511 Contra Costa

Cycling in the snow. Photo credit: Amsterdamize
When a quarter of all trips within the entire country are done by bicycle it’s difficult to imagine much could be done to make cycling more attractive in the Netherlands. Then the municipality of Eindhoven unveiled it’s spectacular aerial roundabout for bikes that lets cyclists fly over motorized traffic.
More recently the city of Groningen – where almost 60% of all trips are by bicycle – yet another innovation has come about to make cycling even more attractive and convenient…. Read the rest

Have you ever been unsure whether you should bike or take public transit to work? You’re not alone! Richard Pope of London recently blogged about his most recent invention, the bicycle barometer, which tells him if he’s better off cycling, or taking the Tube to work. Richard Pope describes it like this:
“The bicycle barometer takes data about the weather, the status of the tube lines I use to get to work, and whether my local station is open or shut…. Read the rest

(Five bicycles locked to bike racks, one bike rack locked to a sign post. Photo credit: Walk Eagle Rock)
Whether you’re going to your favorite restaurant for lunch or to the local grocery store to pick up a few items, bicycling is a great way to get there– especially as the days are getting longer  it’s a perfect time to take advantage of the gorgeous weather to hop on a bike…. Read the rest

A family participating in National Bike to School Day. Photo credit: San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
As if there weren’t enough economic, social, environmental, safety, or physical health benefits of walking and cycling, one new study is showing yet another reason to embrace active transportation, especially among children– better concentration ability.
The Atlantic Cities summarized the findings of this new study, which comes to us from Denmark – perhaps no surprise since the country is home to Copenhagen, one of the great cycling cities in the world:
The survey looked at nearly 20,000 Danish kids between the ages of 5 and 19…. Read the rest

East Bay Bike Part, one of many events listed at the new Cycling Event Page. Photo credit: RACINGMIX
Here at 511 Contra Costa one of the most viewed blog posts last year was “Upcoming Bay Area and California Cycling in 2012“.
Responding to the popularity of this post, there is now a dedicated Cycling Event Page that you’ll be able to regularly refer to when looking for a organized bicycling event…. Read the rest

Creative bike parking in Palo Alto, where about 10% of commutes are by bike. Photo credit: Adam Fagen
Bicycling accounts for roughly 0.5% of commuting on the national level, but if you feel like you see more bikes on your commute around here it could be because California, and more specifically the Bay Area, leads the nation in bicycle commuting as demonstrated by the latest Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
Perhaps as no surprise, Davis is the top bicycling city, where 16% of commutes are by bicycle, followed by Palo Alto where bicycles make up 10% of commutes…. Read the rest

Whether for work, vacation, picking up or dropping off a friend – a trip to the airport is nearly as common as as trip to the market. But what is the best way to get there? Undoubtedly the simplest choice for some trips to the airport may be to drive but there’s a whole menu of transport options to choose from and consider. Let’s look at other options for getting to two of the Bay Area’s major international airports– SFO and Oakland International

AirBART…. Read the rest

Want to learn some statistics about bicycling in Copenhagen in a flash? Look no further than the “Copenhagen Cycle Infographic“– created by  graphic designer Emma Sivell and first shared on the blog Copenhagenize. The clever infographic includes factoids like: 18% of the Danish population cycle daily; 40% of children cycle to school in Denmark; and that there are just as many bicycles as there are people in greater Copenhagen– 1.7 million!

Photo credit: zoonabar
The infographic is full of impressive numbers about the state of bicycling in Copenhagen…. Read the rest

Happy family! Photo Credit: San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
“It’s better by bike!”, that seems to be the mantra these days when getting around the Bay Area and here are three articles that prove it!
First up, the Bay Citizen reports on a growing number of families that are passing on the car and transit and instead hopping on bikes:
“Fed up with cars, traffic, parking and Muni, some parents are using their bicycles as minivans, hauling their children around the hilly streets…. Read the rest

Floating bicycle roundabout under construction. Photo credit: Jeroen van Lieshout
25% of all trips in the Netherlands are bike, making bicycling a part of everyday life; it’s a trivial activity that the Dutch don’t think twice about. However, the bicycling nation’s latest piece of innovative infrastructure might even amaze a local Dutchman. The municipality of  Eindhoven recently constructed a captivating bicycle roundabout to provide safe, convenient passage by bike… and it just so happens to float above motorized traffic!… Read the rest