Community Archives - Page 7 of 24

18/09/201928/09/2019

The Big Push & Kurilpa Derby 2019

The start of this month was epic!

First of all, it was Father’s Day in Australia and the weather in Brisbane this time of year is absolutely stunning.

This meant everyone was out and about.

There were two annual kick-ass Brisbane bike events to get this month off to a brilliant start: The Big Push and The Kurilpa Derby.

So much fun to be had on two wheels!

The Big Push

The Big Push is an annual slow roll around Brisbane CBD. It is hosted by Space4Cycling Brisbane and is held during QLD’s Road Safety Week. The aim was to bring the cycling community together and to call on the Brisbane City Council and the Queensland Government to improve riding conditions. At the top of community riding needs are three things: build more protected bike lanes, connect networks, and slower speeds in suburban streets. This is so riding in Brisbane will be safer, more comfortable and more convenient for people of all ages and abilities.

On the day, Leki and I headed down to Kurilpa Park to join a whole lot of other riders. It was an excellent turnout. I’d love to know how many people actually attended – it felt like a lot.

We did a slow roll around Brisbane on a designated route. Leki was in fine form and everyone was in a good mood. After a safety talk and a few speeches, we were off. As we rode, we chatted amongst ourselves, made new friends and waved to passer-bys.

I was very impressed with how many under 10-year olds rode the whole way with their parents. I also loved the dogs in trailers and baskets – nothing says bike safety like two pugs in a tandem bike trailer!

There were quite a few people around the city and the mass of red shirts on bikes drew a lot of attention. We also had a police escort and were waved through some traffic lights, but had to stop at others.

At specific points along the route, we all stopped so the whole group could re-form. I really liked these stops. It was great fun getting to a point and riding into the ever expanding swirling circle. It was cool watching the vortex grow in mass as more riders filtered into the loop.

Bells were ringing, speakers played happy tunes, people were laughing – a joyous mass of people on bikes!

At Parliament House we all stopped for a group photo.

Another great Big Push!

Then it was time to head over to Kurilpa Derby for the afternoon.

Image: Space4Cycling (BNE)

The Kurilpa Derby

The Kurilpa Derby is an annual community celebration of life on wheels and happens once a year in West End (Brisbane, Australia).

The Kurilpa Derby began as an expression of community celebration and inclusivity.

Each year there is a parade (bicycles are central to this) and novelty races run at the heart of Boundary St, West End (Brisbane, Queensland). The whole street is closed off and the locals take over. This event was first run in 2007. So this year is the Derby’s 12th anniversary.

The Derby is a community event owned and organised by the @WestEndCommunityAssociation. WECA is the residents not-for-profit community based, member-led association.

The Kurilpa Derby officially started at 2pm, but locals and visitors were already out in force well before that.

There is so much to do at the Derby. The locals block off the main street and take it over. One of the main events is a massive street parade.

The Kurilpa Derby parade goes down Boundary Street (from the Dornoch Terrace Bridge to the intersection of Boundary Street and Jane Street. The street is lined with hundreds of appreciative visitors cheering the parade on.

It is an incredible showcase of the range of skills, creativity, spirit and dreams of those who enter – it truly is a spectacle to behold!

There were parade bicycles representing lots of different perspectives such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, community and music groups, environmental issues like the ocean, plastic, global warming, representations of animals, birds, reptiles and insects, school groups, and heaps of others!

And the bikes! Tall bikes, penny-farthings, home-made bikes, tandems, trailers, trikes and more!

Bikes are a central feature of the street parade – and the colour, thought and effort put into the floats is phenomenal.

After the main street parade, there are heaps of sports and skill demonstrations, fun games and races – some novelty (like the go-cart and kids running races), some more serious (like the scooter races).

Local shops, bars and cafes are packed to capacity and there is music, dancing, eating and laughing emanating from everywhere.

I love the energy and community of The Kuripla Derby – so many kids, families, friends, locals and visitors coming together to celebrate the diversity and vibrancy of this beautiful local community. What an event!

It was a busy, fun-filled, community-centred, bicycle-related day – Phew!

It does not get much better than that!

See you all there next year!

Image: @Kaipantano
Image: @hughdopey
Image: @MondoWorld

14/09/201926/09/2019

Pedaling disaster: citizen bicyclists in disaster response. Innovative solution or unnecessary effort?

Reference: Kirkpatrick, S. J. B. (2018). Pedaling disaster: Citizen bicyclists in disaster response—Innovative solution or unnecessary effort? Natural Hazards, 90(1), 365-389. doi:10.1007/s11069-017-3048-3

Citizen bicyclists in disaster response

This post looks at the 2018 academic publication by Sarah Kirkpatrick from North Dakota State University. In this article, Kirkpatrick explores how citizen bicyclists might be used in times of disasters. A very interesting topic!

