Tiny URL
Thursday, July 10th, 2008I did not know that the guy that came up with the site lives in Blaine MN.
Archive for July 10th, 2008
Bikes versus Cars!
Thursday, July 10th, 2008If a bike has to stop and wait ten seconds for a car, that biker loses ten seconds of travel time. If a car has to stop and wait ten seconds for a bike, the driver loses ten seconds of travel time. The expected loss in distance traveled is much greater for the car, especially in areas where cars are going fast (i.e., the disputed areas when safety is a concern). Furthermore the cars are more likely inhabited by people with a higher value for their time, at least on average if not for every biking blogger.
Mr. Cowen seems to forget that cars have an easily accessible means of acceleration that can very quickly make up for any delay that might be caused by a bicyclists.
There is really no acceptable reason to attempt to deny cyclists the right to use the roadway.
Should driving rules favor cars or cyclists? It seems to me that, so long as the rules of the road are followed by both parties, there is normally no problem. The problems result when the rules are broken and the punishment is always more severe for the cyclist.
US Free Market in Action
Thursday, July 10th, 2008Along the same lines of my Tuesday ISP post, another stellar example of US business providing horseshit service is the airline industry.
Overbooking, flight delays, impossible to understand pricing structures, nickel and dime service charges, unhappy employees, uncomfortable seating, dirty cabins, lost baggage, old equipment, and just about every single US carrier is losing money hand over fist.
Sure, it’s cheap, so long as you can find the flight you want and it does not get cancelled and you feel like you want to take a shower after getting off the plane.
Airlines in other developed countries don’t have these kinds of problems. Flights are reliable, planes are clean, employees are happy.
Just like ISP service in the USA, consumers continue to use the airlines because they have no other choice. But what is so unique about the US airline industry that makes air travel such a horrible experience? We have multiple carriers who are competing for business so we should not have these kinds of problems right?
Does the free market really work that well at all? Time to re-regulate the airline industry.
