Big bucks on big plans for bikes and pedestrians in West Kelowna

West Kelowa is pushing ahead to improve and upgrade its pedestrian and bike path network with an ambitious plan both to make cycling and walking easier and to find ways to help pay for it. West Kelowna council saw the first draft of the 20-year pedestrian and bicycle path plan this week, the first step in the wider introduction of the plan to local residents. Read more.

Why Can't Public Transit Be Free?

In January 2013, Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, announced that it was making public transit free to all of its citizens. A study released a year later revealed that the move only increased demand by 1.2 percent—though it did inspire Estonians that year to register as Tallinnian citizens at three times the normal rate. The authors of the Tallinn study reached the same conclusion as the NCTR: Free subway rides entice people who would otherwise walk, not people who would otherwise drive. Read more.

The Invention of America's 'Love Affair' With the Automobile

October 22, 1961: It was on this Sunday night when NBC aired a program called "Merrily We Roll Along"—promoted as "the story of America's love affair with the automobile." During the show, host Groucho Marx introduced the "love affair" metaphor to millions of viewers, casting cars as "the new girl in town." To make this love work, Marx explained, Americans were willing to overcome intrusive regulations, endure awful traffic jams, and if necessary, redesign entire cities. Read more.

I'm a reformed arrogant cyclist

I treat cars, buses and trucks like giant lumbering (or occasionally charging) elephants, ridden by slightly distracted people who certainly don't want to hurt me, but who have less control over their large, heavy steeds than we like to think. I treat them with a lot of respect. Read more.

U.K. - Survey reveals 100,000 increase in regular cyclists since 2012

The number of people cycling at least once a week has risen by more than 100,000 since October 2012, according to figures released by British Cycling. With 2,069,200 adults in England now cycling regularly, as revealed in Sport England’s Active People survey, BC remain on course to meet its participation targets. Read more.

Fort McMurray - Sidewalks are for walking, not slipping and sliding

It was unfortunate that the recent warm temperatures in the city forced the municipality to close most of its outdoor skating rinks. However, it appears to have compensated by allowing the rest of the city to turn into one. Read more.

The Not-So-Crazy Plan to Build an Ice-Skating Highway Through Edmonton

For his thesis, Gibbs focused on ways “to make winter cities more livable, in particular how can we diversify transportation options, focus on active transportation, as well as social activity.” Read more.

How Seville transformed itself into the cycling capital of southern Europe

Spain remains far from a paradise for bikes – yet cycling has increased 11-fold in Seville in the space of a few years. Is this proof that any city can get lots of people riding by building an ambitious network of connected, segregated bike lanes? Read more.

4 reasons to invest in active transportation: economy, health, environment and universal access

A report published by the National Recreation and Park Association, a U.S. organization, discusses the many benefits of investing in active transportation. Read more.

Bracebridge - Sustainability key for council as they adopt priorities for term

On Jan. 7, council adopted a number or priorities set out in a memorandum by Mayor Graydon Smith that will in turn be used in the development of the 2015 municipal budget. These priorities are broken into four strategic objectives, including a vibrant, prosperous and economically sustainable community; a green, mindful and environmentally sustainable community; an engaged, healthy and socially sustainable community; and a creative and culturally sustainable community. Read more.

Vancouver - The big transit referendum question: Do you support a regional half per cent PST rise to pay for transit?

That’s the question Metro Vancouver residents could face — pending provincial approval — after a vote Thursday by the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation to send this new funding source to a yes-or-no referendum vote. Despite considerable support from third-party groups, a yes vote is not a lock. Anti-tax forces have already mobilized, paving the way for what should be a tumultuous few months. Read more.

Group wants link between Parry Sound Drive and Kinsmen

Although not an inexpensive project, the Parry Sound Area Active Transportation group believes a safe link between Parry Sound Drive and the Kinsmen Park would be beneficial to many. Last week Wendall Fisher spoke to council on behalf of the active transportation group, asking the town to consider working with McDougall Township to bridge the gap between the two communities. Read more.

