Seen around town: riding the sunset at English Bay

Seen around town: One of the new daily bike counters on False Creek outside the revamped Science World. I was the 1000th cyclist to pass by the counter on Friday.

Seen around town: a bird’s eye view of the Stanley Park seawall this past weekend. The seawall is grade separated with lanes for folks on bikes and foot.

here are some recent reflections from around town

I’ve got some more pics here if you’re interested in checking ‘em out.

Seen around town: An old bike repurposed into a mini street side garden on the 10th avenue bikeway here in Vancouver

Getting Around: ‘Good Bicycle Karma’ (Video)

Here’s a fun, simple, and low cost idea to encourage smart and safe cycling in cities. Copenhagen’s ‘Karmaspotters’ walk the streets of the city giving out good karma presents to cyclists who are being considerate while biking around the city.

(Source: Cycling Embassy of Denmark)

Related:

• ‘When the Bad Guys Ride Bikes’ (Atlantic Cities)

From The Economist:

MORE and more Americans are taking to the road on two wheels. Between 1977 and 2009 the total number of annual bike trips more than tripled, while the bike’s share of all trips rose from 0.6% to 1%. Commuting cyclists have also increased in number, with twice as many biking to work in 2009 as in 2000.

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The growth comes thanks to cycle-friendly policymaking and increases in government spending. In Portland, which brought in a comprehensive programme, cycling levels have increased sixfold since the early 1990s. In Chicago the motivation is to improve the quality of life, and thus encourage both businesses and families to move there.

In a forthcoming book, “City Cycling”, John Pucher and Ralph Buehler argue that the bike boom needs to be expanded to a broader cross-section of people. Almost all the growth in cycling in America has come from men aged 25-64. Rates of cycling have actually fallen slightly among women and sharply among children, most probably because of nervousness about safety. But in fact cycling is getting safer all the time. According to a paper by Messrs Pucher and Buehler with Mark Seinen, fatalities per 10m bike trips fell by 65% between 1977 and 2009, from 5.1 to 1.8. In their book, the authors claim that the health benefits of cycling far exceed the safety risks.

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As 48% of trips in American cities are shorter than three miles, there is big potential for further growth.

Check out the rest of the article here.

(Photo credit: City Cycling)

Around Town: “Yogi Bear” posted on a wall just east of Main Street along the 10th Ave bikeway. More pics here if you’re interested.

Getting Around: ‘The Greener Way to Get There’ (Infographic)

More info here.

(Source: 1 Block Off the Grid)

Getting Around, Safely: ‘The Invisible Helmet’ (Video)

This is awesome on so many levels:

“If people say it’s impossible we have to prove them wrong.”
Design students Anna and Terese took on a giant challenge as an exam project. Something no one had done before. If they could swing it, it would for sure be revolutionary. The bicycle is a tool to change the world. If we use bikes AND travel safe: Life will be better for all. (Vimeo)

You can read more about the Invisible Bike Helmet here.