My state senator joined the chorus of the bikelash — yes, there is a name for the mouth-frothing, torch-bearing rabid behavior some New Yorkers display when confronted by women on slow blue bicycles who couldn’t go over 10 miles an hour if we tried — when she joked on Facebook about screaming profanities out her car window at riders who are far more at risk from her than she is from them. Read article
Category Archives: International Posts
Outside EU / UK / US
European Citizen´s Initiative “30kmh – making streets liveable!”
30 km/h (20 mph) limits are an inexpensive and popular way to improve safety, cut pollution and encourage smarter travel choices. They lead to improved traffic flow and less congestion. People can move without fear. And so we want to achieve these benefits for the whole of the European Union. What is our vision? 30 km/h shall become the standard speed limits for villages, towns and cities with local authorities being able to decide on exemptions. Therefore, we will set the agenda for the European Commission. We want the commission to come up with a proposal to introduce 30 km/h speed limits. Read article / sign petition
In Praise Of The Upright Bike
North American bike culture is changing; fast; and a big part of that shift is in the type of bicycles people are choosing to ride. Traditional upright city bikes have seen an explosion in popularity in recent years, with real implications to the way we design and experience cities. Read article
Jersey’s compulsory cycle helmet law: based on emotion, not evidence?
The Channel Island’s politicians insist compulsory bike helmet use for under 14s will improve public health. But the evidence does not seem to be on their side … read article
Nantes – Velo-City 2015, 2 – 5 June
After Seville in 2011 and Vienna in 2013, Nantes Métropole has been chosen by ECF to host the 2015 Velo-City conference at La Cité, Nantes Events Center. Nantes was selected for its investment in terms of cycling policy. Nantes will seek to meet four key objectives:
- Create a replicable model dedicated to regional cities
- Build on the strengths and weaknesses of the Nantes experience and other French cities
- Reach out to the world
- Create a future inspired by cycling
More information: Velo-City 2015 website and Conference Information
Vehicular riding or Segregation?
A Dutch view of cycling in the USA
On the (UK) Guardian Bike Blog
Electric bikes take China by storm
The car is now king in China. The country’s rapid road to industrialisation has meant a large proportion of its citizens have traded in their bikes for four wheels.
This may have helped build a new modern economy, but it also has its downside: chronic congestion.
But now a bikes are returning to China’s gridlocked streets, only this time they are electric.
Adam Shaw visits the country where an estimated 120 million electric bikes are already in use, providing a greener alternative to the country’s four wheeled obsession.
The Holstee Manifesto Lifecycle Video
Nice video: https://vimeo.com/34414313
Why America’s Love Affair with Cars Is No Accident
The auto industry campaigned against the relatively bloody rise of cars in the early 20th century via TV, the term “jaywalker” and school safety patrols
Drivers may feel spooked by seeing the first self-driving cars appear in coming years. But the new era could prove far less disruptive and bloody than the automobile’s 20th-century battle to push pedestrians off U.S. streets.