Barrie - Active transportation plan helping students

Active Transportation Barrie (ATB) is working to positively impact student lifestyles with support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation through the Barrie/Simcoe Cycling Club and the Healthy Communities Partnership Fund through the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit. Read more.

Montréal unveils new plans for urban boulevard to replace Bonaventure Expressway

East-west cycling lanes are planned along William St. and Ottawa St., and wide pedestrian walkways will be lined with dozens of newly planted trees. Art installations are being commissioned and are expected to be placed at each end of the new corridor, which will be re-baptized Robert-Bourassa Blvd. in honour of Quebec’s former premier. Read more.

Volvo's smart idea for keeping cyclists safe: A helmet that connects with cars

The new concept, a world first, was developed in collaboration with sports gear manufacturer POC and Ericsson and enables two-way communication of location between cyclists and cars, reducing the possibility of a collision. If a cyclist is in a driver's blind sport both receive a warning. Read more.

Traffic flowing once again on Sydney River bridge

After 18 months of construction and having to use a detour on Highway 125, local residents, in particular, were thrilled to see the bridge on Keltic Drive open to vehicles once again. Work still remains on the active transportation lane, which is expected to be ready by the end of January. Traffic will be reduced to one lane during some daytime hours while that work continues, and the bridge will also be closed to pedestrian and bicycle traffic until the active transportation lane is open. The shuttle service will continue until work is finished. Read more.

Montréal - De Maisonneuve to have new two-way stretch west of superhospital

A dedicated lane for buses will be built on the south side of de Maisonneuve. A dedicated lane for cyclists will run between the bus lane and the lane for cars. A traffic light for cyclists will be erected at the entrance for buses at the Vendôme métro station. At that point, the bicycle lane will cut in front of the bus lane and run adjacent to the sidewalk until Claremont Ave. Read more.

America's Top 10 New Bike Lanes

The Green Lane Project is working to repair that legacy. In 2011, the project was created by bike advocacy group PeopleForBikes, and it has already nearly doubled the number of bike lanes in cities across America — to 138. The predicted count is 210 by the end of this year. Read more.

Banff - Norquay Road sidewalk plan shelved

Plans to build a sidewalk on the east side of Norquay Road from Banff’s train station to Fenlands recreation centre have been put off until 2019. Delaying the project to cut capital costs – originally $50,000 for design in 2015 and $475,000 for construction in 2016 – was far from unanimous, though, with Councillors Brian Standish, Chip Olver and Corrie DiManno voicing safety concerns. Read more.

Top 8 tips for navigating Winnipeg's slippery sidewalks

We took to those slippery city streets to compile a list of helpful tips gleaned from Winnipeggers who were navigating the icy roads Wednesday. Read more.

University of Waterloo students working on age-friendly community survey

Last year, a group of students held focus groups to see what local residents thought could be done to make Huron East more age-friendly. In developing the survey, the students will be looking into issues such as health care, active transportation and accessibility amongst others. Read more.

Expanding Walkability in Two African Cities: What's at Stake?

In Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and home to 10 million residents, an estimated 60 to 80 percent of travelers walk, according to a 2012 report. In Dar es Salaam, the largest city in Tanzania, about 70 percent of all travel is done either on foot or bicycle. "The share of walking trips in sub-Saharan Africa is higher than in any other region of the world," a 2013 U.N. report states. Read more.

In London, they say "Cycling is now mass transport and must be treated as such"

When a new London project, 250 City Road went through its approval process, the Islington Council planners wanted parking for bikes. Lots of it- 1486 spaces or 1.5 for every residential unit. It works out to about one per bedroom. Read more.

Obesity health strategy in Canada shifts to prevention

Prevention of even a slight weight gain is key to avert heart disease, cancer and other chronic health problems from setting in at middle age, according to new Canadian guidelines. Expanding waistlines are well recognized. Obesity measurements among adult Canadians has almost doubled from 14 per cent in 1978-1979 to 26 per cent in 2009-2011. Read more.

