Word: beerful
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Honoring Obama Your article naming president-elect Barack Obama as Person of the Year was insightful, interesting and original [Dec. 29]. After two elections in which it seemed the American people cast their vote for the guy they'd most like to have a beer with, your article illustrated why we as a country voted a different way this time. I'm proud not because we elected an African American but because we finally elected the smartest guy in the room. Erin Pagel-Mohr, Redlands, Calif...
Noise pollution is one problem. The bikes hold 10 to 22 people, and when the drinking starts, the riders' shouts become increasingly difficult to ignore. Wanda Nikkels, who lives in the red-light district, says the more beer passengers consume, the more obnoxious they get and the slower they pedal. They also have a habit of trampling flowers, steering into pedestrian-only zones and blocking traffic. "Recently there was a group of guys who parked their bike in front of some hookers and the girls made a live show and the boys kept screaming," she says. "It was just...
Last summer, there were also a couple of high-profile accidents that prompted concern among city officials. In one incident, 11 women crashed their beer bike into a viaduct, throwing several of them to the pavement. One was hospitalized with a concussion, another broke several ribs and a third lost the tip of a finger. "It's an uncontrolled projectile," says Karin Wolfs, an Amsterdam resident who broke a finger when a beer bike hit her motorcycle in June and sent her flying. "Who came up with the idea to drink beer while driving on public roads?" (See pictures...
...brakes on some parts of the booze-bike experience. New rules will be unveiled in the coming weeks that could force companies to cap alcohol consumption, provide designated drivers and follow pre-approved routes. Karsten, for one, supports such measures as a way of improving the image of the beer bike in Amsterdam. He sticks by the safety of his vehicles, noting that both accidents last year involved rival companies. And his bikes, which start at $680 for a two-hour tour with 8 gal. (30 L) beer, already come with a tour guide and designated driver, as well...
...aware that drunken tourists sometimes block traffic when they struggle to pedal, he plans to add an electrical mechanism to the undercarriage this year to "help push the bike forward." In a city known for its tolerance, these efforts may be enough to assuage angry residents - and keep the beer flowing, and the bike rolling, for years to come...