Video | Utility Cycling

CicLAvia is Back!

Posted on 02. Feb, 2012 by Melanie Colavito.

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Streetfilms recently posted a new film about CiLAvia, which is the cyclovia event that takes place in Los Angeles, California. The event drew 130,000 participants to the streets in 2012, and another one is planned for the spring of 2012. This video is somewhat different from most of the videos here at Utility Cycling, as it is entirely in Spanish (don’t worry, there are subtitles). However, since the CiLAvia event draws a large Spanish-speaking population, Streetfilms decided to make a film in Spanish, which was entirely reader-funded through a Kickstarter campaign. It’s definitely worth the watch!

Streetfilms Viva CicLAvia – With Subtitles from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

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Cities for Cycling Roadshow

Posted on 31. Jan, 2012 by Melanie Colavito.

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Chicago, IL, is on the utility-cycling-radar once again. Streetfilms has an interesting film about the Cities for Cycling Roadshow, which is a venue through which professionals and citizens can learn about best-practices for building better bike infrastructure and how to implement bike changes in big cities like Chicago. Cities for Cycling is part of National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), which seeks to document, share, and implement the best-practices for cycling in U.S. cities. Different cities can share their experiences and unique characteristics through this venue, help prevent mistakes that were made in other places, and help prepare people for the changes that come with new bike infrastructure.

NACTO’s “Cities for Cycling” Roadshow Rocks Chicago from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

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Youth Bike Summit 2012

Posted on 27. Jan, 2012 by Melanie Colavito.

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The Youth Bike Summit is a three-day conference geared towards youth bicycle advocacy. The whole idea behind the summit is to connect the bicycle to positive social change. By bringing youth together to discuss these issues, it helps to forge a new generation of bicycle lovers and advocates. Streetfilms documented the conference this year, as well as the 2011 Youth Bike Summit. It’s great to see this conference continuing and doing good work. Enjoy!

Gaining Momentum: Youth Bike Summit 2012 from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

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The Loop in Tucson

Posted on 25. Jan, 2012 by Melanie Colavito.

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Tucson, Arizona, is a pretty great place to ride a bike, if I do say so myself. This is definitely a gratuitous plug for my city, but I certainly think that The Loop in Tucson warrants some attention. The Loop, when completed, will feature 55 miles of car-free riding around some beautiful open spaces in Tucson, which is in the midst of the Sonoran Desert. As you can see from the video, The Loop is great for recreational and sport cycling, as well as utility cycling. I have used it for both, and I’m grateful that it takes me less than 10 minutes to get to The Loop from my house. Anyhow, I thought this was pretty cool, and I hope you enjoy!

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Bicycle Lifecycle

Posted on 21. Jan, 2012 by Melanie Colavito.

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Here is a short, fun video for your weekend viewing pleasure via Cyclelicio.us. The video documents an urban experiment, that Red Peak Branding conducted for Hudson Urban Bicycles. Starting on January 1, 2011, they locked a bike to a rack in Manhattan and took a picture of it everyday for a year. Watch to see what happens to the bike. It’s not necessarily “utility cycling” but interesting nonetheless. Now go ride your bike and enjoy the weekend!

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Guadalajara Ciclovia

Posted on 15. Jan, 2012 by Melanie Colavito.

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Streetfilms recently featured Guadalajara, which is an incredible example of the transformative power of a Cyclovia. The city of Guadalajara, Mexico, has a weekly event called Via RecreActiva, and in just 7 years the event has gone from 7 to 41 miles in length with some 400,000 people coming out every Sunday. The event has strong support from a local group called Guadalajara 2020, which has been fundamental in the event’s success. The city is definitely becoming a great place to ride, as a previous Streetfilms feature about the Paseo de Todos Ride illustrates. It’s great to see this much success from a Cyclovia and is a great reason to advocate for one in your city!

Guadalajara’s Via RecreActiva – The World’s Most Transformative Ciclovia from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

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Cargo Bike Video from Denmark

Posted on 12. Jan, 2012 by Melanie Colavito.

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Cargo bikes are not something you see every day here in Tucson, AZ, but in Copenhagen, that is certainly not the case! Cargo bikes are a very efficient means of transporting goods and people with pedal power. And they are surprisingly nimble and maneuverable, as well! This is a great video that illustrates how popular cargo bikes are in Denmark. I found it posted over at Copenhagenize where you can find lots of other great pictures and examples of the Danish cargo bike culture. Enjoy!

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History of Dutch Bike Paths

Posted on 10. Jan, 2012 by Melanie Colavito.

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The Dutch are world famous for their widespread use of the bicycle for transportation. This video provides a historical overview of Dutch bike infrastructure. Bike paths were not always as prolific in the Netherlands as they are today. It’s important to see historical perspectives like these to show that there is potential for positive change in favor of cycling anywhere in the world. Cycling wasn’t always as integral to transportation in the Netherlands as it is today. So with pressure in favor of bicycling in other places, there can be positive changes.

Via Treehugger.

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On-Street Bike Parking in NYC

Posted on 04. Jan, 2012 by Melanie Colavito.

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The impetus for the first on-street bike parking in NYC isn’t necessarily bike-inspired, but it is bike-beneficial. There was a notorious intersection in the city where cars kept crashing into each other (and according to the images in the video below from Streetfilms, flipping over), because the drivers couldn’t see around the corner. The solution: get rid of the car parking spot on the corner and replace it with a bike corral. Now, as many of you know, bike parking can be problematic where there aren’t designated bike parking spots available, so this was clearly an added bonus for cyclists in the area. Plus, hopefully drivers at that intersection will stop running into each other. Anyhow, hopefully this leads to the expansion of more bike corrals in NYC. After all, one bike parking spot can hold 20 some odd bikes! How’s that for space efficiency!