Contraflow cycle lane in Liverpool, England.

Cycling infrastructure comprises all infrastructure which may be used by cyclists. This includes the same network of roads and streets used by motorists, except those roads from which cyclists have been banned (e.g., many freeways/motorways), plus additional bikeways that are not available to motor vehicles, such as bike paths, segregated cycle facilities and, where permitted, sidewalks, plus amenities like bike racks for parking and specialized traffic signs and signals.

The manner in which the public roads network is designed, built and managed can have a significant effect on the utility and safety of cycling. The cycling network may be able to provide the users with direct, convenient routes minimizing unnecessary delay and effort in reaching their destinations. Settlements with a dense roads network of interconnected streets tend to be viable utility cycling environments.

Aspects of infrastructure may be viewed as either cyclist-hostile or as cyclist-friendly. In general, roads infrastructure based on prioritizing certain routes in an attempt to create a state of constant "traffic flow" for vehicles on that route, will tend to be hostile to those not on that route. In 1996, the British Cyclists' Touring Club (CTC) and the Institute for Highways and Transportation jointly produced the document "Cycle-friendly infrastructure: Guidelines for planning and design" (CFI).^[1] This defined a hierarchy of measures for cycling promotion in which the goal is to convert a more or less cyclist-hostile roads infrastructure into one which encourages and facilitates cycling:

1. Traffic reduction. Can traffic levels, particularly of heavy vehicles, be reduced?
2. Traffic calming. Can speed be reduced and driver behaviour modified?
3. Junction treatment and traffic management. These measures include:
   • Urban traffic control systems designed to recognize cyclists and give them priority.
   • Exempt cyclists from banned turns and access restrictions.
   • Provide contra-flow cycle lanes on one-way streets.
   • Implement on-street parking restrictions.
   • Provide advanced stop lines/bypasses for cyclists at traffic signals.
   • Junction alterations, signalize roundabouts, cycle-friendly junction design.
4. Redistribution of the carriageway -such as by marking wide kerb lanes or shared bus/cycle lanes.
5. Cycle lanes and cycle tracks. Having considered and implemented all the above, what cycle tracks or cycle lanes are considered necessary?

Summaries of the actions that have been successful in the Netherlands are available in English.^[2] Guided tours are available to demonstrate good practice.^[3]

Traffic reduction[link]

Removing traffic can be achieved by straightforward diversion or alternatively reduction. Diversion involves routing through-traffic away from roads used by high numbers of cyclists and pedestrians. Examples of diversion include the construction of arterial bypasses and ring roads around urban centres.

New Road, Brighton - Shared Space scheme reduced motor traffic by 93%.

Traffic reduction can involve direct or indirect methods. A highly effective indirect method of reducing motor traffic, and facilitating cyclist and pedestrian use, is to adopt the shared space system. This system, by giving equal priority to all road users, and by removing conventional road markings, road signs and road conventions, capitalizes on the tendency for all road users to respect and trust each other when they are interacting on an equal basis. No explicit, or even implicit priority is given to traffic traveling along the road, so with no assumptions of priority being possible, all road users need to be aware of all other road users at all times. New Road in Brighton was remodeled using this philosophy, and the results were a 93% reduction in motor traffic and a 22% increase in cycling traffic.^[4] Other indirect methods involve reducing the infrastructural capacity dedicated to moving or storing road vehicles. This can involve reducing the number of road lanes, closing bridges to certain vehicle types and creating vehicle restricted zones or environmental traffic cells. In the 1970s the Dutch city of Delft began restricting private car traffic from crossing the city centre.^[5] Similarly, Groningen is divided in to four zones that cannot be crossed by private motor-traffic, (private cars must use the ring road instead).^[6] Cyclists and other traffic can pass between the zones and cycling accounts for 50%+ of trips in Groningen (which reputedly has the third highest proportion of cycle traffic of any city). The Swedish city of Gothenburg uses a similar system of traffic cells.^[7] Starting in the 1970s, the city of Copenhagen, which is now noted for high cycling levels, adopted a policy of reducing available car parking capacity by several per cent a year. The city of Amsterdam, where around 40% of all trips are by bicycle,^[8] adopted similar parking reduction policies in the 80s and 90s.

