This New England

-- Photo and comment by CHARLES PINNING

Bike Hanging, South Water and Point Streets, Providence.

In a grim reminder that the auto industry had not backpedaled on its historically dirty tactics to the gain the upper hand over other forms of transport, bike hangings have become increasingly common.

An unnamed Detroit Big Three spokesman put it this way:

"We hope to show bicycles that they cannot simply provide transportation without paying a price. In this particular case, this bicycle was allowing anyone to sit upon it and ride it. We want to know: where are its crash-test results? How much weight can it safely carry? What is its rolling resistance and how much wear and tear can it be reasonably expected to place upon average legs?

"These questions, and many others have yet to be answered, and it our position that until we fully understand what we, as a society, are getting into with bicycles, we cannot risk having them proliferate upon our roadways.

"Roadways, I might add, that could not have been built without the auto industry's unceasing efforts to put trolleys and all other forms of public transportation out of business."

 Tags  Roger Rabbit

Comments

Terrence McCarthy said:

This is nothing new. Many cases cited of this kind of thing happening in the 60s and 80s. It comes and goes. Cycles.

Although it is much more common in Alabama and Texas.

Link | August 18, 2009 8:44 AM
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