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Living in a Dutch Fantasy Land… 30

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

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.” ...

New York Bike Lanes Explained 2

Photo by James D. Schwartz / The Urban Country New York developed 320km of bicycle routes in just 3 years – and bicycling is on the rise. Ridership has increased by 26% between 2008-2009 and more than doubled since 2005. New York City had announced its ambitious plan in 2006 – and completed its implementation ...

MTV News Impact – Vicious Cycle 17

Photo courtesy of MTV News Earlier this week, I was invited to participate in the filming of an MTV News’ Impact television special called “Vicious Cycle” – which asked whether Cyclists and Drivers can share the road. The show featured 4 panellists: A bicycle courier, 2 car commuters and a University student bicycle commuter. I ...

Doctor Busted on a Bike 59

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 ...

Safe Left Turns for Bicycles 24

Photo by James D. Schwartz / The Urban Country  Left turns are one of the most dangerous manoeuvres to execute on a bicycle in North America. Of course, this doesn’t have to be the case. Many cities have engineered infrastructure to make left turns safe and comfortable for bicyclists. But here in Toronto – and ...

Bicycling in the Winter 43

Bicycling in the Winter
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 ...

4-Year-Old Guilty of Negligence on Bicycle 7

Photo courtesy of Michelle Ress (via Flickr) In April 2009, a 4-year-old girl and her friend were racing their bicycles under the supervision of their respective mothers in New York. The children ran into an 87-year-old lady which caused the elderly lady to fall and fracture her hip. She then underwent hip surgery and died ...

Toronto’s New Anti-Bike Mayor 32

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 ...

Interview With Bicycling Newcomer Tom Schwartz 1

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 ...