The Monday Roundup

Permanent tattoos not your thing?
Try a temporary bike tattoo instead.
(Photo: Will Vanlue/BikePortland)

Here’s the news and other cool stuff that we found this past week…

– We’ve been reading about the waning love teens have for cars, and this article by the New York Times shows just how desperate U.S. automakers are getting to reverse that trend. About young adults these days, the article states, “They think of a car as a giant bummer.”

– Two physicians are opposing a mandatory bicycle helmet law being considered by the British Parliament, saying the evidence to support helmet use is inconclusive and contradictory.

– The Ovarian Psycos, an L.A.-based “all-womyn bicycling brigade”, is looking for people to plan the first Clitoral Mass Ride, an all-female response to the “testosterone energy” of Critical Mass.

– City councilors in Ashland, Oregon voted against spending $385,000 to install lights along a bike path where a man died after nearly being decapitated. The Ashland Police Chief recommended against installing the lights because they would create “shadowed” areas on the path.

Recent Wall Street Journal cover.

– New York City is taking another bold step to improve the safety of a major street by removing a motor vehicle lane and adding a second bike lane on Terrace Drive through Central Park.

– Warm temperatures over St Patrick’s Day drew hordes of people on Capital Bikeshare bikes to the National Mall.

– A small, ultra-light concept car created by a French designer is supposed to “befriend bikes, not fight them.”

– Officials in Two Rivers, Wisconsin decided to eliminate the city’s bicycle registration fee. The Police Chief supports the move saying officers can “better serve the community by waiving that fee and getting more licenses onto bikes.”

– A man had his bicycle stolen while it was in police custody after officers stopped him and cited him for not wearing a helmet.

– In case you missed it, last Tuesday was the inaugural Bike Hour, a twice-annual international event created by Steven Fleming to encourage anyone with a bicycle to get out and ride at the same time.

– March 25th will mark another inaugural biking event, Jerusalem’s first annual bike to work day. It will be followed by the city’s Bike Festival, Festigalgal, on March 30th.

– Communities in the Australian outback are benefiting from the work of a psychologist and a philanthropist who teamed up to provide second-hand bicycles to people in need.

– As gas prices continue to climb, bicycling for transportation is receiving national attention from the likes of USA Today.

– ‘Kid with a Bike’, a movie about a boy who loses his father and his bicycle, is posting great box office numbers at its three screening locations in New York and Los Angeles.

– Riding in the snow is much easier than most people think and it’s quickly becoming one a popular activity on the snow-packed trails around Salt Lake City.

– In celebrity bike news, Shia LaBeouf and his girlfriend went for a romantic bike ride while Russell Brand is accused of pinching a pair of rented bicycles.

– It’s nice to know people can have a change of heart: a stolen bike turned up outside an Aspen police station with a hand-written apology from the thief.

– If you’re looking for a way to stand out in the crowd as the weather gets warmer and more people get on their bikes, you might want to try one of the temporary bike tattoos found by the folks over at Urban Velo.

– And finally, if you’re looking for another accessory for the bike that has everything, you should have a look at Chalktrail, a bicycle- or scooter-mounted toy that would make a great addition to any bike train or ride through Sunday Parkways:

Did you find something interesting that should be in next week’s Monday Roundup? Drop us a line. For more great links from around the web, follow us on Twitter @BikePortland.

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bearcub's a snob
bearcub's a snob
12 years ago

so are these chicks going to cycle together?

see what i did there?

Kristen
Kristen
12 years ago

Regarding the story about the guy who’s bike was stolen while in police custody: the police spokesperson kept saying the man “spat the dummy”, can someone explain what the heck that means? Is it a local colloquialism?

Barney
Barney
12 years ago

In the land down under “the dummy” is a childs pacifier, so “spat the dummy” is like a little tantrum.

Indy
Indy
12 years ago

We used to call temporary Tattoos “Stamps” back in my day, on my lawn, which you must get off.

are
12 years ago

the guy from podcar does not say how heavy the car is, presumably not very, or how fast it could go, which is maybe a problem. also, not to tweak “middle of the road guy” or anything, while he introduces the video by saying the purpose of the podcar is to provide an alternative that “overcomes the few shortcomings of the bike,” he does not specify what these are. while he shows a model that holds four passengers, he does not show anything that would carry a wardrobe from ikea. so apparently he is not talking about hauling capacity. i have nothing to say about the lithium batteries, because i have no expertise there.

Paul Souders
12 years ago

That NYT article is amazing. So are the comments, overwhelmingly from young people saying, yup, cars suck. Some made me LOL:

“I’d rather sit next to an unwashed homeless person every day on the train then ever walk into a car dealership again — especially if some wanker from MTV is going to tell me that my new gas-guzzler comes in strawberry, lemon, or blueberry.”

Jacob
Jacob
12 years ago

Regarding the Central Park improvements in NYC, it isn’t really that bold. That street is only open to cars from 8am -10am Mon-Fri. It was previously a one-way street, but this will makes it 2-way for bikes which is really useful, but it was used as two-way before (NYC has basically zero enforcement of street rules for cyclists).

On a more revolutionary note, the NYC is planning to install 2.6 miles of cycle tracks on 8th & 9th aves through the heart of midtown this year, extending existing cycle tracks northwards. The plan will connect Lower Manhattan directly to major destinations including the Port Authority Bus Terminal (200,000 people/day), Midtown, and Central Park. Thanks for the NYC coverage!

dwainedibbly
dwainedibbly
12 years ago

Chalktrail looks really cool. Does that make me a kid? Sunday Parkways, Bridge pedal, even Zoobomb! Maybe I can get Mrs Dibbly to get one, too…

GM needs to plan for a much smaller market. Mrs Dibbly & I drove only 1000 miles last year, and that includes a trip to Sunriver for a professional association meeting. I used to be a car guy. I owned a couple of musclecars. I’ve done some drag racing & autocrossing. I have rebuilt engines, modified suspensions, all of that, but I realized that it wasn’t sustainable, so I left it when we came to Portland and moved downtown.

Joe Adamski
Joe Adamski
12 years ago

gotta laugh about using MTV to ‘reach the kids’. As tone deaf as expecting Joe Friday on Dragnet (1968 or so) to show kids the dangers of drugs. Whatta joke.

El Biciclero
El Biciclero
12 years ago
Reply to  Joe Adamski

What would Michael Scott say…?

“We really, you know, need to youthenize the cars, but really, doesn’t everyone have a major bummer at some point before, well, I mean, who doesn’t?”

steven fleming
12 years ago

thanks for mentioning Bike Hour. Your site always generates so many blog views. This was just a trial running, with the poster out just two weeks in advance. We were blown away though, by the facebook response, and calls from media, etc.. Watch for posters in the lead up to the next one, on Sept 22. People muster at the end it they like, but generally go where they like and do their own thing.

Racer X
Racer X
12 years ago

ChalkTrail…too cool…stick to the color pink if on the road so the MUTCD does not come down on hard on this form
of [temp] striping. 🙂

q`Tzal
q`Tzal
12 years ago
Reply to  Racer X

Still legally graffiti and police could ticket you for adding markings to the automotive road surface.
See what happened with Joshua Kinberg at Boing Boing article ” RNC protests: Bikes Against Bush organizer arrested” http://www.boingboing.net/2004/08/29/rnc-protests-bikes-a.html