Chock Full of Info....

This one is a good one. So much to share. First, I was introduced to a man named Michael Bauch. He is an independent film maker who did a house swap a couple years ago with a family in Amsterdam. The things he discovered about bikes and bike culture were amazing. Check out this trailer to his movie...very impactful. Go to YouTube and type in "Riding Bikes With The Dutch". The biggest message in here is that...Bike Riding is normal. It's not something people without money do, or crazy super fit athletes do or an impossible task. The culture in Amsterdam makes it seem that bike riding is just another form of transportation. No big woop. You don't have to proclaim that you're "saving the world" or "being green" or anything...you can just ride a bike, because you like too, and that's it. He said he interviewed some politician over there about the culture. The guy was wearing a suit during the interview. At the end...he hopped onto his bike and rode off back to the office-no biggie. In the trailer you'll see people that are sitting in traffic and are miserable in Long Beach or on the LA freeway--then it cuts too the freedom of being on the bike and the happy looks on everyone's faces. It's awesome. So...check it out. It inspired me again for sure. Some other cool things happening with the SD Bike Coalition are.... Island Street Bike Boulevard! There's an effort to remove as many stop signs on Island Street as possible to make it a 2 way bike road. There are some obstacles involving diagonal car parking spots and some weird little one way street jogs, but, if this can happen, it would be a bike commuter's dream to enter into downtown from Golden Hill/Southpark/Hillcrest and Northpark. There are also bike corrals being put up all over the city. Did you know that 30 bikes can fit in 1 parking spot? If you were a business owner--what impact would it make to have a 30:1 ratio? If you were a business that supported placing the bike corral in front of your store, you should tell everyone about it. As a bike rider, I'd be loyal to that business for sure. Also--there is a Bike Friendly Business Program. Many merchants in San Diego are now participating in giving discounts to people that ride their bikes. Google It...and look for the logo in your area business. Pretty cool stuff. Go to SDbikecommuter.com There are discounts for up to 15% at area places. So much more to talk about but...WOW...that SD Bike Coalition is really making waves here in San Diego. The most exciting news is that Tour De Fat is this Saturday. This is the New Belgium event where they dare you to trade your car for your bike. This will mark the 1 year anniversary of me becoming obsessed with the car vs. bike experience..... Who else do you know that writes about their obsessions???