Research from England shows that bicycling is on the decline in that country as kids spend more time in front of the TV and computer games.
A report by Kellogg's finds that one home in three doesn't have a bicycle, and half the parents responding to a survey says riding a bicycle isn't important for kids today as when they were growing up.
In fact, one of every five parents in London won't bother to teach their kids how to ride a bicycle. And half the parents said they simply don't ride a bicycle anymore themselves.
While the Guardian newspaper was alarmed at this decline in bicycling, I wondered if there are similar trends in the US ... more»
The other day I stumbled across a 1980 story in Time magazine about the dismal state of bicycling in New York City. A Reuters article filed today about New York cycling chic shows how things have changed.
The Time article, entitled "The Great Bicycle Wars," starts with an anecdote about then-Mayor Edward Koch. He caught the bicycle-transportation religion during a visit to China and returned to install bike lanes along two avenues in Manhattan.
Three months later he orders those bike lanes torn out because they weren't being used, in spite of official reports to the contrary. He was probably getting hammered by complaints from the motoring public. The episode leaves New York City without bike lanes. ... more»
The Sheriff's deputy who killed two bicyclists in California when he fell asleep at the wheel in March 2008 will be sentenced to four months of "house arrest."
The deaths of competitive cyclists Matt Peterson and Kristy Gough on a winding stretch of Santa Clara County highway on March 9, 2008, brought out more than 1,000 bicycle riders on a memorial ride to the site of the collision a week later.
(Peterson was a member of Team Roaring Mouse; the video at left ends with a memorial for the cyclist. Gough rode for the Third Pillar Racing Team.)
On-duty Deputy James Council drifted over the double yellow line and ran into the pair head-on while they were on a training ride with others. ... more»
Washington tops off the list of Bicycle Friendly States published by the League of American Bicyclists for the second year in a row.
Wisconsin remained at No. 2 for the second year, but Maine climbed three places to be ranked No. 3 for 2009. Oregon and Minnesota round out the top 5.
The biggest success story from the list has to be Mississippi, which climbed 23 places to be ranked at No. 24. The biggest disappointment is Florida, which dropped 12 places to No. 32.
The bottom five states are New Mexico, 46; Alaska, 47; Oklahoma, 48; Montana, 49; and Alabama, 50. (Click 'more' for full list) .... more»
When your company does something that you're proud of, you want the world to know.
That's the impression I got from Ryan Burns, an employee at the Logos Bible Software company up in Bellingham.
With Bike-to-Work Day coming up on May 15, he wanted to brag a little about the in-house bicycle shop that Logos has funded.
You wouldn't be surprised to hear something like this about Microsoft, which has a bike repair shop for its hundreds of employees at the sprawling campus in Redmond. But Logos has just 170 employees, many of whom are serious bicyclists who work on their own bicycles.
A jury took less than two hours to reduce the charges against a woman who struck and killed a bicyclist in last year's Tour of the Scioto River Valley (TOSRV).
The motorist was originally charged with the third-degree felony of leaving the scene of a fatal accident. The Pike County, Ohio, jury on Wednesday reduced the charge to a misdemeanor crime of leaving the scene of an accident.
The jury reasoned (and I'm using the term loosely) that because the bicyclist suffered head injuries that killed him instantly, the motorist's failure to stop did not in and of itself result in the bicyclist's death.
The third-degree felony carries a 1- to 5-year prison sentence; the maximum punishment for a misdemeanor conviction is a 6-month sentence and $1,000 fine more»
Are you lucky enough live in a Bicycle Friendly Community?
The League of American Bicyclists named 13 more cities to its esteemed list, bringing the number nationwide to 108.
And as an added bonus, the League named four states -- Washington and Wisconson (silver) and Arizona and Minnesota (bronze) -- to its newly launched Bicycle Friendly State program.
Here are the 13 new states on the Bicycle Friendly Community list ... more»
May is the month when alternative transportation advocates try to steer more people into bicycle commuting. It's not a bad idea, considering that it cost on average 54 cents a mile to drive a car last year.
The highlights of the month are National Bike-to-Work Week from May 11-15 and Bike-to-Work Day, either May 14 or 15, depending on where you live. After that, the idea is that people have seen the light and will continue bicycling through the summer and into the fall.
It will be worth your time to check out the Bike-to-Work events in your area. The League of American Bicyclists has a list of Bike Month Specials in cities across the nation. If you don't find your city listed, check out LAB's searchable database to find the website of your local bicycle club.
"There's really nothing now that requires them (cyclists) to yield or move over. ... This bill gives them full access to the road."
That's an interesting reaction to passage of Colorado's bicycle safety bill from the county sheriff who oversees Boulder, a platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Community ... more»
It's an encouraging sign that bicycle fatalities across the U.S. dropped for a second straight year in 2007 to 698 deaths, representing a 9.5% decrease from the previous year.
Of course, one fatality is too many.
Could it be that bicyclists and motorists are becoming more aware of each other and willing to share the road? We can only hope.
The annual report on bicycle fatalities from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration runs a few months behind, so we'll have to wait to learn if bicycle fatalities continued to drop in 2008 ... more»
National Bike Month is coming up in May, and you might be trying to convince some coworkers to join your bike commuting efforts for Bike-to-Work Week May 11-15.
The League of American Bicyclists refutes 10 common arguments for not commuting to work by bicycle in its manual for bike-to-work organizers. I've reprinted them below.