This a particularly relevant discussion given the importance and impact that citizen bicycle responses in Mexico had following the 2017 earthquake.

In this article, natural events where bicycles could be used is focused on the US context, so includes tornadoes, hurricanes, and severe storms. However, bicycle response to events like travel hazards, flooding, blizzards, and wildfire events was almost universally rejected.

The post-impact disaster actions Kirkpatrick says local bicyclists can do include: conducting search and rescue, evacuating survivors, giving medical care, consoling survivors, providing needed supplies, directing traffic, extinguishing fires, and removing debris.

This paper suggests that the involvement of citizen bicyclists in disaster response, the outcome could be very beneficial for both bicycling and emergency management communities.

The idea of citizen bicycle response stems from the growing popularity in the USA of Disaster Relief Trials (DRTs). DRTs are community events organised by local bicycling enthusiasts that demonstrate how bicycles can be used in disaster situations. Community emergency response team (CERT) programs were also highlighted as possible sources of training for bicyclists, as well as a means for bicyclists to be integrated into disaster response operations.

Click here for Kirkpatrick (2018) full article Download

The article discusses current DRTs and how bicycles have been used in relief efforts, including:

USA During the response to the September 11th attacks in 2001, bicycle couriers could be found riding along the secured perimeter and delivering food (Kendra & Wachtendorf, 2003).
Japan In the immediate aftermath of the 2011 To ̄hoku earthquake, the combination of traffic gridlock and the shutdown of train services in the Tokyo metropolitan area compelled stranded commuters to mount bicycles—included ones purchased in the immediate aftermath of the event—to make the commute home (Takahara, 2011).
USA In the days following Superstorm Sandy in 2012, a group of bicyclists strapped a variety of donated goods ranging from diapers to blankets to their backs and bikes before pedaling the 15 or so miles through debris-laden streets from Brooklyn to the Rockaways to deposit their commodities (Goodyear, 2012).
Sri Lanka During disaster recovery, the period when activities are being undertaken to restore all stakeholders to self-sufficiency (Alesch et al. 2009), bicycles gifted to survivors of the 2005 tsunami in Sri Lanka proved a key element in assisting people with recovering their economic livelihood and social connections, as well as increasing their accessibility to service providers (World Bicycle Relief 2007).

Kirkpatrick argues that implementing citizen bicycle responders would be best suited to communities that already have an established bicycle-friendly locale. In these places, bicycle response take-up, use and engagement would be less resistant.

The discussion of citizen bicyclist disaster responders is also valuable in exploring alternatives to current approaches and in shifting attitudes of policy, organisational and emergency managers towards the use and engagement of citizen responders more broadly.

Citizen bicycle responders are identified as being particularly useful in specific tasks such as messaging/communication, commodities distribution, messaging, and casualty evacuation—as a ‘‘last mile’’ solution. The idea is that bicyclists can make short runs to create the final link between information hubs, centralised distribution points, or evacuation locations

I loved this quote from the article:

For bicycles to reach closer to their potential as a cure for urban maladies, they must advance beyond the dominions of mall-bound middle schoolers and lycra-clad weekend warriors to a broader ridership.

Gold!

Certain bicycle types or accessories are highlighted as serving as a sort of force multiplier for task execution, particularly related to commodities distribution or casualty evacuation. Specifically, the use of cargo bicycles, bicycles with attached trailers, and electric bicycles were mentioned as ways to enhance the ability of citizen bicyclists to move goods or other people through a disaster area.

The article also points out that there are some concerns about citizen bicyclists in disaster response. A principle example of this is that responses rely heavily on the actual person who is riding the bicycle—and the knowledge and skills that person brings—that matters to the response and dictates the bicyclists’ ultimate response value. Additionally, responders will need some sort of training (or have a base understanding) of bicycle maintenance, safe riding, how to communicate/coordinate/operate within the response network, general safety and first aid/CPR.

Some research participants further suggested that citizen bicyclists receive the full gamut of CERT training, with modules on disaster preparedness, disaster fire suppression, disaster medical, light search and rescue, disaster psychology, and disaster simulation exercise. The type of training frequency, responsibility, and depth would need to be formalised.

There have been several papers that have considered the safety aspect, weighing the costs of increased injury risk and exposure to pollution against the health and communal benefits of regular bicycling. The table below shows some examples of studiescoering a few of these factors.

