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Using Google Search To Reveal Public Perception 2

Using Google Search To Reveal Public Perception
Google Bicycle – Photo courtesy of Leon Hoffman  One useful and amusing way to identify current trends and to gauge public perception on a topic is to use Google Search Auto-Complete. To do this, simply start typing in a phrase on a topic of your choosing, and watch Google complete the sentence using data from ...

Home Depot Trip By Bicycle 6

Home Depot Trip By Bicycle
Cargo bike with hockey equipment – Photo by James Schwartz / The Urban Country A couple Wednesdays ago I needed to make a run to Home Depot to pick up some plywood and hardware for some small renovations I am doing in my loft. The same evening I was planning to meet my brother at ...

Sitting Side Saddle on Batavus Fryslan 8

Sitting Side Saddle on Batavus Fryslan
Photo courtesy of Peter Bojanczyk for The Urban Country  On Sunday I bought a used 2011 Batavus Fryslan bicycle that I spotted on Craigslist to replace my 2010 Fryslan that was stolen in March. Last night we tested the rear rack while my 210-pound colleague Al sat side saddle while we transported ourselves from one ...

How Rotterdam Crowdfunded a Bridge 2

How Rotterdam Crowdfunded a Bridge
Prior to World War II, the Hofplein area in the centre of Rotterdam was a lively, bustling gathering place where pedestrians were king, and cars were secondary. Just as we have seen in many North American cities, a highway was built after the war that divided central Rotterdam from Hofplein, and pedestrians became an afterthought ...

Tabloid Columnist Calls For Bicycle Ban in Toronto 20

Tabloid Columnist Calls For Bicycle Ban in Toronto
Amsterdam Cycle Chic – Photo by Mikael Colville-Andersen In a series of columns in a Toronto tabloid, columnist Mike Strobel has called for a ban on bicycling in the city in order to address traffic congestion, comparing bicyclists to psychos in his anti-bicycling rant that spans three articles. Strobel’s outrageous nonsensical articles reveal more than ...

Bicycles Are For People Who Can’t Be Late 12

Bicycles Are For People Who Can’t Be Late
Businessman in Amsterdam – Photo courtesy of Mikael Colville-Andersen  Bicycles may be a healthy way to get around a city, helping to reduce traffic congestion and pollution. But they are often the fastest and most reliable way to get around a city too. On Tuesday I had a client meeting downtown Toronto at 3PM. The ...

Photos: Toronto Winter Bicycling 14

Photos: Toronto Winter Bicycling
Winter cargo bike – Jan 22, 2013 – Photo by James Schwartz / The Urban Country On the ride in to daycare this morning with my 19-month-old daughter we encountered some snow and slippery streets. The cargo bike held up nicely on the slippery roads; the weight of it certainly helps to stabilize the bike, ...

What Would You Do For $100 Million Dollars? The Incentives Behind Lance Armstrong 17

What Would You Do For $100 Million Dollars? The Incentives Behind Lance Armstrong
Stack of cash photo by 401(K) 2012  In a recent article, I wrote that I care more about what Lance did with his fame than how he achieved it. I asked whether it is really cheating if everyone was doing it. I claimed that Lance had done more with his fame than most other professional ...

Lance Armstrong Confession Expected On Oprah

Lance Armstrong Confession Expected On Oprah
Lance Armstrong Photo Courtesy of Dan Farber Lance Armstrong will appear on Oprah Winfrey this Thursday in his first interview since the widespread doping allegations surfaced last fall. The interview will be taped today and Armstrong is widely expected to confess for not being honest about his doping over the years. It is expected to ...

Roundabouts Gone Wrong 2

Roundabouts Gone Wrong
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 ...