Bikes and cars don’t mix. It’s quite obvious: bikes move slow and cars move fast. They should not be sharing the same surface. It is highly impractical.

Now, I don’t do this often: I live in Canada now, and I try not to draw comparisons between Canada and Holland, and I don’t call Holland ‘home’ (my home’s in Ottawa), but I have to say that, for once, Holland got it right when it comes to traffic handling. True, the streets are narrow, and people drive like crazy, but at least they had the foresight to separate pedestrians from bikes from cars.

Road way, curb and bike path

They separated all traffic into three levels: slow, medium and fast. Pedestrians are in the slow category, bikes & mopeds are in the medium, and all motorized vehicles over 50 hp are in the fast category. Fast goes on the street, medium goes on the “medium” path, and slow goes on the “slow” path. So, you have the road way, then a curb, then the “medium” path then a separator of some kind (gras, gravel, painted line, whatever) and then the sidewalk. And this goes on both sides of the street.

Intersection: the road way, a curb, the bike path (the red paved section) and the side walk intersecting each other. If you look closely, you can see the bike cross roadways on a ‘crosswalk” type of crossing, with their own traffic lights.

The following video shows the lights in action. Now, you have to disregard the IDIOTS who bike through red, don’t pay attention and cross intersections without regard for personal safety. We have those IDIOTS here too. I want you to pay attention to the bike traffic lights and how they work in relation to the cars’ traffic lights.

And here’s one on a roundabout:

There is no reason whatsoever to not put these kinds of measures here in Canada, or at least in “bike friendly” cities like Ottawa and Victoria, B.C. Maybe the number of bikes doesn’t make it cost-effective to construct these elaborate intersections, but how much is a human life worth? Can you put a price on a lifelong disability from being hit by a car?

Now, I can already hear all car-people come out saying “but those bikers don’t follow the rules of the road! They don’t stop at stop signs, don’t signal where they’re going”, and I can hear the bikers say “the cars don’t respect us! They zoom by us like we’re not there!”. I hear you. I really do. But something has got to be done. At least separating the bikes from the cars will avoid a large number of collisions that will almost always leave the cyclist with life-threatening injuries.

Please don’t get me wrong–I feel sorry for Natasha Richardson’s husband, children and family. It is a horrible way to lose a loved one. Nobody deserves that. That such a seemingly small accident can lead to a person’s death is utterly shocking.

That being said, this situation brings to light two points:

1)  why is it that when celebrities die, people get upset, governments spring to action. How many regular people die from head injuries every year? Not taking away the tragedy of her death of course, but is her death any more tragic than the death of your mother from cancer or the death of your child caused by a drunk driver? These things barely make the evening news, nor do they darken Broadway. “Our” deaths don’t get governments moving. It just seems that celebrities are somehow more important human beings than us regular folks. 

2) this unfortunate situation brings up the immediate “Helmets should be mandated!” conversation. Quebec is jumping the gun on it, and no-doubt ban-happy McSquinty will follow suit (ban bare heads, I suppose). The helmet law, of course, is such an utterly useless piece of legislation: if you’re smart, you’ll be wearing a helmet regardless of the law,  and if you’re dumb, or don’t want to mess up your hair, well, you don’t wear a helmet, and you risk cracking your head. This may sound crude, but that’s the way it is.

This reminds me of the (great) Jerry Seinfeld. You should know that I struggled with the fact whether I should include this bit or not, because it is funny, and people in general don’t want funny in a time of shock and mourning, and it may sound to some of you like I am making fun of the fact that Ms. Richardson died from a head injury: nothing could be further from the truth.  This bit is about helmet laws, not people that die from head injuries:

“…The only thing dumber than the helmet is the helmet law, the point of which is to protect a brain that is functioning so poorly, it’s not even trying to stop the cracking of the head that it’s in…“

We cannot allow this to be buried. This is how it starts. Ask Europe.

There’s a new banner on the right -> feel free to steal it. Put it on your blog. Spread the word.

Contact info for Belleisle Elementary:

Principal: erik.millett@nbed.nb.ca

Vice Principal: heather.wilson@nbed.nb.ca

Let them know how you feel.

h/t

UPDATE:

School district superintendent Zoe Watson decided Sunday to reinstate the singing.  Kudos to all of you who wrote, called and emailed. The decision was made after “communication she received was clear people want the national anthem reinstated”.

