Saturday, January 30, 2016

Proposed pedestrian bridge in Galt will trace old railway link

The public got a sneak peek Tuesday night at designs for a pedestrian bridge across the Grand River in Galt planned along a former railway crossing. The bridge — with construction set to begin later this year — will connect the east and west parts of Galt about 400 metres south of the Main Street bridge. Read more.

From The Dutch, A Pedestrian Underpass You'll Actually Want To Walk Through

As far as public spaces go, pedestrian underpasses don't have a stellar reputation. What in theory is a convenient passageway under highways or buildings can quickly become a dark and crime-ridden trash tunnel if not thoughtfully designed or properly maintained. Read more.

How I discovered that everyday walking is no mere pedestrian activity

I’m not quite sure when walking became my primary mode of transportation. There was no epiphany – there was nothing special to mark the day. Read more.

‘Get people on bikes to increase support for cycling infrastructure’ concludes study

A new study has found that drivers who cycle even a small amount are far more likely to support improved cycle infrastructure. The researchers concluded that even a moderate amount of cycling on the road can change a motorist’s view. Read more.

Ambitious plans and political will: This is cycling’s pivotal moment in Toronto

This is a pivotal time for cycling in Toronto, with a cautious optimism among advocates that real change is at hand. A 10-year bike plan will launch in 2016, requiring a substantial boost in funding but promising noticeably better bicycle infrastructure. Read more.

Friday, January 29, 2016

U.S. company claims Vancouver ignoring its offer of a public bicycle system

Spinlister, which already runs a peer-to-peer bike-share program with dozens of listings in Vancouver, has developed a zone-based public bike system that allows users to pick up theft-proof “smart” bikes at local bike-rental shops and drop them off anywhere in the city. Read more.

All winter cycling roads lead to Twin Cities — for now

The Twin Cities’ brief reign runs Tuesday through Thursday with the arrival in Minneapolis of the world Winter Cycling Congress, a four -year-old advocacy and education organization intent on “increasing bicycling and walking among people of all ages and abilities through the winter.” Read more.

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Muskoka council approves bike lanes for MacTier

District of Muskoka council stamped a request for road-shoulder bike lanes on High Street in MacTier on Jan. 18. Read more.

Video - Two-wheeled winter: CBC producer takes on winter cycling

Video producer Rick Bremness put together this side-by-side suiting-up comparison; on the left, Isabelle models her 'low-gear' ensemble, mainly pulled together from clothing she already owned. On the right, she dons winter-cycling-specific gear. See video.

Study - Perceived traffic risk for cyclists: the impact of near miss and collision experiences

 Research suggests that people's concern regarding the risk of bicycling near traffic-namely the risk of being hit by a car-remain a significant barrier to widespread cycling. However, research has not disaggregated traffic risk to expose its many aspects and how they may affect bicyclists with differing skill levels, experiences, and behaviors. Read more.

Montréal - Pedestrian's death leads to requests for safety measures on Park Ave

It's believed to be a first in Montreal – a pair of so-called ghost shoes was hung on a lamppost on Park Ave. Tuesday morning. See video.

Barrie police operating pedestrian safety campaign in wake of recent injuries and fatalities

Officers with the downtown high enforcement action team unit will be on the lookout for people crossing roadways when they shouldn't and motorists who aren't following the rules of the road under the Highway Traffic Act. Read more.

B.C. - Pedestrian deaths raise calls for more reflective clothing

A B.C. seniors group is calling on government to make reflective clothing better and more available, following the recent death of two pedestrians in Metro Vancouver. Read more.

Portage la Prairie - Putting the bike before the pathway

Increasing the availability of bicycles in Portage la Prairie is an excellent idea on two fronts. The first is it will guarantee higher usage on present and future pathways and secondly it will help solve part of the city’s transportation problem. Read more.

