Surely one of the stranges government initiatives (in name at least) is In Town, Without My Car!, which arrives in Manchester city centre tomorrow.

From the negative point of view, this means some streets in the city centre will be closed off – from Manchester Cathedral down to Salford via the River Irwell, to be exact. But on the plus side, it means you’ll get the chance to do this instead:

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIWfNkKfMyQ]

Yes, zorbing is one of the main attractions between 11am and 4pm. There will also be a climbing wall, capoiera (‘a martial arts-style dance activity’) and free-running/parkour, which I’ve mentioned before.

They’re also launching Wildabout Manchester, which aims to offer 14 ‘breathing places’ in the city centre where you can observe wildlife. Dog-sized rats on Princess Street, anyone?

Anyway, this is all part of European Mobility Week, which – if you didn’t already know – was this week. Read more about Salford and Manchester’s involvement on the council website.

Critical Mass, the communal bike ride club/society/gang/thing, returns with its monthly outing this evening. And this time there’s a theme: ‘Dress in outrageous 80s clobber or as your fave goonie for a crazy fancy dress ride around our city.’

The ride begins at 6pm outside the Central Library (I caught it heading down Princess Street shortly after last month) and, in a show of solidarity, apparently hundreds of synchronised events will take place around the world.

Here’s a reminder of why Critical Mass exists:

It’s for anyone that rides a bike;
It’s a celebration of getting round the city without polluting it;
It’s about every journey being an adventure instead of just sitting on a
boring bus or in a stressful car;
It’s about cyclists riding together to demand more respect from other road
users;
It’s a way to meet other cyclistas

See their Myspace for more information. And I’ve got more bike-related shenanigans to follow…

Taking the idea behind the Cow Parade and running – or driving – with it, the UK’s first Art Car Parade comes to Manchester in September:

Artists from all over the country have been specially commissioned by Walk the Plank to transform vehicles into mobile artworks, and create an exciting new kind of festival never before seen in the UK.

The UK’s first Art Car Parade will take place in Manchester on Saturday 8th September 2007, followed by the UK’s first Illuminated Art Car Parade in Blackpool for the Festival of Light, part of the Illuminations on Sunday 21st October.

Vehicles will be decorated, sculpted, adorned, illuminated or bejewelled to create “Transports of Delight” in the shape of cars, trucks, bikes and pedal-powered contraptions.

What’s more, the organisers are asking the public to get involved by submitting their own Art Car ideas – see the guidelines here. Winners in four categories – metamorphosis, makeover, Kyoto and people’s choice – will claim �4,000 of prize money.

This one pretty much speaks for itself:

Naked Bike Ride 2007 Manchester

June 8 at 7pm we will be riding naked to protest oil dependency.

We will meet at 6pm at The basement, 24 Lever street, then ride naked through the streets of manchester.

Hope to see you Bare!

Meg Fenwick
Manchester Naked Bike Ride Coordinator

Full details available on World Naked Bike Ride’s Manchester wiki entry. You can also watch a documentary about the event on YouTube and see a few photos of what to expect on June 8 [not quite safe for work].