If it’s not while riding to get splattered with grass and fresh lead fumes it’ll be getting woken up by a blower on a mission just under my window at 6.30 on a saturday morning… good goin Y !!
Personally I think gasoline powered leaf blowers should be illegal. You realize that a single leaf blower puts out more air pollution in 5 minutes then a city bus does in an hour…..
Way to go Yehuda!!! Those things are stupid. Here at the office they actually use them in a parking garage to blow out debris that collects at the floor/wall junction. They simply scatter the debris into the air and onto everyone’s car – this is a bonus on top of the noise and air pollution they generate!
I can’t believe you actually care about people who have and operate leaf blowers. Matter of fact, if and when I ride, and I see someone blowing leaves, I navigate around them. Again, taking responsibility for when I ride.
Maybe I’m just lucky, but most yard workers – mowers, lawn blowers, fertilizer applicants, etc – politely stop and wait for me to go by. At least, the professional ones do. My schedule doesn’t take me by a lot of homeowners doing lawnwork.
Ninja – yes, very good for you. But I think the cartoon made the point that Yehuda could NOT navigate around them. Others have complained not about the grass clippings blown on them, but about the pollution, which seems a legitimate beef beyond “personal responsibility”
The people that operate those things are usually some of the rudest people. I always have the courtesy to stop mine or turn it the other way from path of oncoming vehicle. Fight the power Yehuda!
Nope, but I have to deal with four lanes of idiots on my way to work. People who drive around 8:30 or 9:00, would be considered just as inconsiderate as those who use blowers.
Hmm… this is the 2nd time my comment has been deleted. If someone has something to say to me, my email is (and has been) there. Or, say it here.
Be a man.
I guess it’s a glitch then. I thought it might be someone from the same IP subnet as mine up to some mischief. E.g. wikipedia bans most of Starhub.net.sg from editing — no thanks to some black sheep.
Leaf blowers may not exceed 65 dBA at 50 feet. During the season (May 1 through November 30) leaf blowers may only be operated between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, regardless of their noise level. No lawn work is allowed on Sundays and legal holidays.
The island’s blower control ordinance is stricter than the town’s gun control ordinance. No kidding.
As soon as you click on ‘submit comment’ you may have noticed that the comment shows up at the just after the previous comment.
But that is local. Try posting a comment with the internet disconnected and you’d see that it appears to be posted. It does not reflect what is happening at the server.
For that you will have to refresh the page. Something may have gone wrong while you commented and it failed to post at the server.
Sorry for the intrusion, I didn’t know David, but he was one of us.
Man Shot Bicycling To Work For 1st Time
POSTED: 7:38 am EDT July 16, 2008
TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo police said a man was shot and killed while bicycling to work for the first time to save on gas.
Police Capt. Ray Carroll said 46-year-old David Babcock was seen on a street having a heated argument with another man before he was shot around 5:30 Tuesday morning. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
The coroner said Babcock took a bullet to the face that caused massive bleeding and hampered his breathing.
No arrests have been made. Authorities don’t know the motive for the shooting.
Babcock survived surgery to remove a brain tumor 13 years ago. His fiance, Rene Long, said Babcock had put lights on his bike and wore a reflective vest so he would be safe on his inaugural, 8-mile ride to his job at Fresh Products Inc., a maker of air fresheners.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press.
I also have issues with leaf blowers. Here in dry West Texas, the maintenance guys mow the “grass” down really low and kick up a bunch of dust, then they go along the street and blow the dust…I dunno where they intend but it fills the entire street with particles and it goes into my eyes. Not to mention the nasty fumes the gas powered things put out, and the utter waste of it all.
Anyone noticed this?
After a shower or rainstorm, I still see people with leaf blowers wasting gas / making unnecessary noise blowing at the wet leaves stuck on the pavement / roads / lawn.
imagine you wake up at 6 and work all day in the sun covered in grass and dirt yourself. you have 12 yards to take care of today, and you only have time for 10. your son needs to be picked up from some practice around 3. again you are covered in grass and dirt and smell like dirty gasoline, along comes a guy who CHOSE to be on a bike and he is riding into your path. yesterday you were cut off by a bike running a stop sign, and this morning you were stuck be hind a bike for about 5 miles and were late getting to the first job site. do you slow down and get out of rhythm, or just keep working when that guy passes by. also remember that you are so used to grass and dirt you forget that others hate it.
just some perspective, id be mad if i happened to me too
Your logic does make sense untill you realise the fact that the dude wasn’t using the leaf blower in his car. Really how hard would it have been for the guy to turn the blower away as Yehuda passed. You’re on a bike, you aren’t going 40 mph, it’s likely that the worker saw Yehuda and intentionally sprayed him with dirt and clippings.
