It was while screaming downhill, past hundreds of other cyclists who were slowly climbing in the opposite direction, that the thought crossed my mind. “Huh,” I thought. “This is a thing.” That was on the weekend as I happily rode the Highwood Pass for the first time, a local highway that, for a few weekends …
Read more “This temporary car-free haven shows how people on bikes flock to safe routes”
Anyone who rides a bike on a regular basis knows that good storage is essential. From your keys and a pump to a puncture repair kit, there are numerous different bits and pieces you need out on the road. On top of that, there may be times when you have shopping to carry, need a …
Maybe it was the news that Tesla is now the largest U.S. carmaker by market cap, or maybe it has been the uncertainty around the price of oil, but there has been a flurry of futurism lately centred around looming changes to our transportation systems, specifically around autonomous electric cars. Autonomous, electric vehicles are about …
Read more “The future of transportation is already here, but everybody is missing it”
On Bike to Work Day, I asked people a couple of straightforward questions about their chosen commuting mode. Here’s what they said. Take note of how many who said they ride for environmental reasons, for ideology, or because they hate cars (hint: none).
A reader recently asked a question recently that got me thinking: If conditions are ripe for cycling, why bother adding bike infrastructure? The question came out of my recent post from Yellowknife in which I mused about the city’s potential as a great bike town thanks to its wide streets, slow traffic and hearty residents. …
Read more “Increasing number of dead pedestrians are a reminder that bike lanes matter”
Why are two icons of the Canadian automobile industry pouring resources into the creation of a electric bicycle being sold around the world? For Frank Stronach and Fred Gingl, two Canadians who powered Magna into one of the world’s strongest auto-parts companies, the answer is simple: The future. In the late 2000s, the pair, through …
Read more “Will this high-tech machine be the e-bike that finally breaks through in North America?”
Examining all the proposed reasons for bike licencing one by one.
By pounding over the hills of San Francisco in a 1968 Ford Mustang GT, a scowling Steve McQueen, in the unfortunately spelled action movie Bullitt, managed to define coolness for a generation of baby boomers, in spite of the corduroy blazer. But those days are long gone. These days, driving a muscle car in that …
Read more “A Gen Xer’s guide to riding a fixed-gear bicycle”
Unlike, say, a hammer or a microwave oven, bicycles work themselves into our consciousness more than most of our tools. Perhaps it’s our reliance on them that builds that connection.
Is riding a bike too risky for kids? The question nags many parents beyond the typical helicopter-parent anxiety that permeates modern childhood. Cycling has gone from a bedrock part of childhood a few generations ago to something akin to BASE jumping in the eyes of some grownups. Sometimes, even those trying to promote public health …
Read more “Why are we so afraid of letting kids ride bikes when statistics prove their safety?”