See How Skateboarding Is Changing Native American Youth Culture

Over the past five years, a non-profit organization called the Stronghold Society has been working to make reservations like Pine Ridge a better place for future generations, through skateboarding. “Everything we do is to inspire [the youth] through skateboarding, music and the arts,” says Executive Director Walt Pourier. “It’s creative expressive means to help them get a voice and to be heard within these creative realms.” Read more.

How to Keep Cyclists Riding Even in the Frigid Snowy Winter

Nature takes its toll on a will to ride (or to generally leave home) everywhere. But there are parts of the planet that still maintain respectable bike shares even in the dead of winter. Here’s a few choice examples from the chilly borders of Scandinavia and Northern Europe. Read more.

The transformation of Tel Aviv: how cycling got cool in Israel's hippest city

Not so long ago, the idea of promoting cycling was a source of hilarity for Tel Aviv’s politicians. Now it is part of the city’s culture – but there are still many problems to tackle, from chaotic streets to the summer ‘sweat factor’. Read more.

Bicycle cop hit trying to stop car, Cambridge senior later arrested

A 67-year-old Cambridge woman faces several charges after a police officer on bicycle patrol was hit by a car, which then fled the scene. Read more.

Wearing a bicycle helmet may be useless – or worse

A new study has cast further doubt on Australian road rules by suggesting that wearing a bicycle helmet may increase dangerous behaviour. That’s the extraordinary implication of a study published this week in respected journal Psychological Science. Read more.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Pour ou contre la construction de passerelles à Montréal?

Héritage Montréal dénonce la construction de passerelles aériennes entre de nouveaux édifices du centre-ville. L'organisme estime que cela va à l'encontre des politiques de la ville qui ont plutôt favorisé par le passé le développement du Montréal sous terrain. Read more.

Ottawa - Adàwe Crossing proving popular with cyclists, pedestrians — and cars, too

A recently-opened cyclist and pedestrian crossing over the Rideau River could soon have barriers installed at both ends after it's proven unexpectedly popular with cars as well. Read more.

Businesses, environmentalists call for Quebec to invest in transit

The group said that the only way to make a significant impact on emissions is to reduce the number of cars and trucks on the road. It came up with a list of 42 recommendations, most of which rely on action from the government. Among them are for the province to invest massively in public transit and complete long-delayed projects like an extension to the métro’s Blue Line. Read more.

Charlottetown hosts Victoria Park boardwalk winter walking event

The City of Charlottetown invited residents to enjoy the newly renovated Victoria Park boardwalk Sunday as part of a series of events to keep residents active in the winter. Read more.

Meet the Four Girls Behind Culture-Pushing Skate Magazine GET BORN

Skateboarding has always been a bit of a boys’ club, with pretty limited female representation within the industry. Based out of Chicago and Montreal, Get Born is the product of four young women searching for a way to channel their passion for skateboarding and contribute to their local skate communities in a positive way. Read more.

Expanded cycling routes in Nanaimo promoted during summit

The 2016 Nanaimo Bike Summit took place Saturday at Beban Park social centre, with videos, presentations on bike-related subjects, and Leo Boon, coalition chairman, said he is not happy with the state of cycling routes in Nanaimo. Read more.

Plan strives to make Victoria "the best small cycling city in the world"

With its compact size (20 sq. km.), mild (and relatively dry) climate, and flat terrain, one could easily make the argument that Victoria offers some of the best conditions for cycling in all of Canada. And during the 1980s and 1990s, local leaders made some modest steps to take advantage of those favourable conditions – including a series of rail-to-trail conversions, and a basic set of painted bike lanes and sharrows – resulting in nearly 10% of their population biking to work, the single highest rate in the country. Read more.

Monday, January 25, 2016

Toronto cyclists demand 'minimum grid' of safe bike lanes

“If cycling is deemed a priority, then it’s something we could do rapidly,” said Cycle Toronto director Jared Kolb, citing a recent staff report showing the city could complete the cycling grid by 2018 for between $50 million to $150 million. Read more.

