BIKE: Road danger

[rcbaker]

Austin roads are dangerous -- congested with angry commuters who have to 
spend longer and longer getting home. Poor land use and sprawl is to blame 
for much of that. 

I honestly would ride a bike but bikes are dangerous in Austin, IMO, and I am 
over sixty and my reflexes are not so quick to keep safe from these frustrated 
commuters anxious to get back to Circle C or Round Rock in time for dinner. 

Case in point. About two months ago my sweet little Toyoto wagon was totaled 
by someone who ran a red light into me sideways (without them having 
insurance). A T-bone collision as they call it, and the only reason I am intact is 
that the force got dissipated bending my front wheel instead of my left femur. 

So I am now driving my Momma's Buick LaSabre with significantly more steel 
between me and all that madness. 

But meanwhile -- safe roads are designed to be that way, and not designed as 
the low budget racetracks that TxDOT seems to think that all roads ought to 
be. 

I drive 45th street between IH 35 and MoPac a lot, and it really ought to have 
speed bumps. Many roads like 45th are being transformed by bad transpo 
policy into major arterials clogged with traffic. 

We badly need to slow traffic in the central city, which will cause cause the 
suburban commuters to throw terrible temper tantrums, but screw 'em. Bike 
riders should bless the safety afforded by speed bumps like they have on 
Duval and Jefferson, etc. 

The days of the road warriors are numbered; they are about to be cast into the 
trash can of history. I understand the April 26 issue of the "Oil and Gas 
Journal" (the bible of the US oil industry) has an article stating that their model 
predicts that world oil production will likely peak in 2006-2007. 

Since our oil addiction is so severe, this means that prices will soar, dooming 
the investments of any investors stupid enough to have invested in the toll 
road bonds that TxDOT is desperately promoting to keep all their special 
interests in clover at least until the next elections. 

We live in a world of addiction denial with regard to fossil fuels, but that is 
about to end. Hang in there bikers. Venceremos!

-- Roger