The Dutch Reach

Opening Your Car Door Like the Dutch Do Can Save Cyclists’ Lives

529 Garage: An effort to stem the scourge of bike theft.

Digital bike registry service. Considering the staggering amount of bike theft in the world, and the generally tepid response to it by law enforcement, all efforts to stem the scourge are good.

Slick system to record all the details of your bicycle,

https://project529.com/garage/

The Ride Journal - nifty bicycling magazine with some great illustration

http://theridejournal.com/

Online, downloadable PDFs of the first six issues.

Cool mag. Worth checking out. I like that it is a general interest magazine. Everything from mountain bikes, to trick riding, to commuting, to couriers, to the politics of cycling. Something for everyone.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/sw7invs3y2ao4kr/the-ride-issue-1.pdf
https://www.dropbox.com/s/x1y679iarafqbvu/the-ride-issue-2.pdf

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mk2o6a7tqtmjpov/the-ride-issue-3-1.pdf
https://www.dropbox.com/s/mqatszwacm1zvr5/the-ride-issue-4-3.pdf
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hw7b0odzh37yr5d/the-ride-issue-5-4.pdf
https://www.dropbox.com/s/am96ld2vbrv8xc4/the-ride-issue-6.pdf

One of the best things I ever did.

I had just turned 8, and I decided I wanted to go to Schiphol to look at the planes. By myself. I had gone out there a few times before with my dad, but it was the summer holidays and I wanted to go on a little adventure. I figured out the route on a map of Amsterdam, and set out to ride from one end of Amsterdam to the other. My mom had packed me a lunch, the map, the phone numbers of some of my parents friends and family along the way, some money, and off I went. At about the halfway point, at the old Olympic stadium, there was extensive road construction, streets all torn up, road signs down, and I got all discombobulated. Turned around and went home.
 
Upset that I hadn’t made it, the next week, I set off again. Figured out different routes around the area that had given me trouble. And this time I made it. Watched the planes for a while, turned around and went home.

People are aghast when I tell them this. “Your parents let you ride your bicycle across a big city by yourself when you were 8?!”

Sure.

Granted, it’s a city with excellent bike infrastructure. I guess they figured I was a fairly bright kid. But I set a goal, used map reading skills, overcame difficulties, got some exercise, etc.

What do you think builds a kids abilities and self esteem? That, or taking them to the mall to buy them a video game because they ate their supper without crying about being lucky enough to have something to eat?

Really?

I still think back fondly to that experience, and realize how much it taught me.

8 Wheeled, 2 Seat Cargo Bike

Berliner Nico Junge created this 8 wheeled cargo bike, based in part on the open source N55 bike. With a 10 m² platform and a carrying capacity of 450 kg, it has four-wheel steering and independent wheel suspension. Two drivers can get it up to a speed of about 10 – 15 km/h.

More information, photos and videos can be found here:
http://www.nicojungel.net/space.html

One Got Fat

I’ve previously posted Boards of Canada’s surreal, but strangely fitting video for “Everything You Do Is A Balloon”. It culls imagery from the weird 1963 bicycle safety film, “One Got Fat.”

Decided that I wanted to see the actual film itself, narration, explanations of what the hell is going on and all. Yup, it’s wacky all right. While the core message is undeniable, it’s unfathomable that something like it would be produced today.

Makers: Salty Bicycle

I love bicycling, and along with the enjoyment of the activity itself, is the idea that I would also love to actually make a bicycle. Which is kind of the case with everything with me. I love the activities I engage in, but would love to or do love to make things affiliated with it.

70 Years Ago Today

Three Port Tour

The Hueston’s, of the Aylmer Express where I used to work, had their first Three Port Tour this past August.

There are three races to choose from: 160 km, 100 km and 50 km. The shortest takes you from Aylmer to Port Bruce and back. The middle distance takes you to two Ports from Aylmer, Bruce and Burwell I guess. And the longest one takes you to Port Stanley as well.

