Legit use of a helicopter
The spectacular Lacets de Montvernier made its debut in the 2015 Tour de FranceSydney continues to be a laughing stock
Altmedia: Sydney cyclists face politics on two fronts
Mr Scrubby said the government should introduce license plates for bikes, citing a 2002 incident where pedestrian Maria Giuliano was unable to identify the rider who left her with a brain injury on the Iron Cove Bridge.
I continue to be puzzled as to why anyone would report anything that farts out of Harold Scrubby's fax machine. [twitterer]
See also: Why does Australia hate cyclists?
Sister city?
Speaking of Sydney, does it have a sister city relationship with Edmonton? I'm sure they'd have lots to talk about:
The City of Edmonton is returning a national traffic safety award because bike lanes that contributed to the win are being removed.
Meanwhile back in Sydney, in a symbolic move this week, Australia has proven it is the most progressive nation on the planet. Pffft!
Bogotá, what's your secret?
In The Guardian, the secrets of the world's happiest cities:
Is urban design really powerful enough to make or break happiness? The question deserves consideration, because the happy city message is taking root around the world. "The most dynamic economies of the 20th century produced the most miserable cities of all," Peñalosa told me over the roar of traffic. "I'm talking about the US Atlanta, Phoenix, Miami, cities totally dominated by cars."
Commit to it
Scofflaws
Public Radio International reports that a survey finds bicyclists and motorists ignore traffic laws at similar rates:
Drivers and pedestrians will drive through or walk against a red light to save time.
"They're not trying to be reckless or rude," Marshall said. "Cyclists, they're doing it for their own personal safety or perceived safety. They felt like they're more visible."
Urban art galleries
Turning city walls into artwork:
Urban spaces around Brisbane have been turned into art galleries thanks to an initiative by Queensland Rail.
Concrete underpasses are covered in stunning images, including a mural in memory of a cyclist who lost his life at the site.
Car free
Learning to live without cars:
I'm not against cars, though I do think a billion of them on this planet is maybe a few too many. To me, they're more trouble than they're worth. Permits. Losing your keys in the middle of nowhere. Washer fluid. Snow tires. Radiator juice. Speeding tickets. Cracked windshields. Knowing which streets are one way and negotiating your way around them. Finding parking. Buying a ticket. Stopping for gas. Oil changes. Repairs. Insurance. Registration. The cost! The endless traffic jams and, most of all, all that time where you can't do anything but drive.
It feels like too much fuss to me, especially when there's a much simpler freedom easily available: the one you feel while walking or riding a bike. Getting where you want to go, powered strictly by your own body.
No, no, hang on if I drive my children half a mile to school that doesn't make me a bad mother—superb satire.
Your reality?
I am a cyclist, and I am here to fuck you up:
It is morning. You are slow-rolling off the exit ramp, nearing the end of the long-ass commute from your suburban enclave. You have seen the rise of the city grow larger and larger in your windshield as you crawled through sixteen miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic. You foolishly believed that, now that you are in the city, your hellish morning drive is coming to an end…
Why ride to work
- The top 10 reasons everyone should bike to work - Momentum Mag
- Why walking or biking to work is just as important in suburbs as in cities - CityLab
- Serendipity on wheels – when a commute becomes a community - Cycle Action Auckland
Cycling is on the wane
What we can learn from the National Cycling Participation Survey 2015?
There has been a small but statistically significant decrease in the level of cycling participation across the country between 2011 and 2015, according to the survey. The National Cycling Strategy's intention of doubling the number of people cycling between 2011 and 2016 is "unlikely" to be achieved.
Bicycle Network says the cycling participation figures are a national disgrace, on the other hand Alan Davies takes the most optimistic possible view of the data. But possibly the best response of all goes to this commenter on Sydney Cyclist:
Cycling numbers are going down ... I'm kind of "over" evangelizing cycling. If cycling numbers go down, so what? All it means to me is they (ie everyone else) are missing out.
I could not be as polite
When I was struck in a similar way by the driver of a comparatively small SUV, I was not nearly as polite and restrained as this guy.
Also don't you love how the driver starts to reverse his truck without any idea of what's on the ground under his wheels? [twitterer]
Mind your language
We don't say "plane accident." We shouldn't say "car accident" either. [twitterer]
Because it's always beer o'clock somewhere in the world
Bicycling says a post-ride beer won't affect hydration:
Beer drinkers of the cycling world can sip easy: A new study has officially shown that for a cyclist, a post-ride "recovery beer" won't hurt your hydration status in the summer months.
Cheers.
Haters gonna hate…
Let me breathe a tip of truth into your life.
People hate... for unknown and unreasonable reasons, people will hate bike riders.
People generalise things they hate - and that is why we have racism and attacks on minority groups.
People attack what they don't understand.
So here is a generalisation for you, those people that want to hate on cycling, it doesn't matter what the reason is, they will hate on cycling.
…but how does the media pick a worthy 'victim'?
The Idealogical War (On Cycling), part 1: How does the media pick a victim?
Each week or even day, the media will elevate the plight of one cause above others, sometimes across multiple broadcastors briefly or as a sustained campaign. Inevitably to pick a victim is to pick a villain whether circumstance or person, and to want a villian is to need a victim, whether contrived or real…
Why have dozens of editors, producers, politicians and columnists decided that cycling is a national threat and not a series of audi drivers destroying buildings? (More audi drivers have destroyed buildings in recent time than pavement cycling has killed pedestrians.)
See also, part 2 Hitmen and Hasbara.
Much here that applies outside the UK.
The news only started caring after a dog got hurt
"As a white middle-class heteoro male it's not often I get to feel like a hard-done-by minority."
Pwned!
Hackers can pwn a Jeep Cherokee from the brakes and steering to the AC and radio:
A zero-day exploit for Jeep Cherokees allows hackers to control everything from the engine to the air-conditioning over the Internet, overriding the driver at the dashboard.
Yep, that is pretty much the dictionary definition of a zero-day exploit. Scary stuff.
Bike security
- Thief hacks down 25-foot tree to steal bike.
- Always check that what lock your bike to is strong and firmly attached to the ground.
The challenge is finding a working brain cell
When I see things like this video of a cyclist being attacked from a moving car, all I can think of is this:
Y'know, 'cause skylarking in a moving motor vehicle is the pinnacle of human intellect.
RV
This Danish bike camper is lightweight, foldable, and just plain brilliant. Sure, but I'm still not sure I'd want to tow it.
Cue 'Yakety Sax'
I'm not really a fan of these 'cyclist chastises bad driver' videos. I've got nothing against them, I just find them a bit dull and repetitive.
But what happens to the foul-mouthed specimen in this one could only be improved by the addition of the Benny Hill theme music…
Also: "Are you a fucking tank? No. Are you a car? No." Do I have time to stop and argue with you in the street? Yes. So, could I have waited a few seconds? Yes.
Dipshit.
Consider yourself denounced
Wow, bike riding as contraception…
That big dude
Sigh. OK, here's the video of that big dude lifting a car out of a bike lane. [twitterer]