Tessera

Cathy Tuttle @cathytuttle.bsky.social · 2d ago

I made a Cargo Bikes Feed on Bluesky that's always fun to follow. 📦🚲❤️ bsky.app/profile/did:... Here's one of my favorite posts of the day:

Run the Joules@wattasecond.bsky.social · 3d ago

This opinion has already penetrated daycare pickup. People are always talking to the guys who pick up their kids with cargo bikes Nobody talks about big SUVs

Cathy Tuttle @cathytuttle.bsky.social · 3d ago

Successful climate action is SO attractive! From 2015 to 2022 China spent $145M to make Tianjin's streets safer, greener, accessible. Evaluations found 100s of 1000s (70% of all trips) of people chose active/public transport. 𝗧𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗷𝗶𝗻'𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆: 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆𝘀

Melissa & Chris Bruntlett@modacitylife.com · 3d ago

In 2015, Tianjin launched the Urban Transport Improvement Project—the largest active mobility investment ever supported by the World Bank. Instead of focusing solely on roads or transit, it sought to create an integrated system where walking, cycling, buses and metro would work seamlessly together.🧵

People of all ages and abilities wearing casual summer clothes walk and cycle along pedestrianised streets and protected bike lanes in Tianjin, China.

Dr. Genevieve Guenther (she/they)@doctorvive.bsky.social · last wk.

Japanese officials have coined an entirely new word to signify the dangerous heat of #ClimateChange. It's "kokushobi," which means "cruel heat day." This coinage is but a drop of the coming shower of cultural changes that climate change will force upon us. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/w...

The term got its first use on Tuesday, when three cities in central Japan recorded 40-degree temperatures, a first for the country this year. Officials urged people to stay indoors, use air-conditioning
and drink water. There were signs that many people had heeded the warnings, as popular sites such as Osaka Castle and Kyoto's Kiyomizu Temple
saw smaller crowds than usual on Tuesday. "Numbers are difficult to understand because people perceive them differently. By giving it the name 'cruel heat day,' people will understand it better just by hearing it, and they'll feel that today is dangerous," said Taro Kawasato, the assistant director of the Japan
Meteorological Agency's climate prediction division.

Cathy Tuttle @cathytuttle.bsky.social · last wk.

If you're involved in the rapid roll-out of bicycle urbanism in YOUR city, @modacitylife.com clear, concise🧵 of how Beijing moved from a bike mode share of 9.5% in 2015 to 30% of all trips by bike now is a must-read. Every local culture, climate, and fossil-lite economy depends on rapid action NOW.

Melissa & Chris Bruntlett@modacitylife.com · last wk.

Beijing’s bicycle comeback might be one of the world's most significant urban cycling revivals. After decades of decline, its mode share has climbed back to almost 30%, supported by over 3,200 kilometres of infrastructure, extensive bike-sharing systems, and an ambitious program of street redesign.🧵

A variety of people of all ages and abilities ride bikes and e-bikes on dedicated and separated infrastructure lined with trees and buildings on the streets of Beijing.

Cathy Tuttle @cathytuttle.bsky.social · last wk.

If you're involved in the rapid roll-out of bicycle urbanism in YOUR city, @modacitylife.com clear, concise🧵 of how Beijing moved from a bike mode share of 9.5% in 2015 to 30% of all trips by bike now is a must-read. Every local culture, climate, and fossil-lite economy depends on rapid action NOW.

Melissa & Chris Bruntlett@modacitylife.com · last wk.

Beijing’s bicycle comeback might be one of the world's most significant urban cycling revivals. After decades of decline, its mode share has climbed back to almost 30%, supported by over 3,200 kilometres of infrastructure, extensive bike-sharing systems, and an ambitious program of street redesign.🧵

Cathy Tuttle @cathytuttle.bsky.social · last wk.

"The thing that makes a bike lane “equitable” is that most people can afford a bike even if they can’t afford a car... It turns out the transportation we needed was there all along, just waiting to get better... "E-bikes [are] cutting oil demand by a million barrels a day, probably more than EVs."

Climate Justice Victoria@climatejusticeyyj.bsky.social · 3w ago

"A bike is magic, and an e-bike is a bike without hills and showers." @billmckibben.bsky.social #cycling #climateaction #bcpoli

Cathy Tuttle @cathytuttle.bsky.social · 2w ago

The Dutch have been studying bio-resilient cities for the past decade, protect existing trees in paving projects (often taking car lanes to give #trees more room to grow), and have added 1000s of new trees when improving bike lanes. The result in Utrecht is a cooler, more beautiful city to bike in.

Cathy Tuttle @cathytuttle.bsky.social · 2w ago

The Dutch have been studying bio-resilient cities for the past decade, protect existing trees in paving projects (often taking car lanes to give #trees more room to grow), and have added 1000s of new trees when improving bike lanes. The result in Utrecht is a cooler, more beautiful city to bike in.

