(via Bicycle Dutch)

The Dutch are leaving no stone unturned in their effort to make cycling appealing to their population (all the while adding to the jealousy of many around the globe).  This time around, they have built the a fantastic bike parking facility in Utrecht that is a beauty to behold.. What I like about the facility is how functional, clean, airy, well lit and accessible it is (awesome design) for users. The lanes are clearly marked with easy to navigate aisles and lanes.  And what’s more? It accommodates all kinds of bikes, even the ones with the baskets upfront and the saddles in the back.  All this at an affordable price –  the first 24 hours of parking are free. After that it costs €1.25 per following 24 hours (€2.50 for larger bicycles).If you are a regular users, might as well consider getting annual subscription for €75/year.

Check out the video below to see how awesome it is and head over to Bicycle Dutch to read a thorough narrative that explains everything you may want to know about this facility.

via People for Bikes

The first multi-city academic study of U.S. protected bike lanes has dropped, and a series of anecdotes have formed a very clear trend line: when protected bike lanes are added to a street, bike traffic rises — by an average of 75 percent in their first year alone, for the eight projects studied.

Moral of the story: If you are a city administrator, build protected bike lanes and see riders happily switch from their cars to bicycles. Fewer traffic choked streets. Read the full story here.

Image via People for Bikes.

Related articles

• ‘Groundbreaking’ new study gives big thumbs up to U.S. protected bike lanes
• Protected bicycle lanes’ safety, livability benefits worth cost of removing car lanes, Portland State study says
• Study: Biking on L Street NW Jumps by 65 Percent After Cycletrack Installation
• Protected Bike Lanes Aren’t Just Safer, They Can Also Increase Cycling

Closing Date: December 16, 2012

This position will serve as the Capital Project Manager for the Montgomery County Annual Bikeways Program, in the Department of Transportation’s Division of Transportation Engineering Planning & Design Section. This position will oversee the budgeting and directing the construction of bicycle facilities, including bike lanes, multi-use trails, parking/end-of-trip facilities, pavement marking and signage plans for both safety and way finding.

Prepare and submit budget estimates, progress and cost tracking reports, manage, coordinate, and supervise the construction process from the conceptual development stage through final construction on time and within budget. Directs and/or participates in the inspection of bicycle facilities or other road projects to assure that approved design is executed and that construction meets established standards. Develops or directs the development of requests for proposals, scopes of services, bid packages, contracts, amendments and other documents for the selection and contracting of design and construction services. Position requires thorough knowledge of grading, drainage, paving (asphalt and concrete), pavement markings and signage, construction, retaining walls, and other construction scopes related to bicycle facilities. File for necessary permits for project or assists consultant or contractor to prepare documents to file. Compile and analyze bicycle planning, design, and program data with a focus on customer service, innovation, and continuous improvement. Coordinate new project development or major renovation with user agency to ensure that facility meets their requirements.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Duties include, but are not limited to serving as the division’s central contact for public inquiries, initiating studies, constructing on-road and off-road bicycle facilities, participating in maintenance and operational matters, providing public information and updates on program events, construction projects/detours, and special projects/services, increasing social media/public outreach. Develop and maintain the bicycle program website and other forms of communications, including print and social media as well as video.

The job will also entail planning innovative bicycle infrastructure and safety improvements, including analyze staffing, implementation capabilities and bicycle facility needs for the County and prepare budget for the associated Capital Improvement Programs Annual Bikeways Program, Stand Alone CIP Bicycle related projects, and federal and state grants.

Position requires extensive engagement with the public, advocacy groups, various organizations consultants, citizen’s organizations, and public officials to resolve matters regarding the planning/design and construction of bicycle facilities. This position will also require attending meetings or performing work at locations outside the office if necessary.

For more information, visit: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/ohr/staffing/careers.html(Hat Tip: Young Professionals in Transportation)

(via Ryan Van Duzer)

(Source: Copenhagenize via Treehugger)

Image courtesy: Mikael Colville-Andersen via Copenhagenize.com

This one image says a thousand words, and many of them indicate how a society is thoughtful, accommodative, encouraging and appreciative of its citizens’ efforts to use alternative modes of transportation, even during the punishing winter weather conditions.    Our beloved bike blogger, Mikael Colville-Andersen at  Copenhagenize.com, writes about the snow-removal practices in Copenhagen, Denmark,  where the focus is also given not only to travel lanes for cars and trucks but also for those bike lanes in the city.  Copenhagen,  as many of us know, has one of the highest number of bicycle commuters, who regularly use these bike lanes to get around the city.  You may ask but why snow-removal for bike lanes is a priority in the winter? Here is what Mikael has to say on his blog about this:

