Thursday, June 29, 2006

Get on yer bike! (The Sun)

New bike design enables sophisticated urbanites to ride in heels, skirts and suits By JOANNE RICHARD

There's a new bike in town -- and it'll go with any outfit.

Customized Dutch citybikes, by jorg&olif, have set new wheels in motion, fusing fashion and function for a burst of urban mobility with European street appeal.

Forget the spandex! "Our riders ride in heels, skirts and suits -- not spandex and camelback water bottles," says Rob MacDonald, who's pedaling a stylish and trendy ride on the environmental and socially responsible side.

"Our market is sophisticated, fashion-savvy urbanites, age 25-55, who care about the environment and understand that 'ethics and esthetics' do go hand-in- hand," says MacDonald, an urban planner and co-owner of jorg&olif in Vancouver where the Dutch bikes have been a big hit. click here for the bikes
(read on in the comments)

Sunday, June 25, 2006

A/C

Bike Jam

Bogota paves way in war against cars Jun. 24, 2006.
CHRISTOPHER HUME (Star)

VANCOUVE - The automobile has put us on the road to destruction.
That was the message to delegates at the United Nations World Urban Forum, which attracted 8,400 people from all parts of the globe.
Speaker after speaker emphasized this fact, none more so than Enrique Penalosa, former mayor of Bogota, the only participant to earn a standing ovation at this wide-ranging conference.
"We need to walk just as birds need to fly," he said to loud cheers. "Even if cars were totally clean, they are damaging to the environment."
During his years as Bogota mayor, Penalosa introduced radical changes that made him the poster boy of enlightened urbanism around the world. Most notably, he took a stand against the automobile, and insisted that the streets be handed back to the majority of residents who don't own cars.
"The public good must prevail over private interest," he insisted. "Cities need to have great public pedestrian space; that's not a luxury, it is a minimum a democracy (can) offer its citizens. Building bigger roads only leads to more traffic congestion. We are taking money away from the needs of the poor to serve the needs of the minority that drives a car." (read on in the comments)

Friday, June 23, 2006