I noticed today that the only time I make a point of sharing a transportation experience via social media is when I drive a car. At least twice now I have posted updates on Twitter (I really can’t bring myself to say I “tweeted”) about using a Zipcar. And for good reason. Zipcar is a magical program where, with the wave of a card over a windshield, I unlock a car — and so far, a different car each time — find the keys inside, and drive off. To paraphrase their motto, I use a car when I want to. […]
The Outspokin’ Cyclist: Driving the kids with a bicycle
Four days a week, Teddy Salazar takes his son Theo to school just like most parents. Instead of a car seat, however, Theo rides in a trailer towed behind Salazar’s bicycle. Weaving around potholes and climbing hills along four miles of west Durham’s streets, Salazar tows his son to and from pre-school. Hard work though it may be for Salazar, “it’s actually lots of fun,” he says. “We wave to people on their porches on Carroll Street. We get all sorts of comment like, ‘Look at that!’ or ‘How cute!’ when we ride by Duke. It’s really easy to stop […]
Xtracycle – who needs a car?
My new pickup truck is a bicycle. Xtracycle, an innovative cycling company, is making a cargo-bike adapter that turns any traditional bike into a long-tail hauling machine. I recently set up my old Specialized Hard Rock with their Free Radical kit. Great for hauling boxes, other bikes, and friends. I sold my car this spring after realizing that I had put gas in the tank a handful of times within the previous year. Then a friend reminded me of the Xtracycle — a bolt-on rear triangle that moves your rear-wheel back about 15 inches and supports their proprietary huge panniers. […]