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<pre>"=v= For once I'd like a bike-sharing program that isn't<br>sponsored by a destructive company. J.C. Decaux is notorious<br>for their intrusions on liveable space. Clear Channel promotes<br>oil wars and has morning drive-time DJs who like to joke about<br>hurting and killing bicyclists.<br> <_Jym_>"<br><br>firstly i'd like to say that i haven't had caffeine in a day and a half, so i feel like i'm on a different planet right now.<br><br>secondly, yea, pretty much any time i see a company doing something to sponsor the "welfare" or "awareness" of cycling i assume it's <br>just a huge pile of PR bullshit to make them look better. kinda like how GM apparently got some incredibly good ad. company<br>to get people all excited about the Chevy Volt. does anyone with 15% of a brain actually think electric vehicles are a good idea? <br>how long is it going to take for the popular vote to be against creating more factories that burn coal to produce electricity? <br>are people just going to be so fucking greedy that they'll be ok with that so long as they pay less for gas? is that really what's<br>going to happen? <br><br>it's painfully obvious that technological advances that could actually help fix this mess of an environment we've created are <br>literally being killed off by cash. the evidence that humans lean more towards selfishness than selflessness makes me less interested <br>in giving much of a shit. <br></pre><br><br>
<br><br><br><br>> From: jym@econet.org<br>> To: list@bostoncriticalmass.org<br>> Date: Fri, 14 Aug 2009 20:49:24 -0700<br>> Subject: Re: [*BCM*] boston's bike sharing program (BIXI)<br>> <br>> > It is good for tourist use, but I think it also could be<br>> > good for short pre/post subway trips.<br>> <br>> =v= The name "BIXI" is a combination of bicycle + taxi, and<br>> they're trying to market it as an alternative to the kind<br>> of trip you might otherwise take in a taxi.<br>> <br>> =v= In addition to Montreal, bike-sharing schemes have been<br>> a success in many European locations, presumably replacing<br>> many motorized vehicle trips. The first such system in this<br>> country is Washington D.C.'s "SmartBike" (which is run by<br>> Clear Channel), but I think it's too soon to tell how well<br>> it's working there yet.<br>> <br>> > The thing that worries me the most about this not working,<br>> > is just the brutal, fuck-everyone vandalism impulse. People<br>> > can be dicks.<br>> <br>> =v= J.C. Decaux, who operates the Paris bike-share, reported<br>> a very high rate of vandalism and theft, but it turned out<br>> that they were overstating things because they wanted the city<br>> to pay them more money than agreed upon. There are also some<br>> people in Barcelona who believe the city government is taking<br>> away free bike parking and other amenities for bicyclists to<br>> make room for their bike share, so they've done some vandalism<br>> in the form of protest graffiti.<br>> <br>> =v= My main issue with BIXI is with one of their sponsors. The<br>> aluminum for the bikes' frames comes from the mining company Rio<br>> Tinto, whose company logo is emblazoned right on the handlebars<br>> so you can stare at it the entire time you're riding the bike.<br>> Frame material product placement is very unusual, but I suppose<br>> Rio Tinto needs some heavy-duty greenwash. They do everything<br>> from stripmining to rainforest destruction to pushing for<br>> increased proliferation of nuclear power. Greenpeace has had<br>> to put pressure on them for years.<br>> <br>> I guess they'd rather be associated with biking, at least<br>> in the public mind.<br>> <br>> =v= For once I'd like a bike-sharing program that isn't<br>> sponsored by a destructive company. J.C. Decaux is notorious<br>> for their intrusions on liveable space. Clear Channel promotes<br>> oil wars and has morning drive-time DJs who like to joke about<br>> hurting and killing bicyclists.<br>> <_Jym_><br>> <br>> _______________________________________________<br>> Boston Critical Mass mailing list<br>> list@bostoncriticalmass.org<br>> http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list<br>> To unsubscribe email list-unsubscribe@bostoncriticalmass.org<br><br /><hr />HotmailŪ is up to 70% faster. Now good news travels really fast. <a href='http://windowslive.com/online/hotmail?ocid=PID23391::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HYGN_faster:082009' target='_new'>Try it now.</a></body>
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