Rick Steves likes to bike in Europe

Rick Steves, European travel expert, explains why he enjoys bicycling in Europe.

He says that he gets closer to the people and culture while also feeling like a local.

Whenever I'm in Amsterdam, much of my experience is framed by my black bike handlebars: the shiny wet cobbles, powering up a bridge to coast down it and halfway to the next bridge, getting pinged by passing bikes and pinging my bell to pass others. Cars, trams, bikers, and pedestrians seem to float by from all directions in silence -- their sounds lost in the white noise of this dreamy city.

Stockholm, Copenhagen, Berlin, Salzburg, Munich, and Bruges are also a delight on two wheels, offering an extensive network of well-marked bike lanes. Some cities have creative programs where hundreds of free or very cheap loaner bikes are locked to racks around town.

Read the full story: Biking in Europe: a cultural bridge

Photo from Rick Steves

Nude cyclists protest London bike safety

The Guardian UK reports on London's annual naked bike day event.

Last weekend 1,100 riders rode in the buff to bring awareness to bicycle safety along London's vehicle-filled roads.

"It's a bit of reclaiming the streets," said Sarah Reader, a 23-year-old from London. "I cycle ten miles a day and London's built up such a car culture.

"When I first heard of it I didn't think it was a political thing, but when you think about it, it will make cyclists visible.

"I think it will be incredibly liberating and it's a bit cheeky. We might start off with underwear then ditch it later on," she said.

Read the full story: Cyclists strip off in central London

Photo by Leon Neal / AFP / Getty Images

Cars in NYC bike lanes get stickered

The Daily Green reports on the controversial stickers (right) that some activists are putting on cars parked in bicycle lanes in New York City. Parking in bike lanes is against the law.

The anonymous group - who started putting the stickers on the offending vehicles last week - has already handed out "a couple hundred."

They claim it's a safety issue, yet the car owners could consider it vandalism even though they are breaking the law by parking in a bike lane.

As one commenter wrote: "some bicyclists will just pick their bike up and slam it into the car and continue on their way. This does a lot more damage than a sticker on the window or bumper."

Read the full story: A sticker situation - cars in the bike lane get a wake-up call

Photo from The Daily Green

Bike through Germany to French border

Stars and Stripes reports on a buddy bike trip from Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany to France's border.

Ben Bloker and his friend Nick took a two-day bike trip through Saarland and connected to the Glan-Blies-Weg, "a touring path that runs from Glan-Münchweiler in Germany to Sarreguemines, just across the border in France."

Pre-ride preparation was minimal. We rented a lightweight tent from Ramstein Air Base’s Outdoor Recreation office and split it up for the ride. My buddy, Nick, had a commuting bike that was already tour-ready. My mountain bike required some skinny tires and the installation of a rear rack. We packed our panniers with sleeping bags, camping pad, water and extra clothing.

Read the full story: The basics of bike touring

Photo by Ben Bloker / Stars and Stripes

SC to develop bicycle-only community

The State reports that Lexington County, South Carolina is planning to develop a bicycle-only subdivision near Gaston.

It will have no asphalt. It will have miles of trails and ponds for boating. It will have eco-friendly homes. And residents and their visitors will have to park their cars outside the community and bike — or walk — to their homes.

Developers have spent nearly $1 million to buy 140 acres about 15 miles south of Columbia, according to land records. They also have hired community designer Ozzie Nagler, planner of Harbison and the Three Rivers Greenway.

“It could become an eco-tourism destination,” said Joe Mellett, a Cincinnati-based Internet marketer and one of the developers.

Read the full story:Developers plan to build bicycle-only community

Photo from The State

Ride a bike in Mexico City

The Christian Science Monitor reports on the new bicycle friendliness of Mexico City.

How to help this sprawled-out city choked with more than 4 million vehicles and rampant air pollution? Ride a bike, says Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard.

New infrastructure, road closures, and bike-sharing programs are helping to promote the two-wheel answer to congestion and poor air quality. There’s the “Muevete en Bici,” which opens 8.7 miles of major avenues to only cyclists on Sundays. The city has also promised to build new bike parking and 186 miles of bike paths by 2012. There are bike racks in the Metro stations as well as bicycle-designated subway cars. Bike-sharing programs abound, the largest being the newly launched EcoBici (EcoBike) that has 1,100 bikes for use. It is the first of its kind in Latin America.

