The 2008 Streetsie Awards, Part 5
Best Spontaneous Livable Streets Moment: Joyous New Yorkers take to the streets to celebrate Barack Obama’s victory.
Movement of the Year: This year we saw cities across the U.S competing to run the first, biggest and best Bogota-style Ciclovia events. San Francisco debuted Sunday Streets (after local activists sat Mayor Gavin Newsom down in front of Streetfilms’ Ciclovia video and sold him on the idea), Portland and Chicago both called it Sunday Parkways, in south Florida it was Bike Miami and, of course, New York City experienced the phenomenal Summer Streets.
Best International Transportation Concept: The huge success of Paris’s Velib has made it so that if you are a big city mayor and you want to be considered “green” you’ve got to have a public bike-sharing program in the works.
National Policy Idiots of the Year: Texas Gov. Rick Perry opens the rebuilt Katy Freeway proclaiming 18 lanes of “freedom” while Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin whip Republican crowds into a “Drill, baby, drill!” frenzy.
The Year’s Most Promising National Trend: Increasing demand for transit.
Maybe There is Hope After All Award: Obama dismisses Clinton and McCain’s gas tax holiday “gimmick“
one week before the Indiana and North Carolina primaries and with gas
prices hovering somewhere around $4 — and people still vote for him.
Welcome to the Future Award: Atlanta motorists used Twitter to locate service stations that haven’t run out of gasoline.
Most Inexplicably Popular Streetfilm: “Hal (and Kerri) Grade Your Bike Locking.” It’s a smash hit with 24,000 views since being posted at the end of April…
Simplest, Cheapest, Best Bike Infrastructure Idea: Portland’s bike corral.
Best Use of Bicycles in Television Advertising: Regions Bank, Kaiser Permanente and FreeCreditReport.com.
Best Livable Streets Rap Video: “Bikes on Board” by Louisville, Kentucky bus mechanic and m.c. Mr. Theo and his back-up singers, the TARCettes.
Best Public Service Video: Transport for London’s “Awareness Test.“
America’s Baddest Livable Streets Activists: Los Angeles’s Crimanimalz.
It turns out the 405 and Interstate 10 are somewhat practical bike
routes during rush hour. When is someone going to try the BQE with a
camera on their helmet?
Coolest New Web App: New York City cyclists get their own online route mapping service with Ride the City.
Professional Athlete of the Year: Baltimore Orioles pitcher and regular bike commuter Jeremy Guthrie.
Most disturbing photo: Paul “The Fixie Flasher” White bikes over the Brooklyn Bridge.
Book of the Year: Tom Vanderbilt’s “Traffic.”
Best out-of-town Streetfilm: A Harvard student named George Zisiadis is doing some great work for Livable Streets Boston. Here’s one:
Sexiest Streetfilm: Vancouver, British Columbia’s “B:C:Clettes vs. Sexy Back.” Watch out!
Junket of the Year: Streetfilms goes to Melbourne, Australia. Clarence loves his job.
Lifetime Achievement: Hans Monderman, engineer of livable streets, 1947-2008.
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