Direct traffic reduction methods can involve straightforward bans or more subtle methods like road pricing schemes or road diets. The London congestion charge reportedly resulted in a significant increase in cycle use within the affected area.^[9]

One-way streets[link]

Some campaigners view one-way street systems as a product of traffic management that focuses on trying to keep motorized vehicles moving regardless of the social and other impacts.^[10] On the other hand, some UK traffic planners state that one-way streets are a useful tool for traffic calming, and for eliminating rat runs.^[11] CFI states that one-way streets can seriously disadvantage cyclists on the grounds that they introduce additional trip-length, delay and hazards associated with weaving maneuvers at junctions.^[1] CFI refers to other research indicating that in almost every case it is possible to exempt cyclists from one-way restrictions.^[1] In northern Europe, cyclists are frequently granted exemptions from one-way street restrictions.^[12] German research indicates that making one-way streets two-way for cyclists results in a reduction in the total number of collisions.^[13] It is also argued^[who?] that contraflow cyclists may be at reduced risk of certain types of accident - particularly so called "dooring" type incidents. In Belgium road authorities can in principle allow any one-way streets in 50 kilometres per hour (31 mph) zones to be two-way for cyclists if the available lane is at least 3 metres (9.8 ft) wide (area free from parking) and no specific local circumstances prevent it.^[14] Denmark, a country with high cycling levels, does not use one-way systems to improve traffic flow.^[15] Some commentators argue that the initial goal should be to dismantle large one-way street systems as a traffic calming/traffic reduction measure, followed by the provision of two-way cyclist access on any one-way streets that remain.^[16]

Junction design[link]

In general, junction designs that favour higher-speed turning, weaving and merging movements by motorists tend to be hostile for cyclists. CFI states that free-flowing arrangements are hazardous for cyclists and should be avoided.^[1] Features such as large entry curvature, slip-roads and high flow roundabouts are associated with increased risk of car–cyclist collisions.^[17][18] On large roundabouts of the design typically used in the UK and Ireland, cyclists have an injury accident rate that is 14-16 times that of motorists.^[18] Research indicates that excessive sight lines at uncontrolled intersections compound these effects.^[17][19] In the UK, a survey of over 8,000 highly experienced and mainly adult male Cyclists Touring Club members found that 28% avoided roundabouts on their regular journey if at all possible.^[20] Cycling advocates argue for modifications and alternative junction types that resolve these issues such as reducing kerb radii on street corners, eliminating slip roads and replacing large roundabouts with signalized intersections.^[16][21]

Traffic signals/Traffic control systems[link]

Cyclists use a segregated cut through of a busy interchange in London at rush hour.

How traffic signals are designed and implemented directly impacts cyclists.^[22] For instance, poorly adjusted vehicle detector systems, used to trigger signal changes, may not correctly detect cyclists. This can leave cyclists in the position of having to "run" red lights if no motorized vehicle arrives to trigger a signal change.^[23] Some cities use urban adaptive traffic control systems (UTC's), which use linked traffic signals to manage traffic in response to changes in demand.^[22] There is an argument that using a UTC system merely to provide for increased capacity for motor traffic will simply drive growth in such traffic.^[24] However, there are more direct negative impacts. For instance, where signals are arranged to provide motor traffic with so called green waves, this can create "red waves" for other road users such as cyclists and public transport services.^[22] Traffic managers in Copenhagen have now turned this approach on its head and are linking cyclist-specific traffic signals on a major arterial bike lane to provide green waves for rush hour cycle-traffic.^[25] However, this would still not resolve the problem of red-waves for slow (old and young) and fast(above average fitness) cyclists. Cycling-specific measures that can be applied at traffic signals include the use of advanced stop lines and/or bypasses. In some cases cyclists might be given a free-turn or a signal bypass if turning into a road on the nearside.^[1]

Redistribution of the carriageway[link]

One method for reducing potential friction between cyclists and motorized vehicles is to provide Wide Kerb (nearside) lanes (UK) or Wide outside through lanes (USA). These extra wide lanes increase the probability that motorists will be able to pass cyclists at a safe distance without having to change lanes.^[26] This is held to be particularly important on routes with a high proportion of wide vehicles such as buses or HGVs. They also provide more room for cyclists to filter past queues of cars in congested conditions.

