Sunday, October 14, 2007

One less car and a healthier New Jersey

What follows is the text of an e-mail I recently sent to News12 NJ, I'll update this entry with any replies I receive from them:

With the rising costs of driving and maintaining a motor vehicle these days there are more and more people taking to the roads on bicycles and on foot.

And while this is a good thing as far as the environment, health, and saving money is concerned, it also makes for the greater probability that more people will be injured by motor vehicles because neither the walkers, bicycle riders, nor the motor vehicle drivers know the rules of the road concerning pedestrians and bicycles.

If something could be done to inform people that bicycles are vehicles too and entitled to the road as much as Joe Commuter in his SUV, and both are governed by the same traffic laws as stated by the NJDOT, it would help make a great difference in the safety of everyone on the roads.

I'm not refering to the usual "Wear a helmet, stay to the right, and go with traffic" PSA material, but something a bit more substantive, segments on the law as it pertains to bicycle and pedestrian traffic, rider's rights, bicycle commuting tips, ways to make riding to work a more valid option(ie, how not to stink out your coworkers), and maybe some sort of "Rider's Index" of information bicycle commuters would find of use, things like weather, temp, and humidity broken down into more regional detail, whether any traffic problems will effect a bicycle rider's commute.

Basically what I'd like to accomplish is simply to get more people to get out and ride and leave the car at home, to show that riding, when done right, is a safe, healthy, and fun way to get about, and that it's also green, for both the wallet and the environment.

Thank you.

Signed,
a carless daily rider and longtime News 12 viewer from NJ

No comments:

Post a Comment