The Superiority of Bicycles

The Columbus Dispatch 2008.June.23: EMS on 2 wheels gets speedy care to victims

Emergency medical service medics on bikes are able to weave through crowds and reach a victim quicker than a large ambulance, Fish said. The bikes carry 50 pounds of medical gear, including oxygen equipment, cardiac equipment and a basic first-aid kit. Paramedics can treat anything from an insect bite to a heart attack.

...

To become a certified cyclist, team members go through 32 hours of training, where they are taught how to ride a bike through crowds, at slow speeds and up and down stairs. They also learn to use the bikes as a barrier to protect the patient.

Yeah, that's right, up and down stairs. It's not bicycle racing, but it still makes me think PRO.

Also, recently Meals on Wheels in Victoria was cancelled after 35 years:

The costs of fuel and food contributed to the demise of Meals on Wheels, Prentice said. The company that prepares the food can't keep up. In May, Meals on Wheels increased its price to $7 a meal, up from $6.75 . a small jump Prentice said he didn't want to see happen.

To make it work, "We'd have to go up at least a dollar a meal," Prentice said. Then, factor in fuel compensation for volunteers and "we'd have to go up at least another dollar a meal to cover the cost."

Back in November of last year, the Vancouver Police Department put out a media release about Meals on Bikes (sorry, no direct link):

The Meals on Bikes pilot project coincides with the 40-year anniversary of the Meals on Wheels program, which has been delivering hot, cooked meals to frail, isolated seniors in their Vancouver and Richmond homes since 1967. The new, environmentally-friendly venture is intended to recruit and attract more and younger volunteers.

For additional information about Meals on Bikes, please contact:

Beth Symansky
Communications Coordinator
Health and Home Care Society of BC
Tel: 604-733-9177, ext. 114
e-mail: symanskyb@carebc.ca
Web: www.carebc.ca

Whenever the automobile inevitably stumbles and reveals its inherent limitations, the bicycle is there.