Word: biked
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...seems there is virtually no area of transportation that Oberstar isn't intimately familiar with. An avid outdoor biker who speaks fluently the language of his beloved Tour de France, Oberstar had spent a frustrating morning before our interview trying to replace the chain engine on his stationary bike - for the second time. The first burned out after 5,000 miles; the second only made it to 3,000. His conclusion is typically pragmatic: "It's time I just get a new bike...
...course, bike lanes, electric buses and light-rail extensions are even more efficient than road repairs when it comes to fighting global warming, volatile gas prices and our addiction to foreign oil; transit projects also create 9% more jobs. Then again, transit projects like high-speed rail lines and subway stations tend to take more time to build than roads or repairs. And while a recent study calculated that the average dollar spent on infrastructure ricochets into $1.59 worth of short-term growth - a bit better than aid to states or broad-based tax cuts and a lot better than...
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...
Authorities are now contemplating whether to put the 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...
Karsten is also trying to limit disruptions to local residents. He requires his guides to stop their bikes near a restaurant or hotel every 20 minutes so passengers can relieve themselves indoors. "I hate when they pee on the street," he says. "It looks unprofessional." And, 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...