Toot toot!

“Yeah, it’s on the rocks
Well it’s me you gotta detox
‘Cause baby, it’s on the rocks!”

From “It’s On the Rocks” by The Donnas

I do not endorse drinking and driving. Those two things should be practiced separately, far away from each other. If you drink and then discover the need to get somewhere, use a designated driver or call a taxi. Better yet, do the taxi. We need the recession to go away, so why not pump something back into the economy the same way you pump stuff into your face? It would be like a fast loan infusion of cash advances for your local barmaids and cabbies. Help them, won’t you?

Sometimes, however, you can get your barmaid and cabbie in one sober package. If you’re in Copenhagen, riding the streets on a beer bike, that is. Wait a minute, what’s that? Copenhagen may be getting rid of those? Nooooooo!

Too many accidents?

Aaron Gray-Block reports for Reuters that the city known for its bicycles may have to issue last call for the popular beer bike style of transportation. The 10-seated libation stations appear to be a central bar on wheels, and any reputable company who rents them includes a non-drinking driver as part of the package. They’re very popular with stag and hen parties (bachelor and bachelorette).

Unfortunately, two noteworthy incidents involving the beer bike have attracted the attention of Amsterdam’s city council. Hans Gerson, the councilor responsible for transportation, has taken it upon himself to figure out whether the pleasure craft pose a significant risk in traffic. I would say yes if it were impossible for patrons to dive (or fall) off their bar stools in the middle of rush hour.

A silver bullet?

“This beer bike is completely legal, but he (Gerson) is not very enthusiastic about this idea of people drinking while being amongst traffic,” said a spokeswoman for a beer bike company.

Karsten, the company in charge of www.beerbike.co.uk, (which rents to tourists) is open to negotiation with the city council. It stresses that they always rent with a safe, non-drinking driver as part of the rental package. Furthermore, one of Karsten’s beer bikes wasn’t involved in the recent accidents. According to reports in Amsterdam newspaper Het Parool, the accidents resulted in injuries.

“It is an uncontrolled projectile,” said motorcyclist Karin Wolfs. Wolfs was involved in one of the two recent accidents.

Perhaps the Amsterdam city council can simply require all companies that rent this amazing mode of transportation do so with a professional, sober driver?

Red light means put a cork in it

“We’re not out on the street en masse and it’s simply controllable. It is about fun and team building,” Karsten said. “We have a very beautiful route and people simply enjoy it, but some people ruin it for others.”

Ton Boon of the Amsterdam city center district is hopeful that a ban will take place. He cited that they had already been banned in Amsterdam’s red light district. “It causes a lot of nuisance,” he said.

Then again, I think the beer bike could be stimulating The Netherlands’ economy. Lubing people up before they get to the red light district? There’s money written all over that for people who need the financial support to feed their families. It’s the all-natural way that puts medicine like cash advances or a fast loan back in the medicine cabinet for later when you need them.

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