Dutch Cycling Embassy @dutchcycling.nl · 2w ago

The beauty of everyday cycling in the Netherlands. Artist Cathy Tuttle captures these everyday scenes beautifully in a series of watercolour postcards. We love these glimpses of the ordinary, made extraordinary. Explore the full collection: buff.ly/J3L3nOn

BikeLoudPDX @bikeloudpdx.bsky.social · last yr.

Planning for 2100 is not hubris, it's common intergenerational decency. BikeLoudPDX is committed to a future Portland where 25% of all trips can be done by bike (and most of our remaining trips can conveniently be done on transit or by walking). Join us! bikeloudpdx.org/action2/

Get involved

Portland established an official goal of 25% of all trips by bike — by 2030. BIKELOUD takes action to ensure this vision is realized. Sign up to volunteer at BikeLoud events: Volunteer ...

bikeloudpdx.org

Alex Steffen@alexsteffen.bsky.social · last yr.

100s of millions of little kids today are now "projected to live unprecedented exposure to heatwaves, river floods, droughts, crop failures, wildfires and tropical cyclones" in their lifetimes. Unprecedented: "extremes above the 99.99th percentile of exposure expected in a pre-industrial climate."

Cathy Tuttle @cathytuttle.bsky.social · last yr.

When cities have safe, comfortable streets to ride bicycles, women choose to ride bicycles. According to @dutchcycling.nl 56% of Dutch bike riders are women. Als steden veilige comfortabele straten bieden om te fietsen, kiezen vrouwen ervoor om te fietsen. 56% van de Nederlandse fietsers is vrouw.

Two women walking along a path with a bike in between them. There are a group of bikes parked on the right side of the photo that I took in Utrecht. The bike they are pushing is the classic oma-fiets or grandma-bike with hefty carrying bags on either side of it for groceries, kid supplies, etc. The women, seen from the back are dressed in long flowing clothing from a Middle Eastern country. Dutch bikes are usually step-through, with good chain guards that make it easier to bike in long flowing clothes.

Cathy Tuttle @cathytuttle.bsky.social · 3w ago

Some humans have the hubris to think we can geo-engineer other planets to suit our biological needs, when in fact we're taking the perfect planet, that we've evolved to co-exist with, and literally burning it up with fossil fuels.

Emily Atkin@emorwee.bsky.social · 3w ago

We are given only a limited number of truly perfect summer days in our time on Earth. One of the more insidious cruelties of fossil fuel greed is how it slowly strips those days from us, more and more throughout our lifetimes, perhaps without us even realizing what we have lost.

Cathy Tuttle @cathytuttle.bsky.social · 3w ago

Some humans have the hubris to think we can geo-engineer other planets to suit our biological needs, when in fact we're taking the perfect planet, that we've evolved to co-exist with, and literally burning it up with fossil fuels.

Emily Atkin@emorwee.bsky.social · 3w ago

We are given only a limited number of truly perfect summer days in our time on Earth. One of the more insidious cruelties of fossil fuel greed is how it slowly strips those days from us, more and more throughout our lifetimes, perhaps without us even realizing what we have lost.

Lior Steinberg @steinberg.nu · 3w ago

A traffic jam is a thousand people who were each promised freedom.

Greg Annandale @gregannandale.com · 3w ago

I made an animation which shows the effects of air pollution on pedestrians waiting to cross the road, along with what can be done to reduce its harmful effects: stepback.gregdev.com Thank you to @ianwalker.bsky.social for the inspiration for doing so during a conversation a couple of weeks' back!

'Step back' - air pollution at pedestrian crossings

Every busy road produces a cloud of pollution you can't see. Where you stand in it matters more than most people might realise.

stepback.gregdev.com

Cathy Tuttle @cathytuttle.bsky.social · 3w ago

Bill McKibben, a writer and climate activist I've been inspired by for decades, wrote a post about transitioning to bicycles as a powerful climate action. I am honored he used one of my watercolors to frame his post. ps: Find my work as postcards AND A4, greeting cards, originals Ask cathytuttle.nl

Tour de Planet

Are bikes DEI, or are they a miracle? (Or both?)

billmckibben.substack.com

Cathy Tuttle @cathytuttle.bsky.social · 3w ago

Bill McKibben, a writer and climate activist I've been inspired by for decades, wrote a post about transitioning to bicycles as a powerful climate action. I am honored he used one of my watercolors to frame his post. ps: Find my work as postcards AND A4, greeting cards, originals Ask cathytuttle.nl

Tour de Planet

Are bikes DEI, or are they a miracle? (Or both?)

billmckibben.substack.com

Cathy Tuttle @cathytuttle.bsky.social · 4w ago

Want a big dose of hope? Watch this trailer for @streetfilms.bsky.social 𝘾𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙀𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝟥𝟦𝙩𝙝 𝘼𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙪𝙚 𝙆𝙞𝙣𝙙: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙉𝙔𝘾’𝙨 𝘽𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙊𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙩 Know that every city in America, heck, every city in the world, can and should have a 34th Avenue. More info: www.streetfilms.org/featured/ce3...

