A Renewed Faith in Newspapers 8
“Places To Go, People To Meet, Things To Do” by Amsterdamize (via ratemyvelo.com) Over the years as a citizen bicycling advocate I have lost my faith in the media. I had found that news outlets have a bias toward car culture that has contributed to the animosity on our streets and the stifling of progress ...
Legislation For Bicycle Transportation 8
Amsterdam “Golden Dress” – Photo courtesy of Michael Stallmeister / ratemyvelo.com If our goal is to make our cities more liveable and bicycle friendly, there are several strategies that we can use to achieve this goal. I spend most of my efforts on this blog by trying to change people’s perceptions about bicycle transport in ...
Paris Cyclists Allowed To Run Red Lights 11
“Guess what? I’m French! – Photo by Rohand / ratemyvelo.com Paris city councillors recently voted to give the green light to cyclists to legally proceed through red lights in the French capital. The pilot program will be tested at 15 intersections in east end of Paris and if successful will roll out to 1,700 intersections ...
Awkward Moments In China’s Car Culture Frenzy 36
Cyclist in Shanghai – Photo by James Schwartz / The Urban Country (2010) As a Canadian ex-pat currently residing in China, there are moments where my culture and values clash with Chinese culture. A recent situation at a dinner with my wife’s family and friends surfaced the importance placed on car ownership in Chinese culture. ...
Sunday Afternoon Ride in China 8
Photo by James Schwartz / The Urban Country It was hot and sunny – peaking at 27 degrees Celsius on Sunday afternoon here in the middle of the South China Sea – so we decided to take 7-month-old Sofia out for a bicycle ride. It was her first bike ride, and she clearly loved every ...
Our Streets Are Like A Giant Lollipop 4
Photo from Sotres, Asturias, ES courtesy of pablerax In North America there is a common perception that drivers “own the roads” and deserve as much surface area as can be paved. This perception exists despite the heavy subsidization that drivers receive through motorist socialism, which ironically, is prevalent in the United States where socialism is ...
81-Year-Old Gene Hackman Hit On His Bike 102
Gene Hackman in 1993 (AP Photo/File) On Friday at approximately 3PM, Oscar-award winning actor Gene Hackman was hit by a pickup truck on his bicycle in the Florida Keys. The incident was covered widely by the media which made sure to point out that the 81-year-old Hackman was not wearing a helmet. Though true, this ...
Sunday Afternoon Traffic in China 22
Pedaling in Haikou, Hainan, China – Photo by James Schwartz / The Urban Country Last Sunday afternoon I hopped on my Giant folding bicycle and headed from where I am living in the “suburbs” and headed into downtown (a 5 kilometre jaunt). What ensued was a thrilling ride among a myriad of other two-wheeled travelers ...
How Apple’s “Macintosh” Almost Became The “Bicycle” 5
Steve Jobs and Apple’s “Think Different” Campaign Before leaving for China I picked up a Kobo e-reader (comparable to a Kindle) so I could read on my travels without hauling 4-months worth of books along with me. The Kobo has transformed how I read books and I have found myself reading more than I have ...
Democracy Is Good, But… 43
Traffic signs in China – Photo by James Schwartz / The Urban Country Winston Churchill once said that it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried. Like all other good things, democracy certainly has its flaws. In North American democracy, transportation policy often ...