As you likely already know, last week a ‘driverless’ Uber test vehicle made by Volvo struck and killed 49 year old Elaine Herzberg while she was walking her bike across a road in Tempe, Arizona. The vehicle was traveling at a rate of speed that guarantees a 60+% fatality rate when striking pedestrians. The Uber’s autonomous vehicle… Continue reading Driverless Cars Will Be Allowed to Kill Us, Because Capitalism Is A Death Cult
Tag: bikes
Pitting Cyclists Against the Homeless Is Peak Neoliberalism
If you read blogs about bikes you likely saw how Seattle’s DOT installed a dozen and a half bike racks in a place nobody would lock a single bike, let alone dozens of bikes. SDOT did this, quite obviously, to block homeless people from camping in the location, as everyone figured out pretty quickly. Condemnation… Continue reading Pitting Cyclists Against the Homeless Is Peak Neoliberalism
The Debut of Open Streets Owosso: PHOTO ESSAY
This weekend saw the launch of yet another Open Streets event modeled on the successes of similar car-free street events in cities like Bogotá, Portland, Los Angeles, and Detroit. But what was slightly different this time was the size of the town involved. Owosso sits in the middle of Michigan agricultural land and has a… Continue reading The Debut of Open Streets Owosso: PHOTO ESSAY
Bicycling, Brandalism, and Black Bloc at the Paris Climate Talks
It’s that time of year again, when world leaders and masses of activists convene to grapple with a dying Earth. Largely indifferent to the effects of climate change, overpopulation, and ecological collapse, this year we’ve seen a slight intensifying of rhetoric from Barack Obama and Germany’s chancellor Angela Merkel. Even notorious climate denier Vladimir Putin made a… Continue reading Bicycling, Brandalism, and Black Bloc at the Paris Climate Talks
Paul Kane Obviously Doesn’t Ride a Bike
Your first thought here is obviously: Who in fuck is Paul Kane? Basically he’s a Washington DC political reporter, a guy who covers the kind of insider capital hill political football that induces vomiting in most Americans. And Paul Kane very obviously does not ride a bike, at least not for anything besides recreation in the summer. I know this because… Continue reading Paul Kane Obviously Doesn’t Ride a Bike
Slow Rolling In the Motor City: PHOTO ESSAY
On a recent visit to my home state of Michigan, I was lucky enough to be able to check out Detroit’s ‘Slow Roll‘ mass ride. Started five years ago by two friends, Slow Roll has turned into a thousands-strong spectacle that takes over Motown streets for 30 weeks out of the year, with the city’s blessing.… Continue reading Slow Rolling In the Motor City: PHOTO ESSAY
Scenes From the Cycling City
Depending on where you live, you’re either in the depths of winter’s maelstrom, or you’ve been enjoying a mild, temperate permanent fall with spring right around the corner. Few images inspire the urge to end hibernation like those of people on their bikes. Even for all-weather, year-round riders, spring is that magical time where ridership increases,… Continue reading Scenes From the Cycling City
July 4th and a Celebration of Cycling
“To the American slave, what is your 4th of July? A day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds… Continue reading July 4th and a Celebration of Cycling
#ReplaceBikeWithCar Flips the Script on Auto-centric Whining
Over the weekend, just about everyone in the bicycling-blogosphere jumped on a comedic band-wagon via Twitter by making ironical statements lampooning the double-standard that exists between mindsets of cycling vs. driving, and the understood importance of the infrastructure designed for each. Some were light-hearted cultural observations, others rightly went for the jugular. All were deadly… Continue reading #ReplaceBikeWithCar Flips the Script on Auto-centric Whining
Portland Reaches 25% Cycling Mode Share!
It took a bit longer than expected, but Portland’s lofty ‘2030 Bike Master Plan‘ goal of attaining 25% of traffic trips taken by bicycle has finally been reached. After years of stagnation at the 6% mark, a critical mass of galvanized citizens compelling complacent politicians has created a perfect storm. Portland finally has seen a steady… Continue reading Portland Reaches 25% Cycling Mode Share!