05-25-2004, 05:01 PM
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#15 (permalink)
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| | Re: More Paris Cycling - Along Southern Rim
Elisa Francesca Roselli wrote:
>
>So I didn't really know what to expect.
>
Life's like that, no?
>
>On arriving above ground, I was at first disappointed. Yes, there is a
>building site down the whole length of the avenues. It takes up about a
>third the width of the street. No, there is no cycling path as yet. So I
>desultorily wheeled Behemoth for a few blocks, then moved her out onto
>the road in the bus corridor, held my breathe and kicked off.
>
>Well, that bee-line through the 14th, 15th and 16th Arrondissements was
>my best cycling experience to date. It was all straight so there was no
>need to worry about signalling. There was a bus-corridor the whole way
>so not much need to worry about cars. I was able to let rip in 7th gear
>and max out the whole way. Behemoth comes into her own in those high
>gears. Voluptuousness of silken pedals... I was so comfortably upright
>that I didn't even get my usual sore wrists. Only an occasional traffic
>light, spaced with considerate rarity, brought me to a halt but
>restarting was easy on the level ground. I stopped twice just to check
>my bearings but even this was not necessary as there was really no
>opportunity for wrong turning. Just thunder along till you cross the
>water and come to a giddy stop on the avenue de Versailles.
>
>Now I'm wondering if those protesters weren't right? What need for a
>specialized cycling lane on a route which already functions so well?
>Granted, sharing a lane with buses is a Faustian bargain, but they make
>much better companions than baby carriages. I DO NOT WANT TO SHARE MY
>LANE WITH F*%^$**ING BABY-CARRIAGES!!! And having seen what happened
>with the much hyped Coulée Verte, I worry about a repeat. Yes, give the
>cyclists their lane; force them to share it with pedestrians,
>roller-bladers and dog-walkers, simultaneously ban them from the roads
>"because they have their own lane". Then let the lane rot and become
>overrun with tree roots.
>
>Up till now I have always been dumbfounded at cyclists opposing the
>construction of cycling lanes, but I see the light. To top it off, we
>also have the hostility of the natives who lost their trees, and the
>delivery trucks who lost their stopping place, so they will presumably
>be doing nothing to help us. Oh well, wait and see.
>
>EFR
>Ile de France
>
A beautiful post! "
"Voluptuousness of silken pedals..." Your statement says a great deal. I hope you keep finding good places to ride. Cycling can be such a gentle adventure. You can smile while you flow along now  . Stay well and stay alert.
Bernie
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