News Roundup › Bicycles

Seville’s transportation revolution goes beyond being bike friendly; horse carts, segways, 3- and 4- person pedicabs, streetcars and buses are also alternative modes of tranportation. This transformation didn’t happen without massive public input and infrastructural investment.

Source: People for Bikes | Archived Copy

“Pushing helmets really kills cycling and bike-sharing in particular because it promotes a sense of danger that just isn’t justified — in fact, cycling has many health benefits,” says Piet de Jong, a professor in the department of applied finance and actuarial studies at Macquarie University in Sydney.

Source: The New York Times | Archived Copy

Like many cities hoping to make the transition from car-centric to multi-modal, New Orleans faces several obstacles, ranging from physical infrastructural improvements that must be made, to a cultural shift that encourages more bikers and transit riders. While better bike lanes and sidewalks might solve part of the problem, how might the city help its residents to choose alternative methods of transportation? As part of GOOD Ideas for New Orleans, the Biking & Transit team received $500 from Neighborland to execute simple, low-cost ideas for improving the biking experience.

Source: GOOD | Archived Copy

It’s remarkable what some people can accomplish in a single weekend. While others spend those days catching up on lost sleep or exploring their city with friends, Texas-based nonprofit The Better Block uses that time to rally communities to rethink their neighborhoods. Since its inception in 2010, the project has built temporary dog parks, pop-up shops, urban forests, cafes, and bike lanes. They’ve left their mark in more than 35 cities including Philadelphia, Wichita, Cleveland, Houston, and Oklahoma City.

Source: GOOD | Archived Copy

The other day, Doug Gordon decided to try a little bike lane experiment. Gordon, author of the Brooklyn Spoke blog, placed red plastic Solo cups (yes, the ones you use when drinking from a keg) along the edge of a painted bike lane that is often blocked by parked livery cars and other drivers.

Source: The Atlantic Cities | Archived Copy

Friends of the Lafitte Corridor hosted over 100 walkers at their annual “Hike the Lafitte Corridor” informational guided tour of the Greenway on Saturday, April 14th, 2012. The hike paired knowledgeable Greenway guides with curious citizens eager to learn more about the design, process, and implementation of the community-connecting Greenway trail and bike path.

Source: The Times-Picayune | Archived Copy

Variations in neighborhood density mean your ZIP code has a lot to do with whether you can live without a car.

Source: Gambit Weekly | Archived Copy

“It’s a little piece of metal and we put it in the ground and that’s it,” Lancaster said. “It’s an improvement for the whole community and it’s permanent.”

Source: The Times-Picayune | Archived Copy

In the past two years, 12.6 miles of bike lanes have been added to city roads, including the three-mile St. Claude Avenue bike lane, the 1.8-mile shared lane and 0.8-mile off-street path along Robert E. Lee Boulevard and the 2-mile Gentilly Boulevard bike lane, said Jennifer Ruley, a bicycle and pedestrian engineer who provides technical assistance to City Hall on behalf of the Louisiana Public Health Institute and Entergy New Orleans.
More bike paths are to come: The city is using bond money to finance “bikeway” development in conjunction with federally funded road resurfacing projects, Ruley said.

Source: The Times-Picayune | Archived Copy