Cars vs. bicycles: The struggle to break a fatal cycle

While the number of cycling deaths fluctuated, the county for seven years averaged 12 a year. Three years ago, eight people were killed. But two years ago, 18 bicyclists died in accidents. Last year, coroner records show that 17 were killed. Read more.

Cyclists Excavate Massive Snow Tunnel To Restore Bike Path in Boston

Don't let a little bit of winter discourage you from cycling. Cyclists in Boston didn't let a whole lot of snow stop them. They dug a snow tunnel! Read more.

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Gatineau Park’s southern trails open to fat bikers

This weekend, Gatineau Park in Ottawa is another place where you’ll see the distinctively wide tread of fat bikes rolling along the snowy trails of winter. It’s also a place where you’ll see likely see the surprised expressions of passers-by, watching these big-wheeled, sturdy-framed bikes riding with ease on the sort of variable terrain where others may fear to tread. Read more.

Models of pedestrian flow stumble because people change their minds

The flow of pedestrians is a critical part of the design of buildings, stadiums, and much more. The obvious reason is that designers need to ensure that people can exit the building quickly in case of a disaster, but it goes much further than that. Are people significantly impeded during normal use? Where will people congregate and will this obstruct access to various parts of the building? All of this and more must go in to the building design. Read more.

New York City Travel Ban Does Not Include Bicycles

Walking is allowed, running is allowed and riding a bicycle is allowed, said a spokesperson for the New York Police Department. The ban just means no vehicles on the roads. Read more.

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Europe's most liveable city? The secret of Odense's post-industrial revolution

Denmark’s third-largest city has transformed its prospects by making itself a desirable place to live and invest. At the heart of this change is an extraordinary commitment to getting the whole city cycling. Read more.

The Dutch (Obviously) Are Building a Bike Lane Out of Wood

A city in the Netherlands is trying out what might be the most Dutch plan yet conceived: a bike path made of recycled wood. The first of its kind in the world, the proposed path near the city of Emmen would be surfaced not with the usual asphalt or tarmac but with paving slabs formed from wood chips packed together with organic resin. Read more.

'Fat bikes' get winter test ride on Gatineau Park trails

In November the National Capital Commission announced it would allow fat biking, which the NCC calls “snow bikes,” on four snowshoe trails in the southern end of the park as a pilot project to determine if they can become a permanent winter activity. Read more.

‘Bold’ moves for car-lite Singapore in the offing


‘Bold’ moves for car-lite Singapore in the offing
In what observers describe as a “bold” move to realise the goal of a car-lite culture in Singapore, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) today (Jan 21) announced a redesign of the upcoming North-South Expressway to incorporate dedicated cycling paths the whole way, and express bus lanes. Read more.

Windsor - Politicians endorse assessment for pedestrian tunnel

The controversial proposal to build a pedestrian tunnel under Riverside Drive in downtown Windsor will be coming to council again soon. Read more.

Friday, January 22, 2016

Bike and Pedestrian Plan Will Make Kelowna More User Friendly

The Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan was approved during the January 18th city council meeting. The plan helps show the strategic approach that is going into making Kelowna a city with more walking and more biking. Read more.

Pedestrian safety plan for Calgary has merit, writes woman who lost boyfriend

I live in the inner city. Depending on the day, I walk, bike, take the bus, use Car2Go or drive my own car to work. The roads that lead to Deerfoot and Macleod Trails are the roads of my neighbourhood. They are often packed with cars heading for those thoroughfares during rush hours. Read more.

Calgary committee defers vote on pedestrian strategy until April

A city committee hit the brakes on its new pedestrian strategy Wednesday over concerns several key recommendations were too vague, too costly to implement, and as a whole, too overwhelming for council members to grasp. Read more.

Port Alberni Budget 2016: Bike lanes, truck road top engineering wish list

New cycling infrastructure, a new Third Avenue median and an industrial Harbour Road were the big projects on the wish list at the engineering budget presentation on Monday. Read more.

