RESOURCES LIBRARY
I reckon that one of the best things that I can do is to share all of my resources with you – toolkits, websites, podcasts, checklists, reports, case studies and facts. I try to add to this page everyday. We can all use all of these fabulous facts and extraordinary ideas to encourage, inform, network, research, lobby, measure, persuade, object, question, bend ears, break boundaries but most of all, get more people cycling more of the time.
Knowledge, unlike other resources, is not reduced or depleted by sharing!
Says Mitch Bright, Brisbane Airport Bicycle User Group.
Cycling
Glasgow cyclists ‘saving city’ £4m (AUD $6.2 million) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-22609109
USA: Each extra mile of bike lane = 1% increase in commuting by bicycle. Adults living < ½ mile of a bike path are 20% more likely to ride at least once a week http://www.activelivingresearch.org/files/ALR_Brief_DailyBikeTravel_May2013.pdf
How to inject $127 million dollars into the local economy http://www.theurbancountry.com/2011/05/bicycle-infrastructure-is-good-for.html
Removing car parking spaces outside of shops in Melbourne only affects 25% of all customers. Locals who walk to shops = bonus for business http://www.victoriawalks.org.au/Acland_St/
Shops next to a protected bike lane see 49% increase in sales http://www.fastcoexist.com/node/1682022
Inflatable bridge… perfect for Brisbane http://inthralld.com/2012/10/2012-archtriumph-inflatable-trampoline-design/
“Amazing story but sadly she seemed to have been reigned in after an amazing adventure” From Michael K http://www.theatlanticcities.com/arts-and-lifestyle/2013/04/1894-new-woman-was-bicyclist-who-changed-history/5307/
Bicycling For Life: Mark Martin at TEDxLSU. Cycling for health and how cars cause death https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4W-3Mnu3Ovo
“James” a very enigmatic man who has taken it upon himself to collect one bicycle from each developmental epoch for future generations to enjoy, a kind of time capsule if you will http://vimeo.com/65542790
In 1897, a Bicycle Superhighway Was the Future of California Transit http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/in-1897-a-bicycle-superhighway-was-the-future-of-california-transit#ixzz2Ss2nu4vD
“Bike your City’ http://velo-city2013.com/?page_id=2337&project_id=11
‘Dutch roundabouts’ could be seen in London next year http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-22347184
Courier Mail invite planners, engineers & traffic modellers to get off their butts & actually walk Brisbane http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/theres-nothing-pedestrian-about-planning-brisbanes-future/story-e6frerdf-1226630180179
Cycling infrastructure @guardian asks is it fit for purpose? Do we need a website like this for Australia?https://witness.guardian.co.uk/assignment/5179177ce4b0053f4e6bb915
Invest £1bn a year to boost cycling levels tenfold, urges UK report http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/apr/24/invest-cycling-tenfold-report
Compulsory bike helmets on charity rides is the ‘thin end of the wedge’ http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2013/mar/04/compulsory-helmets-charity-bike-rides?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487
Make cycling proficiency a compulsory part of driving licence http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2012/aug/06/cycling-lessons-driving-licence?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487
New cycling lecture series successfully launched in London http://www.ptrc-training.co.uk/News/News41.aspx
More than half of all London cyclist deaths are caused by collisions with goods vehicles http://www.tfl.gov.uk/microsites/freight/hgvs_and_road_safety.aspx
Car-free care-free city streets. http://cityofmadison.com/parks/ridethedrive/
In London cyclists dress like the Police to slow down car drivers http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/cyclists-dress-like-police-to-slow-drivers-down-8568155.html
Guerrilla road safety group ‘politely’ installs illegal bike lane protectors in Seattle http://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2013/04/04/guerrilla-road-safety-group-politely-installs-illegal-bike-lane-protectors-on-cherry-street/#more-109711
What if 10 year olds designed our cities? Flashing zebra crossing. Simple idea – Huge impact from @IBM #SmarterCities http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2013/03/26/what-if-10-year-old-designed-city
Do we need to ‘de-Lycrafy’ cycling? http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/fitness/blogs/on-your-bike/do-we-need-to-delycrafy-cycling-20130408-2hfnm.html
Visualisation – Sydney folk commuting by bicycle. 1,800 people on bicycles cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge each day. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFkQx4f1ZJM&feature=youtu.be
Studies show that bike commuting is one of the best ways to stay healthy http://grist.org/cities/studies-show-that-bike-commuting-is-one-of-the-best-ways-to-stay-healthy/
The bikes for people who don’t ride bikes. Hundreds of thousands of electric bikes are sold in Germany & Holland every year, so why have they failed to catch on in the UK? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21786511