London ON - Dundas Street plans on hold for now

Dundas Street is unlikely to ever be described as 'pedestrian friendly.' Now a multi-million dollar plan to transform it into a pedestrian flexible street that can be closed to traffic are on hold. Read more.

How Girls in Afghanistan Are Skateboarding Their Way to Empowerment

Young girls in Afghanistan are empowering themselves through an unexpected sport: skateboarding.

Non-profit organization Skateistan is cruising through the country's streets, getting fascinated children to sign up for their skateboarding lessons followed up with educational time in classrooms -- and it's all for free. Read more.

Ottawa - City looking for more winter cyclists

Cyclists ruled the roads Sunday afternoon in the downtown area to spread the word about winter bike safety in the city. Dozens of braver folks, including some councillors, gathered at City Hall to take part in the 4th annual Family Winter Cycling Parade that had cyclists ride a 4-km route in bitter -14 degree weather. Read more.

Egyptian female cyclists pedal for acceptance

"Unfortunately, it's socially unacceptable in Egypt for a girl to ride a bicycle in the street," said the 31-year-old executive secretary, as she prepared to set off from the upscale Cairo neighbourhood where she lives. Read more.

Anthony Foxx Challenges Mayors to Protect Pedestrians and Cyclists

With pedestrian and cyclist deaths accounting for a rising share of U.S. traffic fatalities and Congress not exactly raring to take action, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx is issuing a direct challenge to America’s mayors to improve street safety. Read more.

A Montréal, on continue à pédaler, même en plein hiver

Pédaler l’hiver ? "C’est plaisant. On a l’impression de partir au ski tous les matins. Et puis, quand il a neigé, les voitures vont moins vite", témoigne Marc Soulillou, qui a travaillé comme coursier à vélo dans les rues de Montréal l’hiver dernier. Read more.

Free E-Book on 'The Future of Transportation'

Whether you miss last year's Future of Transportation series or just plain missed it (for shame!), you're in luck. We've compiled a dozen of our favorite pieces into an e-book now available for download. And thanks to the continued support of the Rockefeller Foundation, it's available for free. Read more.

London ON - City spending $146,000 on new Bicycle Master Plan

City council has approved the hire of a consulting firm to help update its nearly decade old Bicycle Master Plan. Read more.

Huntsville hosts pop-up talk series to tackle transportation policies

The Town of Huntsville has taken a unique approach to drafting active transportation policies for the official plan. On Jan. 15, it invited residents to a Sustainability open house to host an open forum on walking and cycling in town. Read more.

Car use outpaces public transit in Montreal area, survey shows

The survey, paid for by the region’s public transit bodies and called Origine-Destination, is a census of the Montreal region — made up of nearly 4 million people — examining their preferred modes of transport, published every five years.


It found that the use of cars has grown by 15 per cent in the region from 2008 to 2013, compared with public transit use, which was up 10 per cent, and active transportation (walking or cycling), which increased by nine per cent. Read more.

Leave your licence at home and vacation car free

The Banff and Lake Louise area is frequently voted amongst the most walkable ski towns in North America primarily because a matrix of shuttles makes it easy to get door to door transportation without taking on the added challenge of winter driving.  So go green: consider saying no to a rental car, leave your licence at home and use the shuttle systems to sit back and relax as a passenger while still getting from A to B seamlessly. Read more.

Parents investigated for neglect after letting kids walk home alone

It was a one-mile walk home from a Silver Spring park on Georgia Avenue on a Saturday afternoon. But what the parents saw as a moment of independence for their 10-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter, they say authorities viewed much differently. Read more.

Edmonton - Grad students making cycling safer for special-needs kids

“We have an idea for a device that will provide not only braking (by push button on the handlebars or by a remote key fob in the hands of a parent or therapist) but also limited power assist—another feature that the folks at You Can Ride Two mentioned would be very helpful for many of their kids,” he said. “This system will mean more independence for the child and more peace of mind for their parents,” Halayko said. Read more.

