In what some called a crazy stint, this April the LA crew of riders who call themselves the Crimanimalz hit the highway to make a statement in a city renowned for its hours and hours of commuter traffic. The ride through the city’s Friday commuter traffic jam, also dubbed the “If You Rode a Bike You’d be Home by Now Ride,” is now a monthly event. Check out images of [...]
Part of this week’s EcoWorldly cycling series: Cycling and its importance in countries around the world.
Bicycling as a sport, whether it is for participants or spectators, has always held a special place in the hearts of Italians. Professional bike races, including Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France are followed passionately by the Italian people. This mass interest in cycling as sport helps to make Italians among the world’s most knowledgeable consumers of bicycles. Everything you have ever heard about bicycling in Italy is true. The weather, roads and cities are all perfectly suited for bike touring. Each of bicycling and walking itineraries throughout Italy is carefully crafted to blend the best that our country has to offer by taking the active traveler off the beaten track.
A growing number of Italian citizens look today at alternative mobility as the solution to a stressful way of life.
Part of this week’s EcoWorldly cycling series: Cycling and its importance in countries around
the world.
A bicycle, I once read somewhere, is the most efficient form of human transport ever developed. Coupled with the fact that bicycles are relatively cheap and trouble free, and suffer few of the traffic problems that dog other forms of transport it’s no wonder that cycling has never been more popular.
But I’m starting to wonder if this popularity might start becoming a problem?
The motorcar has undoubtedly been one of mankind’s most useful inventions to date, a fact which is evidenced by our continuing love affair with our four wheeled friends. They represent some of the largest investments we ever make, we spend hours talking about them, we spend small fortunes maintaining them, we cherish them, we love them.
But our affair with the car has blinded us to some of the obvious drawbacks, such as its lack of compatibility with urban life which leaves our cities clogged by semi stationary vehicles with fuming engines and fuming drivers.
New York City’s proposed congestion pricing plan may be in trouble.
As part of NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s long term sustainability plan, PLANYC 2030, congestion pricing is intended to reduce the amount of cars coming into the city, thus reducing the amount of auto emissions contributing to air pollution. While many city council members like the idea of cleaner air, some are questioning the details of the plan.
Detroit tops the list of most miserable cities in the U.S., according to a new compilation by Forbes. The conclusions are based on traffic, Superfund-site data, crime, weather, income tax rates and unemployment. The list also includes Stockton, California; Flint, Michigan; New York City; and Philadelphia.
Photo courtesy of Gyre via Wikimedia Commons.
Whatever your destination, carpooling is a more efficient way to drive. It not only cuts emissions by taking cars off the road, but could also save you time and money.
Carpool to work. Even if it is just a couple of times a week, sharing a ride with a spouse, neighbor or coworker can cut down on gas costs, and may even make your ride faster if your route involves an interstate or
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The entire idea of the "commute" would seem ridiculous in an earlier time. People didn’t live 100 miles from where they worked. With the introduction of a large nationwide highway system and the availability of cheaper cars, the commute was born. People flush with money from the GI bill and savings from the hard times of WW2 moved en masse to new "suburbs." Planned cities where everyone got a small
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Today’s post is by Leslie Valentine, an editor and writer at Environmental Defense.
When I visit friends and family in other places, whether it’s Portland or Los Angeles, Austin or New York City, I’m always struck by how traffic and commuting inevitably come up in conversation.
Those who live in the central core of a city are grateful they don’t have far to drive, or can walk or ’sub’ it to work. Others
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“C” is for Congestion; and that’s good enough for me.
What do Singapore, Oslo, Toronto, and London have in common? They are among a number of cities to adopt traffic-reducing legislation. Popularly known as congestion charging, this legislation aims to improve the health of urban areas.
If your city suffers from congestion, stuffiness, poor air quality, slow public transportation, and irritating gridlock, you may be able to benefit your community by recommending congestion charging
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Editor’s note: We’re pleased to welcome Kira Marchanese to the Green Options blog! Kira, Director of Internet Communications at Environmental Defense, will be taking over for Jessica Bosanko, who’s moving on to other pursuits, including a wonderful-sounding trip with her partner to South America. We’re glad to have Kira on board, and very grateful to Jessica for her time and effort in contributing to Green Options.
Today’s post is by Tom Elson,
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