Climate Transportation

Bikers, beware the door zone

Careless drivers swinging their doors open into the bike lane pose a common danger to cyclists. But some cities, like San Francisco, are looking for solutions.

Ice-cream-selling bike vendors run wild in Portland

Visit a park in Portland, and you could find a nice vendor biking around, hauling a cooler of ice cream. But this isn't any ice cream. It's illegal ice cream, and the people who are selling it are thumbing their nose at the law that is the Portland Parks Bureau. 

You’re supposed to pay $120 each month for a permit to sell ice cream in the parks, and these lawless vendors just aren't buying them. It annoys the people who sell legal ice cream, and the parks people. But are they going to crack down? 

Dinner (and bikes) are served: The tour begins

For the month of September, I'll be traveling around the western U.S. as part of the Dinner & Bikes Tour, talking and learning about the bike economy.

Minneapolis? More like Bike-opolis

A commitment to bolstering bike-friendliness means that the bigger twin city now rivals Portland as the country's best cycling town.

Leave a love note for a sexy bike

Ever see a bike on the street that had your heart going pitter-patter? Sarah Raz, of the Adventure Cycling Association, knows where you’re coming from: "I can't even tell you how many times I've seen a beauty of a bike, hand built or all vintage, parked near the post office or my grocery store, and I've just had to leave a love note," she writes.

But there's a quick fix for this uncontrollable urge!

Helmet laws get in the way of bike-sharing programs

Bike-sharing systems are popping up in cities all over the world, but they've yet to take hold in places where bike helmets are mandatory. Is it time to change the rules?

Put your money where your miles are

The Netherlands plans to start taxing motorists for how much they drive. Could this and other European innovations to reduce traffic take root here?

London pumps up bike infrastructure

In London, two bicycle parking lots are now equipped with beautiful, shining new public bike pumps. They work just like the hand pump generally native to the dusty garage, except they’re bolted to the ground. The pumps’ gauges also can deal with any tire they might be asked to handle.

Bike-shares save lives

A new study has found that Barcelona's bike-share program, Bicing, prevents 12 deaths per year. That may not sound like much in a city of 1.6 million, but it sure seems like a big deal if you're one of the 12.

Critical List: The Navy and USDA invest in biofuels; Norway's big oil find

The Navy, USDA, and Energy Department are investing in biofuels that come from plants we don't eat.

As Shell fought an oil leak in the North Sea, Norway's biggest oil company announced it had found a huge oil field there. Oh awesome, nothing can go wrong with this!

Shell's also helping Iraq to double its capacity to produce natural gas.

U.S. solar manufacturers say it's hard to compete against China's low-priced workers.