Portland, OR:Judge finds fault with fixies
This has been huge in the Pacific North-West. A cop tickets a cyclist for not having a brake (not understanding that on a fixed-gear bike), your legs and the crankshaft IS the braking mechanism. The case goes to trial, with an equally in-the-dark judge presiding, who rules that there is no braking mechanism. He also states that if one rides a fixed-gear bike carrying a STICK that they can rub on the tire to stop it, that would be legal. Oregon law mandates that a braking mechanism needs to be able to skid the rear tire on flat, dry pavement - but the judge wouldn't let the cyclist demonstrate that she can do that on her fixed gear.
London, UK:Congestion Charging three years on - cleaner air, safer roads and reduced congestion
Air quality is better with the most harmful vehicle emissions down by 13-15 per cent, cycling levels are up 43 per cent, and independent research demonstrates that road safety has improved with up to 70 fewer personal road injuries per year as a direct result of Congestion Charging.
Qatar:Mist-Cooled Bike Paths Being Built in Qatar
I've got to hand it to the Qatarians (Qatarese?)... I think they may know that their giant reserves of oil are a finite resource, so they are putting their giant stashes of cash into lots of cool touristy things to give people a reason to visit even after all the oil runs out.
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