Ride for Your Rights!

There is an interesting bicycle-related event organized for European students which has been organized by the International Erasmus Student Exchange Network and Campus Europae.


'Ride for Your Rights! - It's Time to (Ex)Change Your Life' is a collective bicycle ride through countries of central and eastern Europe will take place this summer between July and September. The aim of the project is to raise awareness and support for student mobility of students in non-EC countries in central and eastern Europe. Departure is on the 3rd of July in Novi Sad, Serbia and the trek will reach its goal on September 15th in St.Petersburg.

The organizers describe the aim of the ride like: " We will cycle from the Balkans to Russia to raise awareness of the existing problems for student mobility. It must become possible for each and everyone of us to become a part of a mobile generation of young Europeans." 


If you are interested in participating, check the itinerary of the ride and meet up with others to converse and raise awareness while you are riding your bicycle. Alternatively you may check the ride's blog or youtube channel for impressions. 

Reaching a Critical Mass in Vienna

Participating in a critical mass (CM) ride can seriously change the image you have about your own city. This May's Critical Mass was eventually the biggest ever held in Vienna and brought up some interesting aspects about Vienna and how cycling in Vienna can become more popular. This post is a mix of thoughts on a CM ride and images by krumpelwumpel which I was allowed to post here (THX!). 

Setting out from Schwarzenbergplatz along Belvedere. Image by krumpelwumpel.

Critical mass rides are taking place all over the world in about 300 cities with the aim of claiming more space and respect for the bicycle within urban traffic. It is interesting to see that Vienna's CM seems to steadily grow over the last years which it should as bicycle culture in Vienna has and should flourish further. And, as you experience as a cyclist in this city every day yourself, there has to be more space dedicated to bicycles if there should be more people using the bike.

In this process the CM rides are a great happening and a powerful strategy which demonstrates a lively and diverse bicycle culture of Vienna and which can show that the city may develop unexpected qualities if we reduce the emphasis on motorized transport. It is also a demonstration of how cyclists are able to organize themselves in a collective which (re)claims the streets in a respectful way. I was stunned by the easy and nice way in which the police accompanied the ride. There seems to be a good understanding between the CM and the police which is not a given in other cities.

Critical mass entering Wien Favoriten. Great way of showing off bicycle culture! Image by krumpelwumpel.

In Vienna, CM rides are traditionally started at Schwarzenbergplatz, right next to the, in summertime wonderfully cooling, fountain of the Russian Victory monument. This CM set out in a spontaneous way towards the 'Gürtel' (outer ringroad in Vienna) and then entered Wien Favoriten. This was a nice thing to happen as daily bicycling in Vienna is more frequent among more educated and wealthy fractions of the population. In this sense - with the aim of winning more people for using the bike - the lively CM crowd was for sure a nice demonstration about individuality, health and fun which you can (only) get from riding a bicycle. 

Radroute 988385 - powered by Bikemap 

Critical mass successfully conquered the roundabout at Schonbrunn castle. This was instantly celebrated. Image by krumpelwumpel.

As spring finally had hit Vienna, May's CM was dedicated to team up with Vienna's guerrilla gardening scene. The ride was scheduled to stop at the community garden at Längenfeldgasse where people met up in a nice atmosphere to have a drink and talk after the CM.

May's CM flyer. Critical mass meets guerilla gardening. Flyer via CM Austria.

Bike becoming a habitat. Image by krumpelwumpel.

"One exhaust less!". The environmentalist reasoning is still common over here. Image by krumpelwumpel.

One really stunning experience about riding in a big CM crowd is how the cityscape changes if only bicycles are using the streets. Suddenly it became quiet the residents must have been thinking. Along the most busy roads people suddenly look out of their windows, usually closed to avoid noise from congested or busy roads. With a CM ride passing by there is suddenly at most the noise of a few bells. For you as a rider it is a unique experience to let yourself fall behind to ride among the cars again which follow the CM ride in a grumpy overpowered manner. Among the cars and trucks again, the city becomes the usual noisy busy with traffic environment which we are so used to. Pedaling into the CM ride again one can experience what a city and its streetlife could look like if we reduced the emphasis for the car a little.
Residents which we passed during the ride were stunned by this as well. In almost every house people looked down from their windows or even came to the street to look at the cycling frenzy. It is a perfect moment for distributing flyers to explain the aims and justification for the CM ride.

CM is a good opportunity to see how diverse a city's bicycle culture is. Also in terms of bicycle hardware. Image by krumpelwumpel.

Finally arrived at the community garden in Längenfeldgasse. Image by krumpelwumpel.

Activities to reclaim a previously neglected and unused space within Vienna's urban fabric. Community garden Längenfeldgasse. Image by krumpelwumpel.

Sing up at the facebook page of Critical Mass Vienna to know more about monthly rides and get notified!

Linkliste "Lernen von Fahrradkulturen in Peking und New York"

BEIJING 

http://www.stcbj.com/
"Smarter Than Car (STC) was set up as a platform for promoting cycling, the bicycle life and preserving Beijing’s unique cycling culture."
 