Shared space schemes extend this principle further by removing the reliance on lane markings altogether, and also removing road signs and signals, allowing all road users to use any part of the road, and giving all road users equal priority and equal responsibility for each others safety. Experiences where these schemes are in use show that road users, particularly motorists, undirected by signs, kerbs or road markings, reduce their speed and establish eye contact with other users. Results from the thousands of such implementations worldwide all show casualty reductions and most also show reduced journey times.^[27] Following the partial conversion of London's Kensington High Street to shared space, accidents were reduced there by 44% (the London average was 17%).^[27]

A bus and cycle lane in Mannheim, Germany

CFI argues for a marked lane width of 4.25 metres (13.9 ft).^[1] It is argued that, on undivided roads, this width provides cyclists with adequate clearance from passing HGVs while being sufficiently narrow to deter car users from attempting to "double up" and form two lanes. This "doubling up" effect may be related to junctions. At non-junction locations, greater width might be preferable if this effect can be avoided. The use of such wide lanes is specifically endorsed by Cycling: the way ahead for towns and cities, the European Commission policy document on cycle promotion.^[28]

Shared bus and cycle lanes are also a widely endorsed method for providing for cyclists. Research carried out by the Transport Research Laboratory describes shared bus cycle lanes as "generally very popular" with cyclists^[29] Guidance produced for Cycling England endorses bus lanes as providing cyclists with a direct and barrier free route into town centres and as avoiding the difficulties associated with other provisions such as shared-use footways.^[30] According to a French survey 42% of cyclists described themselves as "enthusiasts" for shared bus bike lanes versus 33% who were of mixed opinion and 27% who were opposed.^[31] Many cycling activists view these as being more attractive than cycle paths, while others object to being in close proximity to bus exhausts.^[31]

As of 2003, mixed bus/cycle lanes accounted for 118 kilometres (73 mi) of the 260 kilometres (160 mi) of cycling facilities in Paris.^[32] The French city of Bordeaux has 40 kilometres (25 mi) of shared bus cycle lanes.^[33] It is reported that that in the city of Bristol, a showcase bus priority corridor, where road space was re-allocated along a 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) stretch also resulted in more space for cyclists and had the effect of increasing cycling.^[34] The reverse effect has also been suggested, a review carried out in London reports that cycling levels fell across Kew bridge following the removal of a bus lane - this was despite a general increase in cycling level in the city generally.^[35] In addition, it is arguably easier, politically speaking, to argue for funding of joint facilities rather than the additional expense of both segregated cycling facilities and bus-only lanes.^[36][37] In some instances. bus lane proposals have run into vehement opposition from cyclists reps - a typical theme is the perceived generation of conflict due to the narrowing of other lanes already shared by cars/cyclists so as to create space for the bus lanes^[38] The TRL reports that cyclists and bus drivers tend to have low opinions of each other^[29] There have been reports in Dublin of conflict as cyclists choose to cycle in the bus lanes and a bus driver apparently expected them to use adjacent cycle tracks instead.^[39] In other cities the arrangements seem to work successfully with bus companies and cyclists' groups taking active steps to ensure that understanding is improved between the two groups of road users.^[37][40][41]

Bikeways[link]

A Bikeway is a general term for a route, way or path which in some manner is specifically designed and /or designated for bicycle travel. It comes in various forms and names such as (but not limited to): bicycle boulevard, bicycle trail, foreshoreway, greenway or sharrow.

Segregated cycle facilities[link]

Segregated cycle facilities such as cycle lanes and cycle tracks are often advocated as a means of promoting utility cycling. A pro-cycling paper, stated to have been accepted for publication in the Transport Reviews journal, states that "the provision of separate cycling facilities" appears to be one of the keys to the achieving of high levels of cycling in the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany.^[42] Streets or paths that are open to cyclists but not motorists can benefit cyclists where they provide links that are more convenient than the main road network, or help resolve obstacles. Examples include routes through pedestrian precincts.

Bicycle Boulevards[link]

A bicycle boulevard is a low speed street which has been optimized for bicycle traffic. Bicycle boulevards discourage cut-through motor vehicle traffic but allow local motor vehicle traffic. They are designed to give priority to cyclists as through-going traffic.

