| Quote: |
MEXICO CITY - Dozens of cyclists rode nude through downtown Mexico City on Saturday, demanding respect from motorists and protesting against the car-oriented culture in this megalopolis.
With slogans like "Respect Bike Riders" painted on their bodies, about two dozen naked cyclists turned heads in a city where it's rare to see even clothed riders braving the chaotic traffic on bikes.
"Drivers don't respect us, which is why we've had to take this kind of action," said Felipe Fulop, a protest organizer.
Agustin Mendez, 48, arrived at the protest wearing only a pair of sneakers and a bike helmet.
"This is what we have to do to get drivers to see us and respect us," said Mendez, adding he was recently hit by what he believes was a bottle thrown by a youth leaning out of a passing vehicle on a Mexico City street.
While the city has constructed a few bike paths and lanes in recent years, it has built far more expressways.
The city's bicycle routes consist of lane markers painted on streets and sidewalks, which few drivers respect.
Saturday's demonstrators also stressed that they were helping the city's severe smog problem.
"We don't pollute," Fulop said. |
------------Comcast.net Strange News
I agree to this to some intent but I do not agree with them riding nude. I do agree that some motorits do not respect people on Bicycicles as I have almost been run off the road myself by a Motorist. We have the same right to be on the road as Motorists do. Just because we don't have the fancy look and the speed dosn't mean that we have to remain off the road. Legally Bikes have to be ridden on the road and not the side walks.
Now as far as the smog and polution goes I do agree that motorists do produce a lot of polution and that riding a bike can help that. But for some reason we will never see that happen.I ride a cycle myself mostly to and from work so I get where they are coming from, roads in general are hazadous enough with out having to worry about the 2 ton metal objects passing inches from you at 60 mph but to say its a cyclist againt motorist story makes me laugh because for every idiot car driver you see you will see an idiot cyclist, there usually the ones riding on the pavement doing to pedestrians what car drivers do to cyclists, ok idiot cyclists are less deadly to pedestrians than idiot motorists are to cyclists but its not cars or bikes its people 
I don't bike anymore, it got a little too dangerous where I live. I know that bikes are supposed to be on the road and have the same 'rights' as motorized traffic, and that it is appropriate for them to be cycling down the middle of the road slowing traffic behind them. Aggravating, but that's life. What really gets me is when these same morons get to a red light, they pedal around stopped traffic and run the red light. 
What they are saying is 'the rules say I can slow YOU down, but I can ignore rules slowing ME down'. It ALMOST makes me understand the A**hole drivers that run bikers off the road.
Why oh why can't everyone drive as well as I do! 
It takes a lot more human energy for a bike to stop and start and stop and stop and start than for some lazy motorist to press the accelerator, first of all. Second, is the five seconds that it takes to go around the bike that much of an issue? If so, try wiping your ass quicker or something. What gets me is everyone rushing to get everywhere, and blaming everyone else for the second delay caused by who knows what.
I'm really fan of bikes, i would like to use bike to get to school or work but it is very dangerous here where I live, and there are no roads made for bikers ONLY. I see there only two possibilities.
1. There should be roads ONLY for bikes.
2. Car drivers should have little more respect for bikes.
It really needs a change in society, nothing else. But I think that we can only dream about it 
@glennesau
I too don't find this appropriate, But this kind of protesting has been done for some time now, like the War in Iraq Protest, People gathered nude to form a peace sign in Australia and many other similar event.
Also, I do find biking dangerous these days, I know in my area the Downtown Cycling area is like a Suicide Lane because motorist are always in a rush and don't give bikers a chance. It's worst during the morning rush hour.
Governments should let car owners pay more tax on short distance drives. Someone who uses the car for only short stretches and ends up driving maybe 10000 km a year should pay more tax than someone who needs to use his car for business, work or what else and who ends up driving 50000 km a year. But how to implement this?
Invest a lot of money in good and save bikelanes and make easy crossings for bikes, or tunnels to circumvent larger roads. Stimulate the young people to use bikes when travelling to school. Once it is a habit it will stay longer in life. One cannot change easily the old folks' habits of lazy and unhealthy car driving!
7Pound7
Yes... I'm agree with it... I hate when I'm cycling and they just cut my "road" so I must stop suddenly, I hate it, I HATE them who didn't give respect to the other 
Don't hate, educate.
Or learn how to kick off their car as they pass.
It is a little upsetting to see that drivers believe that they have the authority, even when their cars are guzzling gasoline (that goes for over three dollars a gallon) and filling the air with that oh-so-delightful smog.
Living in Los Angeles has made me cringe at the hundreds of cars and I believe bicyclists are a plus. The main reason why is because of the continuous pollution and increase of global warming that is resulting in not only the strange weather (tsunamis, floods, hurricanes, 120 degrees days) but also the harming of inhabitants in nature, including ourselves.
I don't mean to be all "tree-huggerish", but who wants to live with a dying environment let alone rude drivers?
Ah... I was born and raised in Malmoe, Sweden. A bicyclers heaven. There are special roads there, only for bikers. They go side by side on the sidewalk, most often, with walkers. Some places have roads just for bikers, a few places there's a line in the road, which is respected by motorers (mainly beacuse the road is so wide bikers are in no way in any way of anyone). Also, there are special trafficlights on these special roads for just bicyclers.
Fun fun fun... Fun is going 25mph and having the frontwheel fall off suddenly when you jump off the sidewalk. Ahhh... No, yeah, nothing beats the freedom you get on a bicycle. NOTHING.
Oh, I've done dangeourus things myself, like being a few seconds late from a stoplight, going at somewhere between 25-30mph, not wanting to stop so crossing traffic, which means cars just reacting to green getting a *SHOCK* from someone coming behind the house, flying out in the street. I saw them move. Hehe, it's fun. Dangeourus, but that's what makes it fun. Oh, well. Would never do it again.
Anyways, if you ever go to Sweden they have it in most major cities. Special roads etc for bikers.
Oh, and I finetune my bike, and most importantly the brakes. When I stop, I want the whole street to know I'm stopping.
Biking is fun... 
Well I WOULD have given them my respect... but what was the point of the nudity part again? 
They probably only did it nude so people would pay more attention. Of course, they could have done that some slightly less... ilegal? ways.
