out at 6:30pm. The ride will travel through the city and visit ghost bike memorials of fallen cyclists. (Route posted below.) http://www.thechainlink.org/events/chicago-ride-of-silence-6 This May during bike month, over 265 R.o.S. events will take place across the country in honor of all cyclists killed in fatal traffic collisions on our streets every day. The Ride of Silence is an annual event organised by local volunteers every year to remember, celebrate, and honor the lives of cyclists who have been killed or injured while riding on our public roadways. This ride is a reminder to motorists, law enforcement, elected officials, and the public that cyclists have a legal right to public roadways and it appeals for local leadership and community support to avoid more deaths. All cyclists in our community are welcome. Casual paced ride, 8-12mph. Please try to wear a helmet and remain silent during the ride. Follow the GPS(@ Chi.Bike) to catch up and join the ride at any point. Free event. Donations welcomed to defer costs. Snacks and refreshments at end of ride. Bring locks and lights for a safe return home. Chicago has again, this past year, seen its share of cycling deaths and injuries. We have also seen how our cycling community has been treated in many aspects this year. No matter how you feel personally about the nature of this event, please join us.This ride is our chance to respectfully appeal for our rights in this city and OUR community!…
ers where finally being challenged by a new rise in cyclists and other HPV’s.With the rise in cost of petroleum by products, mainly gasoline, and greater presence of these smaller self propelled vehicles, the driving community became outraged! Drivers sharing their precious lanes of cement and asphalt? Un-heard off. Especially with such insignificant objects as a skate board, roller blades or the “leader” of the rebellion, the bicycle.Cars, trucks, minivans and the most hoggish, the SUV, saw fit to take action and stamp out the rebel rousers at all costs. Faster and faster, as gas prices rose, so too did the rise in cyclists and with them, the rise in car related bicycle fatalitiesNo one suffered from this more than the daily bike messengers. Barely scrapping by with their hard days of ridding. Rain or shine. Sun or snow. Riding as fast as they can through the maze of traffic to deliver the packages on time. A dangerous occupation already, they now had to deal with even more agitated motorized vehicles then before.A courier, known by the name of U for her excessive use of a U lock on rude drivers and their cars, was seen as the best courier by all the other messengers and dispatchers of the city. No one could ride as fast, swerve as sharp or had the streets memorized quite like U. Her past, unknown.Legend has it, abandoned in a bike pile outside a bar in the middle of the coldest January the city has ever seen, she was adopted by a roving gang of rat worshiping miscreants. There, a love was forged. A love for bicycles, beer, pizza and a hatred for the SUV’s and all like it.Each Halloween a major alley cat would be held in the city of Sleepy Cog’O. Messengers and urban cyclists would attend from around the world for their chance at winning. No one honestly knew they could win with U in the race, but it was nice to think so. This particular night was special. Do to changing weather and climate, caused by non other then the motor vehicles and their toxic fumes (and of course the manufacturing process), a strange cold front come from the north engulfing the city in a flurry of snow and wind.The racers, taking no notice to the weather, took off down the streets. Riders were lit ablaze with a mad spirit of streets and beer. One cyclist went down due to slick crosswalk lines causing another to swerve into a curb cutting of U. In a blink of an eye U flew up and over the curb and into the streets, sliding up against an Escalade to help keep from falling to the ground.The driver became furious and tried to chase U down. No driver had ever been able to chase down U. No matter how empty the streets or how tired she was, U could not be caught. The driver become more and more aggravated by each passing second and every red light he came to. After 13 minutes of speeding, running lights and cutting off cyclists and cars alike, the driver of the SUV Saw in the distance U turn down a one way street.“If I can reach the end of the next street before she does, I can block her in with no escape!, then she’ll be sorry.” thought the driver.He slammed his foot on the gas and around he went. U only yards away from the finish saw a cab opening its back door. In am amazing show of quick thinking she slammed the door shut with her hand propelling her forward toward the green light that was the finish.With no thought to the size, weight or speed of his over sized vehicle the SUV went careening down the street. With a mix of bad driving and low mechanical maintenance the brake line snapped causing the driver to lose control. Inches from the finishing line the Escalade slammed into U sending her and her bicycle flying into the air.The body of U was found 60 feet away from the site of impact against the dumpster of a small Chinese Buffet. Her head completely missing and with no evidence of how it happened but the bloody drips off a “BIKE LANE” sign.Now, every Halloween the headless ghost of U can be seen riding through the streets of the greater Sleepy Cog’O in search of her missing head and to exact revenge on any SUV or motorized vehicle that might get in her way.Drive safely and share the road… or else
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Added by BalloonBiker at 3:29pm on September 16, 2010
t, and you stop. Since the door and its hinges are effectively a lever with some flexibility, taking the hit on the outside of the door (closer to the street than the car) might increase the time delta, thereby reducing the impulse force -- but that also puts you closer to the street and traffic.