Cycling group calls for improvements to Motor Vehicle Act

Dozens of people gathered at the Halifax Central Library Thursday night to suggest and give feedback on ideas for improving provincial transportation legislation. Read more.

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Calgary's overall Walk Score less than Edmonton, Brampton and Saskatoon

It's easier to get around on foot in sprawling, snowy Canadian cities like Hamilton, Edmonton, Brampton and Saskatoon than Calgary. Calgary's walk score is 47.9 out of 100 — placing it 18 out of 20 Canadian cities with a population of more than 200,000. Read more.

Walking: A new form of old public transit

It’s almost quaint to walk to work. It’s definitely something from another time. But I’ve also had those moments of bliss walking, something I never got on the cramped train or stop-and-go commute. If happiness is your goal, walking should be your choice. Read more.

Ottawa - City planners seek ways to make roads safer for elderly pedestrians

Pedestrian safety is also top of mind for Ottawa’s Council on Aging, which will release a report next month on how city streets can be made more age-friendly. The council did a neighbourhood safety audit of The Glebe, Hintonburg and Kanata to identify hazards and make suggestions to improve safety. Read more.

An Activist Launches a Community Bike Shop/ Café in Boston

Noah Hicks, a 28-year-old self-taught bike mechanic, activist and now entrepreneur is getting ready to open the doors to The Sip & Spoke Bike Kitchen, a minority-owned full service bike shop and café in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood. The Bike Kitchen will serve as an important community hub in the historic neighborhood, which has struggled through various periods of recession and revival in recent years. Read more.

Edmonton - Earth's General Store downtown begins delivering groceries via bicycle

Proprietor Michael Kalmanovitch of Earth’s General Store downtown has launched a new grocery delivery service. Ever the green grocer, Kalmanovitch is delivering boxes of organic food via a new cargo bicycle. Read more.

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

City of Calgary's pricey pedestrian safety strategy little more than tossing money at problem that doesn't exist

Only then, with a pile of cash spent and umpteen shiny new signs and flashing lights trumpeting the dawn of our new asphalt era, can Calgary’s pedestrians be truly safe. Allegedly. Read more.

Video - Montreal students taking bicycle breaks to stay focused

Students at Allion Elementary School in LaSalle don't have to stay in class all day. See video.

Winnipeg - Active transportation subject of upcoming public meeting

South Winnipeg-St. Norbert city councillor Janice Lukes will be hosting a series of "transportation conversations" starting Jan. 21. Lukes, who is also chair of the Infrastructure Renewal and Public Works Committee, said the conversations are an opportunity to share information she has with the public and be accessible to people in an informal fashion. Read more.

A Bumpy Ride In Copenhagen, The City of Cycling

It will be the most spectacular bicycle bridge ever built. When completed, it will stretch between two skyscrapers on the Copenhagen waterfront at a height of 213 feet. That’s high enough for a cruise ship to pass underneath. But when the Danish capital announced in early January that after eight years of discussion, construction on the bridge would finally begin this year, it raised concerns among urban planners and ordinary citizens. Read more.

Monday, January 18, 2016

How parking rules can destroy walkability

The key point of the video, is that parking requirements limit developers' ability to build dense, walkable communities. And when there are more parking spaces, more people drive their cars, leading to traffic. Read more.

Transit Cape Breton ‘falling through the cracks’

Ridership on Transit Cape Breton has been falling for years. In the 2014-15 fiscal year the municipality calculated a total ridership of 375, 201. This is considerably lower compared to similar sized municipalities. Read more.

Speed choice and mental workload of elderly cyclists on e-bikes in simple and complex traffic situations: An experiment

To study the speed choice and mental workload of elderly cyclists on electrical assisted bicycles (e-bikes) in simple and complex traffic situations compared to these on conventional bicycles, a field experiment was conducted using two instrumented bicycles. These bicycles were identical except for the electric pedal support system. Two groups were compared: elderly cyclists (65 years of age and older) and a reference group of cyclists in middle adulthood (between 30 and 45 years of age). Read more.

