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Sunday, July 27, 2008

CBS on bicycles in the U.S.


From CBS News Sunday Morning, 07.27.08:

Pedal Power: With Gas Above $4 A Gallon, More And More People Are Trading In Four Wheels For Two
"Pedal Power" is coming into its own these days, as Americans of all ages are coming to realize biking can be practical, economical, and good clean fun--or should we say, good green fun? With gas prices now more than four dollars a gallon, for some the bicycle today is turning into a different kind of freedom machine...

Several cities like San Francisco, Chicago and Minneapolis are known for their bicycle facilities. But the one that's farthest down the road in making itself bike friendly is Portland, Oregon. Mayor-elect Sam Adams is Portland's transportation commissioner. He'll soon preside over the country's biggest bicycling success story. Remember, less than one percent of Americans cycle for transportation, but here in Portland, that number reaches six percent, and as high as 15 percent in some neighborhoods. (Read more.)
Interesting look at bicycling in the U.S., ranging from recreational riding in California, to bike education and commuting in Massachusetts, to the history of bicycling in the country, to urban planning efforts for bicycling. Clearly the media is paying more attention to bicycles. This is a very cursory overview by CBS, but far more comprehensive as a weekend news magazine story than standard TV news reports.

Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips Site

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good news and bad news. As more bicyclists hit the road, there is more pressure on government to improve infrastructure. But also, that produces more load on the infrastructure. Training of new cyclists is becoming an imperative.

Anonymous said...

Great story! Thanks for posting that so that more can see it.

Warren T said...

Reporter: "How much weight can you put in here?"

Bike shop owner: "A thousand pounds, easy."

Reporter (nodding knowingly): "A ton."

Hahahahahahaha. Way to go CBS.