Who ya gonna call?

This is probably the most intelligent ad I've seen so far on the Craigslist Bicycles page:

please look for my dog while riding your bike (n/ne philly)

Reply to: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: 2009-06-06, 7:26PM EDT

please keep an eye out for my dog his name is old bill (answers to bill) he is probably scared, and very sweet my wife and i are extremely worried if you see him please call xxx-xxx-xxxx thanks

Who better to ask for help in finding a lost dog than people who ride bikes in the area? This owner obviously realizes that cyclists are better able to see, hear and stop to investigate just about anything during their travels through the neighborhood.

The ad was deleted by its author the next day, so I'm hoping there was a happy reunion at the end of this story. And naturally, I'm also hoping there was a bike involved.

This ad makes me wonder

Although I'm not in the market for another bike, I still enjoy looking through the listings on the Philadelphia craigslist. A few days ago I came across this one:

20" Girls' Greenline Beach Cruiser - Baby Blue - $180 (West Chester, PA)

Reply to:xxxxxxxxxx
Date: 2009-05-26, 9:57AM EDT

Beautiful bike. Bought in March 2008. Used twice. Being sold because local traffic makes bike riding too dangerous.



• Location: West Chester, PA
• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

I wonder what traffic conditions make the owner's neighborhood too unsafe for their child to ride a bike? Most towns allow children under the age of 12 to ride on the sidewalk to keep them out of traffic. However, many of the housing developments built in this area over the past 25 years have no sidewalks, only curbs. People moved further away from the city to have more land, more distance from the neighbors, more privacy. Sidewalks weren't wanted or needed, since no one really walks anywhere, and the properties look larger without them. But where is a young child supposed to ride their bike? I wonder how many children growing up in developments like these will never really learn to ride a bike? More space does not always bring more freedom.