Pretty cool idea for tracking bike movements through the city using chalk I wonder if a prototype will ever be built.

‘Contrail’ is a design concept that enables cyclists to increase their visibility to cars, pedestrians, and each other. Conceived by Pepin Gelardi and Teresa Herrmann, this frame-mounted device would allow cyclists to make their mark on the street with faint lines of chalk. The rear wheel spins a smooth trail of color onto the pavement as the bike whizzes along.

Contrail leaves an impression based on the cumulative movements of many
cyclists over time (a more lasting variation on the BYO bike lane concept employed by the laser-projected LightLane). Its provocative visual language lies somewhere between sky
calligraphy, temporary street graffiti, and overlapping footprints in
the snow.

Gelardi and Herrmann proposed Contrail for the Power to the Pedal competition, and are currently developing a prototype. They envision ‘a new cycle of biking participation’ in which the criss-crossing chalk ribbons would pique curiosity, identify more popular routes, and inspire more cyclists to hit the road.

(Via Streetsblog.)

Two really great Belgian ads using really slick animation to talk about the benefits of mass transit. A really awesome way of broaching the subject.

(Via AdFreak.)

Its pretty nuts to see the amount of planes up in the air at a given time. Current estimates say that at at given time of the day 2 million people are in the air. Crazy amount of CO2 going up in upper atmosphere.

Sometimes, Less is just Less: the 250 SF Condo for $279K: “

Housing in San Francisco is expensive, and one way to make units cost less is to make them smaller, particularly if there is restrictive zoning and you can get more units in the same building envelope. Now they have squeezed units down to 250 square feet, smaller than most hotel rooms. George Hauser, the architect, notes that they aren’t for everyone-

‘It’s not the last place a person might own, but a great place to spend three to five years as a young single … to build equity and move up,’ said Hauser, principal of Hauser Architects in San Francisco. ‘You’re in a small space with great amenities and the resources of the city.’

…

(Via TreeHugger.)

If you needed another reason to fight for NYPD reform check out this video

Gothamist: Video of Cop Assaulting Cyclist at Critical Mass Ride

“I park my bike in the garage I used to use when I drove in,” he said before riding off. “There’s a gym in my office. I shower and come out looking like a lawyer.”

Once limited to dense urban environments, bike commuting has found a small but devoted following in the New York City suburbs. While there have been no formal studies of the trend, transportation experts and cycling advocates say the number of suburban bike commuters is growing.

For the Hard Core, Two Wheels Beat Four – NYTimes.com via Treehugger.

Photo by Derek Goodwin

In the small town of Northampton (pop. 30,000) a group of bicyclists banded together to form a pedal powered garbage/recycling hauling service for their town who outsources residential garbage pickup.

Amazingly they work year round in all conditions for very competitive $30 weekly rate. This beats my current $200/mo garbage service here in NYC by far.

This is the first time I have heard of bicyclist’s doing this but I sincerly hope that more towns will pick it up, or maybe the Pedal People can franchise out the business. NYC could benefit from this greatly.

Pedal People