Urbana-Champaign Bicycle Commute

Posted this http://www.cicle.org/cicle_content/pivot/entry.php?id=809 Invisible Rider article at BJ and it proved evocative, so here it is again. Now, it seems that clicking through from *here* gets a "spam is not appreciated" message, but clicking through from email gets right to the article. So, that's the link; it's worth cutting and pasting. I read it in Bicycling Magazine and was amazed that they'd done a story on "real" people - and didn't whack it down or sweeten it up. You'da thunk the writers really learned something.
It was a Mary Cliff moment for me (plays "traditions - folk music and things you can see from there" now on WAMU) - a story that transcends political simplifications of issues that are painfully real to the humans in the world.
Gas was $2.55 last night... prices staggering upwards again. I'm seeing more cycles on the commute again, now, and I replaced the batteries in a string of Christmas lights - enough experimenting, I am convinced. Those extra silhouettes make a palpable difference in driver reactions. Besides, I rather liked it Sunday when a lady came into where we were wrapping up the Bike Co-op meeting for the next event in the building and looked at me and said, "I see you all the time on a bike!" (Snork :)) ... and that I had "lots of lights." I'd like to be known as a lady with a lot of light.

Labels: bicycle commuting