More than a decade ago, the City of Calgary commissioned artists to paint utility boxes. You’ve seen these nondescript grey things that electricity runs through, even if you’ve never consciously noticed them before. I hadn’t. They are part of the overlooked underpinnings of city infrastructure, like telephone poles or storm drains. But dozens of artists …
Read more “My summer mission: Photographing utility-box art in my city”
Why would a person on a bike choose a road over a pathway designed specifically for cycling? After being yelled at by a motorist for riding my bike on a road adjacent to a shared multiuse pathway, I decided to bicycle commute home using only pathways to show the good, the bad and the ugly …
Read more “Why multiuse pathways sometimes suck for cyclists”
Two thing caught my eye recently and led to the question: do painted bike lanes suck? In fact, the question might go even farther: is a painted bike lane more dangerous than nothing at all? You know what I’m talking about. It’s those bike lanes that are created just with a strip of paint and …
Read more “Why it’s time to stop building painted bike lanes”
When changes to traffic laws were approved in my city recently — little things like requiring drivers to give more space to cyclists when passing — it was heralded as a step forward for bike friendliness. But after reading a fascinating new paper, my enthusiasm for these new laws feels dwarfed by a realization that …
For 30 years it’s been whispered about, a bicycle urban legend passed among envious cyclists throughout North America, every few years rearing its head with a little piece of news that brings hope, then despair. And now, it’s come up again here, in my city of Calgary. It’s the Idaho stop law. In reality, it’s …
Read more “Will cyclists ever get the rolling stops they want?”
Ski towns have a secret: They also tend to be fantastic bike towns. They are usually small, so distances are short. They are populated by outdoor-lovers, fit and keen to enjoy the fresh air, which makes the towns partial to cycling. Come summertime, many convert into havens of mountain biking as ski resorts keep their …
Read more “Hey cities, steal this idea: Subsidized winter-bike tires”
Finally, Calgary finally has a bike-share program. In the video below, I detail my first experience with it. Now, pat us on the back for joining the rest of the world, where such systems have been enjoyed for years. But I’ve been thinking a bit more since I finished the video, and there are two …
Read more “Two things holding back Calgary’s new e-bike-sharing system”
Over the past decade, Vancouver has undergone a bike renaissance. Separated bike lanes have been installed, a bike-share program has been implemented, and more and more people are riding bikes for transportation. Even a downtown business group that once fought bike infrastructure has become supportive of cycling. But these big changes didn’t come from thin …
Read more “How Dutch-inspired urban design inspired Vancouver’s bike boom”
My first thought was not that someone had deliberately sown tacks on the bike lane. It was a Saturday morning a couple of weeks ago. The air was pleasant. We were pedalling down 102 Ave to meet friends from Holland for brunch. A metallic sound, a kind of clank, from the back of Shelagh’s bike …
Read more “What’s the motivation for whomever put thumbtacks on the bike path?”
Sometimes it can be difficult for us North Americans to truly envision a bike-friendly city. What with our car dominance and the pittances we throw at cycling, breaking the development mould that has dominated for the past half century can be a difficult mental leap. But lately, I’ve been thinking about little spots in every city …
Read more “Finding glimpses of bike-friendliness in your everyday life”