Read the full story: Mexico City makes way for bicycles

Photo by Alfredo Estrella / AFP

Pedal the New Zealand monorail

Reuters video (that does not allow embedding anymore by the way) reports on a new bicycling monorail in New Zealand.

The Schweeb utilizes a special clear pod that users pedal to get around on the set monorail track in Rotorua, New Zealand.

Right now it's in development but the creators hope to incorporate their technology in cities as a clean transport system.

Watch the video: A monorail that gets you pedaling

Three years across Siberia to London

The Guardian newspaper reports on the bicyclist who rode across Siberia back to London.

Rob Lilwall's journey took him over 30,000 miles from the far eastern edge of Siberia, through Japan, South Korea, Australia, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Europe and finally back to the UK.

Read the full story: Cycling home from Siberia

Photo by Rob Lilwall

Electric bikes growing eco-vehicle market in Japan

Reuters reports on the growing popularity of electric bikes in Japan.

Japan's motor-assisted bicycles use a small electric motor and battery pack mounted inconspicuously on the bicycle to propel the rider, constantly adjusting the motor's force to the speed and resistance of the pedaling.

That makes cycling up a hill or while carrying a heavy load a cinch, winning over a growing number of elderly and housewives in Japan. Sales of electric bicycles more than doubled from 2000 to 315,000 last year, as they became more affordable and practical.

Read the full story: Electric bicycles ride "green" demand in Japan

Ride a bike, power a bus, get paid

The Christian Science Monitor reports on the new conception bike-sharing program that the designer hopes will create energy to power a hybrid-bus system.

Chiyu Chen, a design student at the Royal College of Art, has conceived of an urban bike sharing program that not only provides riders utility, but also powers the local bus system – and pays them to do so.

Users check out specially designed bikes from a locking station using an ID card. Inside the bikes is a system that stores kinetic energy generated from braking. Riders go where they need to, and when they’re finished, bring the bike back to the locking station. Locking up the bike transfers the energy generated by the trip into the city grid – or, as Chen envisions, into a hybrid bus system.

Ride enough – and generate enough energy – and bike sharers can earn a bus pass. Completing the trifecta: the locking stations would be placed near bus stations, both to make renting a bike convenient and to facilitate easy bike-to-bus recharging.

Read the full story: Bike sharing that creates energy - and pays you to ride?

Winery tour by bike through Tuscany

Stars and Stripes reports on a bike and winery tour through Italy's Tuscany.

We were in the Maremma region of southern Tuscany. Its wines are not as well known as those other Tuscan favorites: Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile of Montepulciano. Yet, the area produces some excellent vintages that are gaining recognition among producers and consumers.

Biking was often off-road, on gravel paths surrounded by farm fields and distant hills. We did encounter some uphill pedaling, but nothing too strenuous.

Read the full story: Bicycle tour takes riders to three Tuscany wine estates

Grab a pedal-powered ride in Pensacola

The Ecolocalizer blog reports on the new pedicabs in Pensacola, Florida.

Foot Taxi will offer tourists rides on eight pedicabs around the old downtown area.

"'It’s a completely ‘green’ way to get around,” [said co-founder Joe Abston]. 'The last thing we wanted our business to do was add to a global environmental problem.'"

The rides are free, but riders encouraged to give the peddlers tips.

Read the full story: Pensacola goes pedicabbing

Mini-bars, cable, and bikes

USA Today reports on a few hotels around the country that offer the perk of free bicycles.

• The Gansevoort South in Miami Beach offers glow-in-the-dark Puma bikes. (pictured right)

• The Bowery Hotel in Manhattan lets guests saddle up on red Jamis "Earth Cruisers."

• The James Chicago lends hip Paul Frank cruisers.

The W Hotel chain offered free bicycles last earth day

Read the full story: Green-peddling hotels hop on bicycle craze

Australian cyclist says "Free Tibet"

Ecotravel News has previously written about the ethical and environmental responsibility travelers have when visiting countries with repressive regimes. And we were especially disappointed in China's violent response to Tibetan protesters last March.

So we were happy to see on Phayul.com that the Australia cycling star Cadel Evans has "vocalized his opinion on the situation in Tibet."