The result? Clear channels on which the bicycle traffic can move. Prioritizing the bike lanes is, of course, a great and necessary way to encourage people to ride bicycles all through the year. On the other hand, it is also a practical necessity. If the bicycle lanes weren’t cleared, a whole lot of people on the day after a snowstorm wouldn’t ride.Tens of thousands. They would seek alternatives. Cars, perhaps, but mostly public transport. Imagine the complications of having tens of thousands of people suddenly show up at train stations and bus stops. A logistical nightmare. So keeping the bike lanes clear is an important factor in keeping Copenhagen moving.

Hope other cities, especially the ones in the US (DC/NYC) realize the importance of keeping the snow off the bike lanes. Click here to read Mikael’s blog post and a few more awesome pictures from his collection.

Related articles

• A Picture Is Worth: Snow Removal In Copenhagen (treehugger.com)
• Copenhagen Cargo Bikes (streetfilms.org)
• copenhagen to berlin – in a box bike (ask.metafilter.com)
• Copenhagen to build superhighway for bikes (americablog.com)
• Copenhagen plans bike superhighways (grist.org)

(Source: AFP via Yahoo)

Copenhagen, one of the world’s most bicycle-friendly cities, has begun turning its extensive network of cycle paths into bike highways in an effort to push more commuters to leave their cars at home.

Considered one of Europe’s two “bicycle capitals” along with Amsterdam, Copenhagen counts more bicycles than people and cycling is so popular that its numerous bike paths can become congested.

Two-wheeler traffic jams are especially regular on the main Noerrebrogade thoroughfare used by around 36,000 cyclists a day.

• The currently jammed bike paths will be widened up to four metres (yards) on either side of the road, which will itself will be reserved for buses only.
• The goal is to hike the percentage of suburban commuters cycling to and from the city from the 37 percent it is today to over 50 percent by 2015.
• Within the city, 55 percent of all commuters already travel by bike, according to the municipality.
• Already Copenhagen stands out among other European capitals for its cycling infrastructure, counting more than 390 kilometres (242 miles) of bike paths.
• Between 2006 and 2010, it spent 250 million kroner (33.6 million euros) in bike infrastructure and an extra 75 million kroner were allotted for 2011.
• The first two city-to-suburb bicycle highways are due to open at the end of 2011 and reach a distance of 15 kilometres from central Copenhagen, while a third, going as far as 20 kilometres from the capital’s centre, will be put into service in 2012.

Click here to read the entire story.

Related articles

• Copenhagen plans bike superhighways (grist.org)
• Copenhagen to build superhighway for bikes (americablog.com)
• How Portland Is Planning to Become the First World-class Bike City in America (alternet.org)
• Transition and solutions – Nov 28 (energybulletin.net)
• 10 Cool Bike Stories (planetsave.com)
• Copenhagen to Residents: “You’re Safer On a Bike Than On a Sofa” (treehugger.com)
• The Bay Area Versus Amsterdam: Which Cycling Mecca Is Tops? (treehugger.com)
• Experiencing Copenhagen and Denmark on Two Wheels (denmark-travel.suite101.com)
• The Bay Area Versus Amsterdam: Which Cycling Mecca Is Tops? (treehugger.com)
• Should Sidewalks and Bike Paths Have a Designated Slowpoke Lane? (treehugger.com)
• Blog – Cyclists Pedal Faster On Wednesdays, Reveals Smart Bike Data (technologyreview.com)

(Source: New York Times)

Click here for more details

ONE is wearing a couture gown, another just a pair of red underwear. One is lugging a huge bouquet of flowering rhododendrons on his shoulder, another a suckling pig. They are all riding bicycles in the middle of streets downtown, and they are all shown from behind, having passed by, headed toward some unknown destination — a party, a garden, a pig roast.

The photographs are by Bridget Fleming, 30, who moved to the Lower East Side from Australia in 2008. She is halfway through an ambitious project to capture downtown denizens riding on two wheels down each of the approximately 200 streets below 14th Street. She posts some of the photographs on a blog, Downtown From Behind, and hopes the project, which she describes as a glamorous ode to “the heartbeat of New York,” will culminate this spring with a gallery exhibition and Web site.

Image Courtesy: Downtown from Behind

Click here for more on this story and for the awesome interactive.