The world’s happiest cities. Sydney is 2nd & Melbourne 5th. Brisbane doesn’t even rate… http://www.fastcoexist.com/1681359/the-10-happiest-cities-in-the-world#1
Berlin follows @MayorofLondon with a new bike plan: Pedelec corridors, 20% modal share + deliveries by bicycle http://cyclelondoncity.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/as-london-announces-its-own-massive.html
An poll of 1000 women found less than one third had ridden a bicycle in last 6 months but more than 60% would like to cycle. http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/women-ready-to-ride-but-safe-routes-missing-20130319-2gdnv.html#ixzz2O3vvsQ00
In Canberra Transport Minister Anthony Albanese welcomes active transport report as “impressive” http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/news-media/Media-Releases-2013/Pages/walking-cycling-public-transport-needed-address-physical-activity.aspx The Transport 2030 report can be downloaded at: http://transportreform.org/research-reports/
A $69 million cycleway network could be completed in just five years, says city councillor Aaron Keown. The draft Christchurch City plan now allows for completion of a cycleway network within five years, instead of the original deadline of 2042 outlined in the transport strategy. http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/8394272/Five-years-to-build-new-cycleways
A billion pounds for cycling in London – A “GAME CHANGER” says the media. You would be hard pressed not to agree. http://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Cycling%20Vision%20GLA%20template%20FINAL.pdf
Amazing Visualisation – London in Motion: A day in the life of 3 million London commuters. Could be done using cycling data too! http://jaygordon.net/londonviz.html
Would you pay a $20 tax to fund new bicycle and walking infrastructure in your city? A proposed $20 tax to fund a city-wide network of cycleways has been backed by Christchurch city councillors and will now go out for public comment. The tax, or uniform annual charge, was proposed by Mayor Bob Parker as a way of funding nearly $70 million worth of new cycleways across the city and a new $2m walkway around Lyttelton Harbour. http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/8353069/20-tax-proposed-to-fund-cycleways
Bike paths around the world visualized through user-uploaded videos http://cyclodeo.com/Cyclodeo.jsp
This has a huge impact on cycle planning…. Australian cities are suburban, but we’re preoccupied thinking about CBDs. Apparently only 8% of NSW jobs are in Sydney CBD and 5% of Qld jobs are in Brisbane CBD http://www.theurbandeveloper.com/research/new-research-reveals-extent-of-suburban-economy/
Urban planning practices for bikeable cities – the case of Copenhagen – Abstract: Cities are increasingly looking to cycling as a means to promote sustainability, liveability, and public health. Denmark is one of the European countries where cycling has remained significant – even in the motor age, and national strategies now aim to support and further increase cycling. The article presents the state of cycling in Denmark and Copenhagen – as well as the cycling promoting efforts of the city of Copenhagen which is one of the forerunners in the field. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17535069.2013.765108
Link between children who walk and cycle to school and concentration http://www.8-80cities.org/images/res-walking-cycling-articles/kids_who_walk_or_bike.pdf
MOVIE – The Green Lane Project is a partnership of six U.S. cities working to implement next-generation protected bike lanes on their streets. This past fall, the Green Lane Project brought a few dozen transportation planners from those cities together in New York City for hands-on workshops and face-to-face peer exchanges to see the NYC Department of Transportation’s innovative bike lane designs. We were able to tag along on some of the events and share some highlights of that trip. http://www.streetfilms.org/green-lane-project-in-new-york-city-to-city-solutions/
BOOK – In Cycle Space, architecture professor and cycling enthusiast Steven Fleming argues that understanding why people are choosing bikes is key for discovering the full potential of the bicycle as a transformative force in the design of our cities. With portraits of major cities and their cycling cultures, Cycle Space is the first book to view the city through the lens of the bicycle, and offers a new way of creating better cities. Cycling is more than just an alternative. It’s practical. It’s cool. It’s green. Cycling can help reducing emissions, commute times, ill-health and sprawl. For some people their bicycle is a fashion statement, for others it’s a way of life. Cycle space is where architecture and urban design can begin to optimise conditions for cycling, and take inspiration from the aesthetics and ethics of cycling as well. Featuring portraits of: Amsterdam – Chicago – Copenhagen – New York – Portland, Oregon – Paris – Singapore – Sydney http://www.010.nl/catalogue/book.php?id=812
How to temporarily transform and test capacity and traffic on city streets of your city. Pop-up bike lanes and removal of car parking Do you think we should try these real traffic tests in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne? http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2012/07/sometimes-simplest-ideas-make-best-pop-ups/2492/
