Yes, people may forget that there are other cities in Holland besides Amsterdam, and that cycling is popular in nearly all of them. Here's a charming little video of winter cycling in Utrecht--not "xtreme cycling," just folks getting around on bikes. Lots and lots of folks getting around on bikes....



Yes, it's nothing but normal...how different from here in the US--for now!

Oh...and you don't call in "winter" without more snow? Then click here.

Richard Risemberg on Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:34:09 -0800 [link]  

Despite being "challenged" (as MBA's like to put it) by an intestinal upset, I couldn't cancel all my chores and stay home, for it's the day of the week I visit Mom in the nursing home in West LA. Today's weather being rather more like Portland's than what is typical for LA, I donned my usual wool knickers, an old Italian Navy sweater, and--most important today--the Carradice Pro Route rain cape, and headed west through a pelting rain.

This time I rode Trevor, the Pseudobecane, primarily because his fork-mounted headlamp would not be blocked when I used the rain cape properly, that is, draped over the handlebars. As in fact I did, as you can see from the photo Gina took of me as I came home:



What surprised me in particular today was--well, it was two related things:

1. How many people of all economic classes were riding their bicycles on a cold, very wet, and wildly windy day; and
2. How few of them wore any raingear at all!

Of course, this is consistent with the behavior of LA pedestrians, whom I often see marching through the rain, sometimes in very expensive attire, devoid of raincoat or umbrella. But rain walks are usually short; rain rides are often long....

Ah, well, it will likely remain a mystery, as we haven't the means to support a large-scale survey of inclement-weather sartorialism in Southern California...but I can't help wishing they'd get a clue.

I shouldn't complain anyway: I myself should have had rain spats on, as I did get wet from the shins down, but just didn't care.

At least they were out there, riding, and looking not at all unhappy. LA growing up.

Richard Risemberg on Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:26:59 -0800 [link]  

Spent much of the day downtown today (with a long detour to South Pasadena for coffee and a T-shirt pickup with Chuck). I was picking up materials for a run of long pants BF is making for a bike shop up north. (And yes, we'll have our own variant later on.)

In the morning I rode to B. Black & Sons, where I buy wool, ordered up a hundred yards or so of sheep hair, and then borrowed their immense handcart--nearly as big as a station cart--so I could push it along the teeming sidewalks to the factory.

By the time I got the cart back I had to leave for South Pasadena, which was a nice ride and a nice visit both--and then it was back to downtown for fusing and elastic. Zip-Up was out of the size of elastic I needed, so they called it in from another store; while I waited for it to arrive I walked over to Moon for the fusing and hoisted it back to Zip-Up on my shoulder. (This time I'd left my bike at the factory; the garment district is small, and it's often easier just to hoof it, which I enjoy anyway.)

A little after I returned to Zip-Up, the elastic arrived--by bicycle! Reminding me that sometimes, some places, the world we look forward to in these pages is already thriving.

Hoisted the roll of fusing and the bags of elastic and hoofed it back to the factory, where I retrieved my bike (it was Trevor's turn for an outing today, and rode home at last (though not without yet another stop on the way).

Keep an eye on these pages, especially if you're from Portland; once these special edition long cycling pants are on sale up there, we'll let you know!

And, oh, yeah: the next batch of BF knickers is a-sewing up right now, and should be done in three weeks or so. You can pre-order here.

Richard Risemberg on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:29:33 -0800 [link]  

Just saw a reference to a Federal Highway Administration report on a "scan," as they call it, of European cities and their support of cycling and walking as transportation modes. Since it was the FHA, I read it with some trepidation, but was most pleasantly surprised! They visited Denmark, Germany, UK, Switzerland, and a few other places, studied diligently and without preconceptions, and drew some gratifying conclusions, such as:

If it were possible to sum up the lessons from the scan study in one sentence, it would be this: To increase safety and mobility for walkers and bicyclists, a country must embrace foot and bicycle traffic as transportation modes and consider them as a means to attaining livability and sustainability goals.

[Photo caption:] In all the countries the scan team visited, parking lots for bicycles are common and sometimes large, as in this lot at a transit station in Lund, Sweden.

Variations on this concept played out in each country the scan team visited. In Switzerland, transportation policy puts human-powered mobility on a par with motor vehicles and transit. In Germany, bicycles are permitted on transit with no exceptions--that is, on all trains. In contrast, many transit systems in the United States prohibit bicycles on board trains at rush hour. Many of the countries invest significant funds in bicycling facilities. They set ambitious targets for mode shifts at both the national and local levels, even for communities that already have substantial bicycling rates.