The only solution within your control to make dooring less awful is to slow down (and pay attention) when you're in a place where dooring is a possibility. Oh - and wear a helmet, since your skull doesn't like being slowed down quickly any more than the rest of your body.
Good advice above. Avoiding being doored is the #1 thing to do. By that I mean preparation- awareness, your position in the lane, your rate of speed, your frickin' helmet. That being said, there may come a time when you simply know that you will be doored. In the nanonsecond referred to above the first question is whether to swerve. If you can see what is behind you to your left you can make the move. If you do it blindly...you may become a ghost bike. You may have to prepare to hit the door, dive into the car, vault over the door. None are good options. Its also tough because its counter intuitive. The mind wants to avoid the obvious contact. The problem is the path of avoidance may be blindly into death rather than aware into a broken arm. Ever since the dooring on Wells St. last year I have been asking myself if I will have the confidence to ride into the door and take the hit if I am unsure about the safety of a swerve. I may not know until I am forced to make the choice.
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Added by David Barish at 4:16pm on February 15, 2013
ive too closely to me. Sometimes when they do that, they are gunning past me to show their annoyance with having to accommodate a cyclist on the street. Driving too closely to me to make a point. There's also construction traffic and construction elimination of a bike lane, a sidewalk which puts us all in more danger.
All of us experience this nearly every day we ride a bike. 132 pairs of shoes represents the loss of lives to traffic violence in just one year (pedestrians, cyclists, motorists). These people have family members that will never be the same. These people have friends that mourn their loss. And our community is impacted profoundly by the loss of life.
For many years fallen cyclists have been honored by the installation of white-painted “ghost bikes” at crash sites in Chicago and around the world. On Sunday 132 white-painted pairs of shoes were placed in our city’s Federal Plaza as a memorial to all 132 people killed in collisions on our city streets in 2017, as part of World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
132 people lost in just one year. We need change in the way of enforcement, alternative transportation, communication, infrastructure, and new laws. There's no golden ticket that will fix crashes with one easy change. It takes an entire community - motorists, cyclists, pedestrians committed to safety. It takes a complete change in mindset to change our society to be more focused on safety and the value of human life and less focused on rushing to get to the next destination. Rushing to answer a text while driving. Nothing is that important that it should put another life in danger. Nothing.
Full article on Streetsblog:
https://chi.streetsblog.org/2018/11/19/132-pairs-of-white-shoes-were-a-sobering-reminder-of-lives-lost-to-traffic-violence/…
you who don't know muzza pazza, they are a very bikey friendly band (and shared spac with West Town)-
Mucca Pazza is a 30 piece self-described "circus punk marching band" based out of Chicago. Conceived by composer Mark Messing, the band, whose name comes from the Italian for "crazy cow," has been performing in and around the Chicago area since 2005. Their repertoire ranges from Balkan-brass to covers of 60's television show themes as well as themes from Shostakovich and Bartok. They have performed nationally at many well known venues and concerts including McCarren Park Pool, True/False Film Festival, Looptopia, Lollapalooza, Rothbury Music Festival, Tour de Fat, and were featured on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in 2006.
Detholz!There is a subterranean region between the Sacred and the Profane -- a murky swampland of unknown size and scope, crawling with crooked barkers, piggish gluttons, depressive religious fanatics, murderous cowboy crusaders, elderly fifth-stage alcoholics and defrocked addict priests...to name a few. This baleful Bayou from Beyond is the setting for Detholz! newest and most bloody album to date, Death to the Traitor (ETA Fall 2009). A sister album to 2006's Cast Out Devils, which chronicles a loss of faith in the Lands of Party, Death to the Traitor traces oneParty-Pilgrim's Regress back to faith, a return journey fraught with unknown pitfalls and frightening characters along the way. Following a controversial performance at the 2003 Cornerstone Music Festival, Detholz! was featured in the critically acclaimed documentary Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music, which led to an invitation to join Wilco on their Ghost is Born tour. Detholz! has also been privileged to tour and play with bands such as Danielson Familie, Weird War, Electric Six, Radio 4 and The French Kicks. Individually, members have written, recorded and toured with artists such as Mavis Staples & The Staples Singers, Bobby Conn, and Baby Teeth.…
interred in Blue Island and Alsip. Stand among the ghosts of Magic Sam, Muddy Waters, Hound Dog Taylor, Willie Dixon and many others while you learn how Chicago electric blues of the 50's seeded the rise of Rock & Roll in the 1960's.
