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Gone for good

According to the Herald Sun

Police are warning cyclists to take greater care of their bikes after a rapid rise in thefts as road users switch from cars to pedal power…

Most stolen bikes are never recovered for their owners.

On the topic, Chris had this to say via the YarraBUG list:

Vic Police have several useful tips on Virtual Bike including a form for ID purposes:

Types of Locks: http://www.virtualbike.com.au/?Section=2.1

Around Home: http://www.virtualbike.com.au/?Section=2.2

Out and About: http://www.virtualbike.com.au/?Section=2.3

Bike ID: http://www.virtualbike.com.au/?Section=2.4

Downloadable Form: http://www.virtualbike.com.au/?Section=2.5

Or maybe you could consider the Italian bike lock [via Commute by Bike]

And I wonder if a bike-mounted police presence helps with this sort of thing?

Camelbak-to-front

The Beerbelly and Wine Rack—new approach to hydration…? [via bicycles.net.au]

The weird world of advertising

Have you had a good laugh at this ad for a popular over-the-counter analgesic yet? Talk about inept.

Traffic in Beijing

More on Beijing traffic congestion in The Age this week: [Honk, which you going, China?][] (Check out the photo: I'd probably get off and walk my bike too.)

The economics of cycling

The Cycling Promotion Fund has come up with another interesting paper, Economic Benefits of Cycling for Australia, addressing the topic under the broad headings Health, Traffic Congestion Reduction, Greenhouse gas abatement, and Fuel costs:

Cycling provides economic benefit in terms of improved public health, reduced levels of traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as reductions in expenditure on transport fuel.

These benefits accrue most readily when the bicycle is used as a substitute for car journeys. Though many trips are too long to be comfortably undertaken by bicycle alone…a large proportion of our car trips are of a distance suited to cycling.

More Copenhagenisation

A touch of Copenhagen for the streets of East Melbourne

Just one thing I'd say about this article: the suggestion by the Victorian Employers Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Wayne Kayler-Thomson that "a bike lane down the middle of the median strip [in Parade] would more effectively remove bikes from the dangers of road and pedestrian traffic" is badly misinformed. I can't think of a more dangerous way of separating cars and bikes—drivers barely expect bikes to be approaching them on the left, let alone on the right in the median strip.

Bike culture

Bloody showoff

Note to Ines Brunn: no one likes a bloody showoff. Seriously impressive. [Thanks tom]

[Photo credit: [riding-in-rain][] by ehnmark on Flickr]

Comments

eccles

Have you seen the bike path down the middle of North Rd from Huntingdale to Monash? Pure, unadulterated stupid.

Charlie B.

Yeah, 'cause the one down St Georges Road works so well - wait, no it doesn't, 'cause bikes & trams & pedestrians plus shrub-induced blind spots do not a safe commute make.

Treadly and Me

I've not ridden those median strip paths, but both were exactly the sites I had in mind. The bloke probably thinks he's being innovative, which is a shame because he's just being ignorant.

Surly Dave

I'm off to Beijing in a week, planning to buy a bike to ride around during the games. I hope the traffic gets better though!