Nerve Noise Nausea

A pretty good summary of what it's like to commute by car, right?  Snapped on Grand Street.

Yes, that guy's vest does indeed say "Pedestrian Safety."  The streets are designed for cars, so they need specially trained folks out there to keep the pedestrians from getting killed if they should wander into a crosswalk at the wrong moment.  At some intersections, they use chains to keep the pedestrians contained.

Bikers are relegated to narrow lanes on a few streets, yet car culture has us programmed to be grateful even for those. Car remains King: bike lanes are obstacle courses of parked delivery trucks, idling limos, drivers parking or turning or u-turning, and myriad other hazards.

Still, commuting by bike and train is vastly less stressful than driving.  Views of the East River, from the seat of the bike, and of the Raritan Bay, from a seat on the train, vary daily, with changing light and weather conditions, and every day it does me good to pay attention.