more ways than you think.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)
Here’s the news and other cool stuff that caught our eyes this past week…
– Business is booming at Zen Bicycle Fabrication, Portland’s newest frame manufacturer.
– In another sign of bicycling’s economy growth, Full Speed Ahead has announced it will bring construction of its high-end carbon fiber Vision wheels to the Seattle area.
– Despite an open letter to Oscar-going celebrities, Ted Johnson couldn’t coax any Hollywood stars into attending the Academy Awards by bicycle.
– Gil Peñalosa, former Comissioner of Parks, Sports and Recreation in Bogota, Colombia says the best way to promote cycling “is to not talk about cycling.”
– Gabe Klein, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation, believes a lack of “self-confidence” caused cities to cater to “transient drivers” instead of people who walk and bike locally.
– New Yorkers could have another bicycle and pedestrian connection over the water if plans to turn the Tappan Zee Bridge into a bicycle and pedestrian thoroughfare continue to move forward.
– Restrictions on permits in Larimer County could soon apply only to “bicycling events.” The change would allow an unlimited number of walking and driving events but restrict bicycling to two events every 30 days.
– Grid Chicago takes a look at why focusing on “low hanging fruit” might be the wrong approach for active transportation projects.
– And speaking of big projects, many cities have seen the benefits of removing whole highways from the urban landscape.
– All manner of technology companies are embracing bicycles, from promoting bicycle commuting to holding meetings on seven-seat bicycles.
– Dr. Seuss’ beloved tale of environmental stewardship, The Lorax, is being used to promote Mazda’s “Truffula Tree Friendly” CX-5.
– Bigger highways have been shown to create more traffic congestion but do bike paths promote more bicycle traffic? The Atlantic Cities tackles the answer.
– Portland’s Roger Geller visited New Zealand to speak at 2Walk&Cycle, the country’s national walking and biking conference.
– People who ride bicycles in New Jersey are upset over a policy banning bicycles at a significant number of train stations.
– The head of Metro Health in San Antonio, TX has come out in support of the city’s car-free event, Siclovia.
– Kickstarter-funded bike lock TiGr is now available for purchase. Will the flexible titanium lock cut into U-locks’ market share?
– The 88bikes Foundation launched its Asha 2012 campaign which will give bicycles to girls, allowing them to “take part in their communities, attend school and grow as strong women.”
– Fiat, the official supplier of vehicles for British Cycling, launched its ‘share the road’ newspaper campaign.
– E-bikes could be the solution to motor vehicle pollution in crowded countries, according to Scientific American.
– As the winter weather starts to thaw you might want to check out these six ways to blend bicycles and gardening.
– One student from Transylvania University will spend this summer building homes by bike.
– Some bike shops are finding deal-a-day websites can be a bad deal for shops offering coupons.
– Alabama residents are being encouraged to include bicycles helmets in their home emergency kits.
– And finally, you’ve heard of police using bikes on patrol but check out who’s using bikes on the job in the video below:
Did you find something interesting that should be in next week’s Monday Roundup? Drop us a line. For more great links from around the web, follow us on Twitter @BikePortland.
regarding the article about e-bikes solving air pollution in Chinese cities…
“carbon dioxide emissions for a Chinese e-bike are about one-tenth of what is emitted by a conventional electric car”
But is that the relevant comparison? Chinese electricity, like ours, is made largely by burning coal. This is a short term fix that shifts the pollution out of cities. Better than cars, sure, but coal fired electricity has no future.
this from page two of the article:
“The result, he said, is that some urban areas are experiencing cleaner air conditions because the emissions-free electric vehicles are moving pollutants from city streets to power plants, but that the country’s overall pollution budget remains unchanged or even slightly higher due to the additional generation by coal plants.”
Alabama home emergency kits: while I can’t fault their reasoning of using bicycle helmets for generic head protection during a severe weather incident I think they are missing a larger issue of post-disaster civil stability.
Having lived through 2 separate category 5 hurricanes I can tell you that afterwards a bicycle is a great thing to have even in the most remote rural regions.
Electrical infrastructure is the most vulnerable and takes many days, often WEEKS, to be fully rebuilt. During that time home refrigeration (which allows families to live more than walking distance from grocers) is powered by diesel and gasoline. Unfortunately the supply of petroleum fuels is taxed by impassible roads, pipelines that are unable to adjust to unscheduled emergency demands and irrational hoarding.
Factor all this and we have a situation where starvation and riots can be cheaply staved off by everyone having even the crappiest bicycle stored in working order.
With a bike helmet.
The video reminds me of Mark Wahlbergs character in I Heat Huckabees who beats his fellow firefighters (who get stuck in traffic) to a fire by riding his bike.