I thought this was a pretty cool ad. I realize that this is trying to sell a product, so it has to be taken in that light, but I still appreciated the positive representation of people helping themselves and bettering their lives. So often, it seems like any time you hear about Africa, it is only about the needs and problems and how you as a rich outsider should fix it. This ad seemed to has a much more respectful attitude to the poor. Also, the positive representation of bikes as serious transport doesn't hurt anything either.

Victoria, Old Women, and Traffic Calming

I visited Victoria, B.C. today. I have visited a few times before, but it's an interesting city that keeps getting more interesting each time I visit. There were two things that I noticed that really surprised me about the city that I hadn't noticed before. One was the large percentage (maybe even half) of the cyclists were in Lycra. There was even a guy in Lycra shorts and a dress shirt. There were definitely some citizen cyclists out there,but vehicular cycling seemed to be much more predominant than in Grand Rapids. Victoria has the highest mode share for bikes in Canada, 4.8% in 2003, while Grand Rapids has a mode share of only 2.1%. In Grand Rapids, most cyclists that I see seem to be more along the lines of citizen cyclists than vehicular. Maybe this is because Victoria is more affluent, so there are more cyclists who do so out of choice rather than necessity? I don't know.

The other thing that I noticed that really struck me was that while riding the bus, it seemed that there was a disproportionate number of middle aged or older women. If mother and Grandmothers are any indication, that population group has a very low tolerance for uncertainty and the impression of danger. BC Transit must be doing something right if they convey safety and reliability that well. I was also impressed by how high ridership levels were.

To close, I also saw my favorite example of traffic calming I have ever come across. It was a residential road with cement planters stuck in the middle of the travel lane; staggered so that cars had to move through single file.

The Negative Health Effects of Mandatory Helmet Laws

I did a research paper for a class on helmet laws. It is aimed at non-cyclists, and only looks at the public health issues surrounding the laws.

It seems to be common knowledge that wearing a helmet while biking is the smart, safe, necessary thing to do. Helmets are credited with reducing head injuries from cycling by 85 percent in the most optimistic study (Thompson, et al. 1471). With expected benefits of widespread helmet adoption so high, it is understandable that governments would be interested in legislation that makes helmets mandatory for bicyclists. But, despite the common assumption, mandatory helmet laws are not as effective or beneficial as they seem at first glance. Mandatory helmet laws should not be enacted because they are not the most effective way to reduce cycling deaths; additionally, they fail to differentiate between transport and sport cycling and therefore result in an undue burden on cyclists.

Falling

Portlandize recently wrote about his experiences crashing, and how he was surprised by how minor of an event it was. My experiences have been similar. All but one of the times that I have fallen while riding have been mountain biking, and it never really disrupted my ride. The one time I fell on the road I sprained my wrist, but that has been the extent of my biking injuries. I think that Dave has a good point that often we think of crashing as being a traumatic experience, with broken collarbones and hospital stays, but that is not usually the case.

Great Hipster Bike Video

Velorbis

I just discovered this great bicycle company in Denmark. Their bikes are gorgeous and really present a cycling aesthetic you do not see in the USA very often. 

Bicycle Commuting or Bicycle Culture

Copenhagenize has a great article on the difference between bicycle commuting and bicycle culture. He brings out the difference between the work-centered approach used by cycling advocates in the United States compared to the lifestyle in areas where bicycling is ubiquitous.