Some essential tasks citizen bicycle responders can undertake are:

movement of needed commodities like food, water, medication, other supplies
delivery of messages within the impacted area
bicycles and their riders providing power generation
casualty evacuation
first aid
safety and wellness checks
search and rescue
damage assessment

Overall, this article opens up a meaningful conversation about considering bicycles use in disaster relief.

The most appealing aspect of this article is the focus on the citizen bicyclist – a largely untapped and little-discussed potential asset.

I love the idea of local riders and their bikes being integral to disaster responses efforts.

Just another way bicycles could create change!

Abstract

Citizens have historically become involved in response to disasters by helping both themselves and others. Recently, the idea has emerged of individuals providing this assistance in the response period using bicycles. Community events have been organised by bicycling enthusiasts in US cities to demonstrate how bicycles could potentially be of use in disaster situations. Yet, there has been no empirical research around the idea of citizen bicyclists in disaster response.

This study explored the potential use of bicycles and their citizen riders in disaster events in the USA—specifically considering what role, if any, citizen bicyclists could play in such scenarios. Data were initially collected through 21 in-depth, telephone interviews with emergency management officials and bicycling advocates from bicycle-friendly cities in ten different states. Grounded theory was used to conceptualise the overall research design and analyse the data.

Based on theoretical and snowball sampling, an additional six interviews were completed with individuals who had requisite knowledge and experiences applicable to the research question. Participants indicated that there are a variety of tasks and activities citizen bicyclists could undertake in disaster response; however, it would have to be an event of significant scope and magnitude for bicycle usage to be widespread—an unlikely occurrence for many jurisdictions.

Concerns about training and integration with the formal emergency management structure were also identified. Implications for potential citizen bicyclists—and citizen responders more broadly—are discussed.

Some content of this post is adapted from Kirkpatrick (2018).

29/08/201902/09/2019

‘One Man’s Tour’ – A Father’s Day gift

This Sunday (1st September) is Father’s Day in Australia.

So what to get the biking-crazy, sustainable, amazing dad in your life?

Previously, I have detailed all manner of sustainable and bike-themes gifts, including:

5 bikey Christmas gifts.
A top 10 list of ethical, community-supportive, green, fair-trade, sustainable, bike-inspired gifts (phew!).
A good rant about some ‘happy fearful Mother’s Day’ presents.

For this Father’s Day – my recommendation has an extra layer of bikey, grassroots, humanity, community, sustainability, travel and creative inspiration folded into it.

My hot tip is to get the documentary film One Man’s Tour.

This is a charity documentary about New Zealand’s inaugural Tour Aotearoa. This brevete event was first run in 2016. A brevet is not a race. It is a ride following a set course, via 30 photo checkpoints, which you must complete between 10 and 30 days – no more and no less. It traverses across incredible scenery and landscapes – and you can well imagine the trials, tribulations and magic moments that occur.

The film follows the 260 brave riders who took on this first epic self-supported 3000km mountain bike ride across New Zealand, which goes from goes from Cape Reinga to Bluff.

The movie is inspiring and shows a range of challenges the riders face. It also shows the inevitable ups and downs that come with taking on endurance non-assisted bike rides – and this event is no different. The scenery is breathtaking and makes you want to grab your bike and book a flight.

Yes, I want this movie! Click here.

Aside from being a great film to watch, you decide on how much to pay for this movie!

All funds raised by One Man’s Tour go to World Bicycle Relief (WBR). WBR gives bicycles to communities in Sub-Saharan Africa to help locals better access school, healthcare and stimulate employment opportunities.

In return for the documentary, you decide how much money to give. When you pay on the link below, you will automatically receive an email with a link to stream/download the movie.

The film has already raised $1,279 – with the aim to reach $3,000.

This is a great gift to give – for your dad, a friend, or for yourself.

What’s not to like about supporting family, people, bikes, community and positive living?!

15/08/201918/08/2019

Former refugee finds the man who gave her a bike more than 20 years ago

I don’t often directly repost stories on this blog. As a luddite, I am also very wary of social media. But amongst the doom and gloom of news reports, husband found this gem of humanity. It is the story of a former refugee, Mevan Babakar, who was given a bike by a refugee camp aid worker. 20 years on, she still remembers the kindness of the man and the joy of riding the bike. Mevan recently used Twitterverse to track the man down. Although this account is more about the power of Twitter and doesn’t have many details about the bike or what happened after she located him, I still love the idea that the simple gift of a biycle to a child can have such a profound and long-last impact.

Previously, this blog has posted about refugees issues and bicycles. With so much political and social insecurity and misinformation about refugees, it is lovely to hear a more personal and caring story of genuine connection, community and sharing.

