tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3002171964909690430.post1555388251580139979..comments2024-03-18T23:52:31.939-04:00Comments on The Invisible Visible Man: Hear this: what I heard on the street - and what it says about cycling's meritsInvisible Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942359504874275065noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3002171964909690430.post-69297124273433450192015-03-01T20:02:54.166-05:002015-03-01T20:02:54.166-05:00Yes Harry Buddar it aint goin be vury safe if pedd...Yes Harry Buddar it aint goin be vury safe if peddleng duwn road with thuse earfones in yur lugs is it? Random cars goin vury fast behind you and you is aint haering them coming next its bang and up the hopsital.<br />Laeve the earfones in home is best.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11490164876098190275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3002171964909690430.post-70951360108680626272013-07-07T21:11:06.315-04:002013-07-07T21:11:06.315-04:00I love your writing.
Today I was riding in my are...I love your writing.<br /><br />Today I was riding in my area (Northern Virginia) and noticed a weed-eater type sound. At first I was annoyed thinking someone didn't understand the sanctity of quiet on a Sunday summer afternoon. Then I realized the sound was made by cicadas in the grove of trees I was passing. Understanding that it was a "natural" rather than "man-made" sound immediately made me smile. My entire perspective shifted.<br /><br />And, around here, instead of high-volume rap, it's often something lively in Spanish. I'd be happy for a jazz experience like the one you had.SouthLakesMomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08822510653198676631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3002171964909690430.post-3036871191733348612013-06-27T10:59:39.924-04:002013-06-27T10:59:39.924-04:00Hairy,
I suppose I don't mind accommodating t...Hairy,<br /><br />I suppose I don't mind accommodating the trapped dogs (the emergency vehicles). It's the people trapping them to whom I object.<br /><br />But I'm glad you're going to ride with your earphones out. I tend to agree with the commenter up above that it's a big aid to safety to be able to hear clearly. Let me know, incidentally, if you substitute for the headphones with a song going round your head. For me, this morning, inspired by the poor weather forecast for later today, it was the Eurythmics' "Here Comes the Rain Again."<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />Invisible.Invisible Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15942359504874275065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3002171964909690430.post-34811456165588971182013-06-27T10:48:37.551-04:002013-06-27T10:48:37.551-04:00What a fantastic article - Though it made me very ...What a fantastic article - Though it made me very sad to think of how badly we have butchered our towns and cities to accomodate these pitiful trapped dogs.<br /><br />Actually, I think I have become too complacent about the sensory experience of cycling and mostly listen to podcasts on headphones these days. This evening I will commute au naturale (well not quite) inspired by this post!Hairy Buddhahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13358292028553879590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3002171964909690430.post-52530491938142853312013-06-24T17:07:20.766-04:002013-06-24T17:07:20.766-04:00Thank you, OurBicycleLives. I actually thought of ...Thank you, OurBicycleLives. I actually thought of you a little as I wrote it, as I thought it was probably more in the style of some of your posts than my normal ones.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />Invisible.Invisible Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15942359504874275065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3002171964909690430.post-29559575230049588352013-06-24T17:00:16.050-04:002013-06-24T17:00:16.050-04:00What an evocative post, Invisible! And so true tha...What an evocative post, Invisible! And so true that when we cycle, we are much more connected and/or exposed to the world around us, be it people, places, sounds or the weather, for better or for worse.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />Our Bicycle LivesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3002171964909690430.post-9166134956829385732013-06-24T16:48:02.347-04:002013-06-24T16:48:02.347-04:00It's a very good point, Gneiss. A few weeks ag...It's a very good point, Gneiss. A few weeks ago, I had a driver illegally push past me as I rode towing my son on his trailer bike. When I gave the driver no more than a disapproving look at the next traffic lights, he told me "Get that Death Trap off the Road." Given that he was driving a large SUV aggressively and that I could see when he wound down his window that he was talking on his cellphone, there was more than a hint of irony to his comment.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />Invisible.Invisible Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15942359504874275065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3002171964909690430.post-44129862049720228862013-06-24T16:41:15.025-04:002013-06-24T16:41:15.025-04:00It's the connection to our outside environment...It's the connection to our outside environment that strikes me in the most palpable way when I am traveling by bicycle on the roads. On roads without sidewalks, often I sense how limited our human presence is on the landscape. It's as if we've restricted people from that very public realm and instead allow only metal, glass, and plastic to exist in the outside world.<br /><br />On another note, it's amazing how adult the public sphere has become. Our fear of cars has banished children from our roadways, so when I travel with my daughter on the trailer bike, I often feel she is the only recognizable child in the street. This has a rather perverse effect on car drivers, I think. Actions that people would never consider around children, like displays of aggression or swearing are considered acceptable. This most amazingly has been directed at my wife during the morning commute when she is taking our daughter to school on the trailer. Twice she has been sworn at, loud enough for my daughter to hear. I can't imagine that those same people would do that in other social contexts with children around, even if they were frustrated or angry.gneisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15320516564523990158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3002171964909690430.post-64386330520490669572013-06-24T13:02:17.295-04:002013-06-24T13:02:17.295-04:00I can only imagine that up there by the Pacific Oc...I can only imagine that up there by the Pacific Ocean the balance between life-affirming and stressful sounds is tilted very differently from how it was in the DFW area. Am I right? But I should imagine the balance between stress and life-affirming is generally fairly differently balanced.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />Invisible.Invisible Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15942359504874275065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3002171964909690430.post-62082594932104353502013-06-24T12:53:27.804-04:002013-06-24T12:53:27.804-04:00Unlike DFW, I haven't felt like wearing earpho...Unlike DFW, I haven't felt like wearing earphones in Ocean Shores. Odd.Steve Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13650405341304401203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3002171964909690430.post-3696099922301482392013-06-24T12:18:54.385-04:002013-06-24T12:18:54.385-04:00Kevin,
You're very kind. I wrote after Supers...Kevin,<br /><br />You're very kind. I wrote after Superstorm Sandy about the challenges of the weather in this part of the world (http://invisiblevisibleman.blogspot.com/2012/11/whatever-weather-cyclings-proved-post.html). There are certainly more extremes than I encountered when I was in London - and it's well worth not getting caught out in one of the sudden, torrential storms that sweep across pretty much all of the US at this time of year.<br /><br />The connection with the wider world is, however, a joy. I've just cycled to my office in 90F heat but got occasional little blasts of cold air to cool me down. The people who came by subway missed all that.<br /><br />Invisible.Invisible Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15942359504874275065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3002171964909690430.post-23070914039392683912013-06-24T11:24:12.483-04:002013-06-24T11:24:12.483-04:00You write so well. I love today's post. Yes,...You write so well. I love today's post. Yes, cycling connects us with our environment. With all the sounds that we otherwise would not hear.<br /><br />More than once I have noticed at my own place of work near the end of business hours that someone would get the latest weather forecast and there would be a discussion about the weather. It was always the people who would be going home by bicycle that were keenly interested in the weather.Kevin Lovehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13186428862833389619noreply@blogger.com