Bogota's urban happiness movement (Part 2)
In the mid-1990s, Bogota was, citizens recall, un enfierno
In the mid-1990s, Bogota was, citizens recall, un enfierno
Green experts ban cycling to work
Jacobs Engineering Group has sent an email to employees advising them to drive or use public transport. The firm, which has advised Transport for London (TfL) on sustainable transport, said it wanted to protect staff from road accidents.
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On its website, Jacobs states: "In the area of cycling, we can offer expert resources at every stage from cycle policy and promotion through to the detailed design and implementation of cycle schemes."
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A TfL spokesman said it was committed to encouraging Londoners to use their bikes as much as possible.
"Our serious investment in growing cycling has seen journeys by bike on soar by 83% since 2000," she said.
She said investment in safety improvements had led to a 28% fall in the number of cyclists killed or injured since the mid-nineties.
London Assembly member Jenny Jones, who advises the mayor on green transport, said TfL should consider cancelling its contracts with Jacobs.
She said: "It is hypocritical to offer advice on promoting cycling, but at the same time ban your staff from using bikes.
Trips For Kids Works To Promote Health Locally
By NBC 4WASHINGTON -- With all the high-tech gadgets out there, many experts said more and more children are staying indoors, glued to their television sets, computers and video games.
Health experts said all the couch-potato behavior is measuring up to some serious health problems among kids.
A local organization is working to buck the trend, teaching kids to embrace the outdoors and lifting their spirits at the same time.
Julie Childers said she and her husband founded the group Trips for Kids Metro D.C. in order to get children off the couch and outdoors.
"We'd see a lot of kids in the neighborhood and never riding a bike at the park, at the end of the street, and thought, 'This is crazy. We need to get kids out there and riding a bike,'" said Childers.
Trips for Kids organizes bike treks in the city for children ages 8 to 18. Julie and a team of volunteers help the kids develop their cycling skills and environmental awareness. They said they also promote a healthy lifestyle to fight childhood obesity.
"I like this program because it gives me a chance to go outside and ride. Most kids will just stay inside, play video games and eat potato chips," said Antonio Phillips, of Fredericksburg, Va.
"When I started, I wasn't good. All the time I fell down, and now I'm good at it," said Catalina Arevalo, of Fairfax, Va.
Childers said that while the physical benefits of the program are obvious, she's noticed that biking has also positively impacted the children's lives in other ways.
Old ad for a seatless bicycle
Oil a $1 a barrel!!! And look at all the things you can do on this device (last paragraph.)
UN Calls for Pedal Power to Reduce Environmental Damage
by AFP staffwriters
KUALA LUMPUR - More bicycle riding and other lifestyle changes are urgently needed to reduce climate-altering carbon emissions that are damaging Asia
Walkers and cyclists clash on Minuteman path
By Matt Viser, Globe Staff | July 1, 2007LEXINGTON-- Frank Corsino walks nimbly, a cane in his left hand, a transistor radio in his right. He wears a driving cap and a wide grin, and for years along the peaceful, tree-lined Minuteman Bikeway, the 84-year-old man found solace after his wife and former walking partner died.
But these days it is a different story. Instead of the spirit-restoring stroll he used to enjoy, he finds himself going into combat mode, dodging torrents of joggers, cyclists, stroller-pushers, dog-walkers, and roller bladers who have flocked to the 11-mile trail in mind-boggling numbers.
Community leaders who oversee the trail say its popularity is higher now than in any of the 14 years it's been open, and the Washington-based Rails-to-Trails Conservancy estimates that there are 2 million annual users, making it the second-busiest trail of its kind in the country.
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The committees also have stuck to a philosophy of ensuring the Minuteman is accessible to all; they'd rather it be crowded than exclusionary, officials say. They have only one hard-and-fast rule, that there can be no motorized vehicles, unless it's a wheelchair.
"Basically, stay to the right and be happy," said Jack Johnson, chairman of the Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee. "If you don't like it, go find another path. It wasn't designed for one person or one type of person. It was designed as a multi use system."
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MOMENTUM now online
The current issue of MOMENTUM, the Vancouver, BC magazine for Self-Propelled People, is now available as a free pdf download at:
Amsterdam Bicycles
(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 Grows New Brain Cells
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
Designing Cities for People
By Lester Brown - The GlobalistWith 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