Designing bike infrastructure – with all cyclists in mind

This mixed standard of infrastructure delivery has arguably assisted the creation of that modern phenomenon, the cycling tribes: lycra wearing fast road riders, urbane tweed conscious fixed-wheeled hipsters and even....in a few bohemian pockets what appears to be ordinary-looking people riding bikes. Read more.

What Do Drivers Really Think About Cyclists?

Drivers and cyclists don’t always get along, nor do they shy from critiquing one another’s road behavior in words unfit for print. But it’s nice to think that maybe somewhere, deep down, they hold a grudging respect for the fact that the other group is just trying to get around, day to day, on frustrating city streets. Read more.

Cycling Tokyo's Tamako Cycling Road

The route was a pleasure to cycle, calm, relaxing and stress free. Even the stretch from the cycling we covered by road was not nearly as bad as other routes we could have chosen. The Tamako Cycling Road is  rare example of a cycling path done right in Tokyo and we can only hope that more such path can be constructed and linked together around the city. Read more.

Sunday, January 17, 2016

10 Tired Traffic Myths That Didn't Get a Rest in 2015

The most enduring popular traffic myth holds that building more roads always leads to less congestion. This belief is a perfectly logical one: if there are 100 cars packed into one highway lane, then building a second should mean there’s 50 cars in each. Read more.

Where is the most cycle-friendly city in the world?

Notable success stories come from the hailed Dutch and Danish cycling utopias, where investment into cycling is highest. But even they’ve had their share of problems. Read more.

How Bicycles Bring Business

Appealing to that demographic has made cycling cities all the more attractive to the most innovative companies. Late last year, with the opening of another protected cycle track in Chicago, IL, Mayor Rahm Emanuel emphasized that “it’s no coincidence” that bicycling and business are both skyrocketing in the Windy City. Read more.

You Can't Achieve Vision Zero If Pedestrians Don't Come First

The only reason to require a walk button is to extend the light cycle for cars when it’s not pressed; in other words, pedestrians at this sidewalk suffer in the name of speedier traffic. Once again, here’s a policy that prioritizes drivers over those vulnerable street users. Read more.

Calgary winter cycling veteran offers icy road tips

Does it feel like there are more cyclists on the roads of Calgary this winter? According to a veteran winter cyclist there are more. A lot more. Read more.

Saturday, January 16, 2016

What does cycling mean to YOU?

The freedom, fun and fitness aspects of cycling mean different things to different people. Collect together any group of cyclists, and you’ll often get wildly different answers to why they ride, and what they get out of it. Read more.

Regina - Cathedral area pedestrian bridge will be out for three months

An aging pedestrian bridge in south Regina is being replaced. The Neil Balkwill Bridge, which crosses Wascana Creek near Pasqua St. and Elphinstone St., will be closed starting Monday. Read more. Also: http://www.regina.ca/press/news-and-announcements/construction-update-neil-balkwill-pedestrian-bridge-over-wascana-creek/

Calgary pedestrian strategy calls for safety measures including reduced speed limit in residential areas

A pedestrian strategy set to go before a city committee this month recommends reducing the speed limit to 40 km/h in residential areas, installing more flashing light pedestrian crosswalks, and building mid-block crossings in busy areas. Read more.

Health mobility: Moving to inclusion

In a city that supports health for all people, diversity is celebrated and everyone belongs. People are safe and have a strong sense of community, children flourish in caring families and schools, neighbourhoods are designed with access to affordable, healthy food and transportation choices, and nearly everyone reaches their full physical and mental health. Read more.

The percentage of people commuting by bike has fallen in most English cities

There are 59 cities listed here. Only 18 of them have seen increases in the percentage of commuters cycling. In 22 cities, the percentage is down by over 10 per cent; in eight, it's down by over 20. Read more.

