Current bike lanes are far too short in length. They are hardly used for the most part for any serious long-range utilitarian purposes like shopping for groceries or even pleasure tours with the whole family to the movie theater. To do anything like that at all, there is going to have to be someone in leadership with a much broader vision that is planning full-length bike lanes all the way down every major street within Shelby County and Memphis. Simply put folks, we Car-Free Citizens want to be able to go everywhere that car drivers go and without having to use a public transit bus, a taxi, or even sharing a car ride with family and friends. We want our independence and we have wanted it since about 1992. Yes, that is way back when a plan was first drawn up to complete our streets with bike lanes long before the day would ever come that you would be reading this truth telling comment of mine. To illustrate, we were supposed to actually look more like Vauban, Germany, which is a section of town that is car-free, not even car parking is allowed within that zone. And look at what we have to show for our own plan so far: only a few nominal bike lanes that run along tourist attractions to make it seem like we are really making progress towards turning green; and, there are hundreds of feel good blogs and news articles that make it seem as if our whole town has turned environmentally green from the very depths of our hearts, as if the pipes of pollution have just quit puffing up 7.8 metric tons of fumes all across our city and we are no longer the asthma capital of the USA. What a big lie the powers-that-be are telling us, and the whole world! Well, Shelby County, nor Memphis for that matter, is green folks. If it were green, other people visiting here would be green with envy. If the truth is to be told, here at all, the City of Memphis is one of the filthiest crime ridden cities in the Mid-South region. And so, I do hope that we will not be waiting yet another twenty-something years before the powers-that-be get off their damn asses and actually implement a long-range bike lane plan worthy of mention because it is long overdue. And they need to do this within the next five years if they dare want bragging rights about making progress. That is the only way I will be writing a favorable mention about the progress concerning this issue, among others. If I cannot write about progress soon enough, then people like me are going to lead this city in the right direction by voting all these old school cronies out of office forever; and please, do not dare expect for us to vote in the same cronies relatives either --- the slate will be wiped as clean as the air we would like to breath.
Click the following link to find out more:
City Moving Forward With More Green Lanes, Cycling Campaigns | News Blog | Memphis News and Events | Memphis Flyer
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Friday, March 7, 2014
A bicyclist’s wildest dream come true | Panethos
Transportation planners need to take a pilgrimage to this location to make this dream come true here in Memphis, Tennessee. Click the link below to find out more.
A bicyclist’s wildest dream come true | Panethos
A bicyclist’s wildest dream come true | Panethos
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Bicycling to opportunity...in safety | Department of Transportation
WOW - The Secretary of the Department of Transportation wants to make biking safer and has not tolerated anything less. There seems to be far more to do though. Click the link below to find out.
Bicycling to opportunity...in safety | Department of Transportation
Bicycling to opportunity...in safety | Department of Transportation
Monday, February 24, 2014
Grocery Shopping by Bike? Put The Weight Of Those Bags On The Ground!
Make no mistake about it, only a professional bike fitting service can provide the best fit for you and your bike. For those of you who cannot do this for lack of funding or there is simply not anyone near you that provides such a service, I highly recommend an upright short-wheel-based hybrid comfort bike with shocks on the front fork and in the seat post for maximum comfort - especially great for those people with back problems. This type of bike allows for one to sit up straight and tall and peddle without even bending over, which also means less stress on the hands, wrist, arms, and shoulders. In addition to all those features, you may also strongly consider the step threw version of this type of bike. And now, I will explain what short-wheel-based means - the wheels are closer together as opposed to that of a touring bike with the wheels set much further apart requiring one to lean over. There are some disadvantages to choosing a short-wheel-based bike. To illustrate, the balance of this short-wheel-based bike becomes top heavy once you add more weight than just yourself to the bike, such as over 40 lbs groceries into bicycle baskets. Not to mention, that someone with big feet will easily hit those baskets while pedaling if the baskets are attached to the side of the back wheel. You can shift this amount of weight to only one basket on the top of the back rack, but anymore weight than this will cause the bike to fall over when one stops if they are unable to hold the bike up due to weak wrist or a bad back. In which case, you may invest in a bike trailer that will allow such a person to put that weight on the ground. Putting the weight on the ground will also cause one to feel the drag of the weight, so do not buy a cheaply made bike trailer - get one custom made for you if you can. One good place for you to do this is www.tonystrailers.com.
