The personal writings and photos of Jonathan Smith.

The weather this morning really got my mind working on what riding a motorcycle means to me. It is still Winter, but with a warm day I am reminded that Spring is just a few weeks away.

One thing I thought about is that riding is at it’s simplest not a convience. Grabbing your car keys, hopping in your car and driving away is a convienence. Choosing to ride adds complexity to transportation which makes travel an adventure every time.

I enjoy looking over my motorcycle before a ride. Checking the lights and tire pressure. Knowing that I have the tools to fix almost anything that could happen on the bike gives me a sense of responibility. I enjoy lacing up my boots, slipping into my riding pants, pulling the riding jacket on, slipping the helmet over my head and pulling my gloves over my hands. Pull the bike off of it’s center stand and throw my leg over the seat. Turn the key to the on position, pull in the clutch and hit the start button. The engine of the BMW purrs to life ready to take me anywhere I want to go.

There is no protection from the elements when you ride. That’s why it is important to be ready for anything. I carry my rain gear with me and have pulled off under an overpass more than once to pull this rain gear over my riding gear. Then I continue to ride. There are places to go and things to see. No need to wait for the weather to clear. The looks from the people I pass as they travel in their cars and trucks, protected by a rood and windows, is simply priceless. And better yet, passing a group of riders who are huddled under an overpass waiting for the rain to stop. Just ride!

The web site StimulusWatch.org has a nice listing of projects that are “shovel-ready” for Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The site is nice because it lists a description of each project and allows users to vote for against each project whether money from federal stimulus funding should go towards each of these projects. It’s a nice overview what the people want and what they don’t want.

Here are some highlights.

The citizens of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania seem to be interested in the following:

1. Water and Sewer Line Replacements, Upgrades and Elimination of Combined Stormwater/Wastewater Lines into seperated lines (+6)
2. Reconstruction /repaving of 75 Streets (+7)
3. Installation of rooftop wind turbines on public sites, including their grid connections (+5)
4. Purchase natural-gas powered mass transit buses, including downtown trolley buses (+9)
5. Build Regional Rail Stop at HBG. International Airport (+10)

And here is a list of projects that the citizens of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania are not interested in:

1. Downtown Streetscape Improvement Project: Complete upgrade and expansion of all sidewalks, curbs, streetlights, street furniture. Intersections and signage of central business district (already designed) (-5)
2. Obstruction Removal Work at Harrisburg International Airport (removal of vacant power plant, other out buildings) (-12)
3. Construction of 2 downtown hotels (-32)
4. Construct and open first-ever Ex-Offender Re-Entry and Job Training Center, including equipment (-6)
5. Construction of Department of Public Works Building (-6)
6. Build citywide Rec Center & Skating Rink (-8)
7. Hire Community Relations Coordinator and 5 support staff (for greater police-public interaction, crime watch group support, public information role) (-5)
8. New, energy-efficient bus stops with LED information screens (-5)

It will be interesting to see if any federal stimulus funding goes towards the projects that the people are in favor of. And of course, which projects get funding because of favortism which seems to happen most of the time in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.