Clarence Eckerson Jr.
Recent Posts
Groningen: The World’s Cycling City
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It’s no secret that just about anywhere you go in the Netherlands is an incredible place to bicycle. And in Groningen, a northern city with a population of 190,000 and a bike mode share of 50 percent, the cycling is as comfortable as in any city on Earth. The sheer number of people riding at any […]
A Look at Pittsburgh’s Bike Parking and Presumptive New Mayor
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The future looks bright for Pittsburgh for 2014. As they prepare to host the Pro Walk Pro Bike Pro Place conference next September, last week Project for Public Spaces held a one-day summit in advance of next year’s big event. One thing Pittsburgh is doing is creating some innovative and fun bike parking facilities. […]
A Montreal Intersection Morphs Into a Wonderful Neighborhood Space
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On a Bixi bike excursion to get some ice cream in Montreal, my wife and I stumbled upon the intersection of Fairmount Avenue and Rue Clark, recently upgraded with colorful new street furniture, traffic calming treatments, and a two-way protected bike lane. The space is teeming with street life. When you arrive at this lovely place […]
Experience Montreal’s Car-free Rue St. Catherine & Bustling Bike Rush Hour
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While spending a week in Montreal, my wife and I stayed right along the Rue Sainte Catherine, which we discovered is closed to motor vehicles from May 15 through September 6 in two main sections. The first, a mile-long stretch that’s been car-free in the summer since 2008, has a lot of restaurants and is […]
Streetfilms Shortie: Cyclists on Rails in Zurich
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One thing that impressed me during my three days in Zurich was I saw no cyclists crash while navigating the surface rails for the 15 tram lines that run all over the city. I was told by some there are certainly problems, and crashes happen, but I saw some real pro rail-riding behavior. One of […]
No, Amsterdam Is Not “Swamped” By Bikes
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In June, the New York Times published a story headlined “The Dutch Prize Their Pedal Power, But a Sea of Bikes Swamps Their Capital” that instigated much debate (over 365 reader comments in one day) and a torrent of emails to the editor. The Times followed up by seeking a “dialogue” with its readers about the supposed “swamping” of Amsterdam […]
Some Things You Might See While In Amsterdam
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I’m currently on a European junket, and ahead of the more serious Streetfilms that will come out of it, I thought it would be prudent to put up some everyday street scenes of bicycling in Amsterdam. Enjoy! Make sure to check back for more extensive coverage in coming weeks.
Salt Lake City: A Red State Capital Builds Ambitious Transit
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According to Congress for New Urbanism President John Norquist, the Salt Lake City area has the fastest growing rail system in America. And as Streetsblog’s Angie Schmitt pointed out last month, “It’s the only city in the country building light rail, bus rapid transit, streetcars and commuter rail at the same time.” Since the late 1990s, SLC […]
The Indianapolis Cultural Trail: America’s Next-Gen Protected Bike Lanes
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In May, the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, a bike and pedestrian path connecting some of Indy’s most popular cultural institutions, had its long-awaited public coming out with a ribbon cutting and celebration. It’s one of the biggest bicycling infrastructure achievements in North America, and yet it’s still practically a secret. As you’ll see, the Cultural Trail runs […]
GOP Mayor Greg Ballard: Making Bicycling a Priority in Indianapolis
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Across the nation, many big-city mayors of both political parties are embracing bikes and livable streets. As you’ll see, Indianapolis’ Mayor Greg Ballard, a Republican, believes that making city cycling safer and more enjoyable will attract young people and families and benefit business. Ballard has expanded the number of miles of bike lanes from one (in […]
Citibike Debuts in New York City!
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Memorial Day 2013 will always mark the beginning of a new era in NYC transportation history: the debut of the Citibike bike sharing system. 6,000 (of a planned 10k) bikes were available to over 11,000 members who signed up for a yearly pass – and many of them couldn’t wait to hit the ground biking! […]
Streetfacts #4: Children Have Lost the Freedom to Roam
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The next Streetfacts chapter is a PSA that – hopefully – enlightens the U.S. public to how over generations we have nibbled away at kids’ freedoms and their ability to roam, play, grow, and become citizens. Most advocates know the percentage of children walking and bicycling to school have diminished greatly over the years, from […]