BRaIN gives a nice overview of “yellow bike” rental schemes (historical, proposed and real) in Paris, Chicago; San Francisco; New York; Washington, DC; Portland, OR; and even Lexington, Kentucky. The Bike Sharing Blog covers this trend in detail.

• A positive relationship exists between the built environment and levels of biking and walking.
• Where levels of biking and walking are higher, bicycle and pedestrian safety is greater.
• Cities with strong Thunderhead organizations generally have high levels of biking and walking.
• Higher levels of biking and walking coincide with lower levels of obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes and higher levels of adults meeting recommended levels of daily physical activity. This suggests that increased biking and walking would contribute to a healthier society.
• Data revealed that while some cities and states lead others as models for bicycle and pedestrian policies and provisions, all states and cities have a need for improvement.

Volunteers needed for bicycle and pedestrian counts in Minneapolis. Details at Velocipete.

Sister Julie is a Catholic nun who blogs about bicycling. It’s kind of fascinating. For one thing, I had never seen a nun in bike shorts before. Via Bicycle Champaign-Urbana.

Grist details the differences between the U.S. House and Senate versions of the 2007 Energy Bill. I’ve mentioned previously that the BIG difference of interest to cyclists is the House version contains a provision for a bike commuter tax benefit, while the Senate version does not. Contact your U.S. Senator and ask them to support inclusion of Bike Commuter benefits in Senate Bill 1419, the “Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007.”

MAKE: a bike powered by a portable electric drill.

Utility Cyclism: Appropriate bicycles for utility cycling.

Iowa announces Safe Routes to School program.

Beverly Hills cops blame the victim. The way the cops treat cyclists there is infuriating. Beverly Hills holds the dubious distinction of being #1 in the State of California for pedestrian deaths for a city of its size. Via Industry Outsider. Oh, and LAist used a photo by Yours Truly.

People oriented cities are cycling friendly cities.

Watch this space for Interbike 2007 news in a couple of weeks.

Here’s a cute article in the New York Observer about bicycles as fashion accessories:

Vikki Eichmann was striding through the Union Square farmers’ market, one hand steering a sea-green, 1970’s Schwinn Breeze bicycle and the other tossing a curtain of silky brown hair over her bony shoulder. She was wearing a strapless plum-colored sundress and $400 Cole Haan knee-high boots. “They’re perfect because they’re sturdy and I don’t get scratches or bruises from the bike or anything,” Ms. Eichmann said, stopping to pick through a crate of peaches. “Plus they just plain look cute on a bike.”

BikeSnob NYC gripes about these “beautiful Godzillas” on 2 wheels — it reminds me of the 90s when anybody with a dialup account could get Internet access and all of the old timers (like me) griped and complained about the mass market availability of the Internet — but I like that urban trendsetters are using bicycles to get around.

Ms. Rose’s first adult trike was purchased on eBay; her second custom-built by one George Bliss, owner of the Hub Station on Morton Street, who specializes in pimping rides for the new set of beautiful bicycle girls. “Lela shows that you can carry a load on a bicycle and look glamorous,” Mr. Bliss said. “She’s really inspired me, and now I’m focusing on the tricycle child carrier as a product for upscale women in SoHo. … That’s the niche, professionals and models because, you know, if you go to a cocktail party, you’ve got to have something to talk about. ‘Green? What’s green? Oh, bicycling!’

“Women are our best customers,” Mr. Bliss continued. “They know what they want. That’s all that really matters.”

Read more in the New York Observer.