Pembrooke - County Council passes draft $38 million budget

During a whirlwind one-day budget workshop, councillors were challenged to stay with their strategic plan which has seven main priorities including active transportation, a linked trail system, small business investment and economic development and the four-lane expansion of Highway 17. Read more.

Purple RightBike rental bicycles come to Almonte this spring

Coming this spring, the Almonte Old Town Hall might have a new attraction out front: a rack of purple bicycles available for rent. Read more.

Montréal - City proposing ambitious expansion of bike path network

The city plans to make that possible, as one of its proposed extensions of the bicycle path network, which will more than double in size, according to planning documents adopted last week. Read more.

Bike helmet ticketing plummets in Vancouver

The number of cyclists ticketed for riding without helmets in Vancouver dropped drastically in 2014, a year where a record number of people pedaled along the city’s bike lanes. Read more.

Victoria AU - ‘Dangerous’ night bike ride with 2000 cyclists to push ahead

Organizers of a controversial bike event have vowed to push ahead with the “all-night ride”, despite police and VicRoads warning it is dangerous, a waste of emergency services’ time and could end in carnage. Read more.

Hamilton - Double Standard at Play in Transportation Outrage

The latest bout of hand-wringing involves the fate of the bus-only lane in downtown, which moves at least as many people in one lane as do all of the other lanes of King Street combined. The push to eliminate the lane at all costs has nothing at all to do with the issue of mobility. If it did, it would be hard if not impossible to argue against the bus-only lane. However, little if no mention is being made of the improved commute of an equal number of transit riders in that corridor. Read more.

Calgary - Coun. Sean Chu wants cheaper bike plan for Stephen Avenue

A city councillor wants to drastically cut how much money is spent to accommodate cyclists on Stephen Avenue. Calgary's new downtown cycle track network is expected to be up and running this summer on a one-year trial basis. Read more.

Trail BC - Pedestrian bridge plans taking shape

In about nine months time, there’ll be signs of new life along Riverside Avenue when construction for the Columbia River crossing is expected to break ground. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the city plans to put the $10 million pedestrian/pipe bridge project to tender this spring, and award the contract by the middle of May. Read more.

Toronto - The Yonge Street Mall

For Globe and Mail columnist Bruce West, the debut of the Yonge Street Mall in the spring of 1971 offered Toronto “an enjoyable thing that used to exist only in small towns on a Saturday night. I refer to the simple pleasures of ambling up and down Main Street meeting your fellow residents eye-to-eye and even venturing to bid them good evening.” Read more.

Montréal - Clearing the way to winter cycling

Vélo Québec estimates that about 50,000 people use their bicycles outside the traditional Nov. 15 to April 15 period when bicycle lanes are closed for the winter. Read more.

An Electric Skateboard You Control by Leaning

California might still have a ban on electric skateboards, thanks to a 1970s law against their motorized, emissions-spewing granddaddies. But with one state legislator moving to legalize e-boards, engineers are already rolling out prototypes—such as the Zboard 2, a battery-charged person-mover that gets up to a wind-rustling-in-the-hair 20 mph. Read more.

Why Are American's Afraid of a Car-less Future?

It turns out that reducing automobile access in urban cores not only encourages more active mobility like cycling, but actually leads to improved business for local firms. Read more.

The Bicycle: A Simple Tool for Sustainable Urban Mobility

As Americans grapple with a wide range of societal problems like obesity and other health issues, traffic gridlock and reduced family time, and socially isolated city-centers, we might stop to ask how we got this way and how we can change. Read more.

The Bicycles of the 2015 Detroit Auto Show

Cars and trucks, both production and concept models, are the obvious centerpiece of every North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Yet, among the hundreds of gasoline and diesel, as well as hydrogen and electric vehicles, were a handful of bicycles, all essentially used as props to emphasize the out-of-doors quality of the vehicles beneath them. Read more.

