The Urban Country Is Back… 5
Toronto Islands Cargo Biking – Photo by James Schwartz / The Urban Country Well, we’re back. It wasn’t intentional, but I ended up taking a month-long break from blogging. I wish I could say that I took a month off to volunteer in a developing country and change the world, but my excuse is much ...
Heartbreaking Documentary: Texting While Driving: It Can Wait
Please take 35 minutes out of your day and watch this poignant and heartbreaking film directed by Werner Herzog on texting while driving. The film is powerful, the message is simple: “It can wait”. No text message is more important than the lives of the people we put at risk when we make the decision ...
Dear Vancouver: Riding A Bicycle In Normal Clothes Should Not Be A Defiant Act Of Rebellion 12
BIXI bike collage from Montreal, Canada – Photo courtesy of Chris Bruntlett via Instagram Our friend Chris Bruntlett recently returned to Vancouver from a vacation that included stops in both Toronto and Montreal. In an article in Hush Magazine, Bruntlett elegantly summarizes his travel experiences while lamenting Vancouver’s sport/recreational bicycling culture and British Columbia’s unfortunate ...
Quote Of The Week: “Pedestrians Begging For Change Fastest People On The Expressway” 4
Pedestrian begging for change on Toronto “expressway” – From 416CycleStyle on Instagram Our quote of the week comes from our friend ‘Xander from 416CycleStyle as he was sitting in traffic on an “expressway” in Toronto: “When pedestrians begging for change are the fastest moving people on the expressway you are crazy to do this every ...
Blaming Victim Gives Society False Sense of Security 8
Tom Samson – the cyclist killed on Nov 23, 2012 with his family prior to his death – Photo courtesy of the Samson family When Grade 2 teacher Tom Samson was killed on his bicycle early in the morning on November 23rd 2012, Toronto Police had told Samson’s wife that he was struck and ...
End Of Week Wrap-Up & Quote Of The Week 2
Traffic Jam – Photo courtesy of Nic Sedlock Although bicycle transportation is often the most reliable and efficient mode of transportation in a city, it doesn’t mean it is perfect 100% of the time. Musician Dave Matthews highlighted this when his bike broke down while out on a ride prior to his concert last Saturday. ...
Guerrilla Bike Infrastructure In Seattle Leads To Permanent Installation 3
Photo courtesy of SDOT / Seattle Bike Blog Back in April, a group of anonymous “guerrilla activists” in Seattle installed plastic bollards on a bike lane that traverses underneath an interstate highway. The group who dubs themselves the “Reasonably Polite Seattleites” wanted to show Seattle’s Department of Transportation how easy it is to improve safety ...
Teens On Bicycles Save Kidnapped 5-Year-Old Girl 2
Screenshot from CNN video – Courtesy of CNN Two teenage boys used their bicycles to chase a car that was carrying a kidnapped 5-year-old girl. From CNN: “Two teenage boys are being hailed as heroes after they chased a car carrying a kidnapped girl — on their bicycles. Five-year-old Jocelyn Rojas was playing in her ...
Dave Matthews’ Bike Breaks Down, Picked Up By Fan 1
Screen grab from CNN video – Courtesy of CNN Musician Dave Matthews was out for a bike ride on Saturday shortly before his concert in Hershey Pennsylvania, when his back tire popped, leaving him stranded on the side of the road without a cell phone. Emily Kraus had been a Dave Matthews fan since she ...
Citi Bike: A Game Changer For New York City 4
Citi Bike station – Photo by James D. Schwartz / The Urban Country In what seemed to happen almost overnight, New York City changed its transportation system as we know it, adding another mode of transportation for citizens and visitors alike to traverse that great city. New York’s bike share system – known as Citi ...