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Calgary - Three ways big data and GPS are making bicycle planning stronger

“If planners can show how they came up with a route, I think it would be really enlightening,” he said. “We often say a picture is worth 1,000 words, but a map is worth 1,000 pictures. If we can make the (planning) process less contentious, I think that would be good for all of us.” Read more.

City to make cycling more efficient in Lethbridge

The City of Lethbridge unveiled a new plan they hope will allow the public to get around the community much easier on a bicycle. Read more.

The history of cycling, as told on cigarette cards

The New York Public Library just did a vast dump of 200,000 copyright-free images (bless them!) With some extraordinary stuff. They had a huge collection of cigarette cards, which people collected like baseball cards (dad, buy more Ogden's cigarettes, please!). Read more.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Long road ahead for bicycles

Few are likely to associate Kirkpatrick Macmillan, the son of a Scottish blacksmith, with an invention that many sociologists, historians and geneticists believe has done more to change the direction of human development than any other – the bicycle. Read more.

Learning in motion on bicycle desks

Last year, teachers at Leroux’s French elementary school in Laval had been complaining that they needed new tools to help hyperactive children concentrate in the classroom. They put an exercise bicycle in a classroom, but it was too noisy. They then moved the bike outside the classroom, but too many students were missing class time. Read more.

Toronto - New pedestrian crosswalks needed

Trudging again through season of denial, Jan. 11. Toronto’s annual budget review cuts through political doublespeak to reveal municipal priorities – priorities that have an impact on your pocket, your health and your life. Councillors appear to be asleep at the wheel while Transportation Services, City Planning, and Public Health pay lip service to pedestrian safety and transportation initiatives. Read more.

Toronto man’s three-month hit-and-run sentence enrages cycling advocates


A Toronto driver who killed a cyclist and fled will serve three months in jail, a sentence that outraged cycling advocates and had his family vowing to push for a change to the law. Read more.

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

The Dutch Love Cycling So Much That Their Bike Lanes Can't Cope

Cycling is now so popular in the Netherlands that its bike lanes just don't have the space to accommodate all riders, says a new report. According to the country’s SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research, cycling infrastructure in Holland is getting seriously overloaded. Read more.

Halifax - Supporting the cycling community

“There is the bike-friendly certification component, which is really about recognizing and celebrating the supports that businesses and other organizations already have in place for cycling,” says Nener. “The second piece is that we have some money to assist some organizations install bike parking, in order to help them achieve the different bike-friendly certification tiers.” Read more.

Saskatoon - Proposed pedestrian safety measure on 33rd Street would snarl traffic: city

Installing curb extensions along 33rd Street to increase pedestrian safety would cause traffic delays, aggravate motorists, drive up the number of vehicles cutting through residential areas and hurt transit operations, city administrators say. Read more.

Hamilton - New pedestrian crossing rules causing confusion

Well-meaning motorists who are stopping to let pedestrians cross from one sidewalk to the other at intersections with traffic lights or stop signs have got it all wrong. The new pedestrian crossing rules that took effect Jan. 1 don't apply in those situations. Read more.

Number of vehicle-pedestrian collisions drop in Halifax

The number of collisions between pedestrians and vehicles in Halifax dropped in 2015, but more work needs to be done to keep people safe on our roads, say police. Read more.

Monday, January 11, 2016

Guidebook Contest

Free Parks Canada passes in 2017! Where will YOU go? Tell us by 11:59 PM EST Friday, Jan. 15 to win a guidebook: https://twitter.com/goose_lane/status/686585941838938112

To see what books are available: Haynes guidebooks.

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HRM explores better cycling links to Macdonald bridge

Usual access to the bridge for cyclists from the Halifax side involved negotiating a steep incline. In Dartmouth, the bikeway began and ended at a busy intersection, and there is no designated route connecting the bikeway to other parts of the community. Read more.