Huron County Health Unit has released videos designed to get you moving.

The Health Unit is showing a series of what it calls active transportation videos, featuring a number of locations across the County. Read more.

Working on a New Conversation About Bike Equity

Bicycling in the U.S. has long been seen as a recreational pursuit and transportation mode for mostly affluent white people (and mostly men). But, that’s changing. From 2001-2009, growth in the number African-Americans, Asians and Hispanics who cycle significantly outpaced that among whites. Read more.

What is Hamilton council's vision for transit?

Council seems split on whether to cancel, suspend or continue the bus lane with improvements. Council's final vote Wednesday won't likely be the kind of unanimous vote the previous council would take pride in. Whether the lane is cancelled or suspended, Metrolinx will spend $100,000 to remove it, despite their own staff telling them the pilot was successful. Read more.

Montreal skeleton 5 new ‘pedestrian’ streets for 2015

The City of Montreal has announced it will renovate 5 city streets into “pedestrian-friendly” hubs in time for a city’s 375th anniversary. Read more.

New plan for Nelson’s Hall-Vernon intersection unveiled

The latest conceptual plan for Nelson’s Stores to Shores downtown revitalization proposes a new solution to address blind spots at one of the city’s knottiest corners. The intersection of Hall and Vernon streets would be moved slightly south onto level ground and turned into a four-way stop, with “bulb outs” on the corners to shorten pedestrian crossings. Read more.

Getting England cycling would bring £248bn economic boost says CTC

National cycling charity CTC says England’s economy could benefit to the tune of £248 billion over the next three and a half decades if the recommendations of the 2013 Get Britain Cycling report of the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group (APPCG) were implemented in full. Read more.

Manitoba - Ashton would earmark provincial spending for active transportation

A Steve Ashton-led government would propel growth in Winnipeg and its surrounding region by dedicating one per cent of provincial infrastructure funding for active transportation. Ashton said today at a leadership campaign event in Elwood that that would add more bike paths and bike lanes on major roadway projects. "Active transportation is a wave of the future," he said. Read more.

What the bike counter on the Peace Bridge is really telling us

As far as the raw numbers goes, Rheault thinks they are falling in line with what he sees in other cities. He has, however, been surprised by a few things. For one, the peak number of users is pretty high. Read more.

Dutch Suburbs Are Like America’s, and Protected Bike Lanes Work Fine There

People the in U.S. street design world regularly say that U.S. development patterns mean that Dutch street designs can’t be immediately adopted in the States. That’s a lot less true than you might think. Read more.

The forgotten history of how automakers invented the crime of "jaywalking"

100 years ago, if you were a pedestrian, crossing the street was simple: you walked across it. Today, if there's traffic in the area and you want to follow the law, you need to find a crosswalk. And if there's a traffic light, you need to wait for it to change to green. Read more.

7 Cities That Are Starting To Go Car-Free

After over a hundred years of living with cars, some cities are slowly starting to realize that the automobile doesn't make a lot of sense in the urban context. It isn't just the smog or the traffic deaths; in a city, cars aren't even a convenient way to get around. Read more.

Campaigners call for cycling cash as study finds inactivity twice as deadly as obesity

New research reveals that inactivity is responsible for the deaths of twice as many people in Europe than obesity is. The study of 334,161 people, conducted by researchers at the University of Cambridge, found that inactivity causes 676,000 deaths a year, while obesity contributes to approximately 337,000 deaths, reports BBC News.


The findings have been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, along with the recommendation that 20 minutes’ exercise a day such as a brisk walk would bring big benefits to people’s health. Read more.

Halifax - Busing chews up too many education dollars

Community advocacy groups such as Community Transit-Nova Scotia and the Ecology Action Centre share this concern and support policy initiatives promoting active, healthy transportation alternatives. A comprehensive audit of student transportation might open the door to community planning more focused on establishing walkable schools in healthier local communities. Read more.

