Global Warming effect?
Regular readers may recall yesterday’s story that standard human powered pedal powered bikes were choking the roads in Copenhagen and so much so that some of those famously mild mannered Danes were getting upset with all cyclists’ and their bad manners. But Wait! there is more: The Dutch in Amsterdam have automated offending citizens: Fast, fashionable mode of transport for some, scourge of the cycle path for others. In bike-mad Amsterdam, complaints about “fatbikes” have driven authorities to impose an unprecedented ban in one of the city’s top parks. “Fatbikes” is the Dutch name of electric powered bikes identifies by the thicker tries. Those fatbikes are hugely popular with children, that look like squat motorcycles and can reach speeds of up to 37 miles per hour. Because they are competing for space on busy cycle paths in the famously flat Netherlands, many classic cyclists see fatbikes as a menace.
Complaints of “fatbike gangs” of youths tearing around Dutch cities and causing havoc are also commonplace. A petition against “aggressive fatbikers” in Amsterdam has garnered 2,400 signatures, complaining: “Pavements are racetracks. Public space no longer feels safe.” So city authorities have decided to ban them in the Vondelpark, a busy park that attracts locals and hordes of tourists on hire bikes or roller skates. “We get a huge amount of complaints,” said Melanie van der Horst, the Amsterdam city official who introduced the ban. “A few years ago, we only got around 20 complaints about fatbikes. Now we have more than 2,000,” she said during a political interview in the park.
Fatbikes are supposed to have a maximum speed of around 25 kph, but they are often illegally souped up to reach anywhere between 50 and 60 kph. “Imagine an 11-year-old child driving around town at 50 kph on a big, souped-up fatbike. It’s extremely dangerous,” said van der Horst. Children have been rushed to hospital with serious injuries after fatbike accidents, she said, including brain injuries and torn knee ligaments. “Doctors say it is the same level of impact as a motorcycle accident.” Amsterdam authorities are keeping a close eye on the effects of the ban, which could potentially be extended to other parts of the capital. “We’ve never seen anything like this before. That’s why, to protect our children, I would like to see a national law passed,” said van der Horst. “I would actually just like to get to a situation where children, especially the youngest ones, are simply not allowed to ride these bikes,” she said.
Unsafe at any speed
A cop stopped a guy for speeding…
He said, “Do you know how fast you were going?”
“I was trying to keep up with traffic,” he replied.
He said, “There is no traffic.”
And the guy answered, ” I know, that’s how far behind I am.”
I definitely learned my lesson about speeding today and it will never happen again.
I didn’t get pulled over or anything, I just showed up to work 20 minutes early.
Driver: “What am I supposed to do with this speeding ticket?”
Officer: “Keep it, when you collect four of them, you get a bicycle.”
I got pulled over for speeding on my Electric bike.
The cop didn’t give me a ticket. He just wanted to know how I did it.
May 27th Birthdays
1961 – Perl Gilpin, 1968 – Rebekah Brooks, 1961 – Cathy Silvers, 1978 – Shanola Hampton
1990 – Chris Colfer, 1911 – Vincent Price, 1958- Lou Gosset, Jr, 1950 – Adam Carolla