Transportation Issue Intermission: Rush Hour Four

I agree, they should have timed the cab from when they started AND from when he finally got a cab.

Yea, I agree with the post above. I was not a fair race.

I think the point is that you have control over when you start on a skateboard or bicycle and you have no control over when a cab or bus comes. This is part of the commute time. Nobody is complaining that they didn’t stop time when the woman was waiting for the bus or waiting for the train… or when the guy was fully submerged under water… Perhaps we are quick to dismiss fast ways of getting around that also involve excessive movement/sweating/getting wet on the way to work. 

Also, you may have noticed that even though he was in the cab before minute 31, it took ANOTHER HOUR to get there. He still would have lost. It’s all in the numbers. That’s the point. 

I am fully in favour of public transit in all instances (and intend to keep living in cities where I don’t need a car), but to be fair, this is Manhattan – one of the few places in the US where public transit actually seems to work at a comparable speed to driving. BBC’s Top Gear did a similar race through London with public transit coming after bicycling, but before speedboating down the Thames and driving.I would like to see someone bankroll a similar video in San Jose or Minneapolis, or really just any place with massive office park sprawl. If we can get to the point where the public transit person in that race still wins, I think we’ll be in a good place. 

The cyclist would have won hands down if he hadn’t done that ridiculous (but totally awesome) Kayak routine. 

Incredible filmmaking, those guys are crazy.  I think the message is that getting around is always faster if you take matters into your own hands.  But, if you don’t want to dump in the East River, public transportation is not a bad option – at least in NYC.  They should do this in other cities…

this was amazing.  very creative.

I’m glad he fell in the river, he looks hot in a wet t-shirt.  

Inspirational, motivational and pretty awesome!Great video!I’m happy to see Rel has his brain bucket on

Cool video, but Nike should change its game and stop using sweatshop labor.

What’s wrong with sweet shop labor?

That’s really not funny, it’s a serious ongoing problem. And it exists within the United states as well, it’s not just an “over there” thing. We need to deal with it here.

Nike still uses sweetshops?

In an article about a Nike sweatshop in Vietnam, Johan Norberg wrote, “But when I talk to a young Vietnamese woman, Tsi-Chi, at the factory, it is not the wages she is most happy about. Sure, she makes five times more than she did, she earns more than her husband, and she can now afford to build an extension to her house. But the most important thing, she says, is that she doesn’t have to work outdoors on a farm any more… Farming means 10 to 14 hours a day in the burning sun or the intensive rain… The most persistent demand Nike hears from the workers is for an expansion of the factories so that their relatives can be offered a job as well.”[10]

I don’t get how he had two bikes and a kayak. that is totally unrealistic to get to work. 

it’s totally illegal for skateboarders to catch a ride on a truck like that. if a cop had spotted him that would have added a lot of time to his commute.

so would a detour to buy some sweets  :)  :)  :)

Also, while transit and taxi take longer, using these options allow the commuters to do something with the time. I take transit everyday, and get a solid 30 minutes reading done each way as a result. The man in the video was able to get breakfast in the car. The subway/taxi people were by far the least haggard as a result of commuting. Et cetera. I doubt that biking/running/skateboarding/kayaking affords amenities…Of course, perhaps the more active methods of transit can be used as a substitution for the time/money spent at gyms/yoga classes/et ceteraMaybe transit to work and a jog home is the best utilization of time/effort?

You’re right.  The biggest amenity of riding your bike/kayaking/skateboarding to work is exercise, which is better than stuffing your face with a bacon sandwich in the back of a cab.   You get there faster and you do your body good.  

The man with boat has big beautiful lips. Good work on video. 

this video sucks

You’re just saying that because you edited it.  Zac Stuart Pontier.