Bicycle Culture ← The Urban Country ← Page 14

Living in a Dutch Fantasy Land… 30

Dec

2010

Photo by James D. Schwartz / The Urban Country For the last eight days, I have been living in a fantasy land. Everyone around me has a smile on their face, dedicated paths are everywhere, and bicycle signals cater to me and the thousands of other bicyclists that surround me. Instead of horns, I hear ...

What’s Hard About Biking in Washington DC? 6

Nov

2010

Photo by James D. Schwartz / The Urban Country Washington DC resident and filmographer Monica Gray asks fellow bicyclists what’s hard about biking in Washington DC during the 2010 DC Tweed ride. In many ways, the answers could have come from any city in North America: “In rush hour – uh, angry and impatient drivers.” ...

Doctor Busted on a Bike 59

Nov

2010

All photos of Dr. Paul Martin provided by Mike Rubbo / Situp-Cycle.com Busted on a Bike is a new series featuring people who have received tickets from law enforcement officers on their bicycles for doing perfectly normal things – like riding a bicycle without a helmet. In an on-going saga, Dr. Paul Martin – a ...

Bicycling in the Winter 37

Nov

2010

Photo courtesy of macfred64 In North America, we have a funny tendency to overcomplicate things. Companies search for any opportunity to increase their revenues: they invent new products, improve existing products, and they employ marketing techniques to make you feel like you can’t live without their products. Last winter I posted an article “Pragmatism Eludes ...

History of Transportation in North America 4

Nov

2010

Bike storage in Toronto – circa 1898 – photo courtesy of City of Toronto Archives After watching a 1905 video on “Complete Streets” posted by our friend Herb from iBikeTO.ca, I was intrigued by how transportation in North America has transformed in the past couple centuries. We have gone through several phases in our transportation ...

Toronto’s New Anti-Bike Mayor 31

Oct

2010

Photo of Mayor Rob Ford by Shaun Merritt A man once said, “I can’t support bike lanes. How many people are riding outside today? We don’t live in Florida. We don’t have 12 months a year to ride on the bikes. And what I compare bike lanes to, is swimming with the sharks. Sooner or ...

Australia Cycle Chic Newcomer 20

Oct

2010

All photos courtesy of Tara for The Urban Country Bicycling Newcomers is a section on The Urban Country where we profile people who make the switch from other modes of transportation to the efficient, healthy and fun method of bicycling to go about their daily business. Through our Bicycling Newcomers section, I was fortunate enough ...

Interview With Bicycling Newcomer Tom Schwartz 1

Oct

2010

Bicycling Newcomers is a section on The Urban Country where we profile people who make the switch from other modes of transportation to the efficient, healthy and fun method of bicycling to go about their daily business. Our latest instalment of Bicycling Newcomers profiles one Tom Schwartz. Tom is a Corrections Officer and commutes on ...

Only the poor ride bicycles in Shanghai 12

Sep

2010

All photos by James D. Schwartz / The Urban Country When it comes to using bicycles as transportation, there are few cities I have visited that intrigue me more than Shanghai. Shanghai citizens have a knack for utilizing their bicycles to their full capacity. From carrying fridges, to bathtubs, to beds – to the far ...

Oakville’s Grand Opportunity 1

Sep

2010

Photo “Groningen: Colourful City” courtesy of Akbar Simonse The following is an excerpt from an article I contributed to Oakville.com that discusses using bicycles as transportation in Oakville, Ontario: So how exactly can Oakville improve its current state? The first thing Oakville needs is a master cycling plan. It needs a vision that encompasses active ...