Bicycles in Budapest -this is no Paris-

After along hiatus from injury, traveling and getting distracted I'm back to publishing at semi-regular intervals.

Unlike before when I was racing alleycats and working in New York city the new focus is on straight up travel and incredible stories.


Here's the mild observations that made me think that writing on the internet might be a good idea again:

1. The big Scandal in Budapest this summer was the story of a messenger that was riding along the main boulevard Andrassy when a car started maliciously swerving to hit the messenger. At the light the cyclist approached the car to say something about sharing the road only to have the driver present a Parliament ID and a hand gun threatening to kill the cyclist while maintaining the god-like immunity that comes with any parliamentary position here. The cyclist first went to the police, who rebuffed him then the media. What followed can only be described as a shit storm.
   
2. Yesterday it rained. My boy is a messenger and after coming home he casually recounted 3+ major accidents including witnessing a taxi run down an old man who's head exploded on contact. Major car accidents like this seem common and after riding here it's clear that drivers have a genuine contempt for life in general and for cyclists in particular. This is further exasperated because the bridges connecting the city are almost all under major reconstruction and even for a very small city the congestion is... epic.
   
3. Paris has just instituted a major bike share program and New York (via Transportation Alternatives) is studying alternative street planning in regards to bike lanes and how to integrate cars, bicycles and pedestrians. Budapest has a number of unique solutions and problems that make for a real mixed bag -excellent examples of what to do and what to avoid. I'm a big believer in learning from the mistakes and good examples of others. I'm also interested in traveling to and reporting on the problems and solutions found in other European cities.
   

So whenever I manage to get myself some place new or stumble upon something epic and ridiculous. Like before there will probably be a good amount of social and adventure reporting/storytelling. Of course it's also a lot more relaxed around here so the frequency will be whenever something happens.