It is also a reminder to make the effort to say thank you and/or recognise those who help and support us. Some valuable lessons for us all. This story is written by Maani Truu and was published in Australia by SBS online today. Enjoy! NG.

Thousands of people have come together from across the globe to unite a former refugee and the aid worker who bought her a bike.

A blurry film photo, a location and a touching Twitter post launched an international hunt to find a man who gifted a young refugee child a bike “out of the kindness of his own heart” more than twenty years ago.

Now, after more than 3,000 retweets and thousands of messages, London woman Mevan Babakar is set to meet the man who made her “five-year-old heart explode with joy” in person.

On Monday, the 29-year-old former refugee posted her quest to Twitter hoping someone would recognise the man who worked at a refugee camp in the Netherlands when she was a child living there in the 90s.

“Hi internet, this is a long-shot BUT I was a refugee for 5 yrs in the 90s and this man, who worked at a refugee camp near Zwolle in the Netherlands, out of the kindness of his own heart bought me a bike,” she wrote.

“My five-year-old heart exploded with joy. I just want to know his name. Help?”

In under 24 hours, the post garnered thousands of responses from around the world and on Tuesday evening, Ms Babakar shared the exciting news.

“Guys, I knew the internet was great but this is something else,” she said.

“We found him!”

Ms Babakar, who was born in Baghdad, Iraq, to Kurdish parents, also said she was not the only refugee to be helped by the unidentified man, known only as “Ab”.

“I’ve also had other refugees reach out to me and tell me that he and his wife helped them too! Their kindness has touched so many lives,” she wrote.

“One woman said ‘they weren’t friends to me, they were family’.”

According to BBC News, Ms Babakar and her parents fled Iraq during the first Gulf war, passing through refugee camps in Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Russia before spending a year at the one near Zwolle between 1994 and 1995.

Ms Babakar is now a tech expert, who currently lives in the UK and she has travelled back to Zwolle to research her family’s past.

Text and all images: SBS News.

07/08/201910/08/2019

Cycle Farm

Increasingly, more people are turning to alternative ways of eating, living and consuming that are more sustainable and enriching.

Cycling has always been part of the green revolution, but one pair of farmers are taking this approach to the next level.

Cycle Farm is an organic farm run by Patricia Jenkins and Jeremy Smith located in Spearfish South Dakota, USA.

As their name suggests – as well as being a functional organic farm, Cycle Farm is particularly interested in using bicycles to facilitate workload and productivity.

They are a working farm, selling their produce to a variety of outlets and farmers markets, as well as being a kind of open/farm visitation/awareness-raising platform for more sustainable farming/consumption practices.

Bicycles are central to Cycle Farm’s philosophy and daily operations.

Most impressive is how Patricia and Jeremy have custom-altered a range of bicycles and integrated their use into all areas of farm operations, like the bike-powered roller-crimper – very inspiring!

Cycle Farm has a blog and website showcasing some great photos and info on what they are up to and seasonal activities.

Here’s how Cycle Farm explain how they use bicycles:

Here at Cycle Farm, we are very enthusiastic about bicycles as efficient farm tools. We’re using bicycles to help minimize our off-farm inputs. Employing bicycle- and human-power and minimizing our off-farm inputs is important to us for the following reasons.

Conventional agriculture has a huge environmental impact, from the use of pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, distributing produce to distant markets, use of heavy machinery, water use and pollution, etc. For us, reducing our inputs forces us to look at our overall ecological impact. For example, we are a human-powered, bicycle-driven operation. We take our vegetables to market each week by bicycle and encourage CSA members to ride their bike to the farm for pick-up.

We are producing local food. Our goal is not to grow food for a large wholesale market, but to serve the community in which we live, Spearfish Valley. Additionally, we are not using a tractor, but instead all farm work is done by hand. This means we don’t have to use gasoline, which saves us money as well as reduces our carbon emissions.

A second reason is economic; the more we can reduce the amount of things we have to purchase to run this farm, the more likely we can make a living wage off these three acres. A tractor, even a small one, is a considerable expense. If we can do the same work with our hands and with a bicycle, we can save ourselves and our market that additional cost.

Beyond reducing gas use and our carbon emissions, we are working toward building soil carbon in our fields with small scale, no-till vegetable farming. Organic no-till methods are becoming more and more widespread in larger operations for a variety of reasons (soil conservation, carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, etc.). However, this has not yet translated into small scale vegetable production, that we’ve found. We are experimenting with and developing methods applicable for a smaller scale (0-15 acre) organic, no-till operation (i.e. bike-powered roller-crimper).

