European countries continue to blow the United States out of the water when it comes to encouraging the use of bicycles, with a fun new feature added to a Belgian bike path network. In the northwestern province of Limburg, an hour or so outside of Brussels, biking enthusiasts can now “cycle through the trees” on an elevated circular path.

Located on the Limburg cycle route network near junction 272 in Bosland, Hechtel-Eksel, “Cycling Through the Trees” allows users to feel like E.T. soaring among the treetops at heights of up to 10 meters (32 feet).

“The new cycle path climbs gradually so that you can cycle through the treetops. You ride 700 metres along a cycle bridge – a double circle 100 metres in diameter – that slowly rises to a height of 10 metres before then descending again, giving you a sensational 360° experience! Safety is ensured thanks to a subtle wire net with a handrail, and the path’s three metre width gives everyone enough room. This makes ‘Cycling through the Trees’ an accessible experience for everyone.”

“Cycling Through the Trees” comes after the grand opening of “Cycling Through the Water,” another cool feature on the Limburg bike network emphasizing connection with nature. On that one, the cycle path stakes you right through the pond from one bank to another, below water level.

“You don’t need to wear wellies or a wetsuit because, as lucky would have it, you say on dry land. At one point you cycle with the surface of the water at eye level on both sides.”

Considering that more than a third of Dutch people use a bike as their main mode of transportation every day, it’s no surprise that the world’s largest bicycle garage is located in Utrecht. Recently completed by the firm Ector Hoogstad Architecten, the cavernous three-story bike parking facility is tucked beneath Utrecht Central Station, which is currently in the midst of a major makeover that aims to make this part of the city more sustainable, walkable and vibrant.

While various “modernizations” in the 60s and 70s made the area around Utrecht Central Station more car-friendly, the ongoing project to update the station is doing the opposite. The growing popularity of e-bikes and rising consciousness about the climate crisis are contributing to more bike riders than ever in the Netherlands, which will require new and modified public transport hubs with plenty of amenities for cyclists.

A modernist building that once connected the railway station to the adjacent shopping mall has been dismantled, allowing for a new public pedestrian street and square to be inserted along with the new bike garage, say the architects.

“The three storey bicycle parking is situated underneath the square. It has been designed with three aims in mind:  convenience, speed and safety. In order to achieve this in a facility of this scale cyclists are enabled to pedal all the way up to their parking slot. The parking lanes branch off the cycle paths, to ensure that users do not get in the way of cyclists passing through the system.”

“Room for mounting and dismounting is left alongside the cycling lanes. Modestly sloping ramps connect the parking areas on different levels The walls are colour-coded to indicate the routing, and electronic  signals indicate the position of free parking slots. Additional facilities such as a cycle repair shop, a cycle rental outlet and several floor managers meet users’ every need.”

“Stairwells and tunnels create direct connections to the elevated square, the main terminal building and the platforms. Ensuring good orientation and plenty of daylight, the stairwells are located inside atria covered by glass roofs. Large windows in the outer walls allow users views toward the platforms and the bus terminal.”

Featuring generous proportions and raw surfaces made of concrete, steel and wood, the garage feels clean and modern, with just as much care and attention given to it as you’d see in a high-profile parking garage for cars in the United States, like Miami’s 1111 Lincoln Road by Herzog de Meuron.

Check out more photos at EctorHoogstad.com.

Spending what feels like forever cruising around a crowded downtown area looking for parking can be highly frustrating, but there’s an obvious solution: take alternative transportation. Decades of car-centric culture around the world have made it difficult to pry people out of their vehicles and into the seats of buses, trains and bicycles, but what if those modes of transportation were a lot easier to access and enjoy? A new collaboration between Dutch bicycle brand Union and ad agency Natwerk aims to do just that with a fun mobile parking shed for bikes.

One could argue that there’s ample space to park bicycles all over the city of Amsterdam (and most cities, for that matter) while parking spots for cars are harder to come by, therefore the pop-up is taking up valuable space. But that’s part of the point. The project demonstrates how many more people could get around if there were fewer individual vehicles on the road, especially those with a single occupant. In fact, Union argues that there are still too man parking spaces for cars instead of bicycles in a city where cycling is so popular.

Though it hasn’t been approved by the city, the mobile bike parking shed gets away with occupying parking spaces through a loophole; as required by law, it has its own license plate so the operator can pay for parking like everyone else. The parking shed was quite a spectacle while in motion, but once parked along one of the city’s poshest shopping streets, it stirred up some controversy. Dutch news site Fonk Online reports that angry shopkeepers at adjacent businesses worried their car-driving customers would be put out, while passersby complained that “the motorist is already being bullied too much.”

