Wednesday, December 28, 2016

news: Amsterdam's "bike mayor" plans a move to NYC


"Even in Amsterdam, a place where everyone seems to travel by two wheels, Anna Luten didn't expect to 
become the city's first Bike Mayor. 

"Luten, who now works for the manufacturer Giant Bicycles as a brand manager, won the independent post 
by popular vote last June, becoming the first municipal Bike Mayor in the world. 

"It's all part of a program created by the cycling advocacy group CycleSpace, which hopes to make Luten a 
model for other such positions in cities around the globe, in a bid to raise awareness and promote better 
transportation planning around the globe.

Anna, do you think the bike mayor concept is exportable to other cities? 

"Well, I hope so, because in February I am moving to New York to begin the process of setting up the city with a 
bike mayor program of its own. Working there is going to be fascinating, not least because they have a different 
style of cycling. I think that's partly because, compared to Amsterdam, the distances are so vast. I found Brooklyn 
a more relaxed environment for cycling, perhaps sometimes even better than Amsterdam, but in Manhattan it's 
very different. There, cyclists often avoid major streets and find quieter back routes, trading a slower journey time 
for more safety and less stress. Setting up the project may be a challenge, but it's somehow perfect that the bike 
mayor concept is moving from Amsterdam to New Amsterdam."








Thursday, December 8, 2016

Yelp reviews now include bike parking

In 2015, Yelp incorporated bike parking into reviews. There was no fanfare, but it is a big deal. Why? No parking means no business, and that goes for bicycles as much as for cars.


[Photo by Beyond My Ken via Wikimedia]

Reviews don't say how much bike parking is available, merely whether or not they have parking. But it's a good start.

Read about it here:
http://www.peopleforbikes.org/blog/entry/yelp-is-on-its-way