4 ideas to revolutionize bike sharing http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/02/4-quirky-ideas-revolutionize-bike-sharing/4636/
A unified theory of New York biking http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2010/09/03/a-unified-theory-of-new-york-biking/
More next level IKEA hacking: Matt Hope’s air filtering Beijing bicycle http://www.core77.com/blog/transportation/more_next-level_ikea_hacking_matt_hopes_air-filtering_beijing_bicycle_24306.asp?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+core77%2Fblog+%28Core77.com%29
Don’t base cycling policy on the views of existing cyclists – traffic is the major deterrent for all but the most committed cyclists http://aseasyasridingabike.wordpress.com/2013/01/29/do-not-base-policies-about-cycling-on-the-views-of-existing-committed-cyclists/#comment-7086
How in ONE weekend YOU can change your city, form your own Transit Authority, paint your own bike lanes, plant your own street trees and turn vacant spaces into pop-up businesses. Absolutely awesome and very inspirational TED Talk Http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ntwqVDzdqAU
What Downtown Dallas Can Teach London’s Cyclists. “Be the city you want to see. Get involved. Lead the agenda”. It turns out that the way in which cycling infrastructure pans out in our cities has as much to do with you and me as it does, say, with Boris Johnson or Transport for London… http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/i-b-i-k-e-l-o-n-d-o-n/88016/what-downtown-dallas-can-teach-londons-cyclists?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Sustainable+Cities+Collective+%28all+posts%29
Is Berlin the safest city to be a cyclist? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20068083
A campaign to promote better cycling etiquette, a trial of bicycle pump and maintenance facilities along major bike routes, and “finding ways to make CityCycle more attractive” are key themes of a new active transport strategy for Brisbane http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/cycling-etiquette-and-walking-zones-council-reveals-active-transport-strategy-20130116-2ctnf.html#ixzz2IBvPi4lm
Changing behaviours: You’re doing it wrong – A short, sweet slideshow on the “Top 10 Mistakes in Behavior Change.” No matter what your job or purpose, on some level Stanford University bet it involves trying to get people to change their behavior. So almost everyone can learn from this. Check it out: http://grist.org/climate-energy/changing-behaviors-youre-doing-it-wrong/?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=tweet
Bike Related Injuries Fall – Injuries from skateboard and scooter accidents have increased over the past decade at the same time as bicycle-related injuries have fallen, leading to calls formore teenagers to wear helmets. http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/summer-of-hard-knocks-puts-teens-at-risk-20130112-2cmha.html#ixzz2HtEhKVxB
A short ride to obesity http://www.theage.com.au/national/education/a-short-ride-to-obesity-20121029-28f3i.html
A report on Sydney’s homeless youth attitudes to cycling http://www.acys.info/ysa/issues/v.31_n.4_2012/papers/its_good_to_have_wheels!/YSAItsgoodtohavewheels31042012.pdf
How economic growth sold Portland landlords on a bikeway http://greenlaneproject.org/blog/view/266
There’s a definite pecking order among bicycle riders around Brisbane http://couriermail.com.au/news/theres-a-definite-pecking-order-among-bicycle-riders-around-brisbane/story-e6freon6-1226549812826
Dutch try heated cycle tracks and glow in the dark roads http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20942340
Audi Urban Future competition – Super-Highway that embraces alternative transportation to Connect Boston to Washington D.C http://inhabitat.com/nyc/howeler-and-yoon-imagines-a-boswash-super-highway-to-connect-boston-to-washington-d-c/
Pedal Powered DIY projects. http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/jeffmcintirestrasbu/108706/pedal-powered-diy-projects-metaguide?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Sustainable+Cities+Collective+%28all+posts%29
The cycle path to happiness – Scientists are confirming what most cyclists instinctively know – that riding a bike has extraordinary effects on our brain chemistry http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/the-cycle-path-to-happiness-8422706.html
São Paulo Bicycle Library Brings Books to the City’s Homeless http://thisbigcity.net/sao-paulo-bicycle-library-brings-books-to-the-citys-homeless/
Innovations – Soft walks and Blaze bike lights http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/big-city/107931/six-kickstarter-projects-cities?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Sustainable+Cities+Collective+%28all+posts%29
Six New Year’s Resolutions for Better City Living – 1. Cycle and Recycle. For example To make cycling even more sustainable, Israeli industrial designer Dror Peleg created a colourful bike made of injection-moulded, recycled plastic components. 2. Use Public Transport (More) 3. Get Involved in Your Community 4. Explore 5. Make a Map 6. Support Urban Agriculture and Community Gardens http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/polis-blog/108001/6-new-years-resolutions-better-city-life?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Sustainable+Cities+Collective+%28all+posts%29
