This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.
Well Meaning Kid Killers
Jesus H. Mother of Christ, what is wrong with these ‘environmental’ types who insist on dragging their sprogs in those damn bike trailers? Don’t they realize that their precious little angels are inhaling vehicle exhaust as they’re peddling thru traffic
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And I bet you sit comfortably in your SUV with the air-conditioning on pumping that exhaust in BOTH the parent’s and child’s faces. They are trying to change their world so don’t condemn them so quickly. Try turning off your engine at red lights!
That drives me nuts too. With the way people drive in this city, you would think the parents would be more concerned their kid would become a pancake.
I agree with What kind of world ….
Turning off your engine at red lights??? Wow. You must never sit in traffic!! If every person did that, do you know how long it would take us to get THROUGH a damn light? We’d all be sitting there for years and the people behind would have such rage, it would just turn into total chaos. It’s bad enough people are asleep at the wheel and sit there for 30 seconds when the light turns green.But back to the main bitch, my problem with those kiddie trailers is how invisible they are. I have seen parents on bikes cut out across the street, the cars that stop for them start to put on the gas thinking that is just a person on the bike going by, and then at the last minute see this baby tailing in behind on the ground so have to slam on their brakes to stop from hitting it. So many close calls. Keep those things to the country or trails where parked cars aren’t blocking the view.
Even more, I’ve seen so many helmetted parents trailing their helmetless kids behind! Idiots! Those little pull-alongs are a wonderful idea, I agree with that. In parks with the kids, or towing your groceries behind. But I think people forget they are certainly far from invincible, and yes, the kids are sucking in exhaust, but almost worse, they’re going to end up cracking their soft little skulls on the pavement. Sure, you might be ‘environmentally conscience’ as a cyclist (or poor) but also be ‘child conscience’ please!
From the government website:If every driver of a light duty vehicle avoided idling by five minutes a day, collectively over the year, we would save 680 million litres of fuel, over 1.6 million tonnes of GHG emissions, and $646 million annually in fuel costs (assuming fuel costs are $0.95/L).I do it all the time and it has never slowed traffic down. Try it sometime.
But, if you turn off your engine during the light then you would have the backfire of concentrated exhaust (which is more than what you would have if it is in idle) so instead of a lightly dissipated exhaust you get a full on pressure assult of toxic fumes. That’s the most stupid argument I have ever heard. I mean seriously, you would have made more sense if you requested an actual biking lane for granola munching hippie wackos like them.Last I heard a child doesn’t have a bumper installed in them so why have them through traffic?People who are that reckless are the same type of people who raise criminals. I hope they are arrested for child endangerment.See, hippies makes bad parents afterall…