Tall bike

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A tall bike is a special type of bicycle which is part of the commonly known as monster bikes. In a few words, it consists in two bicycles one above the other. Just pick up one bike without seat, pedals and handlebar, so with only wheels and frame, and weld it on another bike without wheels. As a result we have a double bike as you can see in the photo bellow. Of course, the chain length must increase since the distance between sprockets and crankset has increased. And as you can imagine, this simple concept has evolved to more incredible monster bikes.

From the biker perspective, riding a tall bike changes the way you ride a normal bike. You need an extra push to climb the tall bike. Once you reach the seat, you have a better vision since the higher you ride, the less obstacles impede your sight. Moreover, your visibility goes up as your shape is higher even towering over vans. Furthermore, you can carry more bicycle bags. This last point has had important considerations in long routes such as the Quico one. Finally, people amazes when seeing one tall bike.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Traffic violence

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Every day hundred of thousands ride the bike. Some of them use bike lines and / or roads together with cars and motorcycles. This last fact makes possible to discover the real violence on the streets. Yes, you have read violence. And I am not talking about the undesirable, possibly common bike accidents. I am referring to a subtle, invisible force with capital letters. It is easiest to discover if you live in a city in which urbanism have been developed under bad, people-damaging, car-oriented premises, meaning with wide and straight avenues, long distances between zebra crossings, and few speed radars if any. Perhaps you have get used to it without realizing how harmful and noxious it is. Paying a little bit of attention of the car drivers stuck in traffic jam behavior helps to discover it. Moreover, if you were able to determine each and every speed car in those avenues, you will astonish as most of them do not fulfill the traffic regulations. Furthermore, cars do not often respect the security distance when they overtake a bicycle. The use of turn signals to indicate others what they want to make is not frequently use.

So, are public institutions calming the traffic? Yes and no. Yes because every day actions are taken in this direction around the world. But also no since urban traffic is still too violent to be considered as calmed.

The solution to traffic jams

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Every day millions of cars enter to cities creating traffic jams around the world. The negative effects of such habit encompass psychological problems like stress and drivers bad mood as well as pollution. Apart from the clear excess in the number of cars we suffer, another key point is the real source of that. The more distance between where one lives and where one works, buys or studies, the more traffic jams. The bad behavior of driving dozens of kilometers every day converts people in a kind of simple-minded persons. If they sum up all the money they waste in gas plus the personal cost of all the hours they spend stuck and the drugs they need to overcome the psychological problems it causes, they probably realize how to overcome them. What about living nearer to the work place? Or moving to a closer area? Or using public transport? Or riding a bike? Or sharing the car (as figures show the mean occupation by car is 1.2 people)? But not. Most of them prefer poisoning everybody, including themselves, instead of changing how and where they live. Reducing distances and using green ways of transport is both beneficial for their pockets and the environment.

Time Square

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The USA is possibly the most pro-car country since distances from A to B points are impressive and some of the more important car firms set up there. Moreover, car marketing is astonishing (similarly to every developed country in the world) and car industry has hundred of thousands of employees, hence this had some magnificent cities like Detroit in the past. Millions of cars are driven every day and thus it is huge when urban mobility is increased without taking into account car needs.

The case of Time Square (New York) is a good example. The pride it causes makes a lot of cities wanting something like it. In other words, giving more space to pedestrians and green vehicles such as bicycles is a worldwide tendency.

Just compare both images to see what happens when pedestrians can securely walk without the noise and pollution cars cause. It is like magic. Suddenly, people show up from all over and enjoy the area. If you consider the fact that Time Square is one of the top world areas with the highest stores per squared mile, you determine sales increased as a result of it. There are no two ways about it and figures confirm it. Pedestrians can walk and thus spend more time in the pedestrian area. Thus, they spend more time in going shopping, seeing stuff, comparing prices, putting on clothes, etcetera. Sellers welcome such a decision though the initial reticence.

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