New York’s so-called “Bikes in Buildings” Law takes effect today. From the NYCDOT press release:
New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and Department of Buildings (DOB) Commissioner Robert LiMandri today announced the City is prepared to implement the Bicycle Access to Office Buildings Law (Local Law 52), which aims to increase bicycle commuting by helping cyclists gain access to secure parking at their office buildings during the workday. The legislation was signed into law by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg in August 2009 and was sponsored by Council Member David Yassky and shepherded through the City Council by Council Member John Liu, the Transportation Committee Chairman. DOT and DOB will jointly oversee the Bikes in Buildings Program and overall compliance with the law, which is expected to lead to a broad expansion of bike parking at commercial office buildings across the City and encourage continued growth in the number of commuter cyclists on City streets.
Yeah for New York!
Read more →
Posted 12.11.09 in Policy & Infrastructure | Permalink | Bookmark or Share
The Spring 2010 Rivendell catalog can now be viewed online:
A sneak preview of our Spring bike catalog. We’re waiting on some new models before printing. Two-color printing based on a 1940 Sun Bicycles catalog we have lying around the shop.
View the catalog [7.4mb PDF] →
Posted 12.11.09 in Industry News | Permalink | Bookmark or Share
Ecologic Designs is one of only three companies in the U.S. to receive an A+ rating in the Global Reporting Initiative international standards registry. Their Green Guru brand of outdoor and bicycling products are manufactured using recycled and repurposed materials such as bicycle inner tubes, billboards, and 100% Recycled PETE (#1) nylon fabrics. They manufacture 100% of their products within 18 miles of their main facility in Boulder, Colorado, and they collect over 60% of the raw materials used in their products from within a 25 mile radius.
Green Guru recently sent me their “Cycler” messenger bag to try out. The Cycler is a medium-sized, full-featured messenger bag with a padded, quick-release strap, laptop pocket, various internal organizer pockets, and an external flap held closed by both velcro and quick release buckles. Of particular note are the materials used in the construction of the bag. The outer, waterproof “skin” is made from recycled bicycle inner tubes. Besides being tough and functional, the inner tube skin imparts a cool, techy/recycled look. The bulk of the rest of the bag, including the interior, binding, and webbing, is made from 100% Recycled PETE plastic. The design is well thought out, the construction is heavy duty and attractive, and this is undoubtedly one of the most eco-friendly messenger bags on the planet. Highly recommended.
Features
- Repurposed vulcanized mountain bike inner tube exterior
- 100% Recycled PETE fabric interior
- 100% Recycled PETE webbing & binding
- PETE Aerospace mesh back panel with high performance padding
- Quick release padded left shoulder strap
- Repurposed road bike tube haul handle
- Gusseted closure keeps rain out
- Velcro and side-release buckle closures on flap
- Interior laptop organizer
- 2 large and 2 small interior sleeve pockets
- Exterior zipper pocket, sleeve pocket, and pen organizer
- Dimensions: 19.5” x 13” x 6”
- Shipping Weight: 5lbs
- Retail Price: $130
Green Guru is offering a discount to EcoVelo readers. Enter promo code “gurunation” at their online store to receive 15% off your purchase.
Green Guru →
Ecologic Designs →
Disclosure: Green Guru supplied the bag for this review.
Posted 12.10.09 in Product Reviews | Permalink | Bookmark or Share
Using over a dozen sources, worldometers.info estimates current annual bicycle production at 108,799,200. They list China as the top producer of bicycles, with an estimated 80,430,000 bicycles manufactured in 2005. Even though China produces over 60% of the world’s bicycles, ridership in China is in a freefall, with bicycle trip share at an all time low of 20% (compared to 33% in 1995).
Estimates put the total number of bicycles on the planet at around 1 billion. The following table breaks down the top dozen countries (the numbers are somewhat dated, and the data sources are sparse, but the relative ranking is probably fairly accurate and has not likely changed much over the past decade).
| Country |
Quantity |
Year |
| China |
450,000,000 |
1992 |
| USA |
100,000,000 |
1995 |
| Japan |
72,540,000 |
1996 |
| Germany |
62,000,000 |
1996 |
| India |
30,800,000 |
1990 |
| Indonesia |
22,300,000 |
1982 |
| Italy |
23,000,000 |
1995 |
| UK |
20,000,000 |
1995 |
| France |
20,000,000 |
1995 |
| Brazil |
40,000,000 |
1996 |
| Netherlands |
16,500,000 |
2000 |
| Canada |
10,150,000 |
1992 |
I was surprised to see the high number of bicycles in the U.S. given our dismal bicycle trip share numbers. It seems an overwhelming majority of bicycles in the U.S. are being used for purposes other than transportation. View Bicycle Retailer and Industry News’ “Stats Issue” [PDF] if you’d like to dig deeper into these numbers.
World-O-Meters →
Posted 12.10.09 in The Kitchen Sink | Permalink | Bookmark or Share
From The Pedal Co-Op website:
The Pedal Co-Op is a worker-run organization that offers environmentally-friendly services such as recycling-by-bicycle to local businesses in Philadelphia.
We currently transport compost to local gardens and recyclables to Blue Mountain Recycling (the only single-stream recycling center in Philadelphia) using trailers attached to bicycles.
The Pedal Co-Op’s goal is to diminish the caustic environmental impact that is threaded into everyday modern life.
We are dedicated to ethical and sound business practices that promote the fair and cooperative business ideology and encourage the ideals of a sustainable lifestyle.
The Pedal Co-Op →
Posted 12.9.09 in The Kitchen Sink | Permalink | Bookmark or Share