Local measures to promote walking and cycling as forms of travel or recreation http://publications.nice.org.uk/walking-and-cycling-local-measures-to-promote-walking-and-cycling-as-forms-of-travel-or-recreation-ph41
The Victorian Government’s new cycling strategy published by DoT. It has six Strategic Directions: Build evidence, Enhance governance and streamline processes, Reduce safety, Encourage cycling, Grow the cycling economy, Plan networks and prioritise investment http://www.transport.vic.gov.au/projects/cycling/cycling-strategy
Planning Checklist for Cycling – Healthy New Suburbs in Urban Growth Zones https://www.bicyclenetwork.com.au/media/vanilla/file/Healthy%20New%20Suburbs/Planning%20Checklist%20Questions%20-%20Final.pdf
Encouraging Australians to make active travel transport choices – The Australian Government has articulated its commitment to the promotion of active transport choices with the release of a discussion paper entitled Walking, Riding and Access to Public Transport. A summary of State walking and cycling initiatives are included in the Appendices of the document. http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/infrastructure/mcu/urbanpolicy/activetravel.aspx
A bicycle lift to get people on bicycles up steep hills. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j1PgmMbug8
Spending on bicycle infrastructure Australia wide http://www.bicyclenetwork.com.au/media/vanilla/file/BiXE%202012%20Final%20Report.pdf
Here’s How to Get All Your Timid Friends on Bikes – In the depths of the post-Sandy transit shutdown and gas shortage here in New York, I put out an offer to everyone I know: I have a spare bicycle. It’s in perfect working order. I can give you lights and a lock to go along with it. If you need it to get around town, to work or anywhere else, please let me know. It’s yours for the duration, free of charge. Nobody took me up on it…. http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2012/11/friendly-guide-bicycle-transportation/3909/
The quest for 8 – 80 bike lanes http://www.8-80cities.org/images/res-walking-cycling-articles/the-quest-for-8-80-bikeways.pdf
Electric Bikes Surge in Popularity – Spurred on by technology, a new generation of cyclists is taking over Canberra’s streets, and it’s not the Lycra brigade leading the charge. Baby boomers are the driving force behind skyrocketing sales of electric bicycles. Running on lithium-ion batteries with a small electric motor designed to assist ratherthan replace pedalling, e-bikes have sold in their millions in Asia and arestarting to take off in Australia, the United States and Europe. http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/charge-of-the-power-pedallers-20121117-29jkx.html#ixzz2CYV1Hqz8
What an RAF pilot can teach us about being safe on the road. “Sorry mate, I didn’t see you”. Is a catchphrase used by drivers up and down the country. Is this a driver being careless and dangerous or did the driver genuinely not see you? According to a report by John Sullivan of the RAF, the answer may have important repercussions for the way we train drivers and how as cyclists we stay safe on the roads. I’d suggest that this is another reason we should be looking at building safety in to our roads, with Dutch style cycling infrastructure. http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/raf-pilot-teach-cyclists/
In November 2012 the Australian Bicycle Council published the National Cycling Strategy 2011-16: Implementation Report 2011. This report provides an overview of progress towards the objectives of the National Cycling Strategy 2011-16. The Australian Bicycle Council’s National Cycling Participation Survey provided the baseline for the Strategy’s target of doubling the number of people cycling in Australia by 2016. In this first year of the strategy Australian states and territories invested $89.08 million in cycling related infrastructure, education and promotion to reach that target. http://cyclingresourcecentre.org.au/post/national_cycling_strategy_2011_16_implementation_report_2011
DIY traffic counters could change everything about transport planning http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2012/11/diy-traffic-counter-could-change-everything-about-transportation-planning/3846/
Bicycle Congestion - Problems familiar to car drivers the world over, from gridlock to road rage and lack of parking, are now threatening to turn the Dutch dream of bicycling bliss into a daily hell. In a small country where bicycles outnumber people by 1.2 million, the Dutch have simply run out of space to accommodate the five million riders who take to the road every day, turningmajor city commuting into a nightmare. In Amsterdam alone 490,000 freewheeling “fietsers” take to the road to cycle a staggering two million kilometres every day, according to statistics released by the city council. http://www.theage.com.au/world/dutch-cycling-utopia-under-threat-20121109-2932x.html#ixzz2BmjP0OrW
