Out of Town
Streetsblog Basics
The Stupidest Bike Lane in America, Part 2
Last month, Slate Magazine's SlateV asked viewers to submit entries for the "stupidest bike lane in America." Responses poured in -- many from outside the U.S. -- and the honor went to a lane in Silver Spring, Maryland, which is so useless that the markings were removed before the Slate crew got to it.
May 2, 2008
Third Term for Livingstone Looks Unlikely (Updated)
London Mayor Ken Livingstone, who introduced congestion charging to the British capital in 2003, has probably been unseated by Tory challenger Boris Johnson, report Reuters and the Evening Standard. Labour lost across the board in UK elections yesterday, and the London mayor's race appears not to have bucked the trend, although the final tally has not yet been announced.
May 2, 2008
Jersey High School Students Protest Anti-Bike Policy
Bridgewater-Raritan High doesn't want to encourage cycling (or, apparently, walking) to school
May 2, 2008
Chicago Gets NYC’s Congestion Pricing Money
The New York State Assembly is doing a great job... for the people of Chicago.
April 29, 2008
Streetfilm: Paris Skates!
Streetfilms' Elizabeth Press kicks off a series of videos about livable streets in Paris with this look at the city's two weekly romps on skates -- roller-versions of Critical Mass that attract up to 15,000 participants. Notice that the police are an essential part of the proceedings (and they seem to have fun doing it -- check out the cops on blades at the 1:35 mark).
April 24, 2008
Paco Abraham Turns Duane Reade on to Bike Racks
Yesterday DOT announced it is seeking submissions for the first ever bike-friendly business awards. This being the week of Earth Day, a few bike-positive firms have come to our attention recently -- Macy's, W Hotels, J Crew -- but the most substantial business-led effort to improve the city's cycling environment this year may have come from Duane Reade. The omnipresent drugstore chain has asked the city to install bike racks at all its New York locations -- 150 in Manhattan plus dozens more in the outer boroughs.
April 24, 2008
Cyclists Zip Down Clogged LA Freeways
Via WestSideBikeSide,
last week 10 Los Angeles cyclists (illegally) took to the 405 and the 10 on the premise that riding on those infamously congested freeways at rush hour is no less safe than taking the Pacific Coast Highway.
April 23, 2008
How Paris is Beating Traffic Without Congestion Pricing
Biking by the Seine during car-free hours on the Georges Pompidou Expressway.
April 22, 2008
Automated Underground Bike Parking in Tokyo
From Japan Probe via Gizmodo comes this video of an automated underground bike garage at a Tokyo commuter train station. For a single-use fee of 100 yen (about $1) or 1,800 yen for a monthly pass, customers roll their bikes onto a platform and use a control panel to have them whisked away to a rack within the 9,400 spot facility. The video shows that it takes the system 23 seconds to retrieve the reporter's bike. (As our tipster noted, if you liked "Brazil," you'll love this clip.)
April 21, 2008