Portage la Prairie - U of M students present to council

Three University of Manitoba students presented to council their ideas on how city hall can improve the esthetics and use of Portage la Prairie’s downtown core, Jan. 13. As part of the revitalization of Saskatchewan Avenue and downtown, the first-year Masters in City Planning students looked at transportation, Heritage Square, and streetscaping. Read more.

Just Because You Can't Find a Place to Park Doesn't Mean There Aren't Way Too Many Parking Spots

When we say we can't find anywhere to park, what we usually mean is we can't find a free or insanely cheap parking spot within spitting distance of our destination. The result is a misperception that parking is scarce despite the great deal of lots, street spaces, or garages that might exist a block or two away. Read more.

Hamilton bike share rolls out first bikes Friday (Jan. 16)

After months of delays, SoBi Hamilton is rolling out bicycles for its hotly anticipated new bike share program Friday – in the dead of winter. About 200 bikes will be installed for a “winter season test” throughout the day, while the full fleet of 750 bikes will hit the streets in March for the program’s official launch. Read more.

Bike-Share Could Be 'A Much More Integrated Platform,' Says Bike-Share CEO

Alta Bicycle Share, the nation's biggest bike-share company, just changed its name to Motivate. We chatted with CEO Jay Walder about his plans for the future. Read more.

Vancouver - Cyclist hit on busy Adanac bike route

A collision between a cyclist and SUV was just one of three serious accidents on Metro Vancouver streets last night. One pedestrian was also killed, and another was also injured. Read more.

We’ve updated our library of protected bike lane stats

Here on the Green Lane Project blog, we try to combine anecdotes with data — like the story of a San Francisco bookseller who removed auto parking in front of his store because he realized, intuitively, that occupied bike parking is three times more profitable per square foot than occupied car parking. Or the Atlanta advocate who rarely gets people under 30 to come to her bike education classes because it turns out that most growth in biking is coming from people older than 40. Read more.

Injustice at the Intersection

On April 10, 2010, four-year-old A.J. Newman was killed just steps from his home. Along with his mother and two sisters, he was trying to get back to his apartment building from a bus stop on the far side of a five-lane highway. As they waited on a narrow concrete median, A.J. broke loose from Raquel Nelson’s hand, following the lead of his older sister, who took advantage of a short break in traffic to dash across the road. A drunk driver struck him dead before his mother’s eyes. Read more.

BC Court acknowledges power imbalance between car and bike in road rage incident

In Davies v. Elston, 2014 BCSC 2435 (CanLII) the defendant motorist overheard two passing cyclists commenting on the danger presented by the outstretched mirrors of his truck, which was parked to the right of a designated bike lane.  Annoyed, he got in his truck and chased the cyclists. Read more.

Huntsville - Sustainability open house

"Part meet-up and part pop-up talk series, this event promotes a new way to engage community members, brainstorm ideas and ultimately promote ways of turning those ideas into reality," stated the town in a media release. "The open house will have live music and an opportunity for participants to partake in creative and interactive activities that express their ideas about better walking and cycling in Huntsville." Read more.

Halifax - What do you think needs to be fixed?

“One thing I would change about Halifax would be the addition of a Bixi or "bike sharing" type system for Halifax. Let's get some additional exercise whilst freeing up some of our traffic problems!” —Jeremy Moore, director of health and wellness for Fusion Halifax Read more.

Parry Sound - Plenty of upside to new trail

On Wednesday, the active transportation group highlighted a missing link when it comes to pedestrian and cycling routes in our community. While pedestrians have sidewalks and cyclists can cope with the start-and-stop traffic within the Town of Parry Sound, the higher speeds and narrow shoulders on Parry Sound Drive, the road connecting the Parry Sound Mall to Kinsmen Park and Nobel, make non-motorized travel daunting, if not downright dangerous. Read more.

Cape Breton Post - Some smart goals for healthy living

If the outdoors isn’t for you, try walking indoors at a mall or at your local recreation centre. Be more active today by taking the stairs. Instead of driving to a short destination, take part in active transportation by walking or biking there. Every step counts! Read more.

