A Small Digression

Currently, I am back in Boston before I leave for Amsterdam on our bicycle trip later this evening. 

Yesterday I had the chance to walk around the city for a couple of hours and started to look more critically at the bicycle infrastructure and the way Boston bicyclers approach the task of navigating through the busy city.  It was immediately noticeable that not only were there more vehicles on the road moving at faster speeds, but the automobile driver's mentality is a lot different than drivers in Eugene.  From my experience living in Boston and the Northeast for a little over 6 years, I think the drivers here are a lot more aggressive and drive more offensively than drivers in the Pacific Northwest.  I think that I would almost go as far as saying that with the traffic volumes that they have at major downtown areas in Boston, like any big city, the drivers handle the traffic and decisions that they need to make at these intersections as good as drivers anywhere.  Usually, they make deliberate actions, not hesitating, which as a automobile driver is easy to anticipate and prevent accidents from happening.  Because I wasn't an avid bicycle rider when I lived here I cannot say that this aggressive driving style is as beneficial to riders, but I can say that the majority of riders and drivers are aware of each other.

There was a Boston Red Sox game yesterday and sitting at Crazy Doughs Pizza on Boylston street you see the city come alive.  People walking to Fenway stadium with their Red Sox gear on, but the thing that I like the most about a Red Sox game day, besides the Red Sox winning, is the Pedi Cab drivers.  The Pedi Cabs are 3-wheel bicycles (1 in the front and 2 in the rear) with a bench seat in the back.  The drivers are typically college students trying to earn some cash to pay off there college loans or just enough to buy a few beers on the weekend.  They can usually be seen on the streets in full glory when there is a major event happening in the city.  They wear bright neon shirts usually with some other outrageous article of clothing trying to entice pedestrians to take a ride.  The do not charge their clients a set fee, but ask for a small donation.  I don't believe that Pedi Cabs would be a viable option to incorporate in every city, but in certain cities, with highly compact and highly populous city centers they could supplement more traditional petroleum based options.  I'm excited to see if Amsterdam has any of these multi-person transportation options.