All about bikes - mid-week edition
Hopefully you have all been enjoying your Bike to Work Week. It's been fun to see more cyclists on the road, and even for us who cycle often, it's been fun to make the extra effort to seek out new riding partners, or try new routes. In case you've been on your bike too much the first part of the week, here's a few stories you might have missed.
The Spokesman-Review ran an editorial yesterday about the need for better bicycle infrastructure in Spokane and the optimism that Smart Routes will help "promote nonmotorized transportation strategies". The thing with talking about better bicycle infrastructure is it's always the chicken and the egg argument. And since we all know our city council looks at issues in such lenses, putting 1,500 bicycle commuters on the road is a good way to put alternative transportation in terms they can understand.
The no-car zone. From our often-times sad bicycle culture to this - a German community that has given up their cars. Just read the following paragraph from a recent article in The New York Times: "Street parking, driveways and home garages are generally forbidden in this experimental new district on the outskirts of Freiburg,
near the French and Swiss borders. Vauban’s streets are completely
“car-free” — except the main thoroughfare, where the tram to downtown
Freiburg runs, and a few streets on one edge of the community. Car
ownership is allowed, but there are only two places to park — large
garages at the edge of the development, where a car-owner buys a space,
for $40,000, along with a home." Read more of the article HERE.
Another great example of a bicycle-friendly city. Our friends over at Just South of North are in the Bike to Work Week mood this week, and they've been busy posting bicycle-related stories. One video in particular, is an innovative new bicycle signal being used in Portland. Watch and learn Spokane.
It's not all bad here in Spokane - here's a few examples to give to your Portland friends when they start bragging about their bicycle-loving city. Three letters - FBC!! Take it from us, lifetime members for life, the FBC is right up there with Flying Irish as the coolest things to do if you live in Spoakne. But if you still need proof, check out Shallow Cogitations latest film project documenting the last FBC ride.
FBC Fiasco #23 from h greer on Vimeo.
And if you still need something to hang your hat, er, your helmet on.. The League of American Bicyclists just released its 2nd annual ranking of Bicycle-Friendly States and for the second year in a row - Washington came on top. For that we celebrate...
