The Long Bike Back
A documentary film, The Long Bike Back, is scheduled for release this coming summer after just finishing up a fundraising drive. The Long Bike Back follows cyclist Pearson Constantino after he recovers from a severe hit and run accident, traversing the country on his bike and speaking to various groups about road sharing and bicycle advocacy.
Updates about the film can be found here on their blog.
Bike Valet at Hipster Concert
Hipster darlings, The National, will be playing at the Barclay’s Center in New York on June 5th and Transportation Alternatives will be providing secured valet parking for bicycles at the concert. Most bicycle advocacy groups have a bike valet program of some sort, but this one is notable in that it is being hosted by such a massive venue and for a sector of the population who find riding bikes quite enjoyable. I don’t think this would go over as well at a Kenny Chesney concert or something, so it’s nice to see TA servicing events of such a grand scale and focused audience.
One of the stated goals of hosting a bike valet service at such a large venue is to show the growing need for bicycle amenities and accommodations, so it makes perfect sense they would appeal to The National crowd. My town has set up Pedal and Park stations at minor league baseball games, the state fair, and other such events, but this might be a good example for them to reach out to other audiences and set up shop at local concerts.
It would be a true victory if the venues themselves recognized the need for bicycle accommodation and started hosting their own bike valet services. We may get there one day, but this effort is a good start.
Via Animal
Casey Neistat and The Stolen Bike Solution
Neistat is at it again, ruffling the feathers of NYC authorities in the name of cycling advancement. I want to tell you this is great, but watch till the end to see the disheartening conclusion. Still…it’s amusing. Happy Friday!
Dinner And Bikes
Sometimes, if you can’t get to Portland….Portland will come to you. A traveling roadshow of sorts has been traversing the Midwest and East coast since the beginning of May and will continue on, ending in Chicago on June 4th. Titled, Dinner and Bikes, the group consist of Joe Biel of Microcosm Publishing and Cantankerous Titles fame, Joshua Ploeg as The Traveling Vegan Chef, publisher and writer Elly Blue, and independent journalist Aaron Cynic.
Each stop kicks off with a seven course meal (yes, SEVEN) that is entirely vegan and gluten-free, prepared by Joshua Ploeg, followed by a presentation on bicycle economics and transportation equity by Elly Blue. Soon after Joe Biel brings the Portland influence by reading from a coming project called Aftermass, which details the history of cycling in Portland. Once all the presentations have completed, a pop-up bookshop allows attendees to pick up some of their favorite and latest bicycle themed and cooking themed books and literature.
Upcoming stops will include St. Louis, Madison, Iowa City and Chicago, but check the complete list to see if they will be rolling near your town.
CitiBike Debut
Citbike Debuts in NYC from Streetfilms on Vimeo.
Well, it’s officially official. The Country’s largest bike share program, CitiBike in NYC, has launched to much excitement. The program does have it’s NIMBY’s and naysayers, but given a little time, everyone will surely fall in line as the program expands and succeeds. Proven successful in other cities around the country and world, the CitiBike program will ultimately prove to be no different and for that the whole of NYC will benefit. It’s great to see this continued progress and I look forward to more cities around the country following suit.
