Misc. Short Vids

Here are a few different short videos about biking.

Bike Parking in Germany


Cycling in Delft


Greenway in Minneapolis


Illegal, but proving a point, Holland Tunnel NYC


Lakefront path (26 miles) in Chicago

Chicago on the Rise

Check out this segment on Smart City Radio (a great weekly show everybody should listen to). This segment deals with the cycling improvements in Chicago.

City Cycling and Sustainable Landscaping
While we've talked often on the show about sustainability, there are two related topics that haven't had much attention: cycling as an alternative means of transportation and landscaping using sustainable practices.

Ben Gomberg and Randy Neufeld are cycling experts in Chicago, and they share a vision of making their city the most bike-friendly in the nation. We'll talk to them about their progress and what other cities can learn from it. Ben is the City of Chicago's Bicycle Coordinator. Randy is the Chief Strategy Officer for the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation.

Listen to the segment here.

The Two Wheel Solution

VANCOUVER — For all the techno talk about magnetic levitation trains or personal rocket packs, the urban transport system of the future turns out to be bicycles. Sprockets and chains, seats and handlebars, this 19th century technology may be the best weapon we have for the long campaign to make livable cities in the 21st century. Bicycles take a fraction of the space and materials of cars or buses, are powered by the excesses of our calorie-rich diets, and have the huge advantage for those who ride them of extending both quality and length of life.

This recent article talks about how liveability will be tied to the biking capability of cities. As with many plans for cities, it directly relates to the simplicity of biking and how that can change cities. When you think about the infrastructure costs for cycling versus more highways, light/heavy rail, BRT, and subways, the cost benefit analysis should be clear to everyone. Yet, we find that time after time, excuses are always found why biking as a form of transit is not a viable option. Hopefully the tides are changing, ever so slightly.

Survey is Live

Hub and Spokes: Imageability of the Daily Bicycle Commuter in New York City

In a city that is dominated by the automobile I want to find out how its residents who use other modes of transportation actually view the built environment. While all forms of transit modes could be studied, I find that this small minority (0.5% of residents who commute by bike) would make for an interesting study. The sole purpose is to record the subjective perspective (mental image/imageability) New York City bicycle commuters have of the build environment, good or bad, through a survey. The survey is 23 questions and will take less than 10 minutes to complete. No compensation will be provided for participation in this study.

It is anticipated that 100 individuals will participate in this study. Participation in this study is voluntary, and refusal to participate will involve no penalty or loss of benefits to which you are entitled. You must be 18 or older to participate in the study. If you have questions about the study, you can contact the researcher, Matthew Ides at (917) 627-4445/mides@hunter.cuny.edu or his faculty advisor, Prof. John Chin, at (212) 772- 5603.

TAKE THE SURVEY

The Unforeseen

I got an email from the NYC chapter of APA about The Unforeseen. While it looked a little contrived, I figured I would go see what it was all about. Although I didn't love this film, it was a nice mix of documentary and experimental film, and I thought some parts had a nice poetry to them. 

Where it lost me was it seemed to be two separate films. One was about overdevelopment in Austin and the other was questioning the concept of growth and development in the US. What I found refreshing was the point that growth needed to be measured qualitatively, not quantitative. Basically, we need to focus on the quality of growth (quality of life, liveability), since that's really matters. I have always felt that the future of our country is redevelopment, by which I mean that we need to make our existing landscape work. 

Tear it down and build it back up is not going to be the solution.

IRB application

IRB application has been submitted today. I am hoping to update the survey and get that live by the end of the week. LA Streets blog just launched, so check it out.

Here is an excerpt from IRB application:

In a city that is dominated by the automobile I want to find out how its residents who use other modes of transportation actually view the built environment. While all forms of transit modes could be studied, I find that this small minority (.05% of residents who commute by bike) would make for a rich case study. The sole purpose is to record the subjective perspective (mental image/imageability) New York City bicycle commuters have of the build environment, good or bad. In addition, the goal of the study is to gather, through a survey, general information about bicycle commuters in New York City. This data will illustrate bike commuter demographics and issues that these bike commuters face. The second component, through one on one interviews, of the study will look at how a bicycle commuter views the city via imageability.

Also, the study will use the methodology of Kevin Lynch from The Image of the City. This method will be incorporated to give substance and understanding to the imageability of participants commute. For example, does a bridge crossing pose a problem (getting over the bridge, barrier between two land masses), a positive (good view corridors of the city and water, separated bike path from traffic), or symbol/landmark (historical significance of the Brooklyn Bridge).

MTA increase

Well at 12:01 Sunday the new fares will go into effect. This NY Times article sums it up. As someone who usually just buys $10 or $20 here or there as I need to use the subway, I am still not sure how this is going to change my riding habits.