And of course, bicycles make everything more fun. By moving at a more human pace, we are getting to know our community better. We can stop and talk with friends and neighbors in passing. Hopping on a bike allows us to stay loose and flexible after long days in the field. And there is something so satisfying about hitting a pocket of cool air on a ride past Spearfish Creek on a warm summer evening.

However, doing this alone ultimately may not accomplish much towards addressing pressing global crises. We are enthusiastic about helping to motivate our community and participating in an exchange of ideas on a broader scale. Interested in human-powered, sustainable agriculture – then you can come visit the farm and talk to us.

Lastly, when the farm slows down in the winter, we plan on gearing up a bicycle workshop in the garage. Building custom cargo and utilitarian bicycles and trailers, as well as doing frame repair.

29/07/201922/08/2019

France: Cycling is now a legal right

As the administrator of this blog, I work hard to bring a range of bicycle-inspired news, initiatives, personalities, research and projects where bicycles create more positive social and environmental change. This means I get to read all manner of interesting (and unusual) material from all corners of the world. I love hearing about the various initiatives locally and globally that are working to get more people on bikes. Today, I saw the below article by Anna-Karina Reibold reporting on a recent French mobility law which enshrines cycling as a legal right. AWESOME!! This law signifies a major socio-cultural shift. Among other changes, it will legally require French companies with at least 50 employees to negotiate new measures to improve employee mobility, in particular by subsidising the use of cycling and other ‘green modes of transport’ for commuting. I love the direction the French are going with this! Let’s hope other counties will follow this progressive lead. Read for more details. Enjoy! NG.

Advocacy Success in France: Cycling Established as a Mode of Transport

Cycling and walking becomes a legal right in France!

After months of fierce debate, the French National Assembly approved the Mobility Orientation Law on June 18th, 2019.

The French Cycling Union (Fédération française des usagers de la bicyclette – FUB) was actively involved in the negotiation of the draft mobility bill and successfully advocated for the rights of cyclists. The FUB dedicated eight months to monitoring parliamentary sessions and working on possible amendments.

Agnès Laszczyk, Vice-President of the FUB in charge of lobbying, highlights: “The draft law on mobility is the very first time French MPs and senators have given cycling mobility the importance it deserves. More than 110 amendments tabled¹ in each house, i.e. 10% of all amendments tabled on the draft law, concerned cycling, with nearly all of FUB’s proposals (31 amendments in the Senate and 16 in the National Assembly) taken into account. Even more significant were the hours of heated debate during the sessions in favour of cycling.”

Creating Cultural Change – Making Cycling Safe and Accessible

Whilst this is essentially a symbolic progress, cycling will be enshrined in the Law, which will provide an excellent judicial pillar. Several changes that build on FUB recommendations can already be identified:

– The National Assembly adopted an official Learn to Ride (Savoir Rouler) educational program to “ensure that every child is able to ride a bike autonomously and safely in public spaces by the time he/she enters secondary school”. The FUB hopes that this will lead to a cultural change in daily mobility choices.However, this change will only be effective if measures are applied universally and made compulsory!

– A new sustainable mobility package has replaced the kilometre allowance (IKV) that could not be combined with other modes of transport. Employers are now able to introduce a fixed and combinable annual package. Figures of up to €400 (previously €200) will be tax-free.

– The maintenance and creation of new cycle routes will become compulsory with the renovation of roads. Over the course of seven years, €350 million, along with endowment funds of €100 million per year, will be allocated to cycling infrastructure projects. Additionally, discontinued cycling routes will become illegal!

– Another FUB advocacy accomplishment marks the introduction of mandatory bike marking, “Bicycode“. The resulting national database will come into force for new as well as second-hand bicycles in 2021. The FUB hopes to take this initiative a step further and inspire more European countries to adopt similar policies by introducing a continent-wide database.

Let’s Talk about the Bicycle

The FUB has been eager to capture the attention of the public eye and engage with citizens, MPs and the French government in debate.

The successes of the FUB in the development of the mobility law were advanced with the help of the “Parlons Vélo” campaign.

The campaign took force after the presidential and legislative elections in 2017, with the aim of engaging citizens and political leaders on cycling issues.

113,000 citizens were mobilised to participate in the French Bicycle Barometer.

French cities were ranked according to cycling-friendliness after inviting cyclists to share their feelings on bicycle use.

Encouraged by this momentum, the FUB is set to launch a second edition of the French Bicycle Barometer this September.

These results are expected to play a central role in the debates leading to the French municipal elections in March 2020.

The campaign has also inspired citizens to address the French government and MPs by sending them a postcard in support of pro-cycling amendments. This initiative counted over 100, 000 participants. Finally, an online tool, introduced by the FUB, allowed citizens to make their voices heard by giving feedback directly to their local MP, asking them to support or reject certain amendments.