Fast Cycling Routes: towards barrier-free commuting

Fast cycling routes are “high standard bicycle paths reserved for cyclists for fast and direct commuting over long distances.” Read more.

Hedonomics and the art of cycling in the city

What makes a city a great place to live? Is it the commute, property prices or good conversation, asks Charles Montgomery, whose book Happy City explores the intersection between urban design and hedonomics, the science of urban happiness. It helps if a city allows for bicycling and walking, he says. Read more.

Washington - Give bicyclists their own roads

What cyclists need is a separate network of biking roads, not bike lanes. Give them trails through wooded areas, away from cars and trucks. Once they enter high-traffic areas in the city, it’s off the bicycle and onto alternative transportation. Read more.

Mobilizing Knowledge on Active Transportation

This series of webinars on active transportation initiatives across Canada is presented by ACT Canada in partnership with the Public Health Agency of Canada. Read more.

Staff Argues Over Whether You Should Wear a Bike Helmet

Given reasonable chances of an accident and that a helmet could give you a normal life afterward instead of a life of moaning and drool and incontinence and pressure sores on your buttocks, you want the normal life instead. Horrible bike accidents happen every day. Some people walk away from them. Some people don't. You want to walk away. Read more.

You know you’re a cyclist when…

The rituals, foibles, opinions and general peculiarities of the cyclist might seem outlandish — or just downright weird — to the casual observer. Read more.

How does a movement know it’s winning? When it shows up in a Lego design book

The movement to spread protected bike lanes in the United States has done Heath one better. Read more.

Netherlands - Cycling advisory group calls for 25 kph speed limit on bike lanes

Government cycling experts are recommending the introduction of a 25 kph speed limit on Dutch bike lanes to curb the impact of electric ‘super’ bikes. Electric bikes with speeds of up to 40 kph are now on sale in the Netherlands and there are concerns about their impact on cyclist safety. Read more.

spite Cheaper Gas, Public Transit Ridership Is Up, Trade Group Reports

The American Public Transportation Association said Wednesday that about 2.7 billion passenger trips were taken on transit systems in the third quarter of 2014 — an increase of 1.8 percent, or about 48 million trips, over the year-ago period — the highest third-quarter number since the trade group’s records began in 1974. Read more.

Riding a Bike in a Suit Made Easy (How To)

The foundation of a really good ride while wearing a suit is an “excuse-proof” bicycle. With a comfortable, upright riding position, fenders and guards to keep your clothes away from moving parts, and a way to carry additional items, these are bikes that are suitable for daily use. Read more.

Taiwan fines hundreds of drunk cyclists under draconian new drunk cycling laws

Taiwan has attempted to clamp down on drunken road use, saying it was the third biggest cause of fatal collisions, after not paying attention when following another vehicle and failing to give way. Read more.

Tests find cyclists in their seventies are physically much younger than most people their age

Want to stay younger for longer? It could be as easy as riding a bike. For cycling really does keep the body – and the mind – young, scientists say. A study of fit amateur cyclists aged 55 to 79 found many were physically much younger than most people their age. Read more.

Thunder Bay - Positive Year For Cyclists

Thunder Bay's Active Transportation Coordinator is pleased with gains made for the benefit of cyclists in 2014. Read more.

Montréal - Skateboards for Hope gives decks to underprivileged youth

A charity group in Montreal is making some children's Christmas dreams come true. Skateboards for Hope finds gently used skateboards for young people and gives them to children who don’t have wheels. Read more.

Texting While Walking Is Obviously Dumb. So Why Can't We Stop Doing It?

According to a 2012 Pew study, most grownups have bumped into stuff while looking at their phones, or been bumped by someone else on their phone. A Stony Brook University study in 2012 found that texting walkers were 61 percent more likely to veer off course than undistracted ones, a finding backed up by other researchers. Read more.

