Check out the fun ‘getting started’ video from our friends at Grist:

By Daniel Penner

You say you want to get around the city without spending the $9,000 to maintain and operate a car each year, and maybe get some exercise while you’re at it? You don’t have that kind of cash. And you know, the planet. But those bike lanes can look pretty intimidating, with all the mustachioed hipsters on their superbad fixies, the spandex-clad adrenaline junkies, and the cars whizzing by.

What you need is a video that squeezes basic bicycle skills into four action-packed minutes, replete with a sick sound track and just maybe a crazy stunt or two.

Well, you’re in luck:

Daniel Penner is Grist’s intern.

via Biking basics for folks who’ve always wanted to ride, but didn’t dare [VIDEO] | Grist.

Motor vehicle crashes come at a huge cost to Americans, according to a study recently released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

What can we do about it? For one thing, contact the US Department of Transportation, and ask them to establish a goal, with some system of accountability, to make attempts to reduce the 16% of all fatal crashes that include people who walk and bike. The comment period ends June 30 – please speak up today. Here’s the Action Alert from BikeTexas.