Close Encounters of the 34th Avenue Kind: The Story of NYC's Best Open Street (PREMIERE TRAILER)

YouTube video by Streetfilms®

youtube.com

Cathy Tuttle @cathytuttle.bsky.social · 4w ago

I wish @postnl.bsky.social made bicycle postage stamps. I can print my own for a fee, but it would be nice to see more bike culture in everyday Dutch art. 🚲❤️ Ik zou willen PostNL postzegels met fietsen. Het zou leuk zijn om meer fietscultuur terug te zien in alledaagse Nederlandse kunst.

PostNL delivery bike on a postage stamp. Image from cathytuttle.nl

Girl in a red jumpsuit riding behind an adult on a bike. painting by cathy@cathytuttle.nl

Man texting while standing next to his parked by. He's dressed in warm winter clothes inlcuding a bright orange cap. cathytuttle.nl image

Woman in a yellow dress rides in front of a man on a bike. Title of the painting is Hetty and Henry on a bike. cathytuttle.nl

Cathy Tuttle @cathytuttle.bsky.social · last mo.

Happy 250th Birthday America Bicycles Are Freedom

A drawing of. a young child sitting in front of an adult on a bike. They are biking past an American flag that the child is pointing to.

Cathy Tuttle @cathytuttle.bsky.social · last mo.

Happy 250th Birthday America Bicycles Are Freedom

Becky Hawkins @postcardsbybecky.bsky.social · last mo.

If you follow me, you probably like watercolor postcards by bicyclists who talk about city planning: (These are gorgeous!)

Cathy Tuttle@cathytuttle.bsky.social · last mo.

Cargo bike & bike postcards For the past year, I've painted almost 100 unique watercolors of everyday people & their bikes in #Utrecht Now available for €2 each as postcards (Email me if you're interested in larger formats, greeting cards, or bulk orders) @coolbikeart1.bsky.social cathytuttle.nl

Cathy Tuttle @cathytuttle.bsky.social · last mo.

Cargo bike & bike postcards For the past year, I've painted almost 100 unique watercolors of everyday people & their bikes in #Utrecht Now available for €2 each as postcards (Email me if you're interested in larger formats, greeting cards, or bulk orders) @coolbikeart1.bsky.social cathytuttle.nl

Cathy Tuttle Watercolor Postcards

cathytuttle.nl

Cathy Tuttle @cathytuttle.bsky.social · last mo.

There are good reasons, of all the cities in the world, I chose to live in Utrecht. This @bicycledutch.bsky.social video explains many of them. Streets are our shared public space. A welcoming public space translates, overall, to a welcoming city.

BicycleDutch@bicycledutch.bsky.social · last mo.

I originally started filming Utrecht because of its cycling infrastructure. Looking back over seventeen years of footage, I realised I have documented something much bigger: the transformation of an entire city. Blog, video and playlist:

Cathy Tuttle @cathytuttle.bsky.social · last mo.

There are good reasons, of all the cities in the world, I chose to live in Utrecht. This @bicycledutch.bsky.social video explains many of them. Streets are our shared public space. A welcoming public space translates, overall, to a welcoming city.

BicycleDutch@bicycledutch.bsky.social · last mo.

I originally started filming Utrecht because of its cycling infrastructure. Looking back over seventeen years of footage, I realised I have documented something much bigger: the transformation of an entire city. Blog, video and playlist:

Cathy Tuttle @cathytuttle.bsky.social · last mo.

𝗠𝘆 𝟱 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗩𝗲𝗹𝗼-𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶 𝗜𝘁𝗮𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 docs.google.com/document/d/1... @velo-city-conference.com @bloombergdotorg.bsky.social @ecf.com @thewaroncars.bsky.social @bikeleague.org @dutchcycling.nl @fietsersbond.nl @ianwalker.bsky.social @americanfietser.bsky.social

Photo of 3 people on bikes plus this text "My 5 takeaways from Velo-City Rimini 2026

The European Cyclists’ Federation organizes Velo-City – a gathering of advocates, researchers, and folks from the government and the bike industry. The conference has been held on every continent except Africa. (Next year in Ehime, Japan!)

Velo-City started in 1980. I’ve only been to four Velo-City conferences since my first in Vancouver, Canada in 2012. What I’ve seen over the past 14 years has been a major shift: from biking as an advocacy proposition to biking as an industry. Velo-City 2026 made it clear more money, more decision-makers, and more urgency are flowing into cities ready to change. Cities are waking up to the fact that car culture is exhausting their resources – and that makes people eager to transform the places they love into clean, green bike cities.