Bicycles Are Like the Cockroaches Of Transportation in Natural Disasters http://www.treehugger.com/bikes/bicycles-are-cockroaches-transportation-natural-disasters.html
C99 Albertslund Ruten Copenhagen’s Bicycle Super Highways http://www.cyclingrachelsmith.com/?p=1016
Norrebrogade bicycle infrastructure, Copenhagen http://www.cyclingrachelsmith.com/?p=1020
Bjark Ingles Bicycle 8-House, in Copenhagen, with 475 residential units, allows people to bicycle all the way from the ground floor to the top, moving alongside townhouses with gardens winding through an urban perimeter block. http://www.cyclingrachelsmith.com/?p=1025
7 Reasons Bikes Are for Everyone—Not Just “Cyclists” - Don’t let the spandex-clad iron men scare you off! Here are seven reasons why all types of people are biking to work—and why cities are encouraging them. http://www.yesmagazine.org/happiness/seven-reasons-bikes-are-for-everyone-not-just-cyclists
Bike Blackspot Campaign – The Bike Blackspot map is a compilation of cycling blackspots throughout Australia submitted by cyclists using the Bike Blackspot app for iPhone. http://scott-ludlam.greensmps.org.au/bike-blackspot
Rich biodiversity can curb urban health issues – The Cities and Biodiversity Outlook highlights a wide range of successful initiatives by cities, local authorities and sub-national governments in both developed and developing countries. In Bogotá, Colombia, measures such as closing roads on weekends, improving the bus transit system and creating bicycle paths resulted in increased physical activity among residents, and a reduction in greenhouse gases emissions. http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/sturle-hauge-simonsen/73266/rich-biodiversiy-can-curb-urban-health-issues?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Sustainable+Cities+Collective+%28all+posts%29
New cycling checklist – The Planning Checklist for Cycling and Practice Note can be used to help build healthy new suburbs where everyone can ride their bikes as part of their everyday life. The Checklist aims to ensure the mistakes of the past are not repeated. It enables planners to make sure new sub-divisions meet the current planning and engineering requirements in Victoria. It focuses on three requirements of an effective cycling network: 1.Connectivity to destinations- providing cycling routes that connect to destinations 2.Permeability of the suburb – providing a choice of direct routes across a suburb and to local destinations 3.Quality of infrastructure – providing the correct cycling infrastructure to the target population, their trip purpose and the places they want to go. https://www.bicyclenetwork.com.au/general/bike-futures/94793/
How Car Commuting Is Wasting Your Time – Are you addicted to speed? Has a “hurry virus” taken over your life? Building faster roads or buying a fast car or a second car may seem appealing solutions to time pressure. Yet our obsession with speed, and our reliance on cars as a supposedly fast mode of transport, may be an underlying cause of our lack of time. The more we rely on “time-saving” machines such as cars, the more time we lose. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2845829/ and http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2012/10/how-car-commuting-is-wasting-your-time/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LifehackerAustralia+%28Lifehacker+Australia%29
Looking for a NSW cycleway? The NSW Roads and Maritime Services and NSW local councils fund and build cycling infrastructure for commuting to BMXing across the state. To explore maps of the cycleway network search the new NSW Cycleway Finder. http://www.bicycleinfo.nsw.gov.au/
On your e-bike: European craze powers into UK – Supporters hope electrically assisted bikes will break down British resistance to cycling and change urban transport forever http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/oct/12/e-bike-european-craze-uk?intcmp=239
3 minute video – Cycle to work without breaking a sweat! – Guardian reporter Peter Walker tries out the new e-bike. The cycling sensation that is sweeping through Holland and Germany. Peter visits a newly opened e-bike shop called justebikes, to find out the secret to this continental e-bike craze and whether such an innovation will catch on in the UK http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/video/2012/oct/12/e-bikes-review-cycle-video
Dutch Intersection Design with Cycle Tracks http://wiki.coe.neu.edu/groups/nl2011transpo/wiki/ba51e/15_Dutch_Intersection_Design.html
Open Urbanism: Why the Information Economy Will Lead to Sustainable Cities http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/rickrobinson/72436/open-urbanism-why-information-economy-will-lead-sustainable-cities?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Sustainable+Cities+Collective+%28all+posts%29
In London, coffee on wheels is made with pedal power. Velopresso is now offering mobile coffee which is powered by the bicycle wheels the machine sits upon. http://www.springwise.com/eco_sustainability/in-london-coffee-wheels-pedal-power/
Mobile app helps cyclists compile key facts in the event of a crash. The Bike Crash Kit app aims to make it easy for cyclists to accurately record all the information they need at the scene of a two-wheeled crash. Mobile app helps cyclists compile key facts in the event of a crash www.springwise.com
Good, Better, Best – The City of Copenhagen’s Bicycle Strategy 2011-2025 – In Copenhagen’s new bicycle strategy you can read about the new initiatives and plans, which lay down guidelines for the long term and overriding priorities within the bicycle area. These initiatives and plans are intended to help the City reach the goal to become the world’s best bicycle city before the end of 2015. http://www.cycling-embassy.dk/2012/01/20/good-better-best-the-city-of-copenhagens-bicycle-strategy-2011-2025/
Economic benefits of cycling. The Australian Bicycle Council developed a mini Australian version inspired by the British work – Australian Cycling: An Economic Overview www.austroads.com.au
Cycling’s contribution to the economy – Sky believe this is the first-ever attempt to chart the full extent of cycling’s contribution to the British economy. Previous studies have focused on particular sectors such as the bicycle …retail trade, but never before has a study been conducted into the true ‘Gross Cycling Product’ (GCP) of UK plc – from bike sales to improved health. The GCP report was conceived by Sky and British Cycling and has been made a reality through the London School of Economics http://corporate.sky.com/documents/pdf/press_releases/2011/the_british_cycling_economy
Asthma Linked To Congested Highways – Researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, found that living near a heavily congested highway correlates with a higher presence of asthma. http://www.sacbee.com/2012/06/26/4590892/asthma-linked-to-congested-highways.html#storylink=cpy
Bicycling and Walking in the United States 2012 Benchmarking Report is an essential resource and tool for government officials, advocates, and those working to promote bicycling and walking. The Benchmarking Project is an on-going effort by the Alliance for Biking & Walking to collect and analyse data on bicycling and walking in all 50 states and the 51 largest U.S. cities. This third biennial report reveals data including: bicycling and walking levels and demographics; bicycle and pedestrian safety; funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects; written policies on bicycling and walking; bicycle infrastructure; bike-transit integration; bicycling and walking education and encouragement activities; public health indicators; and the economic impact of bicycling and walking. http://www.peoplepoweredmovement.org/site/index.php/site/memberservices/2012_benchmarking_report/
On April 14, 2012, the first stretch of Copenhagen’s new and long-awaited Bicycle Superhighway network opened
http://www.copenhagenize.com/2012/04/launching-copenhagens-bicycle.html … now we just need my 7m wide Cycling Super Highways in Australia!!
GOOD – 17 April 2012 – If you build bike lanes they will ride http://www.good.is/post/if-you-build-bike-lanes-they-will-ride/
Ralph Buehler • John Pucher – 6 July 2011 – Cycling to work in 90 large American cities: new evidence on the role of bike paths and lanes http://policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/pucher/bikepaths.pdf
Book review – It’s all about the bike: In pursuit of happiness in two wheels by Robert Penn http://www.penguin.com.au/products/9781846142628/it-s-all-about-bike-pursuit-happiness-two-wheels
http://www.noexcusezone.com.au/
http://www.cyclingmobility.com/
http://www.pedbiketrans.asn.au/
http://ecoplan.org/wtpp/wt_index.htm
http://www.cyclingresourcecentre.org.au/
http://www.camcycle.org.uk/resources/reference/
http://www2.dft.gov.uk/pgr/sustainable/cycling/index.html
http://www.cykelsuperstier.dk/dk/ruterne/albertslundruten/
http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/podcasts/citytalks/SustainableStreetsParallelCitiesNYSydney.asp
http://www.miabirk.com/ (Mia Birk, Joyride: Pedaling Toward a Healthier Planet)
http://www.womenonbikessocal.org/ (Women on bikes SoCal, Celebrating the Joy, Beauty & Benefits of Bicycling for Women)
Walking, Transport & Community
New freeways cure congestion: time to put the myth to bed http://theconversation.com/new-freeways-cure-congestion-time-to-put-the-myth-to-bed-13896
New UK Campaign starts to protect road workers from unsafe drivers http://www.ciht.org.uk/en/media-centre/news.cfm/respect
New Paul Buchanan urban planning book challenges current thinking on a global scale. Case studies of 120 cities http://www.ciht.org.uk/en/media-centre/news.cfm/buchanan
Changing travel behaviour = cheap option for increasing motorway capacity. UK’s M25 operates at only 12% http://www.ciht.org.uk/en/media-centre/news.cfm/traffexsem
Planting more gardens has the potential to improve life for everyone, all at once. http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/04/study-green-space-means-more-for-satisfaction-than-a-neighborhoods-average-income/275151/
As an Australian first, NSW will list health in the NSW Planning Bill as one of eight principal objectives. The draft released this week for comment has come about due to the successful advocacy work of a coalition of players including the NSW Heart Foundation. The specific objective addressing health includes the promotion of; ‘health, safety and amenity in the planning, design, construction and performance of individual buildings and the built environment. http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=KMXCcJr89NM%3d&tabid=634&language=en-US
Traffic pollution can cause asthma in children http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-traffic-pollution-asthma-children-20130321,0,3190067.story
The Moving People 2030 Taskforce, comprised of 8 national organisations including the UITPANZ, has launched a comprehensive report to on how we can deliver a prosperous, sustainable, liveable and healthy Australia by 2030. Moving Australia 2030-A Transport Plan for a Productive and Active Australia sets out pathways for the establishment of a transport, land use management, planning and funding framework to underpin how we move people today and in the future. Copies of the report andrelated media releases can be found at the following website: http://ozebus.com/solutions-for-moving-people/moving-australia-2030
Walkable community guide http://www.8-80cities.org/images/res-walking-cycling-articles/walkable-community-guide.pdf
10 steps To Walkable Cities – an awesome menu to get city leaders and traffic engineers thinking – Steps include: put cars in their place, mix the uses, get the parking right, let transit work, protect pedestrians, welcome bikes, shape the spaces and plant trees http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/kaidbenfield/96836/ten-steps-walkability?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Sustainable+Cities+Collective+%28all+posts%29
Retailers don’t need free car parking to thrive – A major rationale for the supply of parking spaces in city shopping centres is that customers won’t come without them. A new review of commercial centres in Greater London concludes that retailers vastly overestimate the role free parking plays in their success. The irony is that additional parking might increase congestion and thereby reduce the attractiveness of a retail centre. http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2012/11/4-reasons-retailers-dont-need-free-parking-thrive/3978/
Walking is good for business. Heart Foundation discussion paper. http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/sitecollectiondocuments/goodforbusinessfinal_nov.pdf
Chicago Pedestrian Plan – Vision statement – The people of Chicago cultivate, encourage, and enjoy mutual respect on our streets. People choose to be pedestrians because the experience is the safest, most connected, accessible, and above all, the most enjoyable. Because we are committed to a strong pedestrian environment as an essential part of our complete transportation system, we are a healthier, more liveable city. http://chicagopedestrianplan.org/pedestrian-plan/
GOOD – 3 May 2012 – iPavement Puts a World of Knowledge Beneath Your Feet http://www.good.is/post/ipavement-puts-a-world-of-knowledge-beneath-your-feet?utm_campaign=daily_good2&utm_medium=email_daily_good2&utm_source=headline_link&utm_content=iPavement%20Puts%20a%20World%20of%20Knowledge%20Beneath%20Your%20Feet%20
GOOD - 7 February 2012 – Most Americans want a walkable neighbourhood not a big house! http://www.good.is/post/most-americans-want-a-walkable-neighborhood-not-a-big-house
Clarence Eckerson Jr – 5 May 2008 – Melbourne: A Pedestrian Paradise http://www.streetfilms.org/melbourne/
http://www.livingstreets.org.uk/
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/microsites/legible-london/
http://www.ourcitiesourselves.org/
Some awesome listening
TED Talks http://www.ted.com/
Ken Robinson believes that everyone is born with extraordinary capability. So what happens to all that talent as we bump through life, getting by, but never realizing our true potential? http://www.theschooloflife.com/Sermons/Ken-Robinson-on-Education
Tim Smit, CEO and Co-Founder of the The Eden Project presents at The IBM Summit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo3Ap4kaN0E
Mia Birk – TEDxPortland -Pedaling Towards a Healthier Planet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7ZhTaxL6T8&feature=player_embedded
Jason Roberts – TEDxOU – How To Build a Better Block http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntwqVDzdqAU&feature=player_embedded
Eduardo Paes: The 4 commandments of cities: Green – People – Socially Integrated – Technologyhttp://www.ted.com/talks/eduardo_paes_the_4_commandments_of_cities.html
Documenting Livable Streets Worldwide http://www.streetfilms.org/
Sustainable Transport & Travel Plans
http://www.dft.gov.uk/topics/sustainable/travel-plans/
http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=14886
http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=14893
Slow Travel Berlin http://www.slowtravelberlin.com/
Car Free and Sustainable Tourism
http://www.coastproject.co.uk/
http://www.visitengland.org/busdev/bussupport/sustainability/fordummies.aspx
Placemaking, active streets and enlivening public spaces/places
How can we capture the magic and colour of the streets of incredible cities like New York City, Paris, Berlin? A series of videos created and edited by Christian Andersen attempt to do just that without any frills or fuss, capturing many of the aspects that create a successful and exciting street. http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/futurecapetown/108481/streets-new-york-city-paris-and-berlin?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Sustainable+Cities+Collective+%28all+posts%29