I was born and raised in the south-southwest US and the people doing the “jobs that americans won’t do” are usually considerate enough to turn the machine away or off if it’s electric.
I can understand your analogy, but it comes off a little narrow minded and smells of fantasy-land.
More power to Yehuda for sticking it to the idiot man.
So if “man shot” was always focused on the negative, I could understand suggesting that he not focus on the negative all the time and look on the bright side of life.
However, I don’t think your comment communicated this.
You know, I always love it when Yehuda does the things I just don’t have the stones to do myself but always wanted to do.
If it’s not while riding to get splattered with grass and fresh lead fumes it’ll be getting woken up by a blower on a mission just under my window at 6.30 on a saturday morning… good goin Y !!
You know, I have to admit I’ve never encountered a leaf blower; they just don’t seem to be popular around here.
‘Can’t imagine what it is like for those with grass / dust / pollen allergies. Ugh!
Leaf blowers: because raking leaves really blows.
I mean, come on! How hard is it to rake them into a nice pile? One still needs a rake to actually get them in the bag. Oh wait
Personally I think gasoline powered leaf blowers should be illegal. You realize that a single leaf blower puts out more air pollution in 5 minutes then a city bus does in an hour…..
Way to go Yehuda!!! Those things are stupid. Here at the office they actually use them in a parking garage to blow out debris that collects at the floor/wall junction. They simply scatter the debris into the air and onto everyone’s car – this is a bonus on top of the noise and air pollution they generate!
I found this that mentions some cities that are trying to ban them:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/08/AR2006110800709.html
What, who would ban a leaf blower?
I can’t believe you actually care about people who have and operate leaf blowers. Matter of fact, if and when I ride, and I see someone blowing leaves, I navigate around them. Again, taking responsibility for when I ride.
Maybe I’m just lucky, but most yard workers – mowers, lawn blowers, fertilizer applicants, etc – politely stop and wait for me to go by. At least, the professional ones do. My schedule doesn’t take me by a lot of homeowners doing lawnwork.
Ninja – yes, very good for you. But I think the cartoon made the point that Yehuda could NOT navigate around them. Others have complained not about the grass clippings blown on them, but about the pollution, which seems a legitimate beef beyond “personal responsibility”
The people that operate those things are usually some of the rudest people. I always have the courtesy to stop mine or turn it the other way from path of oncoming vehicle. Fight the power Yehuda!
BTW, I use an electric powered blower.
See, that is the way to do it MGD. I would agree to the rudeness as well as the pure lack of perception of the people and things around them.
Secondly, I would offer this, may be ringing your bell as you pass just as you would if there just happened to be a 3000lb vehicle in your path.
What about dogs, has anyone mentioned dogs, and the fact that owners don’t care what they do. Who is who in that relationship.
Has anyone encountered a rodent of some sort? I know that a deer is not a rodent, but deer can be just as vicious as a 3000lb vehicle.
Nope, but I have to deal with four lanes of idiots on my way to work. People who drive around 8:30 or 9:00, would be considered just as inconsiderate as those who use blowers.
Hmm… this is the 2nd time my comment has been deleted. If someone has something to say to me, my email is (and has been) there. Or, say it here.
Be a man.
Something on my biking blog offended someone?
http://pedaldamnit.blogspot.com
Really? Has this happened to anyone else?
I’d rather use a flame thrower next time…
Oops… not on Yehuda…
I have had my comment deleted once.
But I posted it again later in the day and it went fine.
I guessed it is more like a glitch.
I hope so. No one else has access to the administration of comments…
I guess it’s a glitch then. I thought it might be someone from the same IP subnet as mine up to some mischief. E.g. wikipedia bans most of Starhub.net.sg from editing — no thanks to some black sheep.
Thanks and keep up the great comic, Rick
Ride on!
The very ritzy Town of Palm Beach (Florida) requires all leaf blowers to be certified by the Palm Beach Police Department…
http://tinyurl.com/pb-blowers
Leaf blowers may not exceed 65 dBA at 50 feet. During the season (May 1 through November 30) leaf blowers may only be operated between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, regardless of their noise level. No lawn work is allowed on Sundays and legal holidays.