LIMITED TO 110 RIDERS! Pre-register $20; otherwise $30 after August 31.
We start at Blue Island Beer Co. and pedal on quiet streets to three historic cemeteries near the Cal-Sag Trail: Burr Oak, Restvale and Lincoln. Blues artist and historian Harmonica Neil meets us graveside to share stories and music of these Chicago blues legends.
The route is an easy 22 miles at a relaxed, nobody-gets-left-behind pace. Refreshments and SAG support. We’ll return to Blue Island Beer Co. for snacks and craft beer. If you hang around afterwards, you can catch a unique 5 PM show.
The Harmonica Neil Band with very special guest Jimmy Johnson
Saturday, September 9 at 5 PM, Blue Island Beer Co.
Blue Island Beer Co. is at 13357 Olde Western Ave in Blue Island; ample parking and easy access from both the Metra Rock Island and Metra Electric lines.
Rain date: There is no rain date, but the 5 PM show is a certainty.
Preregister at: www.calsagtrail.org
Sponsored by Friends of the Calumet-Sag Trail. For more info, email: friends@calsagtrail.org
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Added by Brian Bender at 4:41pm on August 19, 2017
eak the law when my safety is not compromised. And again, (if you didn't hear it the first time), if there weren't so many cars, we wouldn't have so many stop signs. And personnally, I think that if you drive a car, you should be penalized with more stop signs. If not for the mere fact that you are more dangerous, and you polute. Tank-Ridin' Ryan said:As it stands now, yes, Same Road, Same Rights, Same Rules. If you have a problem with it, try to get it changed. Just because you don't like a rule doesn't mean you don't have to follow it. I'm sure all cyclists would be overjoyed if motorists decided to run red lights with abandon, etc. I have a feeling the number of ghost bikes would skyrocket.Eddie said:...Not the same speed, weight, and killing power, hence not the same rules. Cars suck, and if there weren't so many, we wouldn't need all these stop signs. F'k the stop signs, and the cops who try to enforce them!! It's my life, and my time, and I choose when to stop, and when not to.Regards, A guy who has already been run over by a stupid driver.Tank-Ridin' Ryan said:While this should be enforced for all road users, keep in mind that blowing a stop sign carries graver danger for a cyclist than a motorist.Remember - Same Road, Same Rights, Same Rules.
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ive slowly and in the gutter as we do.The last thing 21st century Chicago needs is anything anti-cyclist, hence I must doubt their motives.
2. I was at the MBAC announcement of this as pending and thought we'd have time to debate against.
3. I wish I could argue that there's no record of harm, but one of the local ghost bike back stories reports them having been on a phone.
4. Does anyone have the exact text of the ordinance?I've searched to no avail. Wondering if it's exactly as the car one, which I also couldn't find.I'm concerned if this could include interacting with a GPS, even if its bike mounted.
-----Original Message-----From: Chicago Critical MassSent: Wednesday, October 05, 2011 12:56 PMSubject: [*CCM*] City Council bans texting while bicycling
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/clout/chi-chicago-city-council-bans-texting-while-bicycling-20111005,0,6418190.story
Chicago City Council bans texting while bicyclingBy John Byrne, Clout Street
Bicyclists soon will face the same restrictions against texting while riding in Chicago as motorists do while behind the wheel.
The City Council today passed an ordinance prohibiting bicyclists from texting while moving. They also cannot make cell phone calls unless using a hands-free device under an ordinance that passed the council without dissent. The ban will go into effect next month.
Fines will start at $20 for a first offense and go up to $100 for a third or subsequent violation. If an accident is involved, the fine could shoot up to $500.
Sponsoring Ald. Margaret Laurino, 39th, said the issue is a matter of fairness as well as safety, since motorists already are prohibited from texting and making calls with hand-held devices in Chicago.
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Added by Andrew Bedno at 2:29pm on October 14, 2011
w up for a funeral service on the far south side? Or even a handful? From the articles available it seems the family wants "justice" but do they see their family member's death as being related to the cause of bicycle advocacy?
Typically one would let a family mourn and bury their loved one before reaching out.
Julie Hochstadter said:
well, has someone contacted the family? h' said:
I'm sure you realize that that would also be something one would want to clear with the family.
Some families of victims have been fairly clear that they did not want 'public' attention, including the family of Jackie Michon and initially Blanca Ocasio's mother. Jepson Livingston's mother had some poignant words in the Everyblock brouhaha about removing his ghost bike: "My son did not choose to die a public death."Serge Lubomudrov said:
. . . But imagine what a powerful display of solidarity and compassion would be if several hundred (thousand?) cyclists attended the funeral?
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