The Revolution is on the move

Overall, the work of the FUB has had far-reaching impacts and sparked political interest, as it has illustrated the strong will of citizens to create favourable conditions for cycling. As Olivier Schneider, President of the FUB, notes:

“With, on the one hand, the quality of our 95-page white book of proposals on ‘”how to enhance the law to get France cycling’” and on the other hand the reach of our social media campaign (over 15 000 emails sent to MPs!), MPs that we came across were quick to tell us that they had “received FUB’s proposals and were looking at them closely”. Given the anonymity with which cycling as transport has been considered throughout the years, this feels like an exciting and promising development!”

For example, Elisabeth Borne, who has recently taken the position of Minister for Ecological and Solidary Transition, is now very much aware of the potential that cycling holds. “Mentalities have changed” says Agnès Laszczyk.

“Many efforts remain necessary to reach the levels of European cycling leaders, but the revolution is on the move”.

More information on this subject click here for the press release.

This article was first published 29th July 2019 on ECF by Ann-Karina Reibold.

16/07/201917/07/2019

‘Thought control’ bicycle for spinal injury rehab

I am delighted to share this story. As well as being an incredibly inspirational story and testament to Dinesh Palipana’s unique fortitude and character, this story showcases some of the pioneering work that my university is doing. …And it is totally bike related! I’ve been working at Griffith for over 5 years now. I am continually impressed with the reach, impact and significant contributions Griffith makes to improve society. Last year, I posted about Griffith design graduate and PhD candidate James Novak’s global award-winning world’s first 3D printed bicycle – also unreal!! This story is about how Dinesh and his team turned an accident he had during his PhD into a scientific-bike research breakthrough. This article was originally published by Griffith News earlier this year. Here it is in full. Enjoy! NG.

Griffith medical graduate and Gold Coast University Hospital junior doctor Dinesh Palipana thinks about walking a lot, since a car accident left him a quadriplegic part-way through his medicine degree.

Now he’s thinking about pushing the pedals of a specially-adapted recline bike, and thanks to electronic muscle stimulation, he’s actually moving, in what is the first step towards a world-first integrated neuro-musculoskeletal rehabilitation program, being developed at the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct (GCHKP).

Griffith biomechanical scientists and engineers Professor David Lloyd, Dr Claudio Pizzolato and his team, together with Dinesh as both researcher and patient, are aiming to use their ground-breaking 3D computer-simulated biomechanical model, connected to an electroencephalogram (EEG) to capture Dinesh’s brainwaves, to stimulate movement, and eventually recovery.

Thinking about riding a bike

“The idea is that a spinal injury or neurological patient can think about riding the bike. This generates neural patterns, and the biomechanical model sits in the middle to generate control of the patient’s personalised muscle activation patterns. These are then personalised to the patient, so that they can then electrically stimulate the muscles to make the patient and bike move,” says Professor Lloyd who is also from Griffith’s Menzies Health Institute Queensland.

“It’s all in real-time, with the model adjusting the amount of stimulation required as the patient starts to recover.

“We’re in the early stages of research and we’re having to improvise with our equipment, however we know we have shown our real-time personalised model works, basically like a digital twin of the patient.”

Dr Palipana is excited to be part of such novel research in his own backyard.

“I have a selfish and vested interest in spinal cord injury research and I’m completely happy to be the guinea pig,” Dr Palipana says.

“We’ve had equipment for many years where people passively exercise using stationary bikes, and stationary methods where people get on and the equipment moves their legs for them. The problem is you really need some stimulation from the brain.

“As the years go by we’re starting to realise that the whole nervous system is very plastic and it has to be trained, so actually thinking about moving the bike or doing an activity stimulates the spinal cord from the top down and that creates change.”

This top down, bottom up approach is novel, with the model effectively providing a substitute connection between the limbs and the brain where it was previously broken when the spinal cord was injured.

The neuro-rehabilitation research will dovetail with exciting research by Griffith biomedical scientist, Associate Professor James St John, who has had promising results for his biological treatment using olfactory (nasal) cells, to create nerve bridges to regenerate damaged spinal cords.

Establishing new neural pathways

“You use the modelling to recreate the connection, and over time, with the science of Associate Professor James St John, you establish new neural pathways. So over time patients will be less dependent on the model to control the bike movement and it will move back to their own control, with their regenerating spinal cord and their reprogrammed neural pathways,” says Professor Lloyd.

Associate Professor James St John hopes to move into human clinical trials in the GCHKP within the next 2-3 years, and in parallel Professor Lloyd and his team hope to refine their rehab testing with Dinesh, and develop the technology with leading global companies in exoskeleton design. These companies, could in turn, be attracted into the 200-hectare GCHKP.

