Category Archives: International Posts

Outside EU / UK / US

Drivers, make way for bike riders

My state senator joined the chorus of the bikelash — yes, there is a name for the mouth-frothing, torch-bearing rabid behavior some New Yorkers display when confronted by women on slow blue bicycles who couldn’t go over 10 miles an hour if we tried — when she joked on Facebook about screaming profanities out her car window at riders who are far more at risk from her than she is from them. Read article

European Citizen´s Initiative “30kmh – making streets liveable!”

30 km/h (20 mph) limits are an inexpensive and popular way to improve safety, cut pollution and encourage smarter travel choices. They lead to improved traffic flow and less congestion. People can move without fear. And so we want to achieve these benefits for the whole of the European Union. What is our vision? 30 km/h shall become the standard speed limits for villages, towns and cities with local authorities being able to decide on exemptions. Therefore, we will set the agenda for the European Commission. We want the commission to come up with a proposal to introduce 30 km/h speed limits. Read article / sign petition

Nantes – Velo-City 2015, 2 – 5 June

After Seville in 2011 and Vienna in 2013, Nantes Métropole has been chosen by ECF to host the 2015 Velo-City conference at La Cité, Nantes Events Center. Nantes was selected for its investment in terms of cycling policy. Nantes will seek to meet four key objectives:

  • Create a replicable model dedicated to regional cities
  • Build on the strengths and weaknesses of the Nantes experience and other French cities
  • Reach out to the world
  • Create a future inspired by cycling

More information: Velo-City 2015 website and Conference Information

Electric bikes take China by storm

The car is now king in China. The country’s rapid road to industrialisation has meant a large proportion of its citizens have traded in their bikes for four wheels.

This may have helped build a new modern economy, but it also has its downside: chronic congestion.

But now a bikes are returning to China’s gridlocked streets, only this time they are electric.

Adam Shaw visits the country where an estimated 120 million electric bikes are already in use, providing a greener alternative to the country’s four wheeled obsession.

Watch the BBC video