May 22, 2012

Annals of Cycling – 58

An occasional update on items from the Velo-city.

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RISK TAKING (NOT JUST) ON WALL STREET

The Wall Street Journal reports:

A study of first-time bicycle-helmet users published in the American Journal of Public Health found men who wore helmets bicycled significantly faster than men who didn’t wear them, whereas helmets had no effect on women’s biking speed.

Individuals often take more risks when they feel safer, a type of behavior known as risk compensation.

Thanks to Doug Clarke. 

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A WORD TO THE WISE-ASS

From Michael Kluckner: “An addition to the Adanac bike lane at a pedestrian crossing at Templeton, maybe by a disgruntled pedestrian?”

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OF FURTHER INTEREST TO WALL STREET

U.S. Bicyclists Save $4.6 Billion By Riding Instead of Driving

Key data:

  • Bicyclists in the U.S. save $4.6 billion per year by riding, instead of driving
  • If American drivers replaced just one four-mile car trip with a bike each week for the whole year, it would save more than 2 billion gallons of gas.
  • From 2001 to 2009, Hispanics, African Americans, and Asian Americans took up biking at faster rates than other Americans, representing 21 percent of all bike trips in the U.S. in 2009.

Thanks to Eric Griswold.

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THE DANES HAVE SOME GOOD IDEAS

From the Cycling Embassy of Denmark:

The first edition of Collection of Cycle Concepts was published in 2000 and enjoyed a wide circulation among everyone interested in bicycle traffic. … The second edition, Collection of Cycle Concepts 2012, updates the field, featuring new challenges and the latest knowledge.

Download HERE.

Actually, the cleverest concept is the idea of a Cycling Embassy –  “a comprehensive network of private companies, local authorities and non-governmental organizations working together to promote cycling and communicate cycling solutions and know-how.”

Thanks to Ron Richings.

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NEW YORK COVERS L.A.

From the New York Times:

Los Angeles Lives by Car, but Learns to Embrace Bikes

For years, bicyclists in Los Angeles were just another renegade subculture in a city that is teeming with all manner of subcultures. These days, they have become downright mainstream.  …

Joel Epstein, a mass transit advocate, said traffic here had led him to use his bicycle more often. “L.A. is a very complicated kind of place,” Mr. Epstein said. “A lot of people are going to commute by car forever. But I think bikes are a piece of the puzzle, just like mass transit is and just like walking is.”

Thanks to Ken Ohrn.

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OVERHEARD ON THE SEAWALL

Dianna Waggoner reports in:

As I approached the incline at the casino, I noticed a daddy and daughter pair. Daughter was probably four or five, riding her own very tiny bicycle–pink, handlebar fringe, training wheels. As the path tipped up the slightest bit, daddy leaned over to offer some cycling advice. “Okay, honey, it’s time to power up for the hill!” And, she did!! Sped up just a little, added a bit of pressure on the pedals so that the next moment she was speeding (relatively) down the other side. Wheeeee.

Another bike lover is born.

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Comments

  1. It’s interesting always how people react to ambiguous art. Mr. Kluckner’s first guess is that the admonition to “Relax” might be the work of a disgruntled pedestrian, and aimed at cyclists (probably). Conflict is the underlying motivation. Very Vancouver Sun-ish.

    However, with more information comes another more likely interpretation. The word “relax” is also stencilled on several parts of Union / Adanac bikeway — mid-block — along with other more decorative stencils.

    My interpretation is that the artist / stencil-wielder is asking everyone to “relax”, at all times, just because that’s a good way to be. And is having some fun with the more decorative embellishments to the road symbols.

    See photos here: http://cypressdigital.zenfolio.com/p121915574

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