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Roller Coaster in Japan: It's Pedal Powered

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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.

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Here are some of the common myths that people claim prevent them from commuting by bike

An op-ed by Member of Parliament Emily Thornberry, which appeared in The Guardian newspaper and she answers these questions.
1. "But won't I be killed?"
2. "Don't I need lots of gear?"
3. "Won't my bike get stolen?"
4. "I haven't done it for years"
5. "The weather in Britain is too bad"
6. "I live in a hilly area"
7. "There's too much pollution"
8. "Bikes are expensive"
9. "I can't carry anything on a bike"
10. "There are other reasons"

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As Portland aims for platinum status as a cycling city, it can use the gender gap to make rides safer

The Oregonian

You don't have to be a cyclist to guess the scariest places to ride a bike in Portland. Danger zones include the controlled chaos of downtown, the high speeds of the outer Eastside and the winding uncertainty of the West Hills -- all places where drivers and cyclists mix with unease.

There's a way to measure bike safety beyond guessing, however. Watch for women. As the city's bike planners have found, there's a direct correlation between the safety of a particular area and the number of women cyclists. The city can use this information as it maps out a new master plan for biking, reduces the danger spots and strives to spin its "gold" rating from the League of American Bicyclists into platinum.

"Women cyclists," the city's transportation office asserts, "are the indicators of a healthy bikeway network."

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Vatican issues 10 Commandments for drivers

1. You shall not kill.
2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.
3. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.
4. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.
5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.
6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.
7. Support the families of accident victims.
8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.
9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.
10. Feel responsible toward others.

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Cycling safety 101

By CHRIS HRENKO Correspondent

A common complaint of new or infrequent road cyclists and commuters is that they feel exposed and squeezed by auto traffic. In the absence of an extensive system of bike paths and lanes, sharing the road is something that we all have to get used to. That means mastering the fear of auto traffic, and knowing how to ride safely and predictably as it flows around you.

Fortunately it's easy, though it may not seem to be at first. There are times when the real dangers of bicycle commuting become all too evident, most often when you are first starting out, and not yet desensitized to being among a bunch of 3,000-pound projectiles with nothing but a piece of foam on your head to protect you.

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Quote for the day

Every time we let a vehicle pass there is a little bit of compromise. But compromise allows the city to function and allows cyclists to function in the city. The trick is not to eliminate compromise but to learn how to work safely within it.

--Robert Hurst
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The Future of Carbon-Free Transport: Groningen, Netherlands

by Warren Karlenzig

The future of carbon-free transport lives strong in Groningen. This Dutch city of 185,000 proves that bicycle transportation can reign supreme: people there make about 150,000 trips by bicycle every day.

Bicycles and pedestrians entirely rule the medieval-era city hub, cruising along on car-free dedicated pathways and short cuts with no traffic signals in some instances. But people also commute on bikes in large numbers from suburban housing spread out around the city to downtown jobs, via a ring-and-spoke network of paths. Overall, 37 percent of area commutes are made on bikes.
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Other so-called northern European "cycling cities" may be more known (Amsterdam; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Ghent, Belgium) but none can match Groningen for its complete vision and high rate of daily velocipedic
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What

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Our

Posted by Elly Blue on June 15th, 2007 at 1:03 pm

What does the word accident mean?

A mistake, but not just any mistake

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Driver-cyclist road rage seems to be on rise

Tuesday, June 12, 2007
By Terry Judd

He was taking in the early morning air as he rode his bicycle down Grand Haven's Washington Avenue early Memorial Day morning to catch a 65-mile group bike ride to Allendale and back.

But as he approached Beacon Boulevard, the driver of a pickup truck yelled for him to get off the street and onto the sidewalk. The cyclist yelled back that he had every right to be on the street.

Then it got ugly, according to the cyclist, who asked that his name not be used because of safety concerns.

The truck screeched to a stop and seconds later the two were standing face to face exchanging words and expletives. Then, without warning, the driver slugged the cyclist in the face. The cyclist hit back, knocking the driver to the ground.

"You're lucky I didn't have a gun," the motorist said as he got back into his truck and the cyclist rode off.

Welcome to the latest version of road rage -- car-bike style.

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Cyclist tased while leaving an airport by bike

I was rudely accosted, assaulted with battery, and tased at Minneapolis St Paul USA international airport by Airport Police, simply for choosing to leave the airport by bicycle. I had broken no laws. I use a bicycle as a significant part of my daily mode of travel. I have legally cycled to and from airports internationally including 3 of the 4 major London airports, with no problems. I was using my bicycle completely in accord with MN Statutes and Metropolitan Airport Commission Ordinances.

But the police say he failed to obey the sign "NO PEDS BY ORDER OF AIRPORT POLICE"

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