“Picture 11 miles of smoothly paved bike path meandering through the countryside. Largely uninterrupted by roads or intersections, it passes fields, backyards, chirping birds, a lake, some ducks and, at every mile, an air pump…”
— The New York Times
Here’s the news and other cool stuff that caught our eyes this past week…
– One of the victim’s in the horrific theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado was in the middle of a cross-country bike tour. Thankfully, he’s on the mend and just might finish out his ride.
– The much-anticipated launch of New York City’s bike share system has been pushed back a month due to concerns around the system’s software.
– There are those who thought it would never happen but a man riding a bicycle ran a red light and struck a car in Boise, Idaho.
– Bay Area-based Clif Bar celebrated its 20th anniversary by giving every single one of their employees a personalized bicycle.
– Despite Republican support for mass transit on the Tappan Zee Bridge, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has formed a partnership with anti-transit advocates who want to see the bridge built around the needs of what they’re calling “smartphones with four wheels”.
– If you’re new to riding with children you may want to have a look at this oldy-but-goody article from Totcycle on the safety of family cycling as well as this advice for cycling with children from Grist.
– We’ve seen a lot of folks in Portland using helmet-cams to document their daily commutes, now the NY Times has put the trend front and center.
– Back in May, a fun and functional squid-shaped bike rack was unveiled at the Seattle Center and you’ve got through October 21st to go and check it out.
– Speaking of Seattle, whether or not you rode STP last week you should check out these profiles of amazing people who made the trip from Seattle to Portland on a bicycle.
– Grant High School (and Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology) alumnus Adam Vollmer has received a lot of attention for his ‘Faraday Porteur’ electric-assist bicycle design. As of this morning Vollmer three-quarters of the way toward his $100,000 funding goal on Kickstarter.
– Students in London used an organized ride to raise awareness of a petition being circulated urging the UK’s National Health Service to create 5,000 new midwifery positions.
– As the dust settles on the new Federal Transportation Bill, some are concerned about a provision regarding federal land may force bicycle traffic off of the road onto side paths.
– A recent study by the British Medical Association has found increasing dependence on motor vehicles has negative impacts on public health while active forms of transportation, including bicycling, reduce the risk of premature death and chronic desease.
– Beaverton’s City Council is backing a proposal to build a mid-block crossing at Hall Boulevard and the Fanno Creek Trail, bringing a safer crossing on this popular route one step closer to reality.
– 20 MPH ‘slow zones’ began in a small section of the Bronx but are now expanding to 13 new sections of New York City.
– Although the opening of NYC’s bike share system will be delayed, some are already asking for an integrated fare system for bike share and public transit.
– Anyone interested in at-home cycle repair might want to check out MadeGood.com, a “guide to fixing bikes…for the first time.”
– The New York Times is singing the praises of Denmark’s “bicycle superhighway” and “karma campaigns” for people who ride bicycles while others think that NYC’s bike routes are already up there with other major bicycling cities’ like those in Copenhagen and London.
– In Chicago, bicycle transportation for students received support from 35th Ward Alderman Rey Colón who volunteered to cork traffic on a planning and Kidical Mass ride.
– Florida is “experimenting” with allowing bicycles on small stretches of formerly limited-access state highways.
– A mobile, solar-powered street light built from bicycle parts and soda cans is allowing people in rural Mali avoid the extreme daytime heat by lighting up nighttime activities.
– And finally, a video from Puerto Rico shows how people are finding fun, freedom, and “childlike…simplicity” in urban cycling:
