I just thought I'd share a couple of interesting things I've come across recently. First is a collection of photos of cyclists in Amsterdam taken by an American tourist in 2006.

http://www.ski-epic.com/amsterdam_bicycles/

Things that should become fairly obvious include the fact that nobody seems to wear helmets or cycling clothing that are typical for North Americans. I could be wrong but I'm not sure I'd consider myself or those that frequent these forums as part of the "Spandex and lycra" crowd either.

I also read an article in the Globe and Mail about bicycling in Bogata, Columbia. I'm not sure if the article is available online but I'll try to sum up the major points.

-Enrique Penalosa, former mayor of Bogata, shelved highway expansion plans and poured the billions saved into parks, schools, libraries, bike routes, and the world's longest "pedestrian freeway"

-School enrollment was boosted by 30%, 1200 parks built, the downtown was revitalized, and running water was provided to hundreds of thousands of the city's poor

-Gas taxes were increased and car owners were prohibited from driving during rush hour more than three times per week

-Traffic deaths have fallen dramatically during Penalosa's term and traffic now moves three times faster

-Prime space on the city's main arteries has been handed over to the Transmilenio, a bus rapid transit system based on that of Curitiba, Brazil

-Every Sunday since the 1970s, Bogata has blocked off its major roads so that citizens can jog, walk or bicycle in safety. More than two million Bogatans come to play, picnic, do aerobics, and buy food from mobile vendors

-Former mayor Antanus Mockus (could that possibly be his real name?) hired mimes to make fun of bad drivers. He also gave out thousands of coloured cars (like those used by soccer officials) so that people could express their disproval of others' driving.

-Supposedly, citizens voted to ban cars entirely during rush hour by 2015 (I'll believe that one when I see it)

The downside to all of this? Apparently only 20% of Bogatans own vehicles. However, with a population of 8 million, that still makes for 1.6 million cars.