Columbus Rides Bikes!

In Gear: Richmond Cycles and Road Holland Is There from Road Holland on Vimeo . [Read more at Road Holland]

Two years ago, an average neighborhood in the South Korean city of Suwon embarked on a radical experiment: For one month, the neighborhood suddenly got rid of every car. Called the Ecomobility Festival, it was created as a way to help the city move much more quickly to a low-carbon future by helping citizens get a visceral sense of how that future could look. "Usually in planning you do a computer simulation—an artificial picture of the future, and maybe a PowerPoint presentation," says Konrad Otto-Zimmermann, creative director at  The Urban Idea , who helped mastermind the festival. "We're doing it in a different way: in a real city, with real people, in real time. It's like a piece of theater where the neighborhood is a stage." [Keep reading at FastCoexist]

  High vis is a vexed subject for cyclists. Photograph: Arthur Meyerson/Corbis A couple of years ago I  took a condensed version of the training programme for cycle officers with London's City police , a process which began with my instructor following me to assess my riding as we pedalled through the busy streets. His verdict? Mainly fine, barring what he insisted on terming a "mistake" - that even in early afternoon on a bright April day I was not wearing some sort of high-visibility waistcoat or jacket. High vis is a vexed subject for cyclists. Probably only helmets and light jumping cause more arguments. Ultimately, of course, what you wear on your bike is personal choice. Full Lycra gimp garb? Office clothes?  Nothing at all ? Go right ahead. Nonetheless, the debate merits an airing, for two reasons. [Keep reading at The Guardian]

 ‘As a female cyclist, you are all too often the target of a particularly unsavoury male aggression.’ Photograph: Steve Vidler/Alamy Wednesday 26 August 2015  07.45 EDT Last modified on Wednesday 26 August 2015  19.01 EDT Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn Share on Google+ Shares 8065 Comments 1,416   Save for later “Please don’t try and knock me off.” It’s not exactly the rallying cry of Henry V. And yet, a  video released yesterday  by London Metropolitan police showing a woman getting pushed off her bike by a pedestrian in a grey hoodie after uttering these words has acted as a balefire to cyclists and their would-be murderers across the internet. “Not justifying violence but as a London pedestrian who sees ignorant cyclists like this every day, I understand the rage,” commented  @OffencePolice on Twitter . “I would have bitten her finger off,” added...

crashnotaccident.com An "accident" is, by definition, unintentional. We accidentally drop dinner plates, or send e-mails before we're done writing them. The word also suggests something of the unforeseen — an event that couldn't have been anticipated, for which no one can be blamed. That second connotation is what irks transportation advocates who want to change how we talk about traffic collisions. When one vehicle careens into another or rounds a corner into a pedestrian — call it a "crash," they say, not an "accident." [Keep reading at Washington Post]

The feds say there’s no excuse not to use federal funding on designs like protected bike lanes. The Federal Highway Administration wants to clear the air: Yes, state and local transportation agencies should use federal money to construct high-quality biking and walking infrastructure. State and local DOTs deploy an array of excuses to avoid building designs like protected bike lanes. “It’s not in the manual” is a favorite. So is “the feds won’t fund that.” Whether these excuses are cynical or sincere, FHWA wants you to know that they’re bogus. Last week, the agency released a “clarifying”  document  that shoots down, on the record, some of the common refrains people hear from their DOT when they ask for safer street designs. This is a good document to print out and take to the next public meeting where you expect a transportation engineer might try the old “my-hands-are-tied” routine. Here are the seven things FHWA...

Imagine any big city anywhere in the world without traffic just for a day. Now, if that city were Paris, imagine further the photographic possibilities, not to mention the visual, auditory and olfactory potential. Imagine no more because on September 27th, that’s just what Paris is going to do:  “Une Journée Sans Voiture”  – A Day Without Car, for the first time in the city’s history. City Hall calls it “a crazy gamble, but achievable.” No motorized vehicle, with a few exceptions like ambulances, will be allowed to drive the streets. As Mayor Anne Hidalgo  announced in March : “Paris will be completely transformed for a day. This is an opportunity for Parisians and tourists to enjoy the city without noise, pollution and therefore without stress.” The Champs-Élysées as it, and many other streets, will be on September 27th.          Photo: Paris City Hall [Keep reading at Forbes]

Bike the Cbus 2013 at its launch point in front of the historic Lincoln Theatre Ride with us on September 5, 2015! Our signature annual event—Columbus’ original city-wide ride since 2008—highlights our city’s unique and evolving center-ring neighborhoods. Bike the Cbus is a casual bicycle tour welcoming cyclists of all ages and abilities with 4 short routes totaling 30 miles and stops hosted by local organizations who provide snacks and entertainment. Check out 7 years of cycling in these delightful  photo albums ! With a 3-fold increase in participation to approximately 600 riders in 2013 and 2014, plus a newly expanded finish line after party with free food for riders and a beer garden, Bike the Cbus has undergone as many changes as the neighborhoods we explore. This year, another exciting change comes in the form of a new metric century we’re calling “Bike the Cbus+”. Speedier distance riders will appreciate this unique urban route. [Register at Yay Bikes!]

An artist's rendering of the new crowdfunded bike lane expected to open in Denver this year.   Alta Planning Your friends ask you to fund their marathon training, their home renovations, even their  potato salad . Why not crowdfund something you'd actually use, such as a bike path or a public park? That's what a growing number of startups are helping people do, as communities with a goal look for sources of financing outside the municipal bond market. "More and more, people are seeing this as a great alternative avenue ... to going through your tax dollars or local public servant," says Slava Rubin, the chief executive officer of Indiegogo, a crowdfunding platform. Rubin says he started seeing public works projects on the site in 2011, with campaigns funding such small-scale infrastructure projects as a $1,000 dog park in Chicago, and that he expects interest only to increase. [Keep reading at Bloomberg]

A Mountain Bike Adventure: Wales from Chris Davies on Vimeo .

[Website]

Bike the Cbus 2013 at its launch point in front of the historic Lincoln Theatre Ride with us on September 5, 2015! Our signature annual event—Columbus’ original city-wide ride since 2008—highlights our city’s unique and evolving center-ring neighborhoods. Bike the Cbus is a casual bicycle tour welcoming cyclists of all ages and abilities with 4 short routes totaling 30 miles and stops hosted by local organizations who provide snacks and entertainment. Check out 7 years of cycling in these delightful  photo albums ! With a 3-fold increase in participation to approximately 600 riders in 2013 and 2014, plus a newly expanded finish line after party with free food for riders and a beer garden, Bike the Cbus has undergone as many changes as the neighborhoods we explore. This year, another exciting change comes in the form of a new metric century we’re calling “Bike the Cbus+”. Speedier distance riders will appreciate this unique urban route. [Register at Yay Bikes!]