Monday, November 10, 2008

Enter the Ninja



Summary: Carry lots of cheapo little lights to give away to people who don't have them. In doing so you will be making the streets safer, one bike at a time.



As defined in the Velosopedia
bike ninja: noun. A scofflaw cyclist that wears dark clothing at night with no reflectors or lights. They tend to ride erratically and in a way that they suppose avoids getting in the way of automobiles. By being unable or unwilling to put lights on their bicycle, they enshroud themselves in a ninja-like shroud of invisibility, endangering themselves and everybody around them.

Bike Ninjas are the natural enemy of the Bike Pirates.


Bike ninjas are obviously awful and dangerous. I saw at least two this evening, and it was way dark, and it aggravates the ble-blu-bah-jesus out of me. You can get your basic blinking safety light for less than five dollars. My new non-profit is going to be called Bike Pirates. (Pirates because of their natural aversion to ninjas.) The aim of this project/group will be to obtain cheap lights and distribute them freely to cyclists who obviously need them.

Kind of like that student organization that handed out free condoms at the senior prom, except it will be easier to tell which bikers are not lit up than it is to tell which teenagers are probably going to be giving it up.



Park Hill's own bicycle collective, the Bike Depot, purportedly keeps boxes of red blinky lights to give away for cheap or for free.

Truly, they are kindred spirits, and honorary Pirates.

No comments: