– This one’s for all you east coast readers weathering the weekend’s surprise blizzard — some tips from bikey, wintry Toronto on how to ride safely in the snow (and when to leave the bike at home). For further inspiration: pictures from Copenhagen.
– The saga of Long Beach, California continues with police breaking up an organized ride and the police chief likening fixed gear riding to drunk driving.
– In Cambodia, the rate of traffic crash injuries and deaths is so high, and affects the poor so disproportionately, that it’s being called a humanitarian crisis. People who rely on walking, bicycling, and motorbikes are at the highest risk.
– A recent study finds that teenage girls do better in school if they ride a bike or walk to school, perhaps because girls are less active than boys overall at that age.
– How do people’s attitudes about class and social standing affect transportation choices and behavior on the road? The question is fascinatingly unpacked here, complete with great political quotations.
– Michigan has passed a Complete Streets bill. Though no program has been funded, this means the state is now required to consider access for all mode users as equal to the concern of moving motorists efficiently between points.
– A district in New Zealand has approved millions of dollars of funding for bicycling and walking infrastructure, with a focus on off-road paths.
– In Tampa, a prominent member of the community is killed while bicycling, and his son and associates become unlikely bicycle advocates.
– New York City’s recent bicycle transformation has been largely due to the efforts of city transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. In an interview, she talks about how she made it happen, responds to detractors, and encourages other cities to be equally bold.
– For you numbers lovers, here’s a critical look at a recent paper analyzing the extensive data collected about the Velo’v bikesharing system in Lyon, France.
– In the former bicycle city of Beijing, despite a big push for sustainable transportation that mysteriously coincided with the Olympics, the city has failed to build and design its streets to accommodate a dramatic surge in the demand for private cars — meanwhile using policy to encourage that surge, with perhaps predictably disastrous consequences.
– A look at the mechanical particulars of generating electrical power by bicycle.
Video of the week: Vimeo user “CinelliDog” posted a vintage track racing video shot at Portland’s Alpenrose Velodrome in the mid 1970s. Great vintage racing action that gives you a sense of the history and legacy of Portland’s racing scene:
Alpenrose Velodrome 1974 – 1975 from CinelliDog on Vimeo.