Halifax Cycling Coalition seeks ideas to improve road safety

Halifax Cycling Coalition, with It's More than Buses, Walk 'n Roll Halifax, Bicycle Nova Scotia and the Ecology Action Centre, will collect ideas at a meeting Jan. 21 at the Halifax Central Library to pitch as amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act. Read more.

Sudbury police set up pedestrian tip line

Greater Sudbury Police Service has established a call-in tip line for the public to report poor driving behaviour that puts pedestrians at risk. When citizens call the tip line, police will ask them for information such as location, licence plate (if possible), vehicle, driver description and time of incident. Read more.

Commuter cycling numbers are stagnating in Winnipeg, study shows

An annual study of bicycle traffic in Winnipeg shows growth in commuter cycling has stagnated in the past couple of years, and growth in cycle traffic is closely related to infrastructure upgrades. Read more.

Expert advice on taking your bicycle along when you travel

If you are heading off on holiday to a bicycle-­friendly city and would love to see it from a cyclist’s perspective, but find the prospect of hauling your own bike along with you a little daunting, don’t give up on the idea – help is at hand. Read more.

Counting Steps: Are You Walking More, But Enjoying It Less?

Using a fitness tracker or smartwatch to count your steps every day may lead you to boost your activity levels, but you may find that you enjoy your activity less than you would if you weren't tracking yourself, new research suggests. Read more.

Friday, January 8, 2016

Paris wants to be more pedestrian-friendly

The French capital will be more attractive to pedestrians. The Champs-Élysées will be closed to automobile traffic on a regular basis, and a stretch of road along the right bank of the Seine made a car-free zone. Read more.

London cyclists 'six times healthier than other commuters', study finds

Cycle commuters in central London are six times healthier than those who travel to work on public transport or by car, scientists have found. Read more.

In praise of slow cycling

It was through the mixed experiences of sharing their streets with locals that we began to observe a seldom-discussed measure of a city’s bike-friendliness: the speed at which its cyclists travel. In short, the slower the people on bikes were moving, the more mature the bicycle culture, and the better the conditions for cycling. Read more.

New cycling infrastructure increases number of cyclists on Winnipeg roads, report finds

"There is strong evidence that even the limited construction of new cycling infrastructure that has occurred since 2009 has had a positive impact on the number of cyclists in Winnipeg," the report says. Read more.

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

My Two-wheeled New Year’s Resolutions

Instead of setting myself up for failure with something completely ludicrous like daily sit-ups or learning how to code, I’ve made a series of resolutions to do something I already love doing, just do it more often. Read more.

The Spectator’s View: Hamilton in reverse on pedestrian deaths

Why is Hamilton going in the wrong direction when it comes to pedestrian fatalities? In 2015, half of our city's 18 road fatalities were pedestrians or cyclists. That's a significantly higher portion of deaths than in other comparable Canadian cities. Read more.

Germany opens first stretch of €200m ‘bicycle autobahn’

The first stretch of the €200,000 cycling motorway in the northwest Ruhr region has just been unveiled on what will be a 100km route. Here there are no red lights, no cars and trucks and nothing stopping cyclists from doing their thing. Read more.

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

U.S. - National Corridor Plan (Bicycle)

The National Corridor Plan identifies numbered corridors in a template that shows where U.S. Bicycle Routes will be developed and how they will connect between states. It provides a visual for how the 50,000-mile network will look when it's complete. Read more.

A boom in bicycle tourism

“Wallets on wheels” — i.e., bicycle tourists — spend more time and more money than other tourists, and are now actively sought-after by tourism officials. Read more.

New Ontario Driving Rules For Jan. 1 Include Full Pedestrian Crossing

According to the Ministry of Transportation, all drivers (including cyclists) must now stop and yield the whole roadway at pedestrian crossovers, as well as school crossings that have a crossing guard carrying a stop sign. So that means you can't just wait until people have cleared enough space to allow you to zoom through in these areas — you have to wait until they've fully reached the other side. Read more.

