(Go)Pro-litical Science

On my daily bike commute I now hit record as I dig into my first pedal. My GoPro camera attaches to the handlebar and gives me a sense of security, perhaps false. Rolling while I am rolling may simply capture a fall or a crash and not prevent them. But knowing that my decisions are also being recorded has has made me a more careful rider.

And, unavoidably, having access to the data makes me a bit of a cycosocial scientist.

Today, waiting for the lights on 136 St, the bike's eye pointed south, I counted westbound vehicles and occupants per vehicle.



By the camera's count, 33 private vehicles and two city buses went by. It was not possible to see into back seats to determine if a child or children or other big-person passengers were being conveyed. And at least two of the vehicles were positioned in such a way as to make inconclusive any determination of occupants in the front seats. Having said that, of the 31 other vehicles, only four clearly had more than one occupant in the front seat. Twenty-seven vehicles contained only the driver. And the radio announcer.

I pass this research on for the good of science and the asphalt lobby.

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