Follow @theurbancountry on Twitter Find us on Facebook Subscribe to theurbancountry.com via e-mail Subscribe to theurbancountry.com via RSS
Follow @theurbancountry on Twitter Find us on Facebook Subscribe to theurbancountry.com via e-mail Subscribe to theurbancountry.com via RSS

Montreal Bicycle Ridership Up 35-40% 22

Montreal Bicycle Ridership Up 35-40%
Photo courtesy of zmtomako / Flickr A new study finds that bicycling is on the rise in Montreal. In 2010, the city experienced a 35-40% growth in ridership over its 2008 bicycle ridership counts. This is an encouraging sign that the city’s significant infrastructure investments and bike sharing scheme have contributed to an increase in ...

Stifling Urban Bicycling 8

Stifling Urban Bicycling
All photos by James D. Schwartz / The Urban Country This website normally focuses on the positive things happening around the world with respect to improving conditions for urban bicycling. This post however is going to focus on the negative aspects that we see in many North American cities that end up stifling urban bicycling. ...

Dutch Cycle Chic – Toronto Style 40

Dutch Cycle Chic - Toronto Style
All Photos by Aviva Cohen for The Urban Country One evening in early November, I was walking my dog near my home when I encountered a pretty girl on a stunning red Dutch bike. Intrigued, I told her how much I loved her bike and I asked her if she would be interested in doing ...

Don Cherry Rips “Pinko” Bicyclists 12

Don Cherry Rips “Pinko” Bicyclists
File Photo Courtesy of Oldmaison  At Mayor Ford’s inaugural council meeting today, Ford’s “special guest” – legendary “pit bull” Hockey Night in Canada commentator Don Cherry – dropped his gloves and called on “pinko” bicyclists (listen to the audio of Don Cherry’s speech here). “Well I’m wearing pinko (sic) for all the pinkos out there ...

Enough Excuses: Cars Cause Death 25

Photo “WATCH OUT ” courtesy of Kevin Schraer Car-centric societies tend to make excuses to defend a way of life – a life dependent on automobiles. These excuses are disproportionately emphasized in the media and accepted by society. When a tragedy occurs between a motorist and a bicyclist,  the media looks for reasons to explain ...

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 ...