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Momentum Planet
Author: meredith :: Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 11:49 pm Quote: Momentum Magazine reflects the lives of people who ride bikes. Momentum provides urban cyclists with the inspiration, information and resources to help them fully enjoy their riding experience and connect with their local and global cycling communities. READ MORE (0) Replies

Carbusters

Author: meredith :: Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 11:25 pm Quote: Carbusters Magazine is published four times a year by the World Carfree Network and produced by an international activist team in Prague, Czech Republic. It is a 32-page print magazine critiquing our society's car culture and exploring positive alternatives. Carbusters aims to serve as both an information source and a call to action, providing a full range of content from direct action skills to the latest research developments, feature articles on topics ranging from Driving as Addiction to Ecocity Visions, world news and even cartoons poking fun at the car and oil industries. The magazine shares information, ideas and resources within the movement and informs a broader audience of transport actions and campaigns happening around the world. In this way Carbusters can inspire new activists and nurture current ones. Carbusters is a project of the World Carfree Network, an international network of carfree proponents from around the world. The World Carfree Network is the hub of the global carfree movement and acts as a clearinghouse for information from around the world on how to revitalise our towns and cities and create a sustainable future. READ MORE (1) Replies

Pedal Power: Quiet Rise of the Bicycle in American Public

Author: meredith :: Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 10:44 pm Quote: In an era of steep gas prices, snarled traffic, catastrophic climate change, and a yearning for a higher quality of life, interest in bike-friendly public policies is surging nationwide. A surprising array of political organizations, visionary politicians, and colorful individuals powers this movement and a growing number of bike enthusiasts are taking to the streets. From the night rides of Critical Mass to the dumpster-diving Rat Patrol, this book shows the eccentric side of the bicycling universe even as it illustrates the mainstream efforts of politicians like U.S. Representative Jim Oberstar and plain folks like Biker Mama Jane Healy. Dedicated to the idea that biking is an ongoing act of nondestructive living, Pedal Power shows why the dominance of the automobile is yesterday s idea and edges us closer to a more democratic, multimodal transportation system so essential in the age of global warming. The bike, regarded as irrelevant to the 20th century, is making a comeback in the 21st. Pedal Power takes us there and suggests that the most compelling thing about riding is that it changes the way people experience the world and, therefore, the way they think. ORDER ONLINE! (0) Replies

The Bicycle Book

Author: meredith :: Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2008 10:02 am Quote: The Bicycle Book: Wit, Wisdom & Wanderings is a celebration of the bicycle by people who love to ride. It’s a tribute to one of the finest, most efficient, useful machines ever invented. It’s packed with original stories, narratives and cartoons from a talented corps of writers and cartoonists. The Bicycle Book: Wit, Wisdom & Wanderings is a brainchild of Jim Joyce, of Pittsburgh, founder of The Bicycle Exchange, a.k.a. Bikexchange.com. He contributes several of his own stories to the book. He plans to donate 15% of his royalties in equal shares to SoldierRide, the League of American Bicyclists, and the United States Association of Blind Athletes’ tandem cycling program. ORDER ONLINE! (2) Replies

Traffic Life: Passionate Tales and Exit Strategies

Author: meredith :: Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 3:14 pm Quote: The theme of this anthology is the nuisance of cars and the problems of traffic. The facts of the matter and alternatives have been discussed in such books as Carfree Cities by J.H. Crawford, Divorce Your Car! by Katie Alvord, and Asphalt Nation by Jane Holtz Kay. Traffic Life contains short stories, poems, songs, cartoons, drawings, paintings and photos - and so broadcasts the theory through art. The judgment on people-killing, nature-ravaging, community-destroying, atmosphere-polluting, noisy, uncomfortable and expensive automobiles has been passed (never mind that they gobble up a non-renewable and valuable resource and contribute one-third of the greenhouse gases that warm the globe). Bicycles, busses and trains are much more reasonable to get around in cities and elsewhere. Still, large industries are devoted to producing, insuring, financing, selling and repairing more and more of these superfluous pesky metal boxes. "How am I going to get to work?", "Cycling is too dangerous!", "Busses are so slow!" These are some familiar reactions and not completely without merit. After all, it is generally accepted policy that all destinations be reachable by car, but other means are much less supported. Traffic Life addresses all this by offering engaging works that go straight to the heart. ORDER ONLINE! Or, read online! (1) Replies

