Tomorrow at noon, the Bicyculture Rodeo kicks off on the corner of Sharp and Ostend (next to the Ravens Stadium). We’ll see you there.
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Vélib’, the very successful public bike-rental program in Paris, has not been without some problems. Of the 16,000 bikes in circulation, about 3,000 have been stolen and another 3,000 have been intentionally damaged. Three users have died, and there have been numerous complaints about the program—mostly from motorists.

On the bright side, according to an article in Independent Bangladesh, there are 27,000 long term subscribers. Click here to read the whole article.

According to a report on www.streetsblog.org, San Francisco is considering new legislature that allows cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs, and stoplights as stop signs. It’s something a lot of us do already, so this law essentially aims to decriminalize a victimless crime.

And while some people may think it seems like a totally unsafe proposition, consider how much easier it would be for cars to predict a cyclist’s next move. The state of Idaho recognizes the value of momentum to cyclists (and other human powered vehicles), and has a statute that reads, “A person operating a bicycle or human-powered vehicle approaching a steady red traffic control light shall stop before entering the intersection and shall yield to all other traffic. Once the person has yielded, he may proceed through the steady red light with caution. Provided however, that a person after slowing to a reasonable speed and yielding the right-of-way if required, may cautiously make a right-hand turn. A left-hand turn onto a one-way highway may be made on a red light after stopping and yielding to other traffic.”

Read more at www.streetsblog.org.

Have you heard about Vélib’, a bicycle sharing program in Paris, France? This enormously successful program places thousands of free bicycles in the hands of the French, for them to rent 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Click here to read the whole article from Urban Velo #8.

The following was taken from a recent Transportation Alternatives press release (entrants can learn more about the competition and submit entries at 21stCenturyStreet.org .):

Designing the 21st Century Street
$6,000 prize to create the post-automobile street for NYC

Transportation Alternatives announces the launch of "Designing the 21st Century Street," an open design competition that will challenge New Yorkers to safely accommodate pedestrians, bicyclists, transit, trucks and cars on the same "complete street" - something that still eludes New York City street design. Those interested in entering must register by July 18th and submit their entries by August 18th.
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Are you tired of seeing cars parked in your bike lanes? As much fun as it might be to exercise a little U-lock justice, nothing good comes from vandalism. At least we have the ability to document these parking infractions at www.mybikelane.com. While it’s not likely to bring about a whole lot of instant gratification, the statistics generated by this site could prove useful in persuading authorities to crack down on illegally parked vehicles.

A recent article in the New York Times deals with the changes in car buying choices by American consumers now that gas has hit $4 a gallon. Many of us in bicycle advocacy wondered where the “tipping point” would be for people to start making lifestyle and transportation choice changes. Looks like $4/gallon is the answer.

Several interesting tidbits from the article include the fact that compact and fuel-efficient cars such as the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla now outsell the Ford F-Series trucks, which until last year had been the best selling vehicles in the country since the early 1990s. Additionally, General Motors is now considering selling off the Hummer brand as according to Rick Wagoner, GM’s chairman, the move towards more efficient cars he believes is, “by and large permanent.”

What do you think? How many of you are bicycling more now that gas has doubled in price in two years?

I had one of those moments a few days ago. You know the kind - when you’ve just seen something so wonderful that you had do to a double-take just to make sure that you were seeing correctly. I was (driving) down Highway 1 in Pacifica, California when I spotted this guy. I pulled over at the next intersection and waited for him to catch up. Turns out that he was cycling from Oakland to Santa Cruz to deliver a the bike that you see  :: mounted on a bike rack/tray on the side of the bike :: to a buddy. This guy is a mechanic at an Oakland shop, and apparently knows the Broakland Bicycle guys. The distance from Oakland to Santa Cruz is a healthy 70-75 miles - almost all of it in traffic.

Check out this guy’s bike: coffee cup on seat post, fenders, lights, Xtracycle attachment , front basket. If you look closely, you’ll also see panniers.

:: Cue George Thorogood ::

There’s nothing like a good protest ride. And while the Urban Advocate can’t condone any breaking of traffic laws, I though you might find the following interesting. From a recent posting on a listserve dedicated to bicycle and pedestrian professionals:

Last Friday a group of some 30 bicyclists protested cars and rode their bikes on the Santa Monica and San Diego Freeways in Los Angeles.  A couple clips were posted on You Tube. Look how much faster they’re going than the cars!

Our friends at Bike Pittsburgh have just unveiled their first-of-a-kind online bike map. In addition to all of the resources on the print map, the online version contains lots of new information laid over a Google Map. They’ve added information about crossing bridges, an expanded notes and landmarks section, the opportunity to view the routes in terrain and satellite mode, and user-submitted crash information.

The latter is useful to cyclists so that we can track patterns, learn from others, and communicate about problem areas. Interestingly, the crash information has been the subject of some debate. On one hand it stands to reason that crash info would alert cyclists to dangerous areas and encourage activists to be vocal about safety. On the downside, it reinforces the notion that cycling is dangerous and thus discourages would-be cyclists.