Travel ← The Urban Country

How Rotterdam Crowdfunded a Bridge 1

May

2013

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 ...

Help Todd Find a Tandem Bicycle

Apr

2013

Photo of Todd and Daegan with their tandem bicycle in 2012 – Photo from 500 Kindnesses Blog Last year, our friend Todd O’Reilly pedalled 1,500km with his 13-year-old son Daegan in a 25-day charity ride, from Toronto to Ottawa, to Montreal and then ending in New York City. But instead of asking for donations for ...

In Memory of Mary Thompson & Peter Root 5

Feb

2013

Peter Root and Mary Thompson in an undated photo (Photo courtesy of Jerry Root) Last week we covered the sad story about British Bicycle Bloggers Mary Thompson and Peter Root, who were tragically killed in Thailand after bicycling around the world since July 2011. I didn’t personally know Mary or Peter, but their untimely deaths ...

British Bicycle Bloggers On World Journey Killed in Thailand 23

Feb

2013

Two On Four Wheels blog photos from world journey – Courtesy of Two On Four Wheels In a tragic end to their fascinating bicycle odyssey around the world, Peter Root and Mary Thompson from the “Two On Four Wheels” bicycle blog were killed in Thailand Wednesday after being struck by a pickup truck. Root and ...

19-Car Pileup Caught on Camera 1

Feb

2013

19-car pileup in China – photo snapshot from YouTube video A 19-car-pileup that happened on February 7th was caught on camera in Wuxi, Jiangsu, China. Scroll to 1:00 to see the cars begin sliding in to each other. Several drivers from the pileup get out of their car and risk their lives to apparently try ...

China Traffic Light Art Installation Confuses Tourists, Journalists

Feb

2013

Photo of Chongqing’s traffic signal art installation courtesy of Shanghaiist In Chongqing China, the world’s “most confusing traffic lights” have been baffling tourists and journalists alike. The UK’s Daily Mail reported in May 2012: Motorists in China have been left bemused by this traffic signalling system, where officials installed over 20 sets of lights on ...

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 ...

Bicycling Through Rajasthan, India

Jan

2013

Photo from India bike tour by Debbie Selley (Dec 2012) Our friend Debbie Selley recently returned to Canada after a two-week bicycling trip in Rajasthan, India. We asked Debbie a few questions about what it was like to tour India by bicycle and she was kind enough to share her story with The Urban Country. ...

Shanghai Cyclist Hit By Driver Caught On Video 4

Jan

2013

Screenshot from a YouTube video of a Chinese cyclist being hit by a turning car A driver’s dash cam caught on video a cyclist in Shanghai getting hit by a driver who had suddenly turned from the centre lane. Despite the unfortunate and misleading title of the video given by Shanghaiist writer James Griffiths, the ...