Hillary

I wrote a thing for the Freep.

Opinion: No one will ever drive anywhere Imagine there weren’t roads for cars and we were trying to make a case for them: here’s the committee meeting that might follow. "All right, Mr. Rhodes, thank you for your presentation to the infrastr...

I wrote a piece imagining what it would be like if motorists had to constantly plead their case at city hall for safe and effective infrastructure, the way cyclists and pedestrians do, complete with the pushback from councillors over costs and rationale:
www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/anal...

Councillors mill about in council chamber before meeting begins

We’re at the Winnipeg city council meeting, where among many issues, we’ll be seeing if council has the guts to keep people safe on Wellington Cres

Police vehicles block Wellington Cres at Grosvenor

Rob Jenner’s bike lays mangled along Wellington Cres with police evidence numbers placed on and nearby. The rear wheel is bent horribly out of shape.

Six months ago this morning, I was out with my kids, on the way to the park. I knew the collection of police vehicles along Wellington Cres signaled tragedy on a dangerous stretch of road, but my heart sank when I saw Rob Jenner’s mangled bike laying alongside a stretch we traveled regularly.

The image illustrates the difference between **equality** and **equity** using bicycles. ### Top Panel: Equality Three individuals are shown, each with identical bicycles, but their needs differ: 1. A wheelchair user is provided with a standard bike they cannot use. 2. A tall person receives the same standard bike, which is too small for them. 3. A child receives the same standard bike, which is too large for them. This demonstrates that providing the same resources to everyone does not account for their individual needs. ### Bottom Panel: Equity The same three individuals are shown, but their bicycles are adapted to their specific needs: 1. The wheelchair user is provided with a handcycle they can use. 2. The tall person receives a larger bike that fits them. 3. The child is given a smaller bike appropriate for their size. This illustrates that equitable treatment means providing resources tailored to individual needs to ensure fair outcomes. ### Caption (Text Transcription) - **Title**: "This image was posted recently, explaining the difference between equality and equity." - **Bottom Text**: "Because treating people fairly often means treating them differently." – calystarose

The difference between equality and equity. Excellent.

Sometimes you have to treat people differently in order to treat them equally.

Additional nerd stuff:

More bike stuff:

Some of my favourite views (I’m obsessed with Fuji, I used to live in apartment with a Mt. Fuji view):

Traffic infractions 🚫 (and bonus big stupid trucks):

And some of the plants 🌱 I’ve eaten:

Back in Japan for a work event (but arrived early to see friends) and here is a snapshot of what I’ve been up to. Thrifting, bike stores (Blue Lug Hatagaya pictured), a custom cycle cap maker in Kyoto, and of course, a much anticipated visit to the Nintendo Museum.

Yes, our city’s public service has a query line (311) and they have a Twitter account (this was two years ago). I tagged them in a post about how we cleared the bike lanes and was DM’d saying I could be fined if we continue to clear more sidewalks or bike lanes.

Note the last image where this awful ridge is right at the sidewalk of an old folks/personal care home… we notoriously trap our less able-bodied residents indoors all winter.

But sidewalks and bike lanes generally look like the following in Winnipeg:

We were threatened by the City of Winnipeg for clearing the bikes lanes and curb cuts on our own accord. But we had to for our safety, because they wouldn’t.

Would absolutely recommend front and back, it feels like you can climb up an ice wall and gives AMAZING stability. Absolutely don’t cheap out, a potential fall could lead to preventable injury.

Awww 🥹

Looking to get an older Panasonic or Bridgestone road bike, so yeah, Japan exclusive in a second-hand way hehe.

Anyway, I’m off to Japan for work next week and I’m hoping to pick up some fun bike components and accessories. And maybe even a new bike…

Friend: *posts a picture of melon Fanta on his trip to Japan*
Me: *squinting* I see you’re on platform # at so-and-so station.

Friends don’t let friends doxx themselves. And in Japan it is so easy to doxx yourself because every streetpost has address and neighbourhood information.

Bold to go fender-less! I assume Minneapolis is similar, but Winnipeg’s freeze-thaw cycles make fenders a necessity for comfort.