That said, Velo-City isn’t ever going to be anything like a car industry show, funded by the fumes of the fossil fuel industry. There’s a sense of lightness and joy at Velo-City, from deliberately long breaks for informal chats, to the traditional mid-week Bike Parade with thousands of local folks plus conference attendees meeting each other and circling through the host city, to nightly dance parties, and after-parties and after-after-parties. It’s a lively, loving group united in bringing the promise and the joy of biking to the world.

Some Americans on the Velo-City Rimini Bike Parade
Selfie by Doug Gordon (co-host, The War on Cars). With Bill Nesper (ED, The League of American Bicyclists) and Cathy Tuttle (Bicycle Watercolor Postcards)

So here are my five takeaways from the conference, from going to and giving talks, to wandering the exhibits, to my informal chats during Velo-City 2026.
Bottom line, the shift to bikes is real.

TEXT that says, "Bikes are transportation. Full stop. Stop calling bikes “Alternative Transportation”. Why? Because it’s too easy for decision makers to put “alternatives” on the chopping block.

Bike transportation needs real investments of money and space. Both money and space. If cities aren’t willing to take away any space occupied by cars, bike infrastructure ends up costing a ton more money and usually not working very well.

It’s surprising which cities and countries are on-board (and which are not). Not all Northern European cities are bike cities and there are excellent mayors everywhere who are all-in on bikes – including the 2026 Velo-city host city of Rimini Italy.

Secure bike parking is a rapidly growing business. It’s not surprising when you think about how much money and space is devoted to car parking. Of course secure parking is necessary for a successful bike city. Bike parking was the subject of several tracks of Velo-City presentations, and there were a large number of bike parking exhibitors. Other exhibitors included bike share, planning and counting, bike tourism, road surfacing, street furnishings, innovative and special use bikes, and safety materials for protecting bike lanes. When you stop and think about it, the needs of a bike city are very minimal compared to the expense of outfitting a city for cars.

Transportation equity begins with bikes. A city that prioritizes bicycle transportation gives all people access to their city. Numerous panels highlighted how a lack of safe places to bike was a form of mobility poverty, particularly impacting the rights of access for disabled people and children. And Velo-City, with funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies and European Cyclist Federation, brought researchers, activists, and government officials from Africa, eastern Europe, Asia, and South America to present work on how bicycles are a solid economic, climate, and public health solution. Bloomberg launched their (free download check it out!)…

Citizen Wolf @citizenw0lf.bsky.social · last mo.

Points 1,2 & 5 of the take-away points are particularly important.

Cathy Tuttle@cathytuttle.bsky.social · last mo.

𝗠𝘆 𝟱 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗩𝗲𝗹𝗼-𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶 𝗜𝘁𝗮𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 docs.google.com/document/d/1... @velo-city-conference.com @bloombergdotorg.bsky.social @ecf.com @thewaroncars.bsky.social @bikeleague.org @dutchcycling.nl @fietsersbond.nl @ianwalker.bsky.social @americanfietser.bsky.social

Fietser @americanfietser.bsky.social · last mo.

The bullet points:

Cathy Tuttle@cathytuttle.bsky.social · last mo.

𝗠𝘆 𝟱 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗩𝗲𝗹𝗼-𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶 𝗜𝘁𝗮𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 docs.google.com/document/d/1... @velo-city-conference.com @bloombergdotorg.bsky.social @ecf.com @thewaroncars.bsky.social @bikeleague.org @dutchcycling.nl @fietsersbond.nl @ianwalker.bsky.social @americanfietser.bsky.social

Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke.bsky.social · last mo.

So much to learn from @velo-city-conference.com that @cathytuttle.bsky.social sums up nicely. If you can manage to get to the 2027 edition in Japan, I highly recommend it. 2028's will be in Geneva.

Cathy Tuttle@cathytuttle.bsky.social · last mo.

𝗠𝘆 𝟱 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗩𝗲𝗹𝗼-𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶 𝗜𝘁𝗮𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 docs.google.com/document/d/1... @velo-city-conference.com @bloombergdotorg.bsky.social @ecf.com @thewaroncars.bsky.social @bikeleague.org @dutchcycling.nl @fietsersbond.nl @ianwalker.bsky.social @americanfietser.bsky.social

Cathy Tuttle @cathytuttle.bsky.social · last mo.

𝗠𝘆 𝟱 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗩𝗲𝗹𝗼-𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶 𝗜𝘁𝗮𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 docs.google.com/document/d/1... @velo-city-conference.com @bloombergdotorg.bsky.social @ecf.com @thewaroncars.bsky.social @bikeleague.org @dutchcycling.nl @fietsersbond.nl @ianwalker.bsky.social @americanfietser.bsky.social