Sierra Magazine’s current issue, dubbed Pedal Power, has THREE feature articles on bicycling. The Sierra Club environmental group, parent organization to the publication, has traditionally focused on the bicycle as a cause of trail erosion and as a menace to pristine places. We’re thrilled to see that they’ve had a change of heart and recognize the bicycle as one of the world’s greenest inventions and a remarkable tool in sustainable transportation.
Bikeway or the Highway celebrates the birth of turn-of-the-century bikeways in southern California and laments their replacement by highways, cars, and a short-sighted transportation game plan. Bikes reclaimed the Arroyo corridor, home of the original bikeway on two occasions: once by design in 2003, and again in 2004 when a high-speed police chase shut down the highway and cyclists joined the impromptu party of motorists who were forced to get out of their cars and interact.
As Low as You Can Go chronicles Jim Malusa’s bicycle travels “Into Thick Air” – he sought out international destinations where he could go into the world’s “bellybuttons” and descend as far below sea level as possible.
Finally, Two-Wheeled Wonder celebrates the efficiency and global ubiquity of the bicycle; they outnumber cars by two-to-one. “A bike is a blessing for your wallet, health, and legs, but bicycles are wonders because of what they don’t do to the world. At zero pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, versus a car’s one pound per mile, a bike does not alter the global climate.”
Check out the articles online, they’re well worth a read!
Photo via flickr by echiner1
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Far more people are killed by cars than terrorism. Ban cars not bikes!
That has got to be a (bad) joke…
I ain’t never herd of a bike bomb… and why would the tewwowists lock it to a bike rack? Are they scared of bike bomb thieves??? Do the politicians want to put parking spots for large box trucks in place of the bike racks or are the oil planners just using scare tactics to distract the populace from the real reason they want to remove biking?
-S