Bike Infrastructure ← The Urban Country

Photos: China’s History of Bicycles 2

Feb

2013

Beijing’s Changan Street in 1986 – Photo courtesy of Beijing Shots During the 1960’s and 1970’s, the bicycle was the most popular product in China. Bicycles were often given as wedding gifts, and in 1986, US President George HW Bush received two bicycles as a gift from Beijing. The country was known as “bicycle kingdom” ...

Edmonton Bicycle Numbers On Rise 3

Feb

2013

Bicycling comfortably in the winter in Amsterdam – photo courtesy of Marc / Amsterdamize In Edmonton, the number of bicyclists is on the rise after the city approved in 2009 the addition of almost 500 kilometres of bicycle infrastructure to the city’s bicycle route network. The Edmonton Journal reports: A long-term plan to add almost ...

Roundabouts Gone Wrong 2

Jan

2013

Australia Roundabout Sign – Photo Courtesy of John Jack Rice We recently posted an article discussing the benefits of roundabouts. Roundabouts are an inexpensive and effective way to increase traffic flow, calm traffic, and improve safety while reducing the environmental impact of motor vehicles. We wrote: “When there is enough space to construct them, roundabouts ...

Roundabout Junctions: Efficient, Inexpensive 19

Jan

2013

Collingwood, Ontario roundabout design – Photo courtesy of the Town of Collingwood We have all dealt with “stop and go” traffic. Drivers accelerate quickly, then slam on their brakes when they hit a red light. Then accelerate quickly again, and repeat. This harmful style of driving wastes gas, creates unnecessary pollution, and creates unsafe conditions ...

The Cost of Toronto’s First Cycle Track 15

Nov

2012

Toronto’s Sherbourne Street Cycle Track – Photo by James Schwartz / The Urban Country As we rode down Toronto’s first cycle track on Sherbourne Street, Copenhagen’s Bicycle Ambassador and the man behind the “Cycle Chic” trend – Mikael Colville-Andersen asks me, “Why is everyone talking about the removal of the Jarvis street bike lanes and ...

Bicycle Infrastructure Continuity 12

Aug

2012

Artist’s rendition of the proposed revitalization of Queens Quay in Toronto – from Waterfront Toronto This past Sunday my family congregated at my place to join me for our annual bike trip & picnic. There were a total of 8 people pedaling, plus my daughter and my dog. We pedaled a total distance of 40 ...

Streetcar Tracks & Bicycles 33

Aug

2012

Bicycles in Amsterdam – Photo by James Schwartz / The Urban Country (March 2012) On Monday 47-year-old Toronto resident Joseph “Maverick” Mavec died after his bicycle tire jammed in a streetcar track and he fell on his head. This tragic and unfortunate incident has prompted a discussion about navigating a city full of streetcar tracks ...

Rural Bike Infrastructure in the Netherlands 23

Mar

2012

Bicycle traffic signal in Amsterdam – Photo by James Schwartz / The Urban Country It is 1:00PM and the train is stopped at a station in a northern Belgian town. The train will be leaving one minute later than its scheduled departure time so that the passengers can have a minute of silence to pay ...

Bicycle Transportation Should Be Taken Seriously 26

Mar

2012

“Beautyful Amsterdam” – Photo by Michael Stallmeister via RateMyVelo.com Bicycles are a serious mode of transportation. It is about time we treat them as such instead of treating bicycling as a hobby, a sport, or a mode of transport for the working poor and students. Bicycles are an often overlooked mode of transport that with ...

Democracy Is Good, But… 43

Jan

2012

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 ...