East Elgin is a lovely area and perfect for cycling. If you’re in the area and into cycle touring or racing, mark it on your calendar.

http://www.threeporttour.com/

http://www.lcw.ca/filemgmt_data/files/3_port_tour.pdf

Lake Erie Bike Route

Grabbed an Adventura magazine a few days ago and two articles got me excited.

One dealt with efforts by the Waterfront Regeneration Trust to establish a 600 km bike route from Windsor to Fort Erie along the north shore of Lake Erie.

This organization has a very well developed 900 km trail system from Niagara-on-the-Lake to the Quebec border, along the north shore of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. 

While I’m sure one could get on a bike and ride this route now, developing some infrastructure will help greatly. Wayfinding, maps, providing info about sights to see, places to spend the night, etc., etc. Things like this are great for the economies cyclists pass through as they tend to pick up the slack of off seasons, preferring to travel in spring and fall. The entire route would be through fairly flat terrain, not to mention the very reasonable climate, Carolinian forests, and great views out across Lake Erie. Highlights along the route include Provincial Parks like Rondeau, and Long Point, and National Parks like Point Pelee, all places popular with birders.

All this is meant to be completed by 2013.

Exciting stuff. Having cycled through large sections of the central portion, Elgin County, I can attest this is ideal country for cycle touring.

Read the article here.

The Greg Curnoe Bicycle Project

The AGO’s current Artist-In-Residence Paul Butler worked with Mike Barry, owner of Mariposa Cycle in Toronto, and rebuilt Greg Curnoe’s favourite bicycle – Close the 49th Parallel ETC. Part of it was to ask the question “what makes the kind of artist who is an activist and is community-minded as opposed to an artist whose drive is fame and fortune?” The show runs from September 17th until November 13th.

It’s nice to see Greg still so highly regarded.

http://www.ago.net/paul-butler-the-greg-curnoe-bicycle-project

Secure Bicycle Parking in Hamilton

I think bicycling is a great thing, and think encouraging people to ride bikes more is also a great thing.

But two crucial pieces of infrastructure are usually missing – at least here in automobile mad North America – safe places to ride and safe places to park.

Bicycle theft is a huge problem, and the police response to it is usually ineffectual to say the least. If you look at charts as to how much is lost in bank robberies every year, dollar wise, versus how much is lost in bicycle thefts, dollar wise, bank robberies are petty crime by comparison. But if a crackhead passes a note at a bank and walks out with $200 – HOLY SHIT! 8 cruisers are there within minutes, detectives from the hold–up squad show up, news crews arrive, wanted posters are published, the whole bit. Some reprobate absconds with a $2000 primary mode of transportation, the police response couldn’t be more underwhelming. “Oh. Gee. What a shame. Here fill out this form and we’ll give you a call if it turns up.”

It just seems like bicycles, rather than being regarded as a perfectly viable mode of transportation, good for the health of the individual riding it, good for the environment, etc., etc. are regarded as little more than a silly kids toy. Even talking to insurance companies, they seem completely uninterested in extending things like car tracking devices to bikes to help them be found.

So I was thrilled to find out that the City of Hamilton has started to provide safe places to park your bicycle. Locked cages, that you rent a spot in for a measly $50 a year. Lit up in a garage with security cameras.

There are a few locations throughout the city, including Mohawk College, McMaster University, City Hall, Jackson Square, Horizon Utilities, and the hospitals, which are for employees, staff or students at those facilities. There are also two bike parking facilities, one at the Convention Center on Summers Lane with a capacity for 16 bicycles, and another at the parking garage between Vine, York, MacNab and James with a capacity for 43 bicycles, which are available to the general public.

Kudos to the city of Hamilton for doing this! Hopefully this initiative takes off and more secure bike parking facilities will appear around the city in years to come, not just city run, but hopefully private businesses will also begin to offer more secure places to park bicycles.

http://www.smartcommutehamilton.ca/en/bike/secureparking