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 How green is your cabble? A little green man in Switzerland sends a big message about sustainability by taxicabbing travelers around the charming city of Biel/Bienne - on a Friday! With traffic a problem in many cities, we're pretty sure he's as on-time as a Swiss watch ... story supplied by BF dealer Jonas Roemer, FALTBAR - LC Parzival is a well-known gentleman in Biel Bienne - always dressed in green - and fighting against car traffic and oil addiction. He is a vigorous promoter of World peace and Esperanto. His alternative lifestyle consumes very little carbon energy. [Appropriately, "Parzival" is the title of a German epic poem which lists the hero's traits as his empathy and wisdom - Ed] When a cracked frame on his former "Velo-Taksio" tandem left him unable to continue his work in Biel Bienne as the local (un)official "Green Cab" driver, Parzival began to search for a new and improved "hydro-carbon free" replacement. One day, he showed up at FALTBAR, Biel Bienne's Bike Friday Dealer, to ask Owner Jonas Roemer to help him with finding sponsors for a new tandem he could not afford. When the local Green Party, campaigning for the elections in fall, got wind of Parzival's misfortune, they agreed to provide most of the funding for the new tandem. With additional funds provided by two families (who were having a cup of coffee that day at FALTBAR), and FALTBAR owner Jonas Roemer himself, Parzival was able to order a new Bike Friday Tandem! |
"It was a quite a success, with journalists from several newspapers and the local TV Telebielingue present," said FALTBAR owner, Jonas. "The weather was fine and everybody happy, especially Parzival. The woman on the tandem (stoker), Barbara Schwickert, is the top candidate of the Green Party, running for the government of Biel Bienne this autumn." How about a tandem taxi ride from the airport? "The city Airport (Bern) is about 40 miles from Biel Bienne," said Jonas. "I'm not sure if our green hero is strong enough to go that far to collect passengers there ... maybe with the BionX (electric assist) I’m planning to mount on the tandem!" [Now wouldn't it be great to replace some bullet proof glass and bluetooth headsets in NYC with a people-friendly, planet-friendly way of cabbing around a la Parzival? - Ed] FALTBAR Folding Bicycles and BarSchmiedengasse 14 // 2502 Biel Biennetel fax +41 (0)32 322 01 11 // mob (0)79 325 87 23we-fr 10-12.30 13.30-18.30; sa 10-16hVisit www.faltbar.ch Burn carbs, not hydrocarbs! |
Parzival on TV (how's your French? He appears about 1/3 of the way in) |