The Life-Sized City Blog

Thanks to our reader, Tim, for sending us the above photo of Australian sheepshearers on their bicycles. The bicycle is credited rightly with improving the human gene pool in the way that it increased the mobility radius for people not only in cities but also in rural areas. After the invention of the bicycle and the subsequent bicycle boom in the late 1880's, family names that were previously rooted to specific towns or regions started showing up in the registries of (relatively) far-flung parishes in the UK. The same is true for rural America and Australia. The inexpensive independent mobility that the bicycle provided allowed men and women to travel farther further in the search for work and... well... TLC. These photographs are from the Flickr photostream of the State Library of New South Wales . Stanmore, NSW, Australia. May, 1946. Albury, NSW, Australia. December, 1938. NSW, Australia. June 1937. An explanation is probably needed: "Tom Morris, who will attem...

Gerry from Infodesign in Australia sent us this great - and visionary considering the situation in Australia - example of how Sydney is putting some thought and money into promoting A2Bism as a way to encourage cycling in the city. Cycleways - To get us all home faster. More bikes. Less traffic. Check out the Sydney Cycleways website to see examples of other rather interesting slogans in use for the campaign. All and all it looks like a refreshingly modern and progressive campaign. Far from the traditional bike advocacy stuff you see. A great approach to sell the idea of infrastructure - and bicycle transport in general - to the broader - and sceptical - population.