For the past week I had found the nerve to commute by bike to work. It was only half as quick as walking - which says something about the speed of bicyclists - but it was much more enjoyable. I likened it to a multi-directional game of Frogger. In addition to facing obstacles perpendicularly, people, bicycles and two, three and four wheeled motorized vehicles come at you from every possible angle and large intersections have up to 10 traffic signals to gauge. My adventures in bicycling were to be short lived because Tuesday evening, I discovered that divine intervention had decided I was pressing my luck and, to avoid injury, I could no longer tempt fate. Alas, the old bike, with two locks, was stolen from across from our office. Kate had warned me of the possibility and said I shouldn't worry about it. So, I'm off the streets and back to the sidewalk. (Photo: one of the many different styles of 3-wheeled vehicles)
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Moving through Beijing
Or not. Functioning in Beijing is a constant question of mobility. How does one get from point A to point B safely and efficiently? The answer is not always clear. If you get in a vehicle you are never sure whether you will arrive at your destination on time or get stuck in a crushing traffic jam. There's the subway which eventually reaches some destinations but isn't a solution to access the whole city. There's walking but you may be hoofing it for quite a distance dodging an obstacle course of people, vendors, bus stops, cars and phlegm. Or there's the bicycle, which seems like sure-fire way to learn more about that insurance phrase "death or dismemberment".
For the past week I had found the nerve to commute by bike to work. It was only half as quick as walking - which says something about the speed of bicyclists - but it was much more enjoyable. I likened it to a multi-directional game of Frogger. In addition to facing obstacles perpendicularly, people, bicycles and two, three and four wheeled motorized vehicles come at you from every possible angle and large intersections have up to 10 traffic signals to gauge. My adventures in bicycling were to be short lived because Tuesday evening, I discovered that divine intervention had decided I was pressing my luck and, to avoid injury, I could no longer tempt fate. Alas, the old bike, with two locks, was stolen from across from our office. Kate had warned me of the possibility and said I shouldn't worry about it. So, I'm off the streets and back to the sidewalk. (Photo: one of the many different styles of 3-wheeled vehicles)
For the past week I had found the nerve to commute by bike to work. It was only half as quick as walking - which says something about the speed of bicyclists - but it was much more enjoyable. I likened it to a multi-directional game of Frogger. In addition to facing obstacles perpendicularly, people, bicycles and two, three and four wheeled motorized vehicles come at you from every possible angle and large intersections have up to 10 traffic signals to gauge. My adventures in bicycling were to be short lived because Tuesday evening, I discovered that divine intervention had decided I was pressing my luck and, to avoid injury, I could no longer tempt fate. Alas, the old bike, with two locks, was stolen from across from our office. Kate had warned me of the possibility and said I shouldn't worry about it. So, I'm off the streets and back to the sidewalk. (Photo: one of the many different styles of 3-wheeled vehicles)
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