All posts by John Dawson

Power to the Pedals

After decades of trial and error, the ingredients for robust urban cycling cultures are becoming clear.by Gary Gardner Early this decade, Parisian city planners grappling with traffic congestion, air pollution, and other challenges ventured outside the box. They were well aware that traditional transportation remedies such as widened roads and expanded parking typically relieve congestion in the short term but seed even greater longterm crowding while worsening pollution and carbon emissions. So they decided to use bicycles—some 20,000 of them, scattered across the city at metro stops and other convenient locations—to extend the reach of the Paris public transport system and to provide inexpensive, healthy transportation for short trips. Not your father’s transit plan, to be sure, but Paris’s public bike initiative symbolizes the new respect bicycles are getting in a growing number of municipal governments worldwide. Worldwatch Institute – vision for a sustainable world

Cars to blame in most accidents involving cycles – Australia

NEARLY nine out of 10 accidents involving cyclists and cars in Australia are the fault of the motorist, new research has found.

The research also recommends introducing new road rules enforcing safe passing distances for cars.

Drivers were at fault in 87 per cent of incidents with cyclists and most did not realise they had behaved in a reckless or unsafe manner, according to the Monash University Accident Research Centre and The Amy Gillett Foundation. Full article – The Australian

Dublin bike scheme set for tenfold expansion

A TENFOLD expansion of the Dublin bike scheme from 500 to 5,000 bikes, which will be available to use from UCD to DCU, is planned by Dublin City Council.

The five-year expansion plan will see the number of bike stations across the city increased from just over 40 to about 300, bringing the service into the suburbs.

The expansion will take place in 14 phases radiating out from the current 41 locations. The area east of the current stations to the Docklands and west to Heuston Station will be the first areas of expansion, followed by the inner suburbs of Dolphin’s Barn, East Wall, Phibsboro, Cabra and Ranelagh. Full article – Irish Times

The race to stay visible at night

LEDs have revolutionised bike lights. But it’s time to unveil the latest technology – electroluminescence

Over the decades bicycles have undoubtedly become more sophisticated, but compared to some forms of transport – cars for example – the advance of technology has been less of a march, more a gentle amble.

But there’s one part of cycling technology where the pace of change reaches near computer-industry speeds: lights. Full article – Guardian.co.uk