Ajax seeking members for advisory committees

Advisory committees provide insight and recommendations on emerging issues, policies and programs to council members. The advisory committees have up to 10 community members, one or two Town staff liaisons, and one or two council representatives. The advisory committees include Accessibility, Diversity and Community Engagement, Environmental, Heritage, Recreation and Culture and Transportation, which is a new one as it incorporates the former Active Transportation and Trails Advisory Committee. Read more.

The Real Reason U.S. Gas Is So Cheap Is Americans Don't Pay the True Cost of Driving

Amid all the celebration over America's plunging gas prices—down some 40 percent since June—it's easy to forget a very basic fact: in a global sense, U.S. fuel has been cheap for years. In late 2012, for instance, the United States ranked toward the bottom of a world list of gas prices, wedged between the likes of Tunisia and Chad on one side and Russia and Kazakhstan on the other. Most first-world countries paid at least double what America did then, just as they do today. Read more.

Boston - Remaking an obese city, 1 rebuilt bike at a time

"Anything that teaches skills and active transportation in a city with high obesity levels (is important)," McMann said, adding that BiciCocina has provided a dozen bikes to the Groundwork team that helps maintain city parks and community gardens. "It makes it easier for you to get back and forth between school and work and friends' houses. It cuts down on the reliance on buses and cabs, and it also just makes exercise fun." Read more.

PM to ask land owners for bike lane space (No, not Canada)

Bangkok - The premier plans to send staff to talk to the owners who include hotel and shop operators. He wants to push the government's plan to promote tourism and cycling by building paths and riverside gardens. Read more.

How I Became an Urban Monster in Just 10 Minutes

A car is often—even usually—the wrong tool for the job in a dense urban setting. And using the wrong tool makes you frustrated and impatient. Read more.

America's Streets Are Safer for Drivers, But Not for Pedestrians

U.S. roads are safer than they've ever been for people who travel in cars. But has that come at the expense of those who travel on foot? Read more.

Thompson MB: Council approves multi-use path guidelines

The multi-use pathways around the city of Thompson now come complete with guidelines to help residents know what is allowed on these walkways. Northern Regional Health Authority (NRHA) health promotion co-ordinator Bruce Krentz and Michael Isaac, medical officer of health in Winnipeg, spoke about active transportation during the Dec. 15 council meeting. Read more.

Newsletter European Greenways Info, December 2014 is available

Link (English): Newsletter

Cycling New Year's Resolutions 2015 - here's ours, what's yours?

New Year’s resolutions usually seem to be about giving stuff up - where’s the fun in that? Oh and generally they are not about cycling either. We’ve decided to fix that this year by making some cycling resolutions that involve doing things to make our cycling lives that bit better in 2015. Read more.

Chicago - Woman sues over accident on bike path that left her paralyzed

Kraft accuses them of designing and building an “unreasonably unsafe and dangerous” bike path and failing to adequately warn bicyclists of the turns and sudden drop-offs along that stretch of trail. Read more.

Toronto vows to improve winter bike-lane maintenance

From a militant handful of winter riders a generation ago, cycling all year round has become increasingly mainstream. A steady flow of cyclists is seen on some routes in all but the very worst weather. But the infrastructure and maintenance has not kept up, forcing riders to dodge snow and ice in many places. Read more
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Is Fitbit a tool for greener transportation and better cities?

While I was already walking regularly on local errands, my first week of tracking my steps has seen a significant increase in how often and how far I walk. Crucially, it has also encouraged me to incorporate much more of that walking into my daily routines—popping to the grocery store etc–simply because it's really hard to find time to accumulate 10,000 steps if you are sitting at your desk all day and then driving to where you need to go. Read more.

Waterloo - Stalling on cycling

No matter how much verbal support is spouted from Kitchener city hall, either from councillors or staff, there is no real commitment from the city to support cycling or truly improve cycling safety.

Kitchener has used one stall tactic after another to not install cycling infrastructure, nor improve cycling safety. Read more.