Marrock

Hook the escalators up to a rheostat and run them in the opposite direction at the same speed they're climbing, then they'll get their exercise.

politicalgeek

You know now that you mention it...

I went to the gym across from my work yesterday to see if they could rent me a locker and a shower when I start going to work on the bike and the only way to the gym was the escalators.

derath

I don't disagree with most of what is said in this post. But to be fair, it is possible a gym might have patrons who's legs don't work so good (accident etc) but come to exercise the best they can. They probably prefer the escalator.

-D

peace_piper

What a load. Some of my earliest memories are of my father picking me up from school on his bike.

Marrock

The only thing that kept me from riding my bike to elementary school was that we lived by the highway and my folks were afraid some damn fool would hit me and then dad would have to hunt him down and kill him.

Middle and high school were just too far away to make riding a viable option, wish I could have ridden then.

Newspaperguy

Same thing here. I've seen people stop at the mailboxes, let the vehicle idle while they get the mail and then continue driving to their parking stall. Even the farthest unit out is just a few dozen steps from the mailboxes.

politicalgeek

That I don't mind, ADA exists for a reason. But how many times do you see an elevator or an escalator used by someone who is perfectly healthy?

coldfeet

Did you have any luck with the shower/locker thing? I was thinking about that.

I remember one thread ( on BF?) about a really lazy postwoman who would bumper
push the wheelie bin from the house up the driveway so she didn't have to get out
of the van to put the mail in the box.

Roody

I know what you mean. Sometimes I ride 10 miles to get somewhere, then I'll stand there waiting for an elevator to go up one flight!

politicalgeek

Not to hijack the thread at all, but:

Nope, which is quite sad. The best they could do was a membership at 45-46 a month. Columbus, at least our mayor, is really embracing bicycling and other alternatives. Lifetime sits right in the heart of down town columbus with a number of law firms, businesses, government offices and so forth. They could probably do some good business if they catered to bike commuters.

I'll probably go the Y. It sits a little ways north of my work, which would work in the fall when I would be commuting from campus. A membership for me would be 20 something a month plus a 7 dollar locker rental a month. I figure that's the tank of gas I'm not paying, so why not? The Y also has a yoga studio, something I have been wanting to do for a while to help strengthen my knee. So it works on a couple levels. Depending on the route (one way streets) from there to work, it would be half a mile or less. I would probably just walk the bike and give myself a chance to cool off.

politicalgeek

And I won't fault you there either. I am referring to the vast majority who park their cars as close as possible to the entrance, then take the elevators or escalators, all the while sipping on the last of the biggie sized diet coke they ordered with the big mac and large fries for lunch.

I have to walk my bike up 3 flights at my apartment, no elevators. Trust me, I wish there was some days.

Platy

Here's one reason for enthusiastically supporting elevators and escalators: they are the only public transit systems in North America that everyone is willing to use. Vertical public transit works. Horizontal, not so much.

Roody

If only somebody would invent a sideways elevator. All our transit woes would be solved.

politicalgeek

True. Convenience seems to play a huge factor.

Roody

I used to do that. Now I have a heated and air conditioned garage for my bike. The bike lives better than I do. I click the door opener as I'm turning into the driveway and roll right in. I just hope the garage door never gets stuck halfway up or I will be beheaded.



This is the worst case of decadence yet--I'm even more spoiled than the young kids who get driven one block to school. And my bike is more spoiled than I am!

Marrock

Let's see now... I live in a second floor walk-up and I have one bike in the kitchen, the gf's trike in the front hall, a folder in here kid's room, two more and a frame parked in the back of the van, and the BoB trailer is standing up on end in a corner of the bedroom.

One of these days I'm just going to say the hells with it and ride mine down the damn stairs instead of carrying it, I'd do it with the trailer but it wont make the turn at the landing halfway down the stairs, stairway's not wide enough.

Roody

If you ride down the stairs I bet I'll be waiting to watch you ride back up them!

You need the garage a lot worse than I do. I only have three bikes in there now. I got my landlord to change the language in my lease. It said "1 garage space for tenant's car". I had him change it to "tenant's vehicles."

Marrock

I'd like to be at the point where I was capable of riding it up the stairs, but that's some ways off at he moment.

Artkansas 

If they invent the vertical car, we're doomed.

timmhaan

they got those at the airports. i have to admit... i love them!

cutman

^ I was on one of those yesterday - it's like walking at warp speed.

gwd

The art museum has one for transit between the east and west galleries. The surface is a little bouncier than the one at the airport. If shopping malls had them, people might not drive their cars from one end of the mall to the other. They could have moving express strips down the centers with hop off points at the major junctions. It would be more acceptable in the US than bike lanes in the malls.

Marrock

You mean you're not supposed to ride your bike in the mall?

That would explain all the yelling and carrying on...

Roody

swwhite

I have contemplated the evolution of a "utility cyclist" and have concluded that there are certain levels, like riding to work in the summer, riding in the rain/cold/dark/snow, and so on. The different "levels" or whatever they might be called show the development of one's skill/ability/commitment, or whatever you might want to call that.

The highest level of skill, the greatest accomplishment, an accomplishment that is more political than technical and therefore much more difficult, an accomplishment that is so difficult that perhaps no one has ever achieved it and ever could, the "Grand Master of Utility Cycling" level, would be...

picking up one's teenage daughter from high school on a bicycle.