I am a bicycle commuter in Los Angeles, which on the face of it is a pretty tricky proposition. The major boulevards here are designed like freeways, and people use them as such. Pico, Highland, Sepulveda, Olympic- these streets were built for speed and make commuting not a little tricky for your serious bicycle commuter.
Bicycling
Cycling: It's About Individualism?
In this op-ed, Verlyn Klinkenborg posits that cycling, at least on the Stanford campus, is more about asserting one's identity than anything else.
The New York Times
Car-Free Sundays Coming to L.A.?
A group of cyclists in Los Angeles is hoping to move forward in talks with the city to establish car-free days, based on the ciclovia street closures originated in Colombia.
Los Angeles Times
Creating an Inclusive Cycling Community
Community Cycling Center is working to close the racial gap in Portland's cycling community.
BikePortland.org
Traveling? Take a Bike!
Bicycle commuting increased 43% in the U.S. from 2000 to 2008. And as commuters get used to having their trusty bike to get around, more business travelers are taking their ride with them.
New York Times
Do Bikes Need to Stop?
Cities are struggling with the right way to control bicycle traffic in a system built for cars. Should bicycles act like cars? Or should roads change to meet the special needs of bicycles?
Slate.com
NYPD Putting the Brakes on Illegal Bike Rentals
High demand from tourists near Central Park has attracted unlicensed bike rental vendors in NYC. Competition is getting tougher as police crack down on the booming business.
The New York Times
The Planetizen News Brief - 9/17/09
4:15 minutes (3.9 MB)
Towns join forces to fight the recession, Portland opens a new light rail line, and a new study reveals surprising results about bike lane safety -- all on this week's Planetizen News Brief, airing weekly on the nationally-syndicated radio show "Smart City". Read, listen or download.
Don't Just Blame the Cyclists
In response to the Vancouver Sun's recent editorial chastising cyclists for blocking traffic with Critical Mass rides, Gary Engle declares that the op-ed didn't go far enough: there are lots of other villains responsible for causing traffic chaos.
Vancouver Sun
'Worst Biking City' Attempts To Lose The Title
Boston has not had a good relationship with cyclists. However, Mayor Thomas M. Menino is a cycling advocate, a city bike czar is on staff, bike lanes and facilities have been added, and a turn-around is evident even to its critics.
The New York Times - U.S.
Struggling Cities Could Become Bike Utopias
As some cities in the Rust Belt depopulate, they present opportunities to develop into new bike utopias. This op-ed from The New York Times argues Detroit is a perfect example.
The New York Times
Global Trends in Bicycles and Cycling
World Watch magazine's "Vital Signs" section highlights global bicycle production and documents trends in cycle transportation, noting effects of energy costs and commodity prices.
World Watch
Does Paris Have a Bike-Stealing Program?
Paris' bike-sharing program Vélib was supposed to make commuting more civilized; instead it has become the subject of widespread theft and abuse.
The Globe and Mail
Bike Lanes As Training Wheels
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 09:15
A friend introduced me yesterday to rambunctious bicycling advocate Fred Oswald via a recent article out of Cleveland’s press. Much debate swirls around his not-so-uncommon opinions. Mr. Oswald’s argument can be boiled down to two points: supporting a critical need for much more bicycling education on sharing public roadways with other vehicles, and fighting an industry-borne fallacy that breaking up streets with allocated spaces, such as bike lanes, is good for the biking community. The former is, of course, not contestable. We all agree that safety and training are absolutely critical to developing a strong and healthy bicycling community.
The Urban Impact of Bicyclists
As urban cycling increases, cities like Seattle are finding that they need to change the way they think about users of the road.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Krieger: Bike Registrations Improve Bike Safety
BikePortland.com editor Jonathan Maus interviews Rep. Wayne Krieger about his legislation requiring cyclists to register their bicycles.
BikePortland.org
Unappreciated Cyclists In Sausalito
Marin County has a reputation to live up to. In this column, Sausalito does just that in its treatment of hordes of cycling tourists who rent bikes on Fisherman's Wharf, pedal across the GG Bridge to have lunch in Sausalito, and return on the ferry.
San Francisco Chronicle
A Plea for PR: Bicycling in the City
A longtime urban cyclist compares cycling today with cycling twenty years ago, and considers how best to move forward.
The New York Times
Bike Sharing, C'est Bien en Paris
Jay Walljasper writes that bike-sharing programs are transforming life in European cities from Oslo to Rome, Barcelona to Vienna, and giving visitors a great new way to sightsee.
NWA Traveler
Vélib Not Going Anywhere
A BBC story on Paris's groundbreaking bike-share system greatly exaggerates the threat posed by theft and vandalism.
Streetsblog
