German Superhighway for Bikes

Is the best we can expect in the US an occasional stripe of paint?

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/germans-invented-autobahn-now-theyre-building-superhighway-bikes-180962446/

A New Fashion Catches On in Paris – Cheap Bicycle Rentals – NYTimes.com

This article from the New York Times was passed on to us back in July by our member Starke Donnally (Thanks, Starke), but I’ve only now had the presence of mind to do something with it.  It describes the inexpensive bicycle rental program that has started in Paris.  

A New Fashion Catches On in Paris – Cheap Bicycle Rentals – NYTimes.com

What “bike friendly” looks like | Gristmill: The environmental news blog | Grist

The blog The Gristmill has a wonderful article highlighting bike infrastructure in Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany, and shows what it could look like here.  Check it out: 

What “bike friendly” looks like | Gristmill: The environmental news blog

Bike Accidents Decline As Ridership Rises | Autopia from Wired.com

This link points to a short, but important finding about the relationship between increased cyclist activity and a decreased rate of cyclist/motorist accidents.

Bike Accidents Decline As Ridership Rises | Autopia from Wired.com

Photo Gallery

You can see photos of the Syracuse bike lanes and even more lanes, paths, signs, and traffic lights for Europe on Flickr.com.

When you get there, do some exploring. Clicking on any image brings it up larger, with a description if one is written. There is a box to the right of the image that will let you navigate to others. And below that box there is a section where you can see the image in various sizes, or even see it’s exact location on a map. A number of the Heidelberg, Germany photos are mapped at this time.

To see the photos, click here.

Toronto Coalition for Active Transport

Spacing Wire is a website for a Canadian organization advocating for better policy decisions related to utilization of public space. They posted this item about a press release for the Toronto Coalition for Active Transport.

The posting reminds me that our work — as advocates for policy change — is more powerful when we build alliances with those working not only in bike programs, but also the allied issues of pedestrian accessibility and safety, environmentalism, public space planning, and accessibility to transportation for those without financial clout.

Here’s a quote from the TCAT press release.

Active transportation (cycling and walking) is the most affordable, healthy and sustainable mode of transportation. A city where cycling and walking are safe and enjoyable is a great place to live. Toronto could be a world leader in urban living and sustainable transportation, but the City of Toronto dedicates less than 2% of its transportation budget to active transportation.

The next Toronto City Council needs to take active transportation seriously and a new coalition of community groups, businesses and environmental groups has formed to make sure that cycling and pedestrian issues don’t fall through the cracks during election 2006.

The full Spacing Wire article can be found here.