The island’s blower control ordinance is stricter than the town’s gun control ordinance. No kidding.
–Matt / Palm Beach Bike Tours
I want to know what happens next with the bakfiets mom.
@ MGD:
BTW, I use a rake.
Also, a reel (push) mower, and a snow shovel. (Not all at the same time.)
As soon as you click on ‘submit comment’ you may have noticed that the comment shows up at the just after the previous comment.
But that is local. Try posting a comment with the internet disconnected and you’d see that it appears to be posted. It does not reflect what is happening at the server.
For that you will have to refresh the page. Something may have gone wrong while you commented and it failed to post at the server.
Sorry for the intrusion, I didn’t know David, but he was one of us.
Man Shot Bicycling To Work For 1st Time
POSTED: 7:38 am EDT July 16, 2008
TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo police said a man was shot and killed while bicycling to work for the first time to save on gas.
Police Capt. Ray Carroll said 46-year-old David Babcock was seen on a street having a heated argument with another man before he was shot around 5:30 Tuesday morning. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
The coroner said Babcock took a bullet to the face that caused massive bleeding and hampered his breathing.
No arrests have been made. Authorities don’t know the motive for the shooting.
Babcock survived surgery to remove a brain tumor 13 years ago. His fiance, Rene Long, said Babcock had put lights on his bike and wore a reflective vest so he would be safe on his inaugural, 8-mile ride to his job at Fresh Products Inc., a maker of air fresheners.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press.
Those infernal things don’t work worth anything anyway… He truly IS doing that guy a favor.
“Man shot…”
Why post that here?
If the comments turn into a medium for cyclists with a victims complex, then I won’t care to see them.
I also have issues with leaf blowers. Here in dry West Texas, the maintenance guys mow the “grass” down really low and kick up a bunch of dust, then they go along the street and blow the dust…I dunno where they intend but it fills the entire street with particles and it goes into my eyes. Not to mention the nasty fumes the gas powered things put out, and the utter waste of it all.
Anyone noticed this?
After a shower or rainstorm, I still see people with leaf blowers wasting gas / making unnecessary noise blowing at the wet leaves stuck on the pavement / roads / lawn.
What are they doing?
Drying the leaves???
Aside: thanks for the explanation, Issac
RE:JohnF
Why not post it here? We are cyclists right?
And why do you think any of us care if you read the comments or not?
imagine you wake up at 6 and work all day in the sun covered in grass and dirt yourself. you have 12 yards to take care of today, and you only have time for 10. your son needs to be picked up from some practice around 3. again you are covered in grass and dirt and smell like dirty gasoline, along comes a guy who CHOSE to be on a bike and he is riding into your path. yesterday you were cut off by a bike running a stop sign, and this morning you were stuck be hind a bike for about 5 miles and were late getting to the first job site. do you slow down and get out of rhythm, or just keep working when that guy passes by. also remember that you are so used to grass and dirt you forget that others hate it.
just some perspective, id be mad if i happened to me too
@ minusben
“Aside: thanks for the explanation, Issac
”
You are welcome. The spelling suggests that you know me from somewhere.
@ biking bill.
If some guy on a car get stuck behind me for a long time, I usually step aside and let a few cars pass.
@bilking bill
Your logic does make sense untill you realise the fact that the dude wasn’t using the leaf blower in his car. Really how hard would it have been for the guy to turn the blower away as Yehuda passed. You’re on a bike, you aren’t going 40 mph, it’s likely that the worker saw Yehuda and intentionally sprayed him with dirt and clippings.
I was born and raised in the south-southwest US and the people doing the “jobs that americans won’t do” are usually considerate enough to turn the machine away or off if it’s electric.
I can understand your analogy, but it comes off a little narrow minded and smells of fantasy-land.
More power to Yehuda for sticking it to the idiot man.
edit:
It isn’t just likely Yehuda was seen, he specifical?ly says he made eye contact. Proves my point all over again
@Blue
Have you ever seen the SNL skit “Debbie Downer”?
JohnF,
So if “man shot” was always focused on the negative, I could understand suggesting that he not focus on the negative all the time and look on the bright side of life.
However, I don’t think your comment communicated this.
You asked