Frank de Ruwe, the creative network of Natwerk, shrugs off these responses. “Cycling is simply better for the world than driving. Everyone agrees.”

Since cars are still so convenient, it might take more than a little “bullying” to prompt people to consider alternatives. While bicycling is not for everyone, and some people still need to drive due to cargo or disabilities, cities would be a lot more pleasant (and emit a lot fewer greenhouse gases) if they contained fewer cars. While occupying more parking spaces for other uses would undoubtedly upset a lot of drivers, it could also provide a bit of a helpful push toward a new way of thinking about urban transit.

The loneliness of mostly-abandoned Route 66 is all the more cutting for the towns that once thrived along its 2,448-mile length, many of which declined or dried up altogether when it was decommissioned in the 1970s and ‘80s. The famous route that brought migrants west during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s and served as a symbol of the open road in later decades became irrelevant with the construction of new highways, and while some states have incorporated it into local roadways, many stretches were left to crumble. Now, the United States Bicycle Route 66 is set to revive it, following roughly the same course.

The first official sections of this new recreational route opened in June 2018, starting in St. Louis and running across Missouri before cutting through a narrow 13-mile slice of extreme southeastern Kansas. These segments are part of the U.S. Bike Route System, a developing national network of officially recognized bicycle routes around the country. If the other six states of the original Route 66 get on board, it could become one of the longest bike routes in the nation, connecting to other key bicycle touring routes like the Transamerica Trail (USBR 76) and the Mississippi River Trail.

That’s great news for cyclists, not to mention the towns most affected by the decline of Route 66, which could see new tourist activity. Plus, the new bike route will likely be joined by additional development and protections in the future, since the U.S. House of Representatives officially designated Route 66 a National Historic Trail in June, promising federal oversight and funds for preservation and promotion. Towns like Peach Springs and Seligman, Arizona, which flourished and then floundered as they were bypassed by new highways, could amp up their Route 66 nostalgia tourism for cyclists, too.

Not that bicyclists don’t already follow the path of Route 66; it was mapped by the Adventure Cycling Association in 2015, and adventurers made their way across it before that, too. But signs are hard to come by, and in some segments, riders have to cruise along the shoulder of I-40. The new segment of the official bike route is paved and marked, running alongside lots of tourist stops packed with memorabilia.

CityLab has more details on the new Route 66 bike route. To learn more about the history of the road, check out ‘Could new legislation lead to a Route 66 economic revival?’ on The Conversation.

Ride your bike in style with crocheted skirt guards, leather beer carriers, hand-carved saddles and picnic sets that cost more than your car. These luxurious bicycle accessories will make sure you’re ready for drinks at the park or a fashion shoot with Vogue while also outfitted in top-of-the-line practical gear worthy of even the most serious cyclists.

DIY Built-In Bike Bar

This DIY mini bar is built right into the unused section of a bike’s frame, packed full of coasters, cups, bar tools and mixers with a lid that folds down to become a tiny triangular table. It’s a pretty clever idea for picnics – just don’t drink and bike. Want one of your own? You’ll have to make it yourself, since it’s so particular to the individual shape of your bicycle.

Leather Growler & Six Pack Carriers

If beer is more your (bike) speed, there are options for that, too – like a fancy lather carrier that holds either a six-pack or an entire growler and mounts to your saddle or frame. The full-grain leather growler coozie by Cicada Leather Company fits most 64-ounce glass growlers, and Walnut Studio’s ‘Bicycle Beer Combo’ comes with a ‘frame cinch’ design, which can be used to carry anything with a handle on the top tube of your bike.

Crocheted Skirt Guard

Why sacrifice your fashion sense while biking? Not only does this crocheted add-on make your bike look fancy, it enables you to wear skirts and dresses without worrying about them getting caught in your spokes. Made by Knits for Life, it comes in two sizes and snaps onto the fender with included clips.

World’s Most Expensive Bicycle Saddle

If you can’t afford the whole Fendi shebang, but still want to drop a giant wad of cash on your ride, replace your saddle with one of three designs by Crown Saddles – the Graf Ludwig, the Konig Friedrich or the Herzog Eberhart. The priciest saddles in the world, with the Herzog boasting a price tag of €1554 Euros (around $1700 USD), the saddles are made of lightweight carbon fiber and Kevlar Rowling with airbrush finishing.

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Bike Life 12 Luxurious Accessories For The Discerning Cyclist