Wear bright clothing. Leave MP3 players and mobile phones at home. Never ride more than two abreast. And never travel in packs of more than 20.

That's the basic message for cyclists riding in groups contained in new NSW Government guidelines aimed at reducing the increasing number of road injuries and deaths.

"Riding in traffic can be safe and enjoyable for cyclists who follow some commonsense tips," Assistant Transport Minister David Borger said today when he launched the safety campaign at a Darlinghurst coffee shop.

"We all know 'the road is there to share' and, in order to save lives, all road users need to obey the rules and respect others.

"Cyclists are among our most vulnerable road users and it is important they understand the safest way to travel."

The guidelines were formulated with the help of Bicycle NSW, the state's peak body for recreational and commuter cycling.

The group's chief executive, Alex Unwin, said he was confident the measures would be adopted, despite not being enforceable.

"This will be embraced wholeheartedly by the vast majority of cyclists ... it will help keep their groups safe, there's no doubt about that," Mr Unwin said.

Last year, there were almost 700 cycling accidents, three involving fatalities, in the Sydney region.

The number of deaths is expected to have doubled this year. There have been several highly publicised incidents recently.

They include two serious accidents on Southern Cross Drive and a case in Seven Hills in which a cyclist, who was allegedly riding illegally on a T-Way lane, followed and boarded a bus, before bashing the 64-year-old driver.

Parramatta police duty officer, Inspector Beth Sturton, said police had still not been able to identify the cyclist involved in the T-Way dispute.

"There's still a couple of witnesses [we're] trying to speak to but nothing's come to light there that can identify the individual at this stage," Inspector Sturton said. 

But Mr Unwin said he believed the growing popularity of cycling was helping keep cyclists safe.

"It's counter-intuitive but as more people take to their bikes ... [motorists] are more and more aware of people on bikes and take more care around them," he said.

Mr Borger said cyclists, like all other road users, were expected to obey the rules.

"This includes all signs and signals, staying clear of moving motor vehicles, wearing a helmet, ride no more than two abreast unless passing and follow lane markings.

“Cyclists should also look out for pedestrians and give way to them and they are strongly advised to wear brightly coloured or reflective clothing to help make them more visible.”

Mr Unwin said the single most important thing new cyclists could do was take time to familiarise themselves with their bikes and build up their skills.

"It's important to develop your skills and experience and not ride 50 kilometres on your first time," he said.

"Take it slowly and steadily and build up your skills and understand how your bike works in different road conditions."

- with Georgina Robinson

The comments are interesting. Again, unlike The Adelaide Advertiser, the comments seem to mostly come from cyclists.

Lensbabies

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/find/newsLetter/Lensbaby-FieldTrip.jsp#

Five Ways to Change the World

Interesting article in Design Observer. On thing that caught my eye was the part about the Empire State Plaza in Albany, NY State. I saw this place while visiting the US a few years ago and it is a very impressive structure.

Check out the full selection by Eric Baker.

http://observatory.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=10877

found on the also tres tres froid 'we love you so' blog.

13,500 miles in 126 days! or 107 miles per day-- everyday. At least it was downhill.

The band, minus John Cale, will discuss their music and legacy with Rolling Stone's David Fricke. They're also promoting a book The Velvet Underground: New York Art with unseen articles, photos, original handwritten material and submission from biggest fan and former Czech President Vaclav Havel.

I saw this last week but the Guardian online's Blike Blog (which was also a nice discovery) has featured a video on it.

The computer tagged, theft proof, clutter proof 'mechanical masterpiece'.

I was thinking that while all that stuff is nice it might inspire more to ride their $5k carbon road machines into the city where at the moment because of theft fears they might not.

.. good on these guys for making it but it kind of makes me glad I moved to Adelaide.

... I saw this video used for another spoof and it was very funny but I cannot remember what it was for.

This article is for political operators but could be the same for media. I guess it comes down to the access to tools. A few years ago it was tricky to edit video and do things like add subtitles but with cheaper simpler editing platforms available for home users (not to mention editing apps available on iPhones etc) and a host like YouTube is it no wonder some people lose their heads (as in get excited and lose their jobs)

..so I know what you did last summer!

Gather a stream then filter the noise.

I know cycling in Adelaide is pretty basic but sometimes when I need to go somewhere I have to think about what might be the best way to get there. Is there a cycleway? A bike lane, can I cut across the parklands, is the river better and where it the exit?

This Zoom Around Town is in its infancy and when it grows it should be interesting. It'd be nice to see it with some added user tips in pop ups as well.

This is a great little read.