NEW YORK CITY


http://www.nyc.gov/bikes
NYC - Department of Transportation's bicycle program with several initiatives.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/bike/home.shtml
"The goal of the Department of City Planning, New York City Department of Transportation, and the Department of Parks and Recreation Bicycle Network Development program is to reduce congestion by promoting cycling in New York City."

http://www.youtube.com/user/nycdot
youtube-channel of NYC - Department of Transportation
 

http://www.streetfilms.org/bike-lanes-in-the-big-apple/
Short movie describing the development of bicycle infrastructure in NYC. 

http://www.bikenewyork.org/
"Bike New York is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose mission is to promote and encourage bicycling and bicycle safety through education, public events, and collaboration with community and government organizations."
 

http://www.ridethecity.com/
Bicycling directions for (as well) New York City. 
 

http://www.transalt.org/
"Our mission is to reclaim New York City's streets from the automobile, and to advocate for bicycling, walking and public transit as the best transportation alternatives."

http://bikingrules.org/
"Biking Rules is a new 'Street Code' for NYC cyclists, following the simple principle that our responsibility to others on the street increases in relation to our potential to cause harm."

www.bikemonthnyc.org
"Each year the Department of Transportation and Transportation Alternatives team up to bring you Bike Month NYC, a city wide campaign to promote the joys of cycling in New York City."

http://rollingcarbon.org/
Rollingcarbon.org calculates the carbon impact of various New York City commutes.
 

http://www.crashstat.org/
"For the first time, all New Yorkers had a way to see pedestrian and cyclist crashes in every neighborhood, enabling them to back up their first-hand experience of dangerous streets with comprehensive hard data."

http://www.recycleabicycle.org/

 Recycle-a-bicycle is a community-based bike shop and non-profit organization that provides educational/job training programs and encourages environmental stewardship and everyday bicycle use.

http://rightofway.org/

"Right Of Way is a group of activists dedicated to asserting the rights of car-free street users -- including pedestrians, cyclists, and skaters -- and fighting back against car domination."


http://www.nycbikepolo.com/

"Bike Polo has been played in New York since 2003. Now, our home court is The Pit at Chrystie & Broome Streets."


http://nybma.com/news/

"The NYBMA is a worker’s alliance of the messenger, by the messenger, and for the messenger. Our mission is to unite, represent and advocate for the bike couriers of New York City."

http://www.fixed.gr/ 
"Home is where the harbl is."


http://www.iparkedinabikelane.org/
"I Parked In A Bike Lane.org is a humble movement aimed at raising driver awareness towards the problems associated with blocking bike lanes."

http://www.bikeblognyc.com/

"I write about mutant bikes, messenger events, bicycle technology and the vast realm of bicycle culture."



http://www.brooklynbybike.com/

"Brooklyn by Bike was born out of a love for traveling around the city by bicycle. Others think we are crazy but we have a passion for our wheels like nothing else."


http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/

"While I love cycling and embrace it in all its forms, I'm also extremely critical. So I present to you my venting for your amusement and betterment." 


http://brooklynspoke.wordpress.com/

"I’m a father, husband, writer, TV producer, comedian, and city cyclist.  Just another voice in the ongoing discussion about city biking."


http://www.bikecult.com/

"The Bike Cult resource, a work in progress, includes listings of bike and cycling groups, velodromes, world and olympic champions, along with excerpts and updates from the book." 


http://newamsterdamize.com/

"We are dedicated to NYC’s Slow Biking Culture, guaranteed 100% Lycra-Free ! Relax. Enjoy your city." 


http://www.astoriabike.com/

"About Bikes and Biking in New York City. Bike, Damnit! Bike!"


http://www.bikehacks.com/

"BikeHacks.com comes to you from both coasts of the USA. We write BikeHacks 'cause we love bikes. We dig up all kinds of cool, interesting and useful stuff, from the funky to the functional." 


http://www.dykesonbikecycles.com/

"We formed in spring ’06 to promote the integration and visibility of the existing community of queer bike riders."

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bicyclesonly/
"the purpose of almost all my photos is to inspire New Yorkers to make everyday trips by bicycle"


http://www.streetsblog.org/ 
"Streetsblog is a daily news source, online community and political mobilizer for the Livable Streets movement." 


 http://www.streetfilms.org/
"Streetfilms produces short films that show how smart transportation design and policy can result in better places to live, work and play."



INTERNATIONAL


http://thecityfix.com/
TheCityFix.com is an online resource for sustainable transport news, advocacy and “best practice” solutions from around the world. 


http://www.copenhagenize.com/ 
"Each and every day roughly 500,000 citizens choose the bicycle in Greater Copenhagen. This blog highlights who they are, why they do and how it was made possible."


http://amsterdamize.com/
"I’m just an Amsterdam native who won’t take his city and its cycling extravaganza for granted anymore, thinking these posts might be clues for others, inspiration perhaps, if you will."
 

'Warchild' Streetart Project in Bushwick

"A child's silhouette is shaped out of war toys owned and played by the artists during their childhood. The earth's continents are made up of a toy battlefield.
Society is programming war into its youngest. Children are involved and suffer from numerous armed conflicts all over the world. War, a playful game or deadly reality? Some kids play in safety with war toys, while others, in less fortunate situations, may be taught to become child-soldiers or fall victim to the brutal face of war.
Instead of playing with war toys, children should be supported in becoming more tolerant to proliferate peace and understanding within a global society. In Mahatma Ghandi's words: “If we wish to create a lasting peace we must begin with the children”.
See also: meinwe