“In ten years we want to be a one-stop shop for spinal cord injury and complex neurological patients,” Professor Lloyd says.

“I’m just really lucky to be well-positioned here where it’s all happening and I want to be involved as much as possible as a doctor and a potential scientist,” says Dr Palipana.

“It’s my university, my hospital, my city – it’s just really nice to be a part of that.”

Further links:

ABC Australian Story, 26 February 2018 http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/australian-story/NC1802Q004S00
‘I might be quadriplegic, but I’m your doctor‘

Images and text courtesy of Griffth University News.

11/07/201911/07/2019

NAIDOC Week 2019

What is NAIDOC Week?

This week is 2019 NAIDOC Week in Australia.

NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life.

The week is a great opportunity to participate in a range of activities and to support your local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’. This committee was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week and its acronym has since become the name of the week itself.

During NAIDOC Week, there is a National NAIDOC Week awards ceremony. The awards are presented to inspirational Indigenous people in ten different categories including: Person of the year, Elder of the year, Artist of the year, Apprentice of the year, Scholar of the year, Youth of the year, Sportsperson of the year and the Caring for Country award.

Here’s a list of NAIDOC Week Events

NAIDOC Week 2019 Theme

For decades, NAIDOC has had significant themes to represent, celebrate and raise awareness to significant Indigenous affairs. This year the focus is on significant and lasting change to better the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander peoples: Voice. Treaty. Truth.

Voice. Treaty. Truth.

This theme aim at getting everyone together for a shared future.

The Indigenous voice of this country is over 65,000 plus years old.

They are the first words spoken on this continent. Languages that passed down lore, culture and knowledge for over millennia. They are precious to our nation.

It’s that Indigenous voice that include know-how, practices, skills and innovations – found in a wide variety of contexts, such as agricultural, scientific, technical, ecological and medicinal fields, as well as biodiversity-related knowledge.

They are words connecting us to country, an understanding of country and of a people who are the oldest continuing culture on the planet.

And with 2019 being celebrated as the United Nations International Year of Indigenous Languages, it’s time for our knowledge to be heard through our voice.

For generations, we have sought recognition of our unique place in Australian history and society today. We need to be the architects of our lives and futures.

For generations, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have looked for significant and lasting change.

Voice. Treaty. Truth. were three key elements to the reforms set out in the Uluru Statement from the Heart. These reforms represent the unified position of First Nations Australians.

The Uluru Statement of the Heart

The Statement is a document Aboriginal people from all over Australia agreed on. In it they express that they are a sovereign people, and what they want the government to do to recognise and support this sovereignty. It also comments on the social difficulties faced by Aboriginal people.

It is not the first time Aboriginal people crafted such a document, but probably the first time Aboriginal people form a united position and a single key recommendation, or, as The Guardian put it, “the largest ever consensus of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on a proposal for substantive recognition”.

While previous documents of Aboriginal aspirations were usually addressed to the Parliament, the Uluru Statement From the Heart is directed to the Australian public.

Information in this post is sourced from the NAIDOC official website, SBS Learn NAIDOC Secondary Resource, Creative Spirits: Explainer Uluru Statement and Five Fast Facts by Reconciliation Australia.

06/07/201913/07/2019

Mike Lloyd’s bike research: The non-looks of the mobile world.

Mike Lloyd’s Bicycle Research: The non-looks of the mobile world. Bicycles Create Change.com 6th July, 2019. — Image: @Space4cyclingbne

In this post, we look at a recent publication by Mike Lloyd, entitled The non-looks of the mobile world: a video-based study of interactional adaptation in cycle-lanes.

Mike Lloyd is an Senior Lecturer in Cultural Studies with Victoria University (Wellington, NZ). His research interests include ethnomethodology, sociology of everyday life, cycling and interaction and more recently video methodologies.

I initially contacted Mike after reading his article about NZ MTB trail rage – which was an absolute delight.

Since then, this blog has previously hosted two of Mike’s articles:

But I also still find myself returning to some of his earlier publications that explore media, cartoons and risqué humour via analysis of content such as The Adventures of Naked Man, Flight of the Concords and ‘dick joke’ competitions – my kind of academic!

See a full list of Mike’s work here.

Mike is coming to Brisbane in November for the International Cycling Safety Conference. So we are hoping to go for a ride together! Woohoo!

Article: The non-looks of the mobile world

In this particular article, Mike examines how cyclists and pedestrians in cycle-lane space adapt their interactions with each other, paying particular attention to the role of looking and non- looking as it unfolds moment-by-moment.