Also, "On Men" blogger Adam Voiland at US News & World Report reports the six most common excuses he hears for not commuting by bicycle, from "it's too dangerous" to "it will make me impotent." A longtime bike commuter, he shoots them down one at a time.
Here's the League's list of Bike Month and Bike-to-Work week events -- .... more»
Bicycling is changing the look and feel of cities, small towns and suburbs across the U.S., asserts Jeff Mapes in his new book, "Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists are Changing American Cities."
Mapes should know. He's a reporter at the Portland Oregonian newspaper and has watched the rise of the bicycle culture in that city. He's experienced much of it firsthand as a bike commuter.
According to reviews and publicity (I haven't read the book yet), Mapes writes about big cities, college towns and Portland to show how cyclists are taking to the streets. He looks at the history of bicycle advocacy and reports on the many styles of people -- congressmen, bike messengers, spandex-clad recreational riders -- who are behind it.
What's the best way to celebrate Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22? Ride your bicycle, of course.
I don't mean to carry it by car to the local bike path or Earth Day parade and go for a ride. I mean use your bicycle for transportation to get to work, run errands, or visit a friend.
Using a bicycle reduces the burning of fossil fuels that create greenhouse gases, which are responsible for climate change. End of sermon.
There are many Earth Day events being held this weekend and next weekend across the US. ... more»
The thought of an inebriated bicyclist weaving down the road conjures up a funny picture, but statistics show that drunken bicycling is no laughing matter.
A recent New York Times blog report says a New York City study found over a 10-year-period that 21% of bicyclists killed in traffic crashes had alcohol in their bloodstream.
Data in a National Highway Transportation Safety Administration report is even more sobering: In 2007, nearly one-fourth of cyclists killed in traffic crashes had a blood alcohol content of .08% or higher.
If you're behind the wheel of a car, a .08 blood alcohol level will earn you a drunken driving charge in all 50 states. ... more»
Eugene might be called Track City because of its history with running events at the University of Oregon, but what caught my eye on a recent visit were the thousands of bicycles.
I've been on a whirlwind tour of some Northwest colleges lately with my high school senior son, and my unofficial observations found the University of Oregon to be the most bike-centric of any campus.
The Cascade Bicycle Club in Seattle is encouraging everyone to get involved in the annual "Jurassic Petroleum Drive to Work Day" on Wednesday.
That's right, it's time for bicycle commuters, bus passengers, pedestrians and even car-poolers to jump into their individual cars and experience the love of crawling along to work on a congested four-lane superhighway, spewing carbon emissions as they go.
If you look at the calendar, you'll realize that Wednesday is April Fool's Day, so I doubt if the announcement at the Great City blog or Cascade's Twitter is being made in all seriousness. But there is a serious point to be made.
New Belgium Brewery's rollicking Tour de Fat bicycle festival hits the road again to 11 western cities this summer and fall.
The traveling circus-style event hosted by the Fort Collins, Colorado-based brewery preaches sustainability in its message to participants. That message is flavored with a healthy dose of suds.
This year, the festival starts by visiting Chicago, followed by Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland, Boise, Fort Collins, Denver, San Francisco, San Diego, Tempe and Austin (dates below).
Truckee, California, and Durango, Colorado, were dropped from last year's tour; Minneapolis and San Diego have been added ... more»
The driver of a truck that sideswiped and killed Chattanooga bike framebuilder and cycling advocate David Meek earlier this month may avoid prosecution.
A grand jury decided not to return an indictment against the truck driver, and police earlier did not cite him -- not even for a possible violation of the state's 3-foot passing law. The grand jury based its decision on crash investigator's conclusion, reported in the Chattanoogan newspaper:
"... the truck driver 'could have seen the bike, but it is not likely that he should have seen the bike.' "
The bicycle suppliers and retailers who make up the nonprofit Bikes Belong Coalition have been busy doling out grants to reward grassroots organizations that are making life better for bicyclists.
Two rounds of grants have been handed out to 11 locally oriented bicycle advocacy groups recently. Not only is it cool to see that their good work is being supported, but it's interesting to see what's going on around the country for bicyclists.
Maybe some readers will get an idea for grant-worthy projects for their clubs.
The latest are 5 REI/Bicycle Friendly Community grants of $10,000 to $20,000 handed out in collaboration with Bikes Belong and the League of American Bicyclists. Earlier, Bikes Belong handed out $50,000 ... more»
Louisiana has joined the list of states where motorists are required to give bicyclists a 3-foot margin when passing.
Research from England shows that bicycling is on the decline in that country as kids spend more time in front of the TV and computer games.
The other day I stumbled across a 1980 story in Time magazine about the dismal state of bicycling in New York City. A Reuters article filed today about New York cycling chic shows how things have changed.
What's the best way to celebrate Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22? Ride your bicycle, of course.
Eugene might be called Track City because of its history with running events at the University of Oregon, but what caught my eye on a recent visit were the thousands of bicycles.
The Cascade Bicycle Club in Seattle is encouraging everyone to get involved in the annual "Jurassic Petroleum Drive to Work Day" on Wednesday.
The driver of a truck that sideswiped and killed Chattanooga bike framebuilder and cycling advocate David Meek earlier this month may avoid prosecution.
The bicycle suppliers and retailers who make up the nonprofit
