Europeans

Go Dutch

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is only a six-hour flight from Dammam and landing there is a gateway to one of the world’s most introspective and progressive nations. With around 20,000 kilometers of cycle paths, it is also the most bicycle-friendly country on earth; with a population of 16 million, the Netherlands has more bicycles than it has people. Due to the flatness of the terrain — it’s called the Low Lands for a reason: 65 percent of the Netherlands lies below sea level — a veteran cyclist can easily cover distances of up to 100 kilometers in a day and a week’s cycling holiday can take in much of the country from the city of Groningen in the north to Maastricht in the south.

Arriving from summertime Saudi Arabia, where the car is king, the cool breezes blowing in off the North Sea are a true breath of fresh air. Other than motorways, all Dutch roads are paralleled by cycle lanes, with their own traffic lights and median strips. In fact, in certain areas, such as national parks, some of the coastal islands and along the endless stretches of shoreline, the bicycle is the only form of transport allowed. Housewives and pensioners ride to the shops, white-collar workers to the office, laborers to the construction site and children to school. This adds up to zero pollution and a very fit populace, as the health benefits lead to strong legs, heart and lungs.

Source: Arab News

The Future of Cargo on Bikes (and the Present, Too!) : TreeHugger

For a long while now, bike manufacturers have as a general rule chased the sporty side of the bicycle market - mountain, road and racing bikers - and concentrated less on the "slower" urban cycling market. That's because, according to product designer Mark Sanders , bicycles haven't been considered a consumer product. The meme is shifting, however, as more of us take to commuter biking, and it's refreshing to see a new crop of cargo solutions and prototype ideas for getting the shopping and the schlepping from point A to point B on a bicycle, with a minimum of hassle.
A view of the Travoy trailer hitch without any cargo. Photo credit Burley @ flickr.
Burley's Travoy is the only one of the concepts show here that is delivering soon. Travoy combines the best of a lighweight dolly (it weighs in at 10 pounds) with some pretty serious lifting capabilities (60 pounds of cargo). While the Travoy bags still lack a little bit of the cycle chic style and novelty choice women like to have (in other words they tend a bit toward the sporty, utilitarian with the design and colors), you really have to hand it to Burley in taking the cargo concept a big step forward. Product manager Eric Hanson says Travoy was inspired by European hitches but benefitted from Burley's 30 years of experience building reliable and high-quality trailers. Travoy hitches to a bike seat post, and allows you to haul anything from your lunch, your purse and your keys to three full cases of beer....