Any bike rider will be able to read and totally appreciate the happenings in this article.

It is very interesting exploring how differences between pedestrians ‘doing and being oblivious’ impact cyclists in bike lanes.

I also like the analytical focus of dissecting action and the absence of looking – or non-looks. Original, interesting and pertinent to all cyclists!

Other key concepts from this article that stand out are: the gaze to shift another pedestrian, direction of views, standing in bike lanes, people getting out of cars, pedestrians and mobile phones, ‘observer’s maxim’ moving for public transport and my favourite: glance, action, apology.

Creatively, Mike uses video still data from a bicycle Go-Pro to explain key theoretical concepts and outcomes.

His writing is well researched, interesting and entertaining.

This article is valuable contribution to extend discussions of how bicycles and cycle-lane use feature within mobility, space/infrastructure and situational interactions discourse.

Get a copy of Mike Lloyd’s (2019) article here Download

The Abstract

This empirical study uses video data to examine interactional adaptation between cyclists and pedestrians in a relatively new cycle-lane. Existing research on intersections shows order is achieved through the frequent use of a look-recognition-acknowledgement sequence. Whereas this is found in the cycle-lane interactions, there is also an important divergent technique which on the surface seems less cooperative.

Others are made to cede space based on ‘doing and being oblivious’, in short, forms of non-looking force others to take evasive action and subtly alter their line of travel. Here the dynamic nature of this obliviousness is shown through empirical examples.

Even though it is not always easy to distinguish between the two forms of non-looking, it is concluded that ‘doing oblivious’, whilst possibly annoying for others, is most probably harmless, but there are good reasons to be more concerned about ‘being oblivious’, for it may lead to collisions between pedestrians and cyclists.

Aspects of non-looking provide an important addition to knowledge of the mobile world, suggesting we renew attention to specific sites where people concert their movements in minutely detailed ways.

Lloyd, M. (2019). The non-looks of the mobile world: a video-based study of interactional adaptation in cycle-lanes. Mobilities, 1-24. doi:10.1080/17450101.2019.1571721

28/06/201901/07/2019

Tibetan Bike Rider Combating Climate Change

Nâm Arya is a first generation Tibetan-America. In 2016, she spent a year undertaking an epic bike-packing and speaking tour of the U.S called Bike for Tibet.

Her goal was to spread the word about the impacts of climate change in Tibet and to seek climate justice for Tibetans.

I got excited to find out more about the trip online. I went to Nâm’s online journal, but there was not much content there. Bummer because the trip itself sounds awesome! Even so, this initiative is so worthwhile. I suppose you have to go to one of the talks in order to get all the details! Fair play!

What is Bike for Tibet?

It was a year-long bicycle tour of the U.S. for the purpose of bringing Tibet and Tibetans into the global conversation on climate justice.

Along the way Nâm offered 60+ min presentations to discuss and dissect climate change issues in Tibet.

During these discussions, she highlighted key concerns including the displacement of nomads, the effects of dams along Tibetan rivers, and mining.

Nâm also outlined root causes, false solutions, issues of colonization, and how democracy features within the context of exploited communities.

A central theme in all the presentations is inter-dependence. She also linked wider issues from other communities seeking environmental justice in the US and abroad.

Who is Bike for Tibet?

Nâm is an exiled Tibetan woman who was born in Mungod Resettlement Camp in southern India. As a youth, she attended Tibetan boarding school in the northern India until she immigrated to the US in 1996 where she now lives.

She and her bike-riding-mad partner Jonni undertook the 12-month Bike for Tibet journey together.

Jonni is adventure bicyclist and Instagram celebrity under the moniker UltraRomance. If you have not seen Jonni’s IG before, check it out – he is hilarious!

What a brilliant idea for a bike project! Get out on the road with your favourite person, ride around living a simple life and promote a very important environmental and social issue at the same time– wicked!

How did Bike for Tibet get started?

Nâm says she was inspired by Drukpa Rinpoche’s Eco Pad Yatra and the enduring work of Tibet climate change organizations working to vision to bring stabilise the Himalaya Plateau.

She created Bike For Tibet to be a nexus for these projects, influences and practices – as well as something she loves best to do – biking!

The Bike for Tibet project builds on Nâm’s decade-long leadership and work within the environmental movement.

Nâm used crowd funding to get Bike for Tibet up and running. Although she is advocating for climate action, Bike for Tibet is independent and not affiliated with any one particular group.

Some parts of this post were taken from the Bike for Tibet website to ensure accuracy of facts. All images by Bike for Tibet or IG UltraRomance unless otherwise indicated.