Bike Fitting: Common Misconceptions
Bike Fitting: Common Misconceptions
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Hiding In Your Post & Yelling If Someone Messes w/ It — ShySpy Serves & Protects
I have discussed these GPS tracking devices for bicycles with several people on the streets of Memphis. And I found that few people are buying bicycles, expensive enough to warrant such a device. But one might still want to protect a bike that costs well over $350.00 with a GPS tracker. Click the link below to find out more about GPS tracking:
Hiding In Your Post & Yelling If Someone Messes w/ It — ShySpy Serves & Protects
Hiding In Your Post & Yelling If Someone Messes w/ It — ShySpy Serves & Protects
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Rainwear: How to Choose
Car-Free citizens always contend with the elements, especially rain. In fact, the following link by REI will tell you how to choose rain gear that fits your specified needs: Rainwear: How to Choose
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Friday, January 31, 2014
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Complaints Lead To Deep Cleaning At Downtown Family Dollar | WREG.com
Yea — Family Dollar is convenient for sure and they need to clean up and reopen ASAP! Moreover, they need to add bike racks outside of their doors and a locker system inside for backpacks and coats, especially since they want us to leave nearly all of our personal belongings with them in an unprotected location right next to the cash registers. They are way too concerned that we the customers are only there to steal from them. They should not mind, then, making several upgrades to their facilities or either close down all together. Speaking of which, how about adding several rest rooms. I have had to walk out of their store on several occasions while discarding a basket full of things that I wanted to buy, just to go elsewhere for a restroom that was still hard to find anyway if I was not dressed just right. But this is how it is all over the downtown area. You see – the powers-that-be is extremely unfriendly towards those of us who are not dressed up in top of the line clothing styles. One can count on one thing in the downtown area — if you are not already a well-known celebrity of some sort, the chances are greater that you will be turned away from the restrooms. My advice, if you’re middle class, is stay the hell away from downtown and save yourself the undeserved humiliation of soiling yourself as they are treating people like you and people in poverty far worse than ever. Do you ever wonder why you might see a few homeless people who cannot help it if they stink? Well – that is only because they are being turned away from the restrooms not because they have no home training. The top 1% is taking over the entire downtown area and their message seems to be clear: staying the hell away from them if you do not fit in.
Click the following link below to read all the fine details and watch the WREG video footage:
Complaints Lead To Deep Cleaning At Downtown Family Dollar | WREG.com
Click the following link below to read all the fine details and watch the WREG video footage:
Complaints Lead To Deep Cleaning At Downtown Family Dollar | WREG.com
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Friday, January 24, 2014
Saturday, January 18, 2014
New device makes wheelchairs obsolete. [VIDEO]
A car-free community should fully consider all of those people who have various disabilities. Such a design provides the highest level of independence possible from any unwanted or unneeded assistance. With that design in mind here is a new device that replaces wheelchairs.
New device makes wheelchairs obsolete. [VIDEO]
New device makes wheelchairs obsolete. [VIDEO]
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Friday, January 10, 2014
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Monday, November 4, 2013
Friday, October 18, 2013
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Friday, October 4, 2013
Car-free housing in Boston would create more problems than solved - Opinion - The Boston Globe
Never let it be said that I do not allow for arguments against car-free living - it is not for everybody.
Car-free housing in Boston would create more problems than solved - Opinion - The Boston Globe
Car-free housing in Boston would create more problems than solved - Opinion - The Boston Globe
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Monday, September 2, 2013
Prepare Yourself - America will collapse
- DO YOU BELIEVE AMERICA WILL COLLAPSE?
- IF YOU DO BELIEVE IT - SHOULD YOU BE INCREASING YOUR USE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, SHARING YOUR CAR MORE OFTEN, STARTING AN URBAN GARDEN, STARTING A SMALL HOME BUSINESS BASED ONLY ON YOUR MOST PRACTICAL SKILLS LIKE SEWING AND CARPENTRY, AND BARTERING FOR ALL OF YOUR GOODS AND SERVICES?
- ARE YOU PREPARING TO DO ANY OF THIS?
THE PREMISE OF THIS VIDEO IS THAT YOU ARE NOT PREPARED!
Monday, August 26, 2013
Students with perfect attendance could receive reward - Action News 5 - Memphis, Tennessee
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| Car-Free Memphis Blogger, David Fullerton |
First and foremost, children in Shelby County need bike lanes with a fully supportive and well-guarded and highly safe infrastructure on each and every street and especially within ten minutes of every school zone! To illustrate, children need bike parking on the inside of our school buildings instead of on the outside in the open air. And to make that even better, our children need safe and secure restrooms everywhere and plenty of places to get bike parts and tools and to make bike repairs. And of course, car-free friendly planning designs, policies, and processes can help Shelby County citizens resolve all of these related issues and problems more successfully. In fact, after reading some of my noteworthy blog posts and checking out the most popular web links about car-free living, you will have a well-informed point of view concerning the matter; better able to speak your mind publicly and/or better able to write about car-free living across all your social networks. People will become impressed with you and your newfound competence. And, if you ever get lost and confused about what you are tying to say to people, do not worry yourself over it at all – just tell them that you know me and where they can find my blog CAR-FREE MEMPHIS. And remember, you are not alone because well over 6,000 like-minded people are reading my blogs and spreading the word with you. And if people need for us, too, we can always go together and tell them in person just how important a car-free friendly community is for our children and our environment.
