City cycling /

This book, part of MIT's "Urban and Industrial Environments" series, describes the policies and resulting infrastructure of a variety of cities, categorized by size, that promote the use of bicycles as an important alternative to public transportation and private vehicle ownership. Editors Pucher (Rutgers) and Buehler (Virginia Tech) and chapter authors, an eclectic group of international academics, elucidate extensively the positive attributes of bicycle riding while briefly mentioning inconveniences and the fundamental culture of automobiles. Bicycle fatalities are discussed at length without examining the viewpoint of other traffic constituencies. This is a great book for policy shapers as well as for students to generate creative ideas for the encouragement of cycling as a choice for daily commuting in "megacities," large cities, and smaller cities. The authors thoroughly analyze differences between the US and western Europe and also include some mention of practices in Australia and Japan (Tokyo). Excellent graphic displays of statistics and informative black-and-white photographs illustrate the text. Summing Up: Recommended. Students of all levels, researchers/faculty, and professionals/practitioners; large public library collections. D. E. Cleary York College