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”
True cargo bikes are amazing. They can haul just about anything, including furniture, children and that Tinder date you just swiped on. But their size can sometimes be limiting for those living smaller urban lifestyles. That’s why I wanted to try out this bike, the Tern GSD S00, a kind of smaller and more portable …
Read more “Can a cargo bike fit your urban life? Maybe this one can. Plus, it’s electric!”
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?”
I asked some winter-cycling friends from around the world to tell us what they love and, in some cases, hate about winter cycling in their cities. Bike lanes, plowing, bike parking, and reams of people riding in subzero temperatures: Here’s what they had to say in Winnipeg, Montreal, Minneapolis, Tilburg, and Oulu. Please subscribe to …
Read more “Some good (and bad) parts of winter cycling in cities around the world”
In the midst of the polar vortex, where frothing meteorologists competed over cold weather hyperbole, I had my most memorable bike rides of the season. My home city of Calgary recently hosted the 7th annual Winter Cycling Congress, giving me a week of bike-focused learning and activity. The congress touched on myriad aspects of winter …
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Lime launched in my city of Calgary this week, and something unique is happening: Winter. Well, winter isn’t unique, but having a bike-share program run through a cold Canadian winter is unique, and the company is treating the situation as a bit of an experiment in winter bike-share survival. So I talked to the Lime’s …
Read more “Can Lime’s bike-share program survive a Canadian winter?”
When the temperature drops, riding a bike to work gets a tad more complicated. Especially in North America, where bike commuting is sometimes viewed more as an athletic pursuit than a simple transportation mode. That’s why, in this video, I look at two ways of dressing for bike commuting. Version 1 we’ll call Dress for …
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”
When does a bicycle become a motorcycle? I was asking myself that question after last week’s post, when I vlogged about my city’s new Lime e-bike sharing system, including a minor rant about Alberta’s antiquated legislation that treats e-bikes the same as motorcycles. Some people reacted to the post with surprise, asserting that if a …
Read more “What’s an e-bike anyway? Mythbusting over modern pedelecs”