Nicole Freeman makes good!

[Charlotte Berry]

I hadn't seen this. I knew MIT brain whiz Nicole Freedman was working as the Boston Bike Czar, Bosten being crowned with the infamous award as being about the worst place to bike in the country. However, this shows there is hope for America. Little Holland in America?

This is inspiring for sure. There is hope!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xiy-50bqmsE

[Charlotte Berry]

I found this by the same people who made Nicole Freedman's video. I guess obviously Freedman been taking cues from the Danes. This video is way cool. This is ten times better then that other video that explains biking in the Netherlands. If there was a video to finish up this topic, this is it! Don't miss this one! It's excellent! 10 minutes, but it's totally cool !!

Cycling Copenhagen, Through North American Eyes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyrTx9SXkVI

[Crankin]

She's an awesome speaker. She came to my club's rally/dinner a couple of years ago and told us how crappy it was to be a woman pro racer!
Yea, we've come a long way. Cycling is super popular here, so these changes were just waiting to happen.

[Bike Chick]

It's taking baby steps but it's progress. Maybe I will see bike lanes in the Midwest before I die.

[Thorn]

Love your posts, Charlotte. Inspiring.

As I search for a new job, each position gets a "does the job sound interesting?" as well as "is it bikeable?" screening. In the process I'm discovering that Milwaukee Couty has a pretty good bicycling infrastructure. If the bike commute will take me towards the city (I live just outside Milwaukee County), I can find several viable bike routes for each posting. Almost always, one route will be significantly greenway or MUP.

On the other hand, if I travel west, out and away from Milwaukee County and into the neighboring county, commutes often have one or two "scarey options" for several miles -- roads that are busy, cars speeding and you must take the lane with some having the double whammy of busy, speeding cars and plus a freeway on/off ramp.

The difference between the two counties is amazing--one is progressive and recognizes the need for urban infrastructure; the second is just awakening and has a long way to go. I dream of the day this is universal.

I saw another great video, albiet a bit older I hadn't seen it. From Malmo on its "Ridiculous Use of a Car" campaign.....http://www.grist.org/article/2010-09...-trips-for-bi/

[Charlotte Berry]

Thanks, and it has English Caption.

I had seen a sort of regular stream of cycling deaths posted here. The fact is that if you google, you will find horrible bike deaths every day, it is a fact of life in America. That need not be, and I thought it would positive to post something hopeful that could change this. Now, all we need is for Nicole Freedman to be appointed national bike czar by the powers that be, and she can go from city to city and start fixing things. What amazes me is how quickly she got this done. If you saw the older proposal videos, they are not very old!

A few years back, a bike path was proposed to go all the way from the central valley to Yosemite following via the old railroad grade. The path would end in El Portel. I am guessing the path would of been at least 100 miles long! Talk about a dream ride, too good to be true I guess, but there is always hope! I do remember there were some powerful people supporting this, so it wasn't just a pipe dream.