This week’s round-up features route planning software for cyclists looking to conserve energy, three excellent schemes in France, one more in Toronto, and an inspiring story of a husband & wife tour.
The top image is an extremely ambitious piece of cycle infrastructure in Budapest. We’re not sure whether riders are supposed to bunny hop the fence, stop and lift their bike over, or just will themselves through it in a Houdini-esque fashion. Commentators on the Reddit thread suggested a ramp:
Note: to their credit, it’s now been fixed.
We’ll put this story first in case any readers are too lazy to read the whole post, as it may be of particular interest! Cycling Weekly reported on cycling software that will calculate the least strenuous route between two places, aiming to provide an option for route planning that varies from the quickest / least traffic options that are usually available.
The article asks the important question we’ve all pondered whilst sat on the saddle: “Would it be better to add a few miles by skirting around a big hill or to sweat to the top and freewheel down the other side?”
We’re interested in seeing how the software answers the question! Watch this space.
Last week we wrote about Paris’ one day ban on cars across 30% of the city. There are a few inspiring follow-up pieces from our neighbours across the channel this week:
Firstly, the Guardian writes that the car-free efforts bought about noticeable drops in air and noise pollution: a 40% drop in nitrogen dioxide in parts of the city, as well as drops in sound levels by around half. These are big numbers, and it shocked us to see how quickly the pollution decreased.
Secondly, 50 citizens in Bordeaux have pledged to not use their cars until December, opting instead to walk, cycle, car share or take public transport. The challenge uses the hashtag #sansmavoiture (without my car) and aims to raise awareness of alternative methods of transport.
Do you think you could handle the challenge?
Thirdly, and our favourite, the ECF have reported on a scheme which has been introduced which will reimburse people who cycle to work by given them a tax-free allowance on their wages. The scheme was announced by the French Minister of the Environment and amounts to €0.25 exempted from social security contributions and income tax per kilometre ridden.
The Fédération française des Usagers de la Bicyclette have been pushing for this scheme to be introduced for years, and it marks a positive milestone for cycling in the country.
Good news from Canada too: Toronto will be installing bike maintenance stations at 10 of their TTC stations to make commuting by bicycle easier and more attractive for its citizens. CBC wrote about the scheme which will be introduced at some high-footfall stations across the network, and each includes a pump and various tools, all secured by steel cables.
This week an inspiring tale takes top spot, of a man who continued his round-the-world tour after losing his wife in an accident on the trip. Tim Bridgman and his wife Sharon left for their tour in June 2007, starting in Norway, heading through Scandinavia into Eastern Europe, then onto Africa and South America.
Sharon was tragically killed in a collision with a car on a road in Bolivia, but Tim had a realisation that he had to continue in her memory. He told the Independent:
“Before I even left Bolivia, I knew I had to return. I have the most incredible friends and family. I’d been cycling for two years, in a different environment, and within days I was on a plane home. It was so unexpected, so hard for me to comprehend or start to get my head around. For me to come to terms with it, I knew I had to come back. If I gave up, then what was the point of starting it when I’ve lost her? And cycling around the world, you see what people don’t have.”
This decision takes such a huge amount of courage, it’s hard to comprehend. We commend Tim for his dedication and wish him all the best on his journey.
Story originally covered on the Independent.
October 14th, 2015 at 7:39 am
France is the place where you can see lots of cycling lovers. I am from spain and i have my own cycling training camps where i teach the cycling with my experience.