Burbank, CA To Long Beach, CA

[Lew Hodgett]

Burbank and Long Beach are both suburbs of Los Angeles, both have commercial airports, and are about 40 miles apart.

This weekend, the closure of I-405 has had a definite impact on how you would travel to get to either airport.

Up steps Jet Blue and offers a $4 one way fare between Bob Hope airport (Burbank) and Long Beach airport on Saturday only.

Would have been a nice promotion except for one thing.

A bicycle club offers a challenge.

A race between a jet plane and a bicycle using only bike paths and/or surface streets.

The bicycle completed the race in 90 minutes, handily winning the race.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Was is Jeremy versus James? Some days it can take even longer just to get through security. Good publicity for the bicycle club though.

[Han]

"Lew Hodgett" wrote in news:4e227471$0$32171 $c3e8da3$ [e-mail]:

[Leon]

Imagine a jet airplane using only bike paths and/or surface streets. No wonder the bile won.

[Swingman]

ROTFL ...

[RonB]

It is amazing how much publicity this has gotten on a world-wide basis. "Carmageddon" has, at one time or another, held top-line coverage on many of the web news pages (CNN, MSNBC, etc). It has, at times, overshadowed the Budget crisis, war, and other stories that are of national or world concern. I can assure you that MOST people in the US could not POSSIBLY care less about a LA area traffic problem. Seems like any inconvenience in southern CA or NY gets top bill.

The rest of the nation just copes!

RonB

[Swingman]

No kidding ... even Casey Anthony is starting to feel ignored.

[Larry Jaques]

So, why is Lew promoting jetting 40 miles, and when did Lew stop gasping over the price of fuel? I finally had to plonk him about the third week into his daily tirades.

Democrats, total discontinuity incarnate.

-- Life is an escalator: You can move forward or backward; you can not remain still. -- Patricia Russell-McCloud

[RonB]

No Kidding! She should have never been the subject of a national news story.

The only good thing that came from that trial is that Nancy Grace ended up with ear-to-ear egg on her face. She started the trial before there was even a body.

RonB

[RicodJour]

Lew posted about a bicycle beating a plane. How do you construe that to mean he's now promoting jetting 40 miles or being okay with gas at $4/gallon? I read pretty much the exact opposite.

R

[Matt]

What Lew didn't tell you is that the bicycle group left 90 minutes BEFORE the scheduled departure time of the plane (to simulate the time spent going through the entire boarding process, to include security checks, etc.), and that the group agreed to meet a bicycle club member who took the flight at a local park somewhat in the vicinity of the destination airport... said member who had to take a cab from the airport to the park, through less than ideal traffic conditions...

[Robatoy]

.....and as I mentioned before, nancy grace was the reason that Anthony got decent legal help, and the DA overreached in the charges.

[-MIKE-]

Isn't that what anyone would care about? Real-world travel conditions? I'm from OH, but I live in TN. Given the price of gas, it's always tempting to go to Southwest and grab a $50-60 flight up to OH, instead of drive the 6.5hrs and spend that much or more on gas. The flight is less than 1.5hr, but is it worth it?

.5hr getting to airport.

1.5hr fondling and waiting 1.5hr flying. .5hr getting out of destination airport 1.5hr drive to destination city 5.5hrs to get where I can drive in 6.5. Even I practice my "experienced traveler" habits of not checking baggage, arriving at airport 1/2hr before takeoff, I'm realistically looking at at least 4hrs travel time. But that doesn't take into account all the stress and BS involved with flying these days and pressing your luck arriving just in time at the airport. That doesn't take into account that now I have to find rides to and from both airports, and borrow a car while I'm in OH. With driving, I can take as much with me as I want. I can bring back as much Great Lakes beer as I want. :-) I can stop and poop anywhere I want on the way up and I'm locked locked inside a giant, musty, hot, stink can with a bunch of farting, crying, inconsiderate, travelers.

[Swingman]

In the distant past, and arranging for the backline to be there in advance, I could fly to a gig with a backpack for the overhead, and a bass in a gig bag that would hang, with a smile from the "stewardess", in the cabin's coat compartment.

Try that today and you will waste at least an hour with security and another 30 minutes arguing with a caveman mentality with no authority except what's granted in the handbook.

Passengers today are walking baggage, insulated from corporate airline management by purposely hired drones barely more sentient than their computer terminals, and chuted through the entire process like cattle on the way to slaughter. AAMOF, if you've ever worked cattle on a ranch, you will immediately recognize the scenario/method.

Personally for me, flying in this country, at one time a convenience worth the price, is no longer an option if there is any possible alternative.

[Robatoy]

There you have it. I was going to fly to my sister's funeral. By the time I had my timing/course of action figured out, word came that a LOT of people were going to the funeral. From all over the planet. My nieces and nephew thought it would be better if Angela and I made a drive after 'the zoo' has cleared. IOW, after the funeral. That way, we could come together, by car, take our time, and have the kids al to ourselves=97there'd be very little chance to hang out during the funeral. I have flow lots in my day, last trip at Christmas, but I can't reconcile the (Godwin alert) treatment we now have to endure by the hands of the Gestapo. I will not expose myself to the robot-like drones who have permission to grab my junk. Fuck that noise. So after my mom passes away, we'll be on the road for a considerable journey which may take almost anywhere is the US of A.

[Leon]

It was an unfair challenge, they both had to use only bike paths and/or surface streets. Suppose they both had to float on air, then who would win?

[Larry Jaques]

The same article with a "Bicycle Beats Plane" headline might have been construed as an article promoting bicycling. Without that, it reads as an airline advertising for business. YMMV

-- Life is an escalator: You can move forward or backward; you can not remain still. -- Patricia Russell-McCloud

[Larry Jaques]

I believe that this is precisely the reaction the Powers That Be intended. Orwell was only off by a few years...

-- Life is an escalator: You can move forward or backward; you can not remain still. -- Patricia Russell-McCloud

[krw]

We drove to Vermont (2600mi, round trip) for our 40th (also, to see the kid), rather than fly. TSA was a considerable part of that decision.

[George Watson]

[..]

..and you are not charged excess baggage for that stick of red cedar! One stick!

Assuming there is a *not* indeed missing in your "locked locked"[sic] :-)

There is absolutely no reason why aero cabins have to be how they make them.. fouled cesspits of spent beans and diaper disasters, yet the airline insist. Like you it is for those reasons (you cite) I would rather

17" hours in a car to 4hrs (total) aero travel. On that you got my vote!

This too.. from the Muso.. is "nail hammer head" stuff. "AAMOF, if you've ever worked cattle on a ranch, you will immediately recognize the scenario/method.". Substitute with "sheep" and ditto applies "down under". george