David Byrne discusses NYC's
upcoming bike share program
in the Sunday New York Times.

We hope everyone takes time today, on Memorial Day, to remember those who have served our country.

Once you've done that, have a read of the top news and other cool stuff that caught our eyes this past week...

- If you're out riding today you might want to be extra-vigilant; it turns out more people run red lights while driving a car on Memorial Day than on other comparable days.

- Three new routes in the US Bicycle Route (USBR) system were approved and received their official designations: USBR 35 in Michigan, USBR 45 in Minnesota, and a realignment for USBR 1 in North Carolina.

- A study from the Brookings Institue has found real estate values are higher in neighborhoods which are more accesible to walking, biking, and taking transit and the study has already received attention from The New York Times.

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L.A. got some major attention in the NY Times.

Here's the top news and other cool stuff that caught our eyes this past week...

- Sightline takes a look at why women don't ride bikes to work more often and finds the reasons are more complex - and sometimes simpler - than many people think.

- Already a common sight in Copenhagen, an electronic bicycle counter is coming to Seattle (and Portland too! stay tuned!).

- The relationship between bicycling and traditionally car-centric Los Angeles is changing and has improved enough to catch the attention of The New York Times.

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Police in the UK are seeking
the identify of these two individuals.

Here's the news and other stuff that caught our eyes this past week...

- This past week it was announced that Citi Group will sponsor New York City's bike share system to the tune of $41 million.

- Protests against Putin's (some say illegitimate) election in Moscow are gaining attention after a reporter caught an image of a child and his bicycle staring down riot police.

(more...)

Authorities on the economy know why
transportation bills are in trouble: money.

Here's the news and other cool stuff that caught our eyes this past week...

- Tragically, in Vancouver this weekend an 11-year-old boy was struck and killed by the operator of a C-Tran bus just a short distance from his home. (Editor's note: We will have more coverage of this collision on the Front Page later today. - JM)

- Consequences for people killing others with their cars have changed drastically over the decades and The Atlantic Cities discusses how the dilution of consequences has been a result of a hard push by the automobile industry.

- The Oregonian's Joseph Rose suggests it may be time to treat "texting while driving the same way [the law] handles a DUII conviction."

- Reactions in California are mixed after a bill was introduced that would ban "panda portaits" and other mobile phone use while riding a bicycle. (more...)

New study from Baltimore looks at
how closely people pass.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Here's the news and other cool stuff that caught our eyes this past week, including lots of news from Los Angeles...

- In a surprise announcement, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says Bike Nation, a CicLAvia partner, will fund a bike share program for Downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, Venice Beach and Westwood consisting of 4,000 bikes at 400 kiosks.

- Speaking of CicLAvia, organizers estimate that 100,000 people came out for the car-free event this Sunday, described by the Los Angeles Time as the city's "marquee event for pedestrians and cyclists".

- The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC), in partnership with the LA Department of Transport and R.E.I, has launched LA's first Spanish-language bike safety campaign. (more...)

Staple racks can double as street furniture
with a little "urban hacktion."
(Photo: Will Vanlue/BikePortland)

Here's the news and other cool stuff that caught our eyes this past week...

- An "expert cyclist" was struck by a 17-year-old driving a car in Bethlehem, PA. When the teen tried to flee the scene his escape was stopped by a quick-thinking bus driver and another witness to the crash.

- A man riding a bicycle in San Francisco allegedly plowed into a crowd of pedestrians, causing the death of a 71-year-old, then later took to the internet to confess the details of the crash.

- Seattle's Bill Nye the Science Guy thinks the city of the future will be a bike-friendly one, including "bicycle arterials" that protect people on bikes from weather and propel them with artificial tailwinds. (more...)

"Experimental" traffic control
devices have been shown to
double the number of
people who yield to bikes.
(Photo: Will Vanlue/BikePortland)

Here's the news and other cool stuff that caught our eyes this past week...

- A study out of Copenhagen finds a mile traveled by bicycle is a $0.42 economic gain versus a $0.20 loss when driven in a car.

- The CRC highway expansion project continues to lumber forward despite widespread opposition and this past week gave us the first look at exactly how billions of taxpayers dollars will be spent on CRC construction over the next six years.

- Contrary to the opinion of many bicycle helmet proponents, Brtish Columbia's mandatory helmet law has failed to noticeably reduce collision-related fatalities since it was put in place in 1996.

(more...)

Who is this mystery rider in
Prospect Park West?
(Photo: @PSteely)

Here's the news and other cool stuff that we can came across this past week...

- The National Bike Summit kicks off Tuesday night! Over 800 attendees are expected. Our very own Jonathan Maus will be there, so keep it tuned right here for photos and stories.

- Charity organization World Bicycle Relief (WBR) is hoping a bicycle manufactured entirely in Africa will be more reliable than the cheap, flimsy imports owned by many across the continent.

- As gas prices begin to soar before summer has even started, one bike shop near Los Angeles is helpping with pain at the pump by letting customers trade in their car towards the purchase of a new bike.

- Portland's own Elly Blue sat down with Women on Bikes SoCal (the group working to double the number of women on bikes) to talk about her upcoming projects and the economics of bicycling.
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Bike sharing is heating up around the
world as summer approaches.
(Photo: Will Vanlue/BikePortland)

Here's the news and other cool stuff that caught our eyes this past week...

- Metro council candidate Bob Stacey says Oregon is "banking a lot on technology" and fuel-efficient cars to meet its greenhouse gas emission targets; but Slate warns that so-called "soft solutions" aren't enough to solve our environmental problems.

- A city ordinance requiring San Francisco businesses to allow bikes indoors is being hailed as a victory for people who bike to work but most acknowledge it's only one small step towards meeting the city's future ridership goals.

- Driverless cars are closer to reality than science fiction and while they could increase the motor vehicle capacity of our roads some of the research on their use isn't factoring in sharing the road with people transporting themselves by bike or on foot. (more...)

Some advocates think focusing on fashion
will help increase bicycle use in the US.
(Photo: Will Vanlue/BikePortland)

Here's the news and other cool stuff that caught our eyes this past week...

- A study from UC Berkeley finds wealthier people tend to act less ethically. After monitoring traffic at an intersection in San Francisco, researchers determined that people with more expensive cars drove more aggressively around pedestrians.

- The Cyclo-Cross National Campionships are coming to Boulder, CO in 2014. City officials and area businesses expect the event to be a big boost to the local economy.

- Wolfpack Hustle is once again hosting its Marathon Crash Race which sends participants along the car-free route of the LA Marathon before it opens to runners.

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Bikes make gardens bloom in
more ways than you think.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Here's the news and other cool stuff that caught our eyes this past week...

- Business is booming at Zen Bicycle Fabrication, Portland's newest frame manufacturer.

- In another sign of bicycling's economy growth, Full Speed Ahead has announced it will bring construction of its high-end carbon fiber Vision wheels to the Seattle area.
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Secure bike parking might become an
employer-provided perk in San Fancisco.
(Photo: Will Vanlue/BikePortland)

Here's the news and other cool stuff that caught our eyes this past week...

- Have you seen the "Magnic Light" over on Kickstarter? It looks to us like it could revolutionize the bike lighting world. It's a wireless dynamo that's super bright. Check it out.

- Tea Party members are pushing hard to eliