Learning to Ride a Bike: Basics like Balance & Braking
Posted by Kirsten Eamon-Shine in Bicycling on May 12th, 2011 | 22 comments
From what I can tell there are two major processes to learning how to ride a bike as an adult – figuring out the mechanics and then figuring out how those mechanics work in the real world. The simplest and, in many ways, most challenging part of learning involves some basics mechanical processes. Those include making the bike move forward, not falling off the bike (balance), steering and braking. None of those are easy tasks, but they aren’t impossible, either. All of the information below assumes that a person is taking the precautions she or he has deemed necessary for physical...
Learning to Ride a Bike – at 32
Posted by Kirsten Eamon-Shine in Bicycling on Apr 27th, 2011 | 10 comments
I have a confession: I am 32 years old and love the idea of urban bike-riding and other alternative modes of transportation. And, I cannot – or at least could not until very recently – ride a bike.
A few years ago, I was lucky to participate in an renewal fellowship for Indiana’s youth development leaders. The fellowship provided a modest pot of “renewal funds”. One of the things I used my funds for was to buy a shiny new bike. And then, other than some limited stuttering starts in parking lots, it sat prettily in my garage (along with another lovely vintage bike that...
Step 1 to Create a Pedestrian Friendly City
Posted by Kirsten Eamon-Shine in Neighborhoods on Jan 11th, 2011 | 20 comments
A lot Urban Indy’s content focuses on decisions made by “the man”. You know, the guy/gal/power structure that messes up a lot, doesn’t always get the value of making Indianapolis a live-able city, and can’t seem to listen to our urbanophilic reason? Well, there are also a lot of things, simple things, that you can do to make central Indiana a better place to live and move around in. If you want people to be able to get around the city with ease, I have one recommendation for you today:
Shovel Your Sidewalk!
If you are reading this and you do not have a sidewalk, I am sorry...
The New Wave of Green Roofs?
Posted by Kirsten Eamon-Shine in Neighborhoods, Transit on Oct 8th, 2010 | 0 comments
An NYU grad student, Marco Castro Cosio, came up with an interesting idea to make green roofs a bit more mobile – outfit MTA buses in New York with green roofs. He’s calling the project Bus Roots. In addition to adding more green space, he also suggests that adding green roofs to these modes of public transportation underscores the fact that cities are “living organisms” and would also provide a fertile (ha) research opportunity – there isn’t much scientific data on the impact of motion on plants.
Whatever the motivation, it looks pretty cool. But maybe we should...
ACS: Parking, FSSA & Concerns
Posted by Kirsten Eamon-Shine in Neighborhoods on Aug 26th, 2010 | 2 comments
NUVO’s Austin Considine* wrote an interesting article regarding the Mayor’s pick for the proposed parking system – Affiliated Computer Systems (ACS). In addition to concerns related to ACS’s ties to Republican leadership in the state and a few privacy blunders, one sticky past project of ACS is causing concern among critics. Given the long-term nature of this contract, it’s a good time to consider the Mayor’s choice with care and seriousness.
Remember when the Indiana government contracted with IBM and ACS to privatize aspects of the Family and Social Services...
