Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has just announced that the city will open its own bicycle sharing system. The 4,000-bike, 400-station system will be rolled out over two years, likely beginning in late 2012.

“It’s an opportunity to use bikes to a greater degree than we have in the past, and just to give people an alternative to the single person automobile, says Villaraigosa. He’s hoping the new system, along with the expansion of bike lanes and the public transit system will change the way the city moves. “This is a city that’s realized that it’s got to move on.”

Unlike systems in many other cities, L.A.’s bike sharing system will be implemented, operated and funded by a private company. Bike Nation, the L.A.-based company..

atlanticcities, 15.04.12.

“airless tires and a chain-free design”???

LA is so ahead of San Diego already.. If Nathan Fletcher, the only bike-friendly mayoral candidate, doesn’t get elected, I’ll have even more motive to move.

In 2008, Sweden’s No. 1 burger chain got rid of its kids’-meal boxes and, contrary to expectations, sales of the meals rose. Apparently parents who are facing the prospect of their children scrabbling for survival on this wrecked cinder of a planet don’t like creating needless trash? At least in Sweden, anyway.

Max has even taken the unusual step of trying to nudge customers toward its vegetarian options by showing them that the beef version of its burger leads to five times as much carbon emissions. Sales of non-beef burgers went up 16 percent.

via grist.org: Swedish fast food chain makes bank by becoming ‘Klimatsmart!’, 13.04.12.

more: timemag, 09.04.12.

and there’s a “Minimize Me” campaign—contrary to America’s favourite fast food slogan.

how many more reasons to love Swedes/Sweden/Scandinavia?

san diego just got darker.

like 2-3 blocks of Sixth Ave. along Balboa Park are totally dark. 

but ahead by Spruce where there’s a building on construction, I noticed 4 white streetlights, contrasting to the other lights which are yellow. Is the City switching out yellow of white lights? I hope so. (Studies have shown white lights increase sense of safety. and I don’t like yellow lights personally.) But anyway, six streetlights shouldn’t be out.

glad I got a new, brighter bike headlight yesterday. (cateye EL320)

the last 2-3 blocks to my place are also totally dark (but never had streetlights anyway). I think I need like half a car headlight or something.

The move will be even bigger and more complex than the 1999 move of the German government from Bonn to Berlin, organisers say. 

At least 2,800 truck journeys will have to be made from the old airports to the new one before June 3, when the Berlin Brandenburg Willy Brandt airport will open its check-in desks for the first flights…

Tegel airport, in the north of the city, will shut in the next few weeks. Schönefeld, in the south east, will be fusing with Brandenburg. 

“It is the first time that two airports will move overnight,” said spokesman for the €2.5 billion new airport, Leif Erichsen..

thelocal.de, 11.04.12.

what are they going to do to TXL/Tegel?? green it into a park like the other shut down airport, Tempelhof? 

I’m glad that there will be an actual world class airport in Berlin—Tegel und Schönefeld sind ganz schlecht—but it’s not actually in Berlin. It’s outside of city boundaries in the greater Brandenburg municipality. 

It’ll most likely take more than an hour to get there from west Berlin. Though of course I’m expecting Deutsche Bahn to make a new express airport route.

The eastern German city of Leipzig began a four-day offer of free public transport to drivers Tuesday in a bid to get them out of their cars for good.

“Commuters who use us regularly have already made the right decision. Now we would like to invite drivers to use us for four days after Easter at no cost and without stress.”

During the promotion called “Down with the Petrol Price Insanity — Time to Switch,” drivers and their family members can present a car registration instead of a bus or rail ticket.

Leipzig, a city of about 500,000 about 150 kilometres south-west of Berlin, is the first German city to make the offer. 

German petrol prices hit a record high last week. A litre of premium petrol currently costs about €1.70.

thelocal.de, 10.04.12.

€1.70/liter = US$8.43/gallon

would you be driving if gas cost that much here?

at least not as many people are complaining about $4.50/gallon gas anymore..

Several sources report that Susanna Schick, also known as Pinkyracer, was chased down and apparently struck by a white Lexus while riding in Downtown L.A. around 11:30 Friday night. Details are still sketchy, but it appears to have been road rage attack; the driver fled the scene following the collision.

The car is described as a recent model, white midsize Lexus, either two or four doors, with tinted windows. The driver is described as a well-dressed, olive-complected man around 6′ tall, with a well-dressed female passenger.

If you see a car that matches the description, do not attempt to stop him yourself. Call the LAPD Central Traffic Division at 1-213-972-1853 and let them handle it. Or if you witnessed any part of the incident or have any pertinent information…

bikinginla, 08.04.12.

late friday night — seems more like some drunk rich guy showing off to his girlfriend than regular road rage.