America is a land of long distances, of thousands of virtually empty square miles of prairie, farmland and baking desert and frozen tundra.

US cities sprawl on a level unseen in Europe, Canada, and Australia, a consequence of transport priorities that have long favoured motor vehicles. And in all but a handful of US cities, it is virtually impossible to get by without a car.

But in recent years, amid widespread concern about US dependence on foreign oil, high petrol prices, signs of global warming and an obesity epidemic, a number of US cities have taken steps to increase bicycle usage.

These cities hope that by adding relatively low-cost bicycle lanes, bike parking and bike sharing programmes and making other city plan adjustments, they can lessen traffic congestion, reduce the strain on public transport, and promote healthier citizens.

Jim Sebastian, head of Washington DC’s bicycle and pedestrian programme, says his goal is to make the nation’s capital “one of the most bike friendly cities in the country”.

Portland – 5.96% Minneapolis – 4.27% Seattle – 2.94% Sacramento – 2.72% San Francisco – 2.72% Washington – 2.33% Oakland – 2.15% Tucson – 2.04% Albuquerque – 1.75% US – 0.55% Read more at www.bbc.co.uk

America is a land of long distances, of thousands of virtually empty square miles of prairie, farmland and baking desert and frozen tundra.

US cities sprawl on a level unseen in Europe, Canada, and Australia, a consequence of transport priorities that have long favoured motor vehicles. And in all but a handful of US cities, it is virtually impossible to get by without a car.

But in recent years, amid widespread concern about US dependence on foreign oil, high petrol prices, signs of global warming and an obesity epidemic, a number of US cities have taken steps to increase bicycle usage.

These cities hope that by adding relatively low-cost bicycle lanes, bike parking and bike sharing programmes and making other city plan adjustments, they can lessen traffic congestion, reduce the strain on public transport, and promote healthier citizens.

Jim Sebastian, head of Washington DC’s bicycle and pedestrian programme, says his goal is to make the nation’s capital “one of the most bike friendly cities in the country”.

Portland – 5.96% Minneapolis – 4.27% Seattle – 2.94% Sacramento – 2.72% San Francisco – 2.72% Washington – 2.33% Oakland – 2.15% Tucson – 2.04% Albuquerque – 1.75% US – 0.55% Read more at www.bbc.co.uk

America is a land of long distances, of thousands of virtually empty square miles of prairie, farmland and baking desert and frozen tundra.

US cities sprawl on a level unseen in Europe, Canada, and Australia, a consequence of transport priorities that have long favoured motor vehicles. And in all but a handful of US cities, it is virtually impossible to get by without a car.

But in recent years, amid widespread concern about US dependence on foreign oil, high petrol prices, signs of global warming and an obesity epidemic, a number of US cities have taken steps to increase bicycle usage.

These cities hope that by adding relatively low-cost bicycle lanes, bike parking and bike sharing programmes and making other city plan adjustments, they can lessen traffic congestion, reduce the strain on public transport, and promote healthier citizens.

Jim Sebastian, head of Washington DC’s bicycle and pedestrian programme, says his goal is to make the nation’s capital “one of the most bike friendly cities in the country”.

Portland – 5.96% Minneapolis – 4.27% Seattle – 2.94% Sacramento – 2.72% San Francisco – 2.72% Washington – 2.33% Oakland – 2.15% Tucson – 2.04% Albuquerque – 1.75% US – 0.55% Read more at www.bbc.co.uk

You’re right. That’s almost nothing. But bear in mind that’s the median for the entire country, which includes a whole lot of rural and exurban areas where bike commuting isn’t viable. Bike commuting is still an infinitesimally small percentage of all commutes, accounting for just 0.55 percent of commutes last year, according to the League of American Bicyclists.

But if you look only at urban areas — where bike commuting makes far more sense — the gains are huge. Given the Obama Administration’s emphasis on bike-friendlier transportation policies, the growth almost certainly will continue.

The League of American Bicyclists dove into the numbers and found bike commuting in the 70 largest cities (.pdf) in the United States climbed 35 percent between 2005 and 2009. Kansas City, Missouri, saw the biggest increase, climbing an astonishing 1,095 percent. Indianapolis followed with a jump of 392 percent. New Orleans rounded out the top three with an increase of 155 percent.

See more at www.wired.com

You’re right. That’s almost nothing. But bear in mind that’s the median for the entire country, which includes a whole lot of rural and exurban areas where bike commuting isn’t viable. Bike commuting is still an infinitesimally small percentage of all commutes, accounting for just 0.55 percent of commutes last year, according to the League of American Bicyclists.

But if you look only at urban areas — where bike commuting makes far more sense — the gains are huge. Given the Obama Administration’s emphasis on bike-friendlier transportation policies, the growth almost certainly will continue.

The League of American Bicyclists dove into the numbers and found bike commuting in the 70 largest cities (.pdf) in the United States climbed 35 percent between 2005 and 2009. Kansas City, Missouri, saw the biggest increase, climbing an astonishing 1,095 percent. Indianapolis followed with a jump of 392 percent. New Orleans rounded out the top three with an increase of 155 percent.

See more at www.wired.com

the OBJECTIVE Create a doodle that tells your story of a day with a bicycle.

the ASSIGNMENT The doodle can be as broad or as specific as you wish. Did you go somewhere unexpected? Did you feel lost? Did you save money? Did the experience bring up any interesting thoughts or observations? A day with a bike can certainly mean different things to different people. We’ll leave that to you.

the REQUIREMENTS Send us an e-mail at projects[at]goodinc[dot]com with your doodle and the subject line “September DOODLE.” It can be in any image format, but ideally it should be high enough resolution that it can be printed at 300 dpi. We prefer images that are taller versus wider (the above was a 6:8 ratio). There are numerous methods for creating visual notes whether through digital means (tablets, digital sketchpads, etc.) or tangible methods such as using a Moleskine. Regardless of your choice, please ensure the images are as clean as possible. Feel free to include a brief summary of your illustration. We’ll take submissions now through September 12th. Read more at www.good.is

The Road Popper is a bike-mounted bottle opener that we developed for our own use and decided afterward to share. We designed it to fasten discreetly to the rails on the underside of the saddle to help keep your bike looking crisp. So far, it’s worked on all the bottle caps we’ve tried it on. Material options are bronze infused stainless steel. Finish options are plain (on the right in the photograph), matte gold, glossy gold, matte antique bronze, and glossy antique bronze. The Road Popper is not intended for alcoholic beverages. Chromoly does not condone cycling while under the influence of alcohol. Read more at www.shapeways.com

See more at www.good.is

See more at www.good.is