A history of Wooden Bikes

Designer Nicholas Belly won second prize in L'ARGUS design competition with his flatpack bike and scooter. I think I'll categorize this innovation up there with the disposal mobile phone, remember that one? That said, Wooden bicycles have been produced for centuries, going back to the very invention of the bicycle itself. 

Bicycle problems in Japan

Beautifully illustrated Japanese poster depicting a speeding cyclist disturbing the peace.

L.A. plans freeway system for bikes

L.A. officials currently has plans aloof to retrofit the city of angels into a more bicycle-friendly city. Comments on the plans have been both positive and negative, with some people finding the maps over-elaborate and confusing. To address this, a group of L.A. cycle activists have created their own map named the 'Central Los Angeles Backbone Bikeway Network' (shown below).

The Pizza-delivery Bike

I was recently flicking through the channels on tv and came to watch the end of Mr. Deeds, Adam Sandler's epic masterpiece of comedy...well, er not really. In one scene where the small town pizza restaurant owner notices Winona Ryder drowning, he pulls up in a vintage classic pizza delivery bicycle. Why haven't I seen these before? They are perfect, one would think, for a small local pizza shop trying to challenge the iconic might of the likes of the domino's scooter. That said, Domino's in China does in fact do its delivery by bicycle.

Roll up 'Pizza Schmizza', a pizza company based in Portland (OR), a city that has cropped up in the past for its vibrant cycle culture. Pizza Gourmet Express is another pizza company that delivers by bike (for free) and is located in the university district of San Diego. Over in New York, you can get your bicycle-delivered pizza from Pronto Pizza.

David Byrne Bike Racks NYC

While acting as a judge for a bike rack design competition last year David Byrne - musician, artist and avid New York cyclist - decided it would be a great idea to make his own stamps on the streets of the city. The tongue-in-check street icons were made with their locations in mind. Speaking to the NY Times, Byrne noted “It was important to me that these new racks be the same thickness and material as the existing racks—to help identify them as practical bike racks and not just modern art, the locations about as perfect as one could imagine — Wall Street for the dollar sign and Bergdorf’s for the giant high heel!”

Janette Sadik-Khan, current transportation commissioner has taken on the promotion of cycling in the city as her main priority. “By bringing attractive yet functional sculptures to our streets, we are elevating the profile of cycling, and we believe that more and more people will begin to think about cycling as a mode of transportation, and not just a mode of recreation,” Ms. Sadik-Khan said in a statement. “Regular bike riders have an eagle eye for our current bike racks but these nine installations will capture the attention of all New Yorkers.”

Cities for the people | Jan Gehl, Gehl Architects

Jan Gehl graduated from Architecture in 1960, a time to him represents an all time low point in city planning, when architects were big and people were quite small. After marrying a psychologist he started questioning why architecture solely focused on form and did not focus at all on people? For Jan Gehl, Architecture is the interaction between form and life. Cue Jan Gehl’s one stone, five birds policy. If you are sweet to people it is possible to create Lively, Attractive, Safe, Sustainable, and Healthy cities. Modernism, one of the evil of society according to Mr. Gehl, interpreted cities as bad and buildings as good. 1960, the year he graduated was also the year when post-war reconstruction started big time. At the same time there was an invasion on the city ten years after the war, the car invasion. Of course cheap petroleum fuelled this and all the city planner’s energy went into trying to make the car happy. Using Westport, a small town in the west of Ireland as an example, he argues that as a result of the car invasion, human dignity was being eroded. The ideologies of modernity need to be broken.

Why Puma is the best fold-up bike

Combining fashion, fun, functionality and a unique design, this new environment-friendly 8-Speed PUMA Bike will surprise with its amazing color blocking and its retro flair. The Duo Loop Bike features an Easy Semi-Folding Mechanism with rubber on the quick release handle that allows you to take your bike everywhere you wish. An Integrated DT Locking System replaces the down tube and makes the bike unusable for thieves if the wire is cut. The bike also has mechanical twin-disc breaks that provide the ultimate breaking power in stop-and-go city traffic.

Dublin @ 30km/hr circa 1930's

Dublin was a nice city, a civilised city. This of course is before the car invasion of the 1960's. Below are some transport maps and some video footage of Dublin City Centre from the 1930's to prove this. Lets give the new speed limits time to bed it and hopefully, the civilised city that Dublin once was may return.

Dublin is one of the worst

Dublin has been ranked 21st out of 30 in a list of the greenest cities in Europe.

According to the Siemens European Green Cities Index, which was compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Dublin is the worst city in Europe in terms of its transport infrastructure.

New 30km/h Speed limit in Dublin

AS EXPECTED, motorists have criticised and environmental groups have welcomed the extension of the 30km/h speed limit zone in Dublin city centre. The AA has described the move as a “misapplication” of speed limits that it said other cities had primarily restricted to residential areas. The Dublin Business Association expressed concerns about car-borne shoppers going elsewhere.