Phayul writes that Evans compared the treatment of Tibetans by Han Chinese as similar to Aborigines by whites in Australia.

The Olympic Committee protocols make any kind of political protest during the Games illegal.

Read the full story: Cyclist Cadel Evans speaks out on Tibet as he leaves Beijing

Happy 1-year anniversary Ecotravel News

Pacific Grove, the tourist and car-free alternative to Monterey

The San Francisco Chronicle has a story for those travelers who want to experience the beautiful area of the Monterey Peninsula without the tourist and vehicle overload.

Pacific Grove, just northwest of Monterey, is easy to enjoy by walking and best of all doesn't have the crowds like its more touristy neighbor. There are scenic walks through the downtown and along the coast, where you can also go by bike.

"After exploring downtown (all five or six blocks of it), stroll north three blocks on 17th Street to find Monterey Bay, Lovers Point Park and the Adventures by the Sea rental office, where you can pick up bikes. Lovers Point is the southern terminus of the Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail (the other end is 18 miles north in Castroville), but there's an unpaved trail that continues (most of the time) along the coast, weaving along the narrow slice of land between Ocean View Boulevard and the bay."

Read the full story: Quiet, compact Pacific Grove best suited to going car-free

Out of Idaho with outdoor blast

Idaho Statesman editor David Parker, who is moving away from Idaho, decided to spend his last days in the Gem State on an outdoor adventure that included hiking, biking and rafting in the Sawtooths easily reached from the town of Stanley.

The mountain bike portion of Parker's trip was the scenic 18-mile Fisher-Williams loop in the White Cloud Mountains that took him through "aspen trees and sagebrush, across creeks, up steep climbs and - of course - down some ripping singletrack." This bike trail is 14 miles south of Stanley.

Parker's overnight backpacking hiking trip took him to Sawtooth lake. He took the Iron Creek Trailhead which is just north of Stanley.

Rafting down the Salmon River is an experience that outdoors enthusiasts can't leave Idaho without doing and the last outdoor adventure that Parker did:

"A soak in the icy waters of the Salmon is a good way to cap off a weekend in the Sawtooths, whether you're floating the river or just hopping in."

Read the full story: How would you spend your last days in Idaho?

First shared bikes, now shared cars

Paris introduced the bike sharing program called Velib a year ago (with much success), now they plan to do the same with electric cars.

The Guardian newspaper reports that 4,000 electric cars, called Autolib, will be put to use around the city and its outlying areas - and it will be the first electric car sharing scheme in the world:

"Paris city hall said 700 Autolib pick-up points would be set up across the Paris area, 200 of which will be underground. A driver could pick up a car, for example, in the east of the city and drop it off in the west after a short journey."

Read the full story: Paris plans help-yourself green car hire

Slow travel for our 100th post

Ecotravel News is celebrating our 100th post with a story about "slow travel," the ultimate in eco-travel.

Slow travel is essentially traveling without the airplanes that everyone knows are bad for the environment and slowing down and enjoying the journey to the new country.

One man that slow traveled around the world is Ed Gillespie who spoke to NPR recently about his journey:

"'What is the purpose of travel?' [Gillespie] asks. 'Is it about a checklist of sights that we want to go and see? ... Or is it actually about the notion of just getting away? And can we experience that notion of getting away with methods that don't have the same kind of environmental impact that unfortunately flying does?'"

Listen to his interview: First slow food, now a movement for slow travel

Visit little-known national parks near Seattle

Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Getaways section highlights new and relatively unknown state wilderness areas worth visiting:

"Over the past 15 or more years, thousands of acres in dozens of plots have been acquired all over [King] county. Today the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks manages 180 parks totaling 5,000 acres, plus 20,000 more acres of open space, 175 miles of official trails and uncounted miles of unofficial 'local' trails that lace much of the newer lands."

Because a lot of these acquired lands are so new, they're not well-known and the county land managers are trying to get nature-lovers to come visit. Hiking, biking and horseback riding are just some of the outdoor activities welcome throughout the various terrains and trails.

And one of the best features about these unknown areas is that there are very few other visitors. The article's author Greg Johnston tried out a two-hour hike and encountered only four other people.

Read the full story: King County has acres of newly acquired public space, but few are using it