CHICAGO - For years, in-line skaters whose legs flare sideways have been criticized for taking up too much room on Chicago's crowded lakefront path. But a new scapegoat is rocking and rolling on to the scene: Trikkes.

Trikkes (pronounced "trikes") are pedal-less, three-wheeled vehicles that are powered by human motion. By shifting your weight and center of gravity into each turn, you can get these babies up to 18 miles per hour on flat ground and even climb hills with practice. Fans say they provide an exhilarating, all-body workout. And like cycling, in-line skating and walking, they're a form of human-powered transportation.

But where should these swaying vehicles be used? A Trikke might look menacing because it can carve the entire width of a path or even a street. And in some spots, the lakefront is already jammed with runners, children, in-line skaters with ski poles, and dog walkers. Though Trikkes are still a novelty, if they catch on we'd likely be seeing more ambulances on the path.

The city-designated bike lanes, meanwhile, should be reserved for cyclists, who are not allowed on sidewalks. And most drivers would agree that the swerving Trikkes have no place on a street.

This doesn't mean people shouldn't ride Trikkes, nor does it mean they don't belong on the lakefront path, which is a multi-use roadway. What we need is more bike-only space to ease the congestion. And fewer cars on the road - or perhaps a few car-free roads on occasion - to encourage green transportation choices.

It's easier to get forgiveness than permission. In an unusual attempt to reach Chicago runners, Nike stealthily placed dozens of motivational decals ("You're beautiful when you're sweating") smack down on the lakefront path. The fliers announced the start of a free, citywide, 17-week training program for Bank of America Chicago Marathon runners, though you don't have to be entered in the sold-out race to take part.

But Nike, the marathon's official training program operator, put the ads down without official approval. Designed to be easily removed and have a short, three-day lifespan, the ads would have been peeled off immediately if anyone complained, Nike officials said.

Although Nike's effort is a generous one, this one-time "communication" also raises a larger issue of whether corporate logos belong anywhere on the lakefront path. If one company employs this tactic, what's to stop other, less ingenious copycats? It wouldn't just exacerbate congestion and accidents as people slowed or stopped to read them; it would also litter the landscape along our public multi-use path. For that reason, I'm glad this "out-of-the-box" campaign was a one-hit wonder.

For times and locations of the free training programs, go to nikerunning.com/chimarathon.

What planet are golfers on? "An incredible 41 percent of golfers polled believe that global warming is a myth," sports writer Frank Deford said while discussing the golf industry's looming water crisis during his recent weekly commentary on National Public Radio. Deford pulled the statistic from John Barton's article "How Green Is Golf?" in May's Golf Digest.

What was cut from Deford's NPR piece was his follow-up shot: "Could there be any group in this world, including ostriches, where so many are so dense?" he wondered.