Two mail carriers at the Cornwall post office were recently disciplined for uttering the incredibly offensive phrase “thank the Lord for this beautiful day”.

After 25 years, a tradition at the Cornwall post office, where carriers starting on their routes in the morning would “thank the Lord for this beautiful day”, has been banned after one of the carriers filed an internal human rights complaint.

Mr. Murphy Jr, one of the offending carriers, said:

If any of the carriers thank the lord again, they’ll face suspension.

The Christmas tree and Christmas party have been cancelled as well.

The complaining carrier cannot be named to respect his rights.

Ford and Magna announced their intention to design and produce electric cars in the near future.

Leaves this question: <fake Italian accent>Whaddaya gonna do in da winta?

No engine to cool = pretty cold buns drivin’ to work in -30!

How does one defrost the windschield without blowing heat?

I know what you’re going to say: electric heat! Right, an extra 1500 Watts for a heater, 300 Watts for a fan, 1000 Watts for a windshield defrost thingy (like in the rear window). What, are we going to pull a cartload of batteries around? That, or our driving radius just shrunk from 60 miles to two.

I know you can re-donate, but I didn’t know you can de-donate…

Wishing a healthy, prosperous and peaceful 2009 to my wife, my kids, my family, friends, and the wonderful people who read, contribute and comment on this site.

Wishing you all the health in the world, because frankly, I don’t think you can afford to get sick in 2009.

Wishing you a prosperity, because frankly, I think you’re gonna need it in 2009.

Wishing you peace, because frankly, we all need to fight a little less, love a little more, and stop being so darn greedy.

That Spirit of Christmas

Christmas is the time of year
For being with the ones we love
Sharing so much joy and cheer
What a wonderful feelin
Watching the ones we love
Having so much fun

I was sitting by the fire side
Taking a walk through the snow
Listening to a children’s choir
Singing songs about Jesus
The blessed way that he came to us
Why can’t it remain
All through the year
Each day the same
Heyeah, that’s what I wanna hear
Heh heh
It’s truly amazing
That spirit of Christmas

All the kin folk gather round
The lovely Christmas tree
Hearts are glowing full of joy
Sense the gifts that we’re giving
And the love that we’re living
Why can’t it remain
Ohhh all through the year
Each day the same
Heyeah, that’s what I wanna hear
I’ll tell ya
It’s truly amazing
That spirit of Christmas

By the late, great, Ray Charles

Merry Christmas to All!

Have you ever tried to buy a small toy that wasn’t made in China? It’s impossible to find!

The Ottawa Citizen’s front page today lists several stories about how the Eastern Townships are losing all their small manufacturing jobs, and on the same front page there’s a big story on how 75% of all children’s and baby toys contain dangerous amounts of chemicals.

Why not put two and two together and have the small manufacturers transform their factories and workers to producing high quality children’s and baby toys right here in Canada? People with young children and babies are sure to pay a bit extra to make sure their child isn’t sucking on lead-painted toys. Make a new label: “Made in Canada - Free of Toxins”.

Every time you get a product recall, you get parents on the news concerned about their child (rightfully so), so why don’t we make these toys here in Canada, and know they are going to be safe? We’ve got the factories, we’ve got the workers. Sure they’ll be more expensive, but I have a feeling people are willing to hand over a little bit more of their earnings if the toy was made in Canada and free of all heavy metals and chemicals, and they know it is going to be safe for their child.

h/t my wife

Jack, I need you to tell me this is a global catastrophe, and that something needs to be done! Snow on October 28th? Where are you?

We woke up to some 4 cm of snow today (I know, the STORM TEAM from A-News announced 15 cm yesterday, but hey, we’ve got that STORM TEAM all fitted out with the parkas and the ski-goggles, so we’ve got to use ‘em!), and, of course, Ottawa’s streets are filled with idiots who do not know how to drive. On my modest 20 minute drive to work I came across three cars in the ditch and one spinning out of control coming up to a stop sign you can see from four miles away. On top of that, there were numerous cars with the windshield “cleaned up” by windshield wiper instead of snow brush, leaving the driver to peer through two small half-moon holes in a white sea of snow. This was 4 cm of snow, people. Neither a STORM nor weather worthy of a WATCH or WARNING. Slow down, clean your car properly, watch your fellow road users and you can easily stay on the road.