Bicylcing and the Law

Author: meredith :: Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 10:05 am Quote: According to statistics compiled by the League of American Bicyclists, more than 57 million Americans rode a bicycle in 2005. Of these, more than 9 million describe themselves as "active cyclists" — weekend riders, off-road riders, commuters, and amateur and professional athletes. These 9 million face the daily hazards of commuting in traffic, overenthusiastic dogs, faulty roads, harassment, road rage, and bicycle theft. This book was written for them. Bicycling and the Law is designed to be the primary resource for cyclists faced with a legal question. It provides readers with information that can help them avoid many legal problems in the first place, and informs them of their rights, their responsibilities, and what steps to take if they do encounter a legal problem. This useful guide makes the law both entertaining and comprehensible, presenting an accurate and thorough explanation of the laws governing bicycles and the activity of bicycling. ORDER ONLINE! (3) Replies

Car Sick: Solutions for our Car-Addicted Culture

Author: austinkocher :: Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 5:49 pm I bought this book from Clintonville Community Market just a few days ago. The first chapter talks about the detriment of cars upon our society. But the rest of the book is all case study -so far- about communities that have made a huge change in how they move themselves around. One strength of the book is the power of the 40-40-20 rule that seems to crop up everywhere. Basically, it shows that almost across the board, 40% of people will immediately change their commuting habits with soft solutions -that is, solutions that require no infrastructural changes, no huge government programs; just awareness and very slight modifications (ie. bike racks). Another 40% will change their habits as infrastructure changes (ie. roads become intentionally shared with bikes and pedestrians, businesses offer showers, etc). It's a very proactive book with a great story of possibility and promise. So far. I'm only part way through it. ORDER ONLINE! (0) Replies

Book Review: Divorce Your Car!

Author: jfellrath :: Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 3:49 pm Katherine Alvord's book is much like Chris Balish's How to Live Well Without Owning a Car, but much more in depth on many parts. Alvord goes into great detail about how the automobile mindset crept into our society and the great damage it has done. She doesn't have quite as many direct tips about how to get around without a car, but she does include quite a few that aren't in Balish's book. And a major strength of her book is that it goes into advocacy quite a bit. It's not quite as easy a read as Balish's book but its look at the history of the auto is quite interesting and worth a read in itself. I highly recommend it to everyone who's looking for help as a non-car commuter and also anyone who's interested in the history of transportation in this country. ORDER ONLINE! (1) Replies

Magazines
Author: restoration bicycle :: Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 11:35 am Here are several that I found very interesting. Each has their own vibe and I like both for different reasons. Practical Pedal = has great info with the commercialism of Bicycling magazine Urban Velo = more about the culture Dirt Rag = a glossy, big circulation mag but does a good job of keeping it real Check em out! (0) Replies

The Art of Urban Cycling

Author: meredith :: Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 11:24 am This book is among the most essential guides to cycling in urban environments out there, covering everything from appropriate road riding positions to perilous road conditions. It was written by a bike messenger, utilizing the combined experience of dozens of his messenger friends. The author positions himself his biking philosophy between the free-for-all stylings of some and the strict vehicular cycling that advocates for cyclists to act just as cars do on the road. This guy is all about safety, personal responsibility, and moderation -- he essentially advocates for bikers to stay alert and pay attention. Hurst's writing can be funny, but at times he adopts an annoying bike messenger "X-treme" tone, which didn't exactly set me to gigglin'...ick... While I wholeheartedly recommend this book to all urban riders, I struggle to determine when exactly it should be read. On the one hand, I really appreciate that I came across it a couple years into my urban cycling experience. I'm now versed enough in cycling that I have a context for its suggestions, without which I probably would have found the book overwhelming. On the other, I think it it is essential for new riders to have this information before getting out on the road. For new riders - consider both 1) signing up for a biking beginners course AND 2) having this book on hand. Even if you don't read it straight through, it will be a great resource for you as you learn to be safely on the roads! ORDER ONLINE! (0) Replies

How to Live Well Without Owning a Car

Author: meredith :: Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 11:01 am This little quick-read manual features approximately several kabillion ideas for how to get by without having a car, and almost as many justifications for why we should do so. Its premise, stated simply, is: owning a car is expensive. And more so than we even realize, by the time we factor in payments, insurance, gas, parking, maintenance, and the time we waste sitting in them each day. Author Chris Balish describes himself as "as mainstream as you can get," with a full-time job, a vibrant social (and dating) life, and all-American meat-eating tendencies. Nevertheless, he walks us through his revolutionary transition to a car-free lifestyle, while addressing the reservations we may have about going car-free or car-lite, detailing how lives could actually--gasp!--improve if we did, and describing how exactly to make it happen. This is an easy, motivational read that I'd recommend for anyone who has begun to suspect that their auto has become a burden but don't know what to do about it, who is in debt and looking for ways out, or who is always saying, "I'd love to get rid of my car, but... Its can-do suggestions are well-reasoned and moderate, and it's truly amazing to read how many alternatives to cars are out there. ORDER ONLINE! (4) Replies