The Life-Sized City Blog

Readers may recall Copenhagenize's call for logical campaigns - why not legislation - for health warning on cars , like the ones we see on cigarette packets. This features in the talk I give in many cities: Four Goals for Promoting Urban Cycling. It always gets a laugh and often gets a mention in the press coverage of the talks. You can then imagine my thrill upon recieving the following photo from our reader Marián, in the Czech Republic. Look at that. What a billboard. Right there on the left, slapped bravely and boldly onto a gridlock photo is the health warning label for the new millenium. It reads, in Czech, "Driving a car harms you and your environment" Brilliant. Okay, it's a Czech Bicycle Industry advert at the Bike Brno 2010 Expo and not a government campaign but hey... this is a brilliant start. And much needed in the Czech Republic. Prague is a black hole on the map regarding urban cycling. Bicycles are returning to the strangest cities these days, but Prag...

Imagine my surprise at Prague Airport when, while waiting outside to be picked up, I saw a taxi driver in the line of taxis pushing his car forward to the front of the line. Imagine my further surprise when all the taxi drivers in the long line followed suit. How completely bizarre and how completely cool. I wonder if there are similar laws in Czech Republic as in Denmark about having to turn off your engine if you're motionless for for than two minutes. Whatever the case, it was brilliant to see all these men pushing their big, fancy, late model Volkswagons. I was lecturing about Marketing Bicycle Culture in the city of Pardubice yesterday and am currently in Prague. More on the state of the bicycle union in the two cities later.