Walkability: a new (really old) concept

So Mike and I have had a taste of living in a walkable town and now, it's clear, there's no turning back. Being around the corner from things as essential as a food co-op and as fanciful as four different craft retailers (yarn, quilt, silks and beads!) has cemented us in our resolve. The most beautiful houses, a mere 2.5 miles from the core, are deemed "too far."

The newspaper here reported that a consultant's report to the Carrboro Town Council told them NOT to worry about traffic but to focus on the three OTHER modes of traffic: bus passengers, bikes, pedestrians. Can you believe it? It echoed the realization I had back when I was at the Gov's office in Californayay. That is, traffic is not a disease to which we should apportion much brain matter (or dollars either). Traffic is a symptom of any successful city, and it's the prime motivator that will get people out of their cars. Ask any Parisian or New Yorker.

And that got my sweetheart and me on the topic of commuter bike, since my love is in need of new wheels, having left his taurine Nishiki in CA. We look at the horrendously expensive modern versions of the classic old bike, and we wonder, where are those bikes one can so easily find in, say, Holland? Well, in these wondrous Googlific times, it turns out European manufacturers have given up on the American market because of liability, it seems. Ahhh, but the web photos were superb, who would not want a gleeming Gazelle, a strong Kronan, or the essence if classiness itself, a Pashley Roadster. Anyone want to open a niche business with me? I think we're not the only dreamers...