An occasional update on items from the Velo-city.
___________________________________________________________________
.
BORIS SPEED: “Elderly French Onion Seller”
It is a familiar sight in London: the mayor, Boris Johnson, unmistakable with his mop of blond hair, pedaling through the streets on a beat-up Marin hybrid. He usually wears a business suit and doesn’t always wear a helmet. He shuns slick biking garments in colours “not found in nature.” He does not tear down the roadway like a bat out of hell, preferring to ride at what he calls a “very elderly French onion seller speed.” …
“I want it to be something you feel comfortable doing in your ordinary clothes, something you hardly think about. I want more women cycling, more older people cycling, more black and minority ethnic Londoners cycling,” he wrote when announcing the plan. “As well as the admirable Lycra-wearers, and the enviable east Londoners on their fixed-gear bikes, I want more of the kind of cyclists you see in Holland, going at a leisurely pace on often-clunky steeds.”
___________________________________________________________________
“I want it to be something you feel comfortable doing in your ordinary clothes, something you hardly think about. I want more women cycling, more older people cycling, more black and minority ethnic Londoners cycling,” he wrote when announcing the plan. “As well as the admirable Lycra-wearers, and the enviable east Londoners on their fixed-gear bikes, I want more of the kind of cyclists you see in Holland, going at a leisurely pace on often-clunky steeds.”
___________________________________________________________________
.
CYCLE-FRIENDLY LORRY DESIGN
From The Guardian: Cyclist-friendly lorry design aims to cut number of fatal accidents
The draft design, to be unveiled on Wednesdayby the London Cycling Campaign (LCC), reduces the overall height of the lorry, especially the driving position
, and greatly extends the side windows of the cab, stretching them as close to road level as possible. While drivers of the traditional lorry have to rely on mirrors and sensors to spot cyclists or pedestrians close to the front offside of the vehicle, if they can detect them at all, the new design all but eliminates this blind spot.
______________________________
.
HOOPING THE PROVINCE
From Ken Ohrn:
Saw this today next to the Hornby bike lane, near the V.A.G. It’s new to me, and looks like a good idea.
The manufacturer is Cyclehoop from the UK, who have a number of similarly nifty products. Their “News” section is a wonderful read, especially the article about bike parking at London’s Paddington Station.
Interestingly, the bikes shown here and on the mfr web site are actually locked to the signpost and not the hoop. But the hoop prevents the bike from being stolen by lifting it over the signpost, or by detaching the signpost from its base. It also helps prevent the bike from falling over.
This company may also be the mfr of one of Vancouver’s wonderful public b*ke p*mps – the one near Science World.
I’m thinking of sending this photo to the editors of the Province newspaper, hoping to induce yet another violent spasm of irrational bicycle hatred and the resultant foaming at the mouth.
___________________________________________________________________