The entire report is clear, concise, readable, and well worth reading, and I highly recommend it. So here it is: Handy Lessons from Overseas on Walking and Bicycling

Maybe a little bit of all that hope and change stuff is really happening after all....

Richard Risemberg on Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:43:09 -0800 [link]  

Here's a nice little clip made by William Hsu of My Dutch Bike when he was in Amsterdam recently. What's spectacular about it is that there's nothing spectacular about it, in its context. It's just lots and lots of people traveling in Amsterdam...by bicycle.



No racing, no cruising, just going about life on a misty day. The way it ought to be!

Richard Risemberg on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 16:22:44 -0800 [link]  

This isn't about bicycles; but it's a sweet little Dutch animation and so bicycles are a natural part of the story. Immensely touching, beautifully done:



"Father and Daughter," by Michael Dudok De Wit: one of the nicest eight minutes you'll have today.

Richard Risemberg on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:30:10 -0800 [link]  

The Alliance for Biking & Walking has released their 2010 report summarizing the state of bicycling and walking in the US. Some of its conclusions--the benefits of cycling and walking to public health--will be familiar, as will its dreary conclusion that the Federal government shortchanges the most efficient modes of urban transit woefully, directing only 2% of the transportation budget to modes that together comprise 13% of travel mode share. To quote:

In these times of high gas prices, a warming climate, increasing traffic congestion, and expanding waistlines, increasing bicycling and walking are goals that are clearly in the public interest. As this report shows, where bicycling and walking levels are higher, obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes levels are lower. Higher levels of bicycling and walking also coincide with increased bicycle and pedestrian safety and higher levels of physical activity. Increasing bicycling and walking can help solve many of the largest problems facing our nation. As this report indicates, many states and cities are making progress toward promoting safe access for bicyclists and pedestrians, but much more remains to be done.

As you can see from the quote, states and cities with a higher share of cycling and walking also have safer streets, further supporting the concept of "safety in numbers."

Read more, with links to the full version, at the Alliance for Biking and Walking website

Richard Risemberg on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 08:22:46 -0800 [link]  

After the gales and deluges of last week, the air was sweet and clear for one whole day, and so I left the raingear at home and rode out to--where else?--the Bridge.

I had planned to ride part way on the Ballona Creek Bike Path, but the gates were still closed as there was still a chance of flooding or at least high water. You can see it in its deserted glory below:



Perhaps building along storm drain channels--since that's what most of Ballona has become--is not the most practical way to establish bike routes.

Perhaps if we'd established more bike routes, and established more light rail lines (or simply kept the ones we used to have), there wouldn't be so damn much pavement in LA that any storm, let alone storms the intensity of last week's, causes the channels to become raging torrents.

But this is what we've got today. Tomorrow may be better, when all the city is at least as crowded with cyclists as the last mile leading to the Bridge was when I took the next photo:



Today was nearly as clear in the morning, but I had things to do around the 'hood, so I took the Bottecchia out for my run to the farmers' market in Plummer Park and filled a pannier with various greens, then walked the laundry over to the laundromat, and after that rewarded myself by riding the Pseudobecane to Wes Oishi's Soundcycles over on Pico to ruin his productivity for the afternoon.

Tomorrow, to South Pasadena, and I'd better take the rain cape along in case the weather predictions aren't wrong.

Richard Risemberg on Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:34:46 -0800 [link]  

Southern California cyclists can help the people of Haiti while enjoying a ride through the backcountry of San Diego County by joining in AdventureCORPS' "80 for Haiti" ride--80 miles, $80 entry fee, and all the money goes to aid organization Mercy Corps. From Adventure Corp's press release:

AdventureCORPS, Inc., an athlete-run firm producing some of the world's toughest sports events - including the Badwater Ultramarathon and Furnace Creek 508 races in Death Valley - will host "80 FOR HAITI," a cycling benefit ride for Haiti relief supporting Mercy Corps on Saturday, February 13, 2010. The event will feature an 80-mile ride along Old Hwy 80 in southeastern San Diego County. There will be an $80 entry fee and 100% of the entry fees will go directly to Mercy Corps, one of the most respected relief organizations worldwide. AdventureCORPS will absorb all costs, but food, drink, and support sponsors are being sought.

See details on the AdventureCORPS website.

Richard Risemberg on Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:39:14 -0800 [link]