Guide to bicycle commuting focuses on women's safety, cycle-friendly attire and the joy of two-wheeled transportation

By far, the majority of those pedaling around (New Orleans) are men. In her new book, "Urban Revolutions, A Woman's Guide to Two-Wheeled Transportation" (Microcosm Publishing, 2016), urban planner Emilie Bahr hopes to even that score. Read more.

The company behind RocketSkates now makes an electric skateboard

At last year's CES, a company called Acton showed us RocketSkates — electric, two-wheeled roller skates that were hard but fun to ride. But this year Acton has something completely new at CES: a small electric skateboard called the Blink-Board. Read more.

Winnipeg - City Councillor Concerned With Proposed Provincial Cycling Bill

“People don’t feel safe biking on the roads beside vehicles. There’s more of an education campaign that’s required, an awareness campaign, where is all this? I don’t hear any of that coming from the province, I just hear this statement.” Read more.

Writing an anti-cycling column? Read this first

Maybe it’s just the end-of-year effect, with ideas running low and a couple more commissions to fulfil. Or perhaps it’s just the traditional news lull over the festive period, obliging newspaper columnists to dig into their own experiences and prejudices. Whatever the reason, we’ve been somewhat spoiled recently with slightly silly opinion pieces about cycling. Read more.

Monday, January 4, 2016

Pedestrian deaths up, auto deaths down in 2015

Fully half of 2015's traffic fatalities in Hamilton were people who were not in vehicles when they were killed. Read more.

Manitoba’s premier supports proposed new cycling rule

Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger is supporting proposed new driving etiquette that will affect both motorists and cyclists. Read more.

10 things you only understand if you are addicted to cycling

Once you have gotten over the first few rides the miles just start adding up and the endorphins released really makes climbing up that hill worth it. Read more.

Pedal power - the unstoppable growth of cycling

More than two million people across the country now cycle at least once a week, an all-time high according to British Cycling, the sport's governing body in the UK. Read more.

Sunday, January 3, 2016

Madrid's Bike Network Will Get a Major Expansion in 2016

Madrid announced a major plan to crisscross the Spanish capital with 33 new cycle paths. Costing €40 million ($44 million), the new network is due to be completed before the end of next year, a period that will also see the extension of Madrid’s bike-share scheme to a new zone south of the city center. Read  more.

Radio - U-Turn: A look back on a year of transportation 180s

If there's one thing we learned in 2015, it's that bikes and cars get people talking. Every time we talked about either, or both, on the show, our inbox and twitter feed were flooded with response. So, as we head into a new year, we thought we'd take a look back at some of our favourite bike, car, and even foot and skate, conversations over the past year. Read more.

Germany Opens First Segment Of 60 Mile Long Bicycle Highway

When complete, the route will connect 10 western cities including Duisburg, Bochum, and Hamm, and four universities. Martin Toennes of regional development group RVR says almost two million people live within 1.2 miles of the bicycle highway and will be able to use sections of it for their daily commutes. Read more.

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Barrie police raising awareness about pedestrian safety

After two pedestrians were struck and killed and another two seriously injured – all in the last two months – Barrie Police Service are taking a strong stance on warning pedestrians about the dangers of crossing roadways. Read more.

New rules for Ontario motorists, taxpayers start Jan. 1

Another regulatory change will require drivers to remain stopped at a school crosswalk until people are completely off the road instead of proceeding once a person crossing the street is no longer on the driver's half of the road. Read more.

Montreal’s battle of the bike paths in Plateau Mont-Royal

Plateau Mont-Royal, the Montreal district that gave the world smoked meat, bagels worthy of the name and Mordecai Richler, is the laboratory for greener, more walkable and cyclable urban design rarely put into large-scale practice in North America. Read more.

Friday, January 1, 2016

Transportation for your health

It's encouraging that automobile manufacturers see their role in the business of mobility extending beyond a product with four wheels and a motor. Read more.