Bike Lanes; Why They Are Important.

Have you ever tried to ride your bike on a busy road, only to find that the traffic is taking the whole space up? Yes, this has probably happened to all of us, even the experienced bikers. Do you really think that this is fair for the people with bikes? No. Of course not. The way that people cut off bikers and pedestrians is not safe, or fair. Next time you are driving, look at the road. Do you see any areas dedicated to bicycles?

If you do, then this is a very good example of what should be done in more places. If you don't then the city must not know how important the safety of the pedestrians is. Here are some questions you can ask your self before you go riding.

1. Do you know the proper place to be riding on a busy road?

2. Do you know the proper hand signals to use to indicate you are turning left, right, etc. ?

3. Do you have the proper safety equipment on your bike for riding at night?

If you make sure you have and know all of this, then you are now ready to ride. Bike lanes are important. I, myself, live in a city that has very few bike lanes. People have even petitioned against the Idea. These people must have good reasons for doing this, but they must also grasp that safety is an issue as well. Our city needs to take the ideas at hand and use them. Other people need to take the lead, even though they may bee standing alone. We need to show the people who don't want bike lanes that they are important, even if they don't look good. ( I think they look great.) If we want safety for ourselves and for others, we need to try and make it so that it is possible.

Green Tips.

Ok. For every one reading this thread, here are some GREEN tips for you to try at home

1. Try reminding your children about turning off the lights before they leave a room. This will save you money, and cut down on the energy demand.

2. Did you know that if your tap is dripping, you can lose litres of water a day? Try to watch for any leaks in taps, and if you find one, get a plumber to fix it up for you. You will be saving money and our drinking water.

3. If you are using a cord-less phone in your house, try rethinking that idea. Cord-less phones require an electrical current to keep them running. Cord phones will stay up during a bad storm, unless the telephone lines are down. If you switch to cord telephones, you wont spend as much money on the electrical bills.

4. Try to buy your produce as locally as you can. If you support your local shops and farmers, you will not have to spend as much money on shipping in produce from other countries. You can go online to find sites such as FreeCycle to get other's furniture that they don't want and get it for free. If you have things you don't need, you can give them away for free. Most of all, try to recycle and buy locally.

5. And last, but not least, the lesson we are trying to send, try to ride your bikes, or walk more often. This will reduce the need for cars, which will bring gas prices down, and it will give you more exercise.

If you try to stick to these GREEN tips, you will make a big difference in how we treat our world today.

One more thing. Remember to RECYCLE!

-Ollie. PEACE!