Students with perfect attendance could receive reward - Action News 5 - Memphis, Tennessee
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Prowling Around Town For Car-Free Citizens
MATA Board of Commissioners Meeting August 7th 2013, Joe Isgriss, The Bridge, Amtrak, Trolly Line, Downtown Memphis, Memphis Bus Riders Union, Memphis Center for Independent Living, Biking in Memphis, Car Free Cities, Car-Free, Carfree Community Design, Vance Avenue Collaborative, Walking in Memphis, Walk Bike Tennessee, World Car-Free Network, Zip Code 38126,
Monday, August 5, 2013
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Memphis Public Housing: A Rotting Tree In The Foote Homes
There are a number
of dangerous trees rotting and falling apart on the property of Foote Homes
Public Housing. And recently, one of these trees nearly fell over on two
apartment units located at 632 and 634 Mississippi Boulevard. One resident has
been catching this entire tree rotting action on video camera and also taking
pictures whenever limbs have fallen from the tree in front of their own
apartment at 632, apartment 109. This time, the resident was sitting near their
window drinking morning coffee and watching several squirrels play in this
tree. That is when the resident heard a loud crack and saw all those squirrels
jump for their lives. Then right before the resident’s eyes, the tree began to
split in half. Only a few strips of wood and bark were holding this tree
together. The resident called the housing office’s emergency service number to
have them send out someone to the apartment; because this time, the whole tree
was going to fall onto the apartments any second. Then out the door this
resident ran to warn all of the other residents of the danger. No one would
budge to move out of their doors because this threat of the falling tree had
happed to many times before for them to believe it. Public housing officials
began showing up. And at first, public housing officials said that they might
come back in a two days to take care of this whole problem. But finally, after
all these years, housing officials realized that this tree was going to keep
splitting and falling apart. They, too, were going to have to ask the residents
to leave their apartments to go somewhere safer while housing officials blocked
off the area. Then, public housing officials called Bean and Prince
Contractor's, Inc. to rescue the apartments and the residents from an uncertain
fate. It took Bean and Prince hardly any time to get out to the scene and start
to work on this tree. The crew who were working on this massive tree took only
three days to bring the entire tree down under emergency conditions. The crew
was under immeasurable danger and pressure to perform the task without anyone
getting hurt. The crew was truly brave, impressive, and professional to say the
least, especially while having to work extremely fast and extremely careful.
Within the first few hours most of the danger to the buildings was over with,
as the weight of the tree was cut away one limb at the time. By late that
afternoon, only the split trunk of this tree remained in the ground. In fact,
residents were already allowed to return to his or her apartment. That is when
the resident who witnessed this whole ordeal from the beginning realized the
significance of this massive old shade tree and began to shoot some more video
footage to preserve at least one last memory before the trunk was shredded into
nothingness. Moreover, this same fate may happen to every neighborhood that is
located in zip code 38126, including the Foote Homes; and all of which is
touted as the poorest zip code in the Mid-South Region. That old rotting tree,
perhaps hundreds of years old, is the source of many memories that represent
the good, the bad, and the ugly; mostly the ugly. To illustrate, there has been
nothing but stress, strife, and struggle in the zip code 28126, far more
failures than successes: the failure of Memphis City Schools; lack of
transportation due to cut backs at Memphis Area Transit Authority; the ongoing
low wage jobs with few of no benefits; the part time jobs; the temporary jobs;
the long-term unemployment; the food desserts; and all of the criminal activity
caused by people who are only seeking to do the wrong thing simply because they
seem to know nothing else to do. Yes - the end of this old tree represents
sadness and sorrow, but it also represents a positive social change; perhaps a
complete redesign of this whole entire community and the city becoming more
car-free friendly, whereby the whole community can meet all of their essential
needs within ten minutes of almost anyone's location. Now a city like this will
relieve stress, strife, and struggle and it will bring every community together
like never before.
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| Foote Homes Public Housing Photos Taken Summer of 2013 |
Photo's Taken Summer 2009
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
'Cycle Tracks' Latest Bike Initiative for City - Memphis Daily News
Finally! There is some progress for recreational bike riding. Now let us add some bike lanes for more practical purposes such as getting to all of the same shopping areas that car drivers go too.
'Cycle Tracks' Latest Bike Initiative for City - Memphis Daily News
'Cycle Tracks' Latest Bike Initiative for City - Memphis Daily News
Multi-Unit Homes for the Homeless
Mini-Capsules are on the market for hotel chains as overnight get-a-ways. In fact, the capsulesserve as muti-unit beech houses for the infamous Brad Pitt. Would the same design concept be perfect as multi-unit homes for the homeless? Click the link below to find out more about the design!
Mini Capsule Hotel by Atelier Van Lieshout - Dezeen
Mini Capsule Hotel by Atelier Van Lieshout - Dezeen
Monday, July 8, 2013
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Friday, June 28, 2013
The Summer Bicycles Took Control - Atlantic Mobile
New York City and Chicago unleash thousands of bikes for their bike share program. Could it work here in Memphis? You be the Judge of this.
The Summer Bicycles Took Control - Atlantic Mobile
The Summer Bicycles Took Control - Atlantic Mobile
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