"The road is therefore, representative of many things on a symbolic, psychological, and practical level. It exists in a symbiotic relationship to the automobile for example, which is in turn related to the oil industry, which has a relationship to the military industrial complex and so on. The more roads there are, the more cars there are. The more cars there are, the more need for oil there is. The more need there is for oil, the more weapons are needed. The more weapons there are... This chain could equally be read in reverse, each link the catalyst for another chain reaction, and it is hard to say, at least for someone like myself who is not well versed in history, which came first: the chicken or the egg? The car or the cruise missile? This is inevitably a simplistic assessment of the situation but the point is, the road and its particular language (i.e. street markings) is for me, loaded with significance and therefore, ripe for re-interpretation. And because the road seems to take itself so seriously it is also a tempting target for satire. Road markings are for me, a metaphor for a certain state of mind and relationship to the outside world that is endemic of our time, and is engendered by driving."
Via NY Arts Magazine
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
University of Toronto LED Billboard Hacking
Photos by Kevin Bracken via Spacing a few years ago.
An action by U of T student group called 'Cars Off Campus".
How-To Link
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Repair Order From The Past
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Sign Of The Times
"(No Bicycles/Pedestrians) Unless when economic interests may be at stake'
Photo/Illustration by Tiago Costa Nepomuceno
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
O.U.R.S. Victoria, B.C. Follow-Up
By Steve Carey from the Times Colonist
"Marr also mentioned that the folding of Victoria’s cycling advisory committee in 2009 into a new Environment and Infrastructure Public Advisory Committee is frustrating to Victoria’s cycling community, as there is no longer a formal communication channel.
That frustration came out when a group painted sharrows, markers meant to remind motorists to share the road, along Hillside Road and other cycling routes. The markers are common in cycling hubs such as Seattle, and are used in Saanich. The Victoria sharrows were removed by the city, which cited liability issues. The GVCC board of directors states that better communication would prevent these actions."
Clearly the GVCC is out of touch with reality just as much as the City of Victoria.
The only thing preventing such wonderful actions is safe passage for cyclist in Victoria ...NOW!
Everything else is just talk. Taking action instead like painting the sharrows on Hillside Road is a pure declaration of love to the city of Victoria and all its residents and especially cyclists. Sadly those who think they are speaking and acting on behalf of cyclists and residents refuse to accept this love letter written in paint for what it is: sanity.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
URS X The City of Curitiba
In 2007' World Carfree Day, more than 50 bicyclist's painted the first bike lane of Curitiba (Brazil). Three of them were arrested and accused of "environmental crime". The City decided to charge them in 3.000 reais (around 1.500 us dollars).
After some unsuccessfull appeals to the courts and directly to the Mayor, they decided to pay the bill and then charge the City for not following the Brazilian Traffic Code, that says that every city has to build infrastructure for bicyclists. Some fundraising events happened and the next chapter of the brave Curitiba Repair Squad X The Autocratic City battle has just begun.
More information (in portuguese) here and here.
Friday, December 18, 2009
CCA 'Actions' Exhibition Photos
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Slow Down! People's Lives At Stake.
After Fernando Couto was killed by a bus in Sao Paulo on October 26 local activists and the bus drivers union got together to install a warning message designed to calm traffic at the site of the collision. Inspiring.
Photos by William Cruz: Link
Thursday, December 10, 2009
The Next Day In Brooklyn
More News Stories
Updates
Funeral Procession Dec. 13 Video
Naked Protest Ride Dec. 19
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Brooklyn - Repaint A Bike Lane Action
"Do not try to remove [bike lanes], or we will put them back for our own safety."
Links:
http://www.avclub.com/newyork/articles/guerilla-cyclists-paint-illegal-bike-lanes-in-broo,36122/
http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/12/07/guerrilla-stripers-paint-back-bedford-avenue-bike-lane/
http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/12/07/hasidic-cyclists-joined-up-with-secular-riders-in-bedford-ave-re-striping/
Treehugger Article:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/12/nyc-brooklyn-cyclists-repaint-removed-bike-lane-middle-night-video-bedford-street.php
Friday, December 4, 2009
Urban Repair Squad Photos on the TTC!
Contacting Toronto: What's Your Revolution | Contact 2009 Photography FestivalProjects will play on the Onestop TTC screens, cycling every 10 minutes all day, for the month of May.
Contacting Toronto is an annual, open-call photography exhibition on the Onestop network of over 270 TTC screens. It offers artists and photographers an audience of 1.3 million people a day in over 50 stations.
What’s Your Revolution? is curated by Sharon Switzer and co-produced by Onestop Media Group and Art for Commuters.
A schedule of when each project is screening will be posted here at the end of April. The works will also be available here for viewing, so you can watch the ones you loved again, or catch the ones you missed. Online schedule
Some Sample images
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Guerrilla Bike Lanes on Oak Street
San Fransisco, July 2009
Then in 2012, came the bike lane. http://www.sfbike.org/?fell
Friday, November 6, 2009
New Photo of URS (Toronto)
Photo by Michael D'Amico. "Brave, very brave."
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