we all know someone like this

a block a day? (1970s Participaction Ad)

SNAFU

As a system for moving people, the privately owned, single-occupancy motor vehicle has to be the most costly, dangerous, dirty and inefficient way (one "accident" can clog the main highways for hours). Given viable alternatives, who wouldn't want to switch?

The following headline kind of sums up the logic of car-centric cities:

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Scott Gardner, the Hamilton Spectator

A city trapped in traffic paralysis TheSpec.com - Local - A city trapped in traffic paralysis

Mid-afternoon 403 crash chokes Hamilton roads for hours

Daniel Nolan


One mid-afternoon accident on the eastbound 403 Thursday literally turned Hamilton into a parking lot.

Major arteries across the lower city and Mountain ground to a halt in a chain reaction of congestion as traffic first backed up on the 403, then onto Main Street and then throughout the city as police closed the highway and then Linc.

Hours after the 2 p.m. accident that left a London man in critical condition, routes across the Mountain were still backed up for kilometres as drivers tried to get across the city. The Linc was closed to stop traffic reaching the 403. And police were urging Toronto-bound motorists to take the Linc, Red Hill and QEW to get around the stopper in the bottle.

But even that didn’t help as a pair of accidents on the QEW created a perfect storm of congestion.

The worst was at rush-hour last night when traffic was backed up for miles. Some reported seeing people relaxing on their cars and talking to their parked neighbours.

Hamilton police closed eight on-ramps to prevent traffic from getting onto the eastbound lanes of the 403. It shut down ramps between Upper James Street on the Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway and King Street on the 403, just a few kilometres west of the accident scene.

Those caught behind the accident were backed up and brought on to the Main Street on-ramp in front of The Hamilton Spectator.

"Everybody is just parked on the highway and we're trying to get everybody moving," said Staff Sergeant George Narozniak.

To make matters worse, the Niagara-bound lanes of the Queen Elizabeth Way in Beamsville were closed for 90 minutes following two separate collisions at about 6:30 p.m. One involved a collision between a van and a tractor on the South Service Road, between Bartlett and Sann Road. A person was airlifted to Hamilton General Hospital in serious condition.

And a third accident in Stoney Creek also caused serious injuries. Two vehicles crashed head-on at about 4:30 p.m. on the South Service Road, near Jones Road. One person was initially in critical condition, but improved last night. Two others were taken to hospital. The South Service Road was closed to traffic for a short time.

The London, Ont., man was ejected from his pickup truck when it rolled over during the Highway 403 accident, just before 2 p.m. Witnesses say his truck rolled a few times on the highway near the York Boulevard on-ramp and landed on its roof. He was taken by ambulance to the Hamilton General Hospital. He was in critical condition this morning.

A taxi cab and a SUV were also involved. The drivers were not injured and the vehicles sustained minor damage. The accident is now being probed by the OPP Traffic Support Unit.

The crash caused two other accidents. A tanker-truck and a pickup truck collided on the 403 shortly after the first crash, just west of the accident scene. There were no injuries. An OPP officer rushing to the first accident lost control of his cruiser and crashed into a ditch on Highway 6, between Highway 5 and Highway 403. The officer received minor injuries.

SNAFU

If reading the police blotter doesn't make one pause to reconsider our transportation choices, nothing will...(excerpts below)

Police Blotter TheSpec.com - Local - Police Blotter

A roundup of calls July 16 to 22 (2008)

Compiled by Paul Morse, The Hamilton Spectator, (Jul 23, 2008)

Rice and Mohawk
Wednesday, July 16, 6 p.m.

A 75-year-old woman showing off her new car to a friend hits the gas instead of the brake and drives into her 83-year-old husband. The collision sends him through the laundry room door into the house. He is taken to hospital with non-life-threatening head and leg injuries.

Fennell and Garth
Thursday, July 17, 10 a.m.

A car collides with a city bus causing substantial damage. The bus driver is taken to hospital as a precaution. The driver is charged with making an unsafe lane change.

Cumberland and Holton
Thursday, July 17, night

Police see two men steal a car from Eastgate Square. They discontinue their chase when the car thieves take off at dangerous speeds. Information helps them find it later, and they charge a 32-year-old Hamilton man with possession, dangerous driving and dangerous driving while prohibited.

Trinity and Sawmill
Thursday, July 17, 8 p.m.

Police chase a large SUV stolen from Meadowlands Power Centre. They stop the chase when the driver hits dangerous speeds on Book Road. They find the SUV flipped at a sharp curve. An Ohsweken man, 20, tries to run but is arrested and charged with theft, possession, dangerous driving, flight from police and possessing burglary tools.

North Service and Fifty
Thursday, July 17, 11 p.m.

A large SUV careers off the road into a field, crosses another street and comes to rest in a second field. A 54-year-old man from Grassie is charged with impaired driving and refusing to provide a breath test.

King and Bay
Saturday, July 19, 1 a.m.

Police pull over a 21-year-old Ancaster man in a modified car and charge him with street racing. He loses his ride and licence for a week.

Centennial and King
Sunday, July 20, 8 a.m.

A 21-year-old man is on his way to a car show in Grimsby in his BMW when he is pulled over for doing 130-plus kilometres an hour in a 70 km/h zone. The G2 driver loses his licence and his ride for seven days.

Bay and Harbourfront
Tuesday, July 22, 2 p.m.

A woman learning to drive in Bay-front Park parking lot hits the accelerator pedal instead of the brake, bounces off a tree, panics and drives down a boat ramp into the water.

403 and the Linc
Tuesday, July 22, 4:45 p.m.

An eastbound truck carrying powdered cement stops for traffic congestion. A second truck carrying auto parts collides with the cement truck. The second truck is damaged and its fuel tank ruptures, causing 200 litres of diesel fuel to spill. The cement truck is severely damaged. No one is injured. Rush-hour traffic is tied up as two eastbound lanes close for four hours.

Anyone with information can call Hamilton police at 905-546-4925 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

how about a critical mass in formal attire?

The Copenhagen Cycle Chic Manifesto.

- I choose to cycle chic and, at every opportunity, I will choose Style over Speed.

- I embrace my responsibility to contribute visually to a more aesthetically pleasing urban landscape.

- I am aware that my mere prescence in said urban landscape will inspire others without me being labelled as a 'bicycle activist'.

- I will ride with grace, elegance and dignity.

- I will choose a bicycle that reflects my personality and style.

- I will, however, regard my bicycle as transport and as a mere supplement to my own personal style. Allowing my bike to upstage me is unacceptable.

- I will endeavour to ensure that the total value of my clothes always exceeds that of my bicycle.

- I will accessorize in accordance with the standards of a bicycle culture and acquire, where possible, a chain guard, kickstand, skirt guard, fenders, bell and basket.

- I will respect the traffic laws.

- I will refrain from wearing and owning any form of 'cycle wear'. The only exception being a bicycle helmet - if I choose to exercise my freedom of personal choice and wear one.

FROM http://copenhagengirlsonbikes.blogspot.com/