And Dalton, never mind banning gadgets, how about banning idiots?

Young Charlie always had a fondness for nature. When he was a young boy he was known to be outdoors for most of his days. You see, Charlie loved animals. He loved them even more than his fellow humans.

But as young boys always do, Charlie grew up into a man. And his love for animals made way for his first love affair with Rose. Rose just wandered into his life on somebody else’s wedding. He was smitten from the start. Sure, she had a facial hair problem, but Charlie didn’t care. After all, she had a balcony, and he needed to put up his antenna.

When the relationship turned more serious, and there was talk of a marriage, neighbours told him: “This is a mistake, she’s a slob. She eats everything in sight. She’s milking you!” But that didn’t deter young Charlie. After they were caught having pre-marital sexual relations, he had to defend her honours and they soon got married and moved to the country. During the time of their short marriage, she let her self go even more: apart from over-eating, she grew a beard, let her toenails grow and stopped taking care of her teeth. Many a day she was found on the streets scrounging for food. But Charlie gladly put up with it. He udderly loved her, after all. And at least she kept the lawn neatly trimmed and took care of the garbage.

And just as news spread across the world of his wonderful marriage, it all came to an end when Rose suddenly died after eating a discarded plastic bag. For Rose, you see, wasn’t what she appeared to be. Rose, Charles Tombe’s wife and love of his life, was a mere… common goat. And now you know, the rest of the story.

 Rose is survived by her son, Billy.

I was eagerly awaiting the 6 o’clock news yesterday. I was waiting for Jack Layton to come on again. I saw him on that very same news show on January 12ish, when it was a nice and balmy 10 degrees out. He was sitting on his Toronto rooftop patio in his summer jacket, and he said “I am here outside, in the middle of January, with my summer jacket on. Clearly, there’s something wrong here. This is a global catastrophe!”. So, since yesterday was the coldest March 6th EVER in eastern Ontario, with Pembroke going down to -32 overnight, I thought I’d see Jacky on his Toronto rooftop again, with sixteen winter coats on, freezing his ass off, saying “It’s March 6th! I’m freezing my ass off! Clearly there’s something wrong here!” But alas, Jacky did not show. There was no segment on the cold weather. Jacky had gone into hiding. He will emerge, no doubt, when the next global catastrophe occurs. To fight it… for the people.

CSI Miami: a lunatic has a nuclear bomb. Ryan is sitting behind a computer, Caine is standing behind him.
Caine: Ryan, can you find out the most optimal location and weather condition to detonate a nuclear bomb in downtown Miami with maximal damage?
Ryan types in: “optimal weather condition” onto a computer search engine. Computer comes back with “Blue Lakes Park, 4 p.m.”
Caine: That’s fifteen minutes from now… let’s roll!

I certainly do. Is it annoying when you’re talking to people and they do this sort of thing? It sure is. Should people that constantly asking themselves questions and answer them be in an insane asylum? I don’t see why not.

Wolfsburg, Germany, home of the most advanced car factory in the world. Called ‘Autostadt’, it is a combination of museum, amusement park and good old fashioned car factory. The Autostadt’s primary mission is what’s called car “collection,” where buyers take possession of their new VWs. Up to 40% of European buyers make the trip to Autostadt to receive the keys to their new car in a bonding moment of great ceremony.

Not surprisingly, this process has an architectural component. New cars are stored in two 20-story cylindrical glass towers, each of which has a robotic car lift in the center. At the appropriate moment, the robotic arm plucks the car from one of the honeycomb-like cells and brings it to the ground floor to meet its new owner.

These towers could (should?) be turned into commercial car parkades. Unlike the traditional concrete uglyness that is splattered all over the world, these glass towers look elegant, especially at night, and take up only 20% of the ground space for a comparable amount of cars. But on the other hand, the wait can be pretty long after a hockey game… 10,000 cars, one at a time…