The current issue of MOMENTUM, the Vancouver, BC magazine for Self-Propelled People, is now available as a free pdf download at:

Ride report:

James, a friend of his and myself took off for the DC fireworks. With tornado warnings they were getting everyone off the streets into shelters and we got stuck in the Jefferson Memorial for over and hour but when we came out the sun was shining and it was a great day for fireworks. At the mall we met up with more John Hopkins students The DC display was awesome and leaving by bike was so cool. They closed off a lot of roads and some were only open to pedestrians and cyclists. So we became a part of this parade of blinky lights heading off for the Capital Crescent Trail amongst standing still traffic. Dianne was our host that evening and she even offered some beer which was very welcomed after the day

Baltimore County Commission on Environmental Quality (CEQ) There are currently three openings on the CEQ. You must be a Baltimore County Resident to apply. The CEQ needs representatives from agriculture; the residential building industry; and the from environmental conservation and preservation. The CEQ meets monthly in Towson and additionally in smaller working groups. This is a VOLUNTARY effort.

(82 pictures of bicycles taken during 73 minutes on 9/12/06 in Amsterdam, Netherlands)
[What I found interesting was the collection of multiple riders on a bike, it seems hitching a ride on a friends bike is not uncommon in Amsterdam.]

1. Formally Dressed Bicyclists - A whole set of Amsterdam bicyclists can be seen dressed very formally, like suit and tie for men, and dresses for women. NOBODY in San Francisco ever bicycles in a suit and tie, or in dress. But during this one hour photo shoot, I saw 20 or more incredibly well dressed bicyclists meander by.
2. Multiple Riders on One Bike - With or without any extra seats or foot-pegs for the extra riders, you will see 1 or 2 or even 3 extra passengers side-saddle, balancing precariously, standing, sitting, whatever it takes so they can hitch a ride with a buddy or parent. This is so common I had to stop taking pictures of it because it would prevent me from capturing some of the other trends. Almost 50 percent of the bicycles I saw had more than 1 person on them. In San Francisco the only time you would ever see two passengers is a small child on the back in a $300 government approved safety chair, and the child would be wearing a helmet (because it's the LAW). Click here for an unrelated rant on helmet laws. Which brings us to the next difference......
3. No Helmets EVER - It is amazing to me coming from San Francisco, land of 100 percent helmet covered heads, but in all of Amsterdam (population 750,000) there is not one bicycle helmet found anywhere in the city. Not ONE!! Contrast this with San Francisco, for anybody under the age of 18, there is a Mandatory Helmet Law, and everybody above 18 wears helmets anyway. Now faced with this shocking disparity, I think any reasonable person must come to the conclusion that either the people in Netherlands do not value the safety of their children, or San Francisco bicyclists are clumsy pansies with soft heads and weak minds that must be protected from hurting themselves no matter how much it infringes on individual rights. Click here for an unrelated rant on helmet laws.
4. Dogs on Bikes - Amsterdam bicyclists seem to commonly bring their furry friends along with them on the bicycle rides. I think that's nice.
5. Human Powered Generator (Dynamo) Bicycle Light - This one really does mystify me, some of the other trends more more sense to me. EVERY bicycle in Amsterdam is outfitted with a dynamo powered head lamp, where the rider has to pump extra super hard and the head lamp shines dimly. If you are younger than 35 years old, you probably have never seen one of these in the USA, we have very bright headlamps for bicycles that add much less weight and do not increase resistance. I haven't seen a single dynamo powered bicycle in San Francisco in over 20 years. Once I saw a "Simpsons" (animated comedy) episode where Bart turned on his dynamo bicycle headlamp and could barely make forward progress-> in the USA these dynamo powered headlamps are considered a JOKE, but almost a quarter million bicycles in Amsterdam all have them.
6. Spectacular Gigantic Unbreakable Security Chains - Almost all of the bicycles in Amsterdam are what I would call "beaters", which means they are beaten up, scraped, bent, out of tune, and have bad paint jobs. At the same time, all these beaters have these GIGANTIC security chains that look like they should be the chain on the anchor of an oil tanker ship. The ton of high tensile, military hardened steel in each security chain must be worth more than the bicycle it is keeping safe! The only other type of bicycle lock was a type of sliding circular rear wheel lock that was once sold in the USA (I owned one when I was 10 years old). The circular sliding read wheel locks lost popularity in the USA because they offer almost no security at all: 1) the criminal can always lift the bike and walk away with it, and 2) it is always easy to "guess" the combination. Strange dichotomy of lock choices in Amsterdam.
7. ....And More... - Several other trends are shown in the pictures below, including bicycles are commonly painted one big bright aftermarket color, Amsterdam residents like using their cell phones while riding their bikes, many bikes are outfitted with big buckets on the front for serious industrial deliveries, and there is a whole trend of this "small frame" bicycles with "untraditional" proportions (very small wheels and then very tall seats to make up for it). You can view the pictures below to get an idea.

Exercise stimulates the growth of new brain cells, a new study on rats finds. The new cells could be the key to why working out relieves depression.

Previous research showed physical exercise can have antidepressant effects, but until now scientists didn

By Lester Brown - The Globalist

With more than half of the world's population living in urban areas, pollution and traffic congestion are an ever increasing problem. In an age where public parks are being sacrificed to make room for parking lots, Lester Brown proposes that city planning should benefit people

Anyone remember the $3 billion 18 mile highway that is supposed to be economical(1) as well as being supposedly environmentally friendly with serious encroachment in and over park lands while encouraging more single occupancy vehicular travel and the accompanying hiker/biker trail was nixed(2) because it was not economical(3) and not environmentally friendly?

The errors, lies, cover ups and short cuts that have already happened in trying to shove this project down the publics throat is most likely just the tip of the iceberg and we should expect more once the project gets underway. But the ICC is not a done deal yet and we can put the money to better use if we let Governor O

Shifting Gears: Safer Cycling in Baltimore

Really cool article in the Urbanite:

Take a night-time bike tour of Baltimore City on a safe, well lit, mostly flat route of about 20 miles.

Get an intimate view of the city after dark. Skyline, neighborhoods, waterfront you'll see them all.

See the sights ranging from illuminated classical buildings and monuments to the neon of "The Block", from churches, museums, and City Hall to the enormous "Wizard of Boh".

Support the recently reopened Baltimore Hostel.

Here is the future of the green amusement park: The Skycycle at Washuzan Highland Park in Okayama, a pedal-powered roller coaster. They clearly have some dramatic topography to take advantage of here, and it looks truly frightening. Most North American amusement parks are on pretty flat terrain but they often build artificial mountains- Demand a green ride like this on the Magic Mountain.