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[ctrlburn]

Last Friday I zipped into a tiny mid-block parking lot off Brooks Street and directly headed to a shady slot, swinging by hitting the kill switch and backing down to the curb. Next to me in the shadow was an idling min-van and through the tinted windows I barely noticed someone sitting in back watching me. A quick text to my daughter that I had arrived and the wait begins. Rather feel like a "creeper" sitting on the Zero and trading glances with the mini-van's occupant I dismounted and sat on the curb to check my mail and YouTube subscriptions. No reply from my daughter yet. I noticed the low corner of a parking lot hosts the most debris, I also noticed and started walking to a grouping of picnic tables in a different piece of shade. waiting there I got an ETA text which was soon followed by my daughter, already zipped in her jacket striding to the parking lot. I caught up and noticed the mini-van's occupants were shuffling locations, the side door was wide open and we saw the new mother and just sleepy VERY newborn baby getting placed into a car seat. My daughter gushed a smile and I nodded as he donned helmets and I turned the key, flicking back the kill switch after the dash booted and the light turned green. The minivan door was still open, the baby was still getting strapped in, and we drove away.

That sunk in before I exited the parking lot. The new mother didn't even glance as we left and the baby certainly didn't startle from our 'noise'.

[laramie LC4]

i have found myself racing around a lot of empty parking lots early in the morning lately and having a blast. the only thing that has cared so far has been a dog that didn't like the whirling sound of the bike.  the little old lady walking him....she was fine. we have seen each other enough now we wave at each other as i sit and wait for them to walk by. then i go right back to racing.

luv this bike!

laramie 

[MostlyBonkers]

I don't know why it didn't occur to me before, but since riding my Zero I've concluded that loud pipes are just selfish. They are purely just for the aural enjoyment of the rider and are nothing but a distraction and annoyance for anyone else within earshot.

I look forward to the day when kids in pushchairs don't have to suck in exhaust fumes, or get frightened by the deafening thunder of loud road vehicles.  Clean air and tranquility will improve life in the city so much we'll wonder why we ever put up with smog pumps.