Creating Places for People – An urban design protocol for Australian Cities Creating Places For People: an urban design protocol for Australian cities www.infrastructure.gov.au
Treehugger – 3 December 2011 - Could the Underground “Low Line” Be New York’s Next Great Park? http://www.treehugger.com/urban-design/calls-park-and-commercial-development-compete-underground-spot-nyc.html
March 2012 – Artist Arne Quinze has been commissioned by the Queensland Theatre Company to create an outdoor installation in South Brisbane http://arnequinze.com/ or listen to Arne’s talk at http://artshour.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/episode-5-arne-quinzes-installation-at-the-queensland-theatre-company/
DIY & Making “You don’t have to ask permission to get involved in transforming your city”
Cities are better when citizens are involved. Online tools available for community engagement. http://www.mindmixer.com/
How to make a human powered bicycle smoothie maker for less than $25 http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-create-a-human-powered-bike-blender-for-les/
Samuel Goss’s Musical Bicycle 1899… http://www.futilitycloset.com/2012/05/02/road-music/
You are not stuck in traffic – You are traffic! – VicRoads has launched a campaign to help reduce congestion that includes an on-line tool that allows commuters to input their travel data to create a personal congestion score based on the distance travelled, time of day and mode of transport. The tool includes tips and messages on how commuters can reduce their contributions to congestion. https://www.unlockthegrid.com.au/#
Over to you. Thank you to everyone who has sent me their cycling stories and links to their favourite blogs and websites. Here they are…
Your stories
Thank you to Christine at the BMW Guggenheim Lab for ‘A Musical Commute in Mumbai’. Christine says “… the only way to survive living with so many million people in such a small space, and in a city that can be so ruthlessly cruel to its citizens, is to be ridiculously good to one another, and simply make the best of it” http://blog.bmwguggenheimlab.org/2012/12/a-musical-commute-in-mumbai/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bmwguggenheimlab%2Flog+%28BMW+Guggenheim+LAB+%7C+log%29
Thank you to Graham Smith from Canberra for sharing his wonderful story. “I am a middle-aged, white collar, conservative, car-owning, Canberra family man who also happens to cycle commute and cycle tour. Last year I did a solo, loaded, self-contained cycle tour from Parliament House Canberra to the Sydney Opera House. The last tour day was a revelation as I discovered just how easy it was to get from the edge of Sydney to the city centre by bike. I was ecstatic at getting a completely different perspective on Sydney thanks to the bikeways” https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=6h&page_id=190392&v=9C
Huge thanks to Brian Bartlett from Rockhampton for sharing his wonderful story. Brian said “My fitness and all round health has improved all round since I purchased my electric bike about 2.5 years ago and it has literally given me my legs back since developing MS”. This is the link to Brian’s recent Sydney to Cape York ride on an electric bike. www.glowwormbicycles.com.au
Thank you to Sue Grahame for sharing her wonderful fundraising and cycling story. “I wanted to tell you about a cycle/walking path that the Friends of Dalmeny (South Coast NSW) raised money and in conjunction with the Eurodalla Shire Council completed in just over 5 years. As the money was raised and amounts reached to complete a segment of the path then the council would provide the labour and equipment to complete a section. This went on for many years and is now complete. The path runs for approximately 7 ks from Dalmeny to Narooma (a small community to a larger centre). The council also added viewing platforms on the headlands for whale watching and they have added plaques with local information that are of interest to visitors. This project gave everyone who had either donated money or time a sense of involvement and pride of achievement for such a small community. The path runs along the coast line which gives a beautiful vista as well as safe cycling and walking for all. I think this is a perfect example of a very small community action group making things happen by raising money and getting their hands dirty” http://www.eurobodalla.com.au/narooma-to-dalmeny-cycleway
1. Urban Development, Architecture, Urbanism, Aesthetics and Design
http://www.shareable.net/channel/cities
http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/Home/
http://www.cooltownstudios.com/
http://www.infrastructurist.com/
http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/
http://ecologicalurbanism.gsd.harvard.edu/
http://www.carfree.com/cft/i064.html
http://www.thesartorialist.com/
http://www.thesartorialist.com/tag/bicycles/
http://www.locallygrowncity.net
http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/
http://www.gladwell.com/tippingpoint/index.html
2. Technology
3. A bit of ‘all and everything’
http://yellowtrace.com.au/blog/
http://theconversation.edu.au/
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