Greenways[link]

A greenway is a long, narrow piece of land, often used for recreation and pedestrian and bicycle user traffic, and sometimes for streetcar, light rail or retail uses.

Trip-end facilities[link]

Bicycle parking/storage arrangements[link]

Bicycle parking at the Alewife subway station in Cambridge, Massachusetts, located at the intersection of three cycle paths.

Bicycle parking lot in Amsterdam.

As secure and convenient bicycle parking is a key factor in influencing a person's decision to cycle, decent parking infrastructure must be provided at encourage the uptake of cycling.^[43] Decent bicycle parking involves infrastructure such as lockers, stands, manned or unmanned bicycle parks,^[44] as well as bike parking facilities within workplaces to facilitate bicycle commuting. It also will help if certain legal arrangements are put into place to enable legitimate ad hoc parking, for example to allow people to lock their bicycles to railings, signs and other street furniture.^[45]

Other trip end facilities[link]

Some people need to wear special clothes such as business suits or uniforms in their daily work. In some cases the nature of the cycling infrastructure and the prevailing weather conditions may make it very hard to both cycle and maintain the work clothes in a presentable condition. It is argued that such workers can be encouraged to cycle by providing lockers, changing rooms and shower facilities where they can change before starting work.^[46]

Theft reduction measures[link]

The theft of bicycles is one of the major problems that slow the development of urban cycling. Bicycle theft discourages regular cyclists from buying new bicycles, as well as putting off people who might want to invest in a bicycle.

Several measures can help reduce bicycle theft:

• making cyclists aware of antitheft devices and their effective use
• promoting devices to enable remote tracking of a bicycle's location
• registration of bicycles to enable recovery if stolen
• targeting cycle thieves
• mounting sting operations to catch thieves
• using Folding bicycles which can be safely stored (for example) in cloakrooms or under desks

Certain European countries apply such measures with success, such as the Netherlands or certain German cities using registration and recovery. Since mid-2004, France has instituted a system of registration, in some places allowing stolen bicycles to be put on file in partnership with the urban cyclists' associations. This approach has reputedly increased the stolen bicycle recovery rate to more than 40%. By comparison, before the commencement of registration, the recovery rate in France was about 2%.

In some areas of the United Kingdom, bicycles fitted with location tracking devices are left poorly secured in theft hot-spots. When the bike is stolen, the police can locate it and arrest the thieves. This sometimes leads to the dismantling of organized bicycle theft rings.

Integration with other transport modes[link]

Bike commuters disembark at Palo Alto Station in Palo Alto, California

Cycling can often be integrated successfully with other transport modes. For example, in the Netherlands and Denmark a large number of train journeys may start by bicycle. In 1991, 44% of Dutch train travelers went to their local station by bicycle and 14% used a bicycle at their destinations.^[47] The key ingredients for this are claimed to be:

• an efficient, attractive and affordable train service
• secure bike parking at train stations
• a town planning policy that results in a sufficient proportion of the potential commuter population (e.g. 44%) living/working within a reasonable cycling distance of the train stations.

It has been argued in relation to this aspect of Dutch or Danish policy that ongoing investment in rail services is vital to maintaining their levels of cycle use.

An often forgotten major success story is the integration of cycling and public transport is Japan.^[48] Starting in 1978, Japan expanded bicycle parking supply at railway stations from 598,000 spaces in 1977 to 2,382,000 spaces in 1987. As of 1987, Japanese provisions included 516 multi-story garages for bicycle parking.^[49]

In January 2007, the European parliament adopted a motion decreeing that all international trains must carry bicycles.^[50] In some cities, bicycles may also be carried on local trains, trams and buses so that they may be used at either end of the trip. The Rheinbahn transit company in Düsseldorf permits bicycle carriage on all its bus, tram and train services at any time of the day.^[51] In France, the prestigious TGV high-speed trains are even having some of their first class capacity converted to store bicycles.^[52] There have also been schemes, such as in Victoria, British Columbia, Acadia, and Canberra, Australia to provide bicycle carriage on buses using externally mounted bike carriers.^[53][54][55]

In Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, three bus routes have externally mounted carriers for bicycles.^[56] All public transit buses in Chicago and suburbs allow up to two bikes at all times.^[57][58] The same is true of Grand River Transit buses in the Region of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.^[59] Trains allow bikes with some restrictions.^[60] Where such services are not available, some cyclists get around this restriction by using folding bikes that can be brought onto the train or bus like a piece of luggage.

However, there are strong cultural variations in how cycling is treated in such situations. For instance in the Irish university city of Galway the secure parking of bikes is forbidden within the grounds of the central train station. However, cut-price car parking is available for motorists holding a valid train ticket.

Photo Gallery of Cycling from around the Globe[link]

See also[link]

• Bicycle-friendly
• Danish bicycle VIN-system

References[link]

Look up bike in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Bike may refer to:

• The abbreviation for either bicycle or motorcycle
• Bike, a Turkish given name
• Bike Company
• Bike, Ethiopia
• Bike (magazine), a UK magazine about motorcycling
• "Bike" (song), by Pink Floyd

See also[link]

• All pages beginning with "Bike"
• All pages with titles containing "Bike"
• Bicycle (disambiguation)
• Bic (disambiguation)
• Bik (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Look up path or pathway in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Path, pathway or PATH may refer to:

Path[link]

• Course (navigation), the intended path of a vehicle over the surface of the Earth
• Trail, hiking trail, footpath, or bridle path

• Shining Path, Maoist guerrilla insurgent organization in Peru
• Sidewalk running along the edge of a road, in some varieties of English

• Bicycle path or way
• Golden Path (Dune), a metaphysical theme from Frank Herbert's Dune novels
• "Path Vol.2" is a 2000 single by Apocalyptica from their album Cult

Mathematics[link]

• Path (graph theory), a sequence of vertices of a graph
• Path (topology), a continuous function

Computing[link]

• Path (computing), in computer file systems, the human-readable address of a resource
• PATH (variable), an environment variable specifying a list of directories where executable programs are located
• Path (social network), a social networking-enabled photo sharing and messaging service
• Clipping path, a computer image outlining option to remove background and create transparency
• Control flow path, a possible execution sequence in a program; often depicted as a sequence of edges in a control flow graph
• The st-connectivity problem is sometimes known as the "path problem."

Pathway[link]

Biology[link]

• Genetic pathway, a group of genes interacting to form an aggregate biological function
• Metabolic pathway, a series of chemical reactions within a cell
• Signalling pathway, a series of interactions e.g. from cell receptors to affect gene expression.
• Neural pathway, a neural tract connecting one part of the nervous system with another
  • Dopaminergic pathways, neural pathways in the brain which transmit the neurotransmitter dopamine

Music[link]

• The Pathway, second album by Officium Triste released on Displeased Records in 2001
• Pathway (album) by The Flaming Stars

Other[link]

• Pathway (PBX), a BT Inspiration telephone PBX
• Pathway (comics), a superhero featured in Marvel comics
• Pathway Bible Fellowship, a church in Milpitas, California

See also[link]

• Pathé, various businesses founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France
• PATH (disambiguation), disambiguation page for the acronym "PATH"
• The Path (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

The Dutchess is the debut studio album by American recording artist Fergie, who is a member of The Black Eyed Peas. The album was released on September 19, 2006. As of 2008, the album has sold more than six million copies worldwide. The song, "All That I Got (The Make Up Song)" has been remixed slightly and used as one of the two main music themes for Tyra Banks' talk show, Tyra. Edited and Parental Advisory versions of the album were available. In Japan, the United States and Australia, deluxe versions of the album were released. For sales in Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela, the Parental Advisory version is the only Universal album edited in Peru.

The album produced 5 top five singles in the U.S., including three number-one hits on the Billboard Hot 100, "London Bridge", "Big Girls Don't Cry", and "Glamorous", as well as the number two single "Fergalicious" and the number five single "Clumsy". All five of the aforementioned singles have sold over two million digital downloads each in the U.S., thus setting a new record in the digital era for the most multi-platinum singles from one album.^[1]

Background[link]

The title is a derivation and misspelling of the title "The Duchess of York", as Fergie (a derivative of her last name "Ferguson") and Sarah Ferguson, the real Duchess of York, share a surname and nickname. will.i.am was an executive producer for the album. Ludacris, B-Real from Cypress Hill and Rita Marley all make guest appearances.^[2] Fergie has made it clear in interviews that she will still be an active member of the Black Eyed Peas.

In Australia, with the success of her first number-one single "Big Girls Don't Cry", the album peaked at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart on July 23, 45 weeks after it was released. The album has shifted over 210,000 copies and is certified triple platinum by ARIA. It has spent an impressive 62 weeks inside the nation's top 50, and 21 weeks inside the top 10.^[3] It spent four consecutive weeks at number one.^[4] Fergie has also had five consecutive top 4 hits from a debut album, the first artist to do so was Delta Goodrem with her 2003 album, Innocent Eyes, which had five consecutive number ones. Due to the re-release of The Dutchess in the U.S, the original album bounced back from #104 to #28, because of the 11,000 copies of the deluxe edition sold in its first week.

On December 21, 2007, Fergie performed "Finally" on the 9th Annual A Home for the Holidays special on CBS and on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2008 on ABC, where Ryan Seacrest announced that it would be a single in 2008. It was released to radio on February 26, 2008.^[5] The music video for "Finally" was filmed by Marc Webb, but has yet to be released.^[6] Some songs were written with Fergie's old band, Wild Orchid members Renee Sands, and Stefanie Ridel.

Singles[link]

"London Bridge" was released as the lead single from the album on July 18, 2006, and was Fergie's first single as a solo artist. As of January 1, 2008, the single has sold 1,792,912 copies in the U.S. "Fergalicious" is the second single from the album, The Dutchess. It features Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am, who also produced the track. "Fergalicious" was not officially released as the second single in the UK, where "Glamorous" was officially made the second single instead. However, "Fergalicious" still managed to chart at number 26 on the UK Official Download Chart and will be released as the fourth single there, over a year after the song's initial release, as a double A-side with "Clumsy". This is possibly due to the huge success of "Big Girls Don't Cry" in the UK which reached #2, saved the album, and even made it reach a new peak position at #18. As of August 2008, the single has sold over 2,700,000 copies.

"Glamorous" is the third single of The Dutchess; the song features Ludacris. The beat was originally presented to Gwen Stefani as a remix for her single "Luxurious", but the singer ultimately decided not to use it. Ludacris' verse is leftover from that version. In March 2007, the song became Fergie's second number-one single in the United States. The single was released on March 19, 2007 in the UK and was the second single taken from the album. The single was not as successful in Latin America (excluding Mexico, where it proved to be a hit) as "London Bridge" and "Fergalicious". "Glamorous" is the fourth single from the album in Brazil, where "Big Girls Don't Cry" was released as the third single. Fergie sang this song along with "Big Girls Don't Cry" at the Concert for Diana. As of March 2008, the single has sold 2,300,000 copies. "Big Girls Don't Cry", also known as "Big Girls Don't Cry (Personal)", is a song written by Fergie and Toby Gad for Fergie's debut solo album The Dutchess (2006). The song was released as the album's fourth single in 2007 (see 2007 in music) and topped the charts in several countries, most notably in Australia (for nine consecutive weeks - also becoming the number-one single in the ARIA's Year End Charts for 2007), and in the United States. It was the most played song of 2007 in Brazil (the success of the song there is due to Big Brother Brasil, which chose the song as the theme of the most popular couple of the show) and the most downloaded track in the U.S., with astonishing sales of more than 2,750,000 copies sold. In July 2007, Fergie performed the song at the Concert for Diana and Live Earth. By the end of August 2007, the song became Fergie's third number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was nominated in the 'Best Female Pop Vocal Performance' category at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, which was held February 10, 2008.

"Clumsy" was written by Fergie and will.i.am, sampling Little Richard's "The Girl Can't Help It", Deee-Lite's "Who Was That", and a small part of MC Lyte's "Poor Georgie". The song was released as the album's fifth single. The song peaked at number five in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the fifth consecutive top-five single from The Dutchess. Fergie has also had five consecutive top 5 hits from a debut album on the ARIA Charts in Australia making her the first artist to do so since Delta Goodrem in 2003 with Innocent Eyes who had five consecutive number ones. Initially "Clumsy" was Fergie's least successful single, but later it was replaced by "Finally". "Here I Come" is a song produced and featured will.i.am. The track was released as a single in Australia in January 2008. It reached 22 on Australia Singles Chart and 122 on Billboard Hot 100. It was used on the commercials that advertised the debut of the new channel CW and in a Motorola Rockr commercial for Brazil and Portugal featuring Fergie. "Finally" is the sixth single from The Dutchess. It was sent to U.S. radio on February 26, 2008. It is the album's least successful single. It featured John Legend on piano.

Promotional singles[link]

"Party People" was released as the first single from Nelly's fifth studio album Brass Knuckles. The song is also a single from the Deluxe Edition of The Dutchess. It reached 40 in the USA and 14 in the UK.

"Labels or Love" is the second single from the Deluxe Edition of The Dutchess, and eighth overall. The song did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100, but in UK it reached 56. This is the last single from the album and a music video was filmed.

Critical reception[link]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
About.com	[7]
Allmusic	[8]
Robert Christgau	[9]
Entertainment Weekly	B+[10]
Now Magazine	(C)[11]
Prefix Magazine	[12]
Rolling Stone	[13]
Slant Magazine	[14]
Yahoo! Music	(B)[15]

Initial critical response to The Dutchess was mixed. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 58, based on 15 reviews, which indicates "average reviews". Andy Kellman from Allmusic gave to the album a rating of 2/5 stars and claimed that: "The Dutchess has all the characteristics of a release fronted by someone who has been itching to go solo and prove herself, once and for all, as a versatile force all her own". But that "The whole process, produced mostly by fellow Pea will.i.am, is mildly entertaining but tremendously taxing".^[16] A positive review came from Bill Lamb of About.com, who gave to the album a rating of 4/5 stars. He stated that "Fergie proves herself a skilled entertainer that can make you dance, laugh, nearly cry, and just have a really good time." He finished the review, saying that "The Dutchess is one of the top debuts of the year. Similar to Gwen Stefani's experience, this album is good enough to pull into question the wisdom of Fergie sticking with The Black Eyed Peas or considering striking out on her own.^[17] Another favorable review came from Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt' who say that "The Dutchess reaches further than most albums by contemporary divas."^[18] The Uncut review of The Dutchess was also positive, considering the album "One of the most rambunctiously entertaining and high-spirited records of 2006". Dan Gennoe from Dot Music was also favorable to the album, naming The Dutchess as an "exceptionally random R&B mixtape".^[19] Kathryn Perry from The Phoenix described The Dutchess as "An eclectic, danceable collection of hip-hop, R&B, and pop confections".^[20]

Chart performance[link]

The Dutchess debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 in the United States with sales of more than 150,000 in its first week.^[21] 51 weeks after its release, The Dutchess climbed to a new peak of number two in the U.S.^[22] In the United Kingdom, it debuted at number 27 with 9,110 copies sold.^{[citation needed]} The song "Losing My Ground" was the upcoming single, though it was replaced for "Glamorous" for unknown reasons. In a matter of weeks it dropped out of the chart altogether until the success of "Glamorous" when the album shot up from 77 to 28. Again, after the success of "Big Girls Don't Cry", the album climbed to 19 and after dropping a few places, went back up to its number 18 peak. To date, the album has produced three Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits, including "London Bridge", "Glamorous", and "Big Girls Don't Cry", with "Fergalicious" peaking at number two. Fifth single "Clumsy" peaked at the number five on the chart. A remix of "Big Girls Don't Cry", which features Sean Kingston, became an iTunes-only single and the new song "Pick It Up" (which appears on the Japanese re-released edition of the album) will become a single in Japan.^{[citation needed]}

Track listing[link]

(*) Denotes vocal producer

Charts and certifications[link]

Awards[link]

MTV Australia Video Music Awards

• Sexiest Video – "Fergalicious" (2007)

MuchMusic Video Awards

• Best International Video – "Fergalicious" (2007)
• Best International Video – Artist (2008)

Juno Awards

• Best International Album – The Dutchess (2008)

ASCAP Awards

• Song of the Year – "Big Girls Don't Cry" (2008)

MTV Japan Video Music Awards

• Best Female Video – "Big Girls Don't Cry" (2008)

Teen Choice Awards

• Best (2008)

References[link]

External links[link]

• The Dutchess at Metacritic

The Neistat Brothers, Casey Neistat (born in New London, Connecticut, on March 25, 1981) and Van Neistat (born Van Paul Moody in Augusta, Maine, on March 22, 1975), are filmmakers based in New York City. Their self-titled television show, The Neistat Brothers, debuted on HBO in 2010. The pair have created over two hundred films, according to their website,^[1] most notably iPod's Dirty Secret, focusing on Apple's policy on replacing iPod batteries, and Bike Thief, chronicling the ease with which they steal their own bicycle. Their films have been shown in film festivals, art museums and various institutions around the world.

HBO[link]

In July 2008 Home Box Office HBO purchased a television series entitled The Neistat Brothers. The eight episode series was created by Casey Neistat, Van Neistat and Tom Scott. Written and directed by Casey and Van the show is autobiographical and told from the first person. Each of the eight episodes is made up of short stories about the brothers lives. The show premiered June 4, 2010 at midnight on HBO.

iPod's Dirty Secret[link]

They gained international fame in late 2003 for a three minute film titled iPod's Dirty Secret, criticising Apple's lack of a battery replacement program for the iPod. Their film received national media exposure and brought broad attention on Apple's policy towards iPod battery replacements.^[2]

The video clip begins with a phone call to the Apple Support 800 number, and a conversation between Casey Neistat and an operator named Ryan. Casey explains that after 18 months of use his iPod battery is dead. Ryan suggests that for the cost of labor and shipping to replace the battery Casey is better off buying a new iPod. To the music of NWA's rap song "Express Yourself" the brothers begin a "public service announcement" campaign to inform consumers about the batteries. Using a stenciled sign reading "iPod's Unreplaceable Battery Lasts Only 18 Months", they spray paint the warning over iPod advertisement posters on the streets of Manhattan.

Reaction[link]

The film was posted to the Internet on November 20, 2003 and within six weeks was viewed over a million times. The film quickly attracted media attention and the controversy was covered worldwide by over 130 sources including The Washington Post, Rolling Stone Magazine, Fox News, CBS News, and BBC News. The film was praised as "wonderfully renegade" by the Washington Post.^[3]

Apple officially announced a battery replacement policy on November 14, 2003^[4] and also announced an extended iPod warranty program on November 21.^[5] The Washington Post incorrectly stated that both programs were announced "days after" the movie became public.^[3] Fox News set the date of the policy change at "two weeks" after the posting of the clip and Neil Cavuto called it a "David and Goliath story" on Fox News Your World. Apple spokeswoman Natalie Sequeira denied any connection between the film and the new policy, stating the policy revision had been in the works for months before the film was released.^[3]

Bike Thief[link]

The Neistat Brothers created Bike Thief,^[6] a film documenting their repeated success in stealing their own bike even when making their intentions obvious, free of intervention from passersby. The video got coverage on a local Fox morning show in which they were supposed to demonstrate how easy it was to steal a bike but instead played a prank on the host by pretending to accidentally amputate a finger. Her reaction gained coverage in press and on the Internet.

References[link]

1. ^ website
2. ^ New York Magazine review
3. ^ ^{a b c} "Battery and Assault", The Washington Post, Hank Steuver, 20 December 2003.
4. ^ Kim, Arnold (November 14, 2003). "iPod Battery Replacement Details from Apple". MacRumors.com. http://www.macrumors.com/2003/11/14/ipod-battery-replacement-details-from-apple/. Retrieved October 16, 2011. 
5. ^ Kim, Arnold (November 21, 2003). "AppleCare for iPod". MacRumors.com. http://www.macrumors.com/2003/11/21/applecare-for-ipod/. Retrieved October 16, 2011. 
6. ^ Bike Thief on YouTube

External links[link]

• Neistat Brothers on Facebook
• Casey Neistat on Dailymotion
• YouTube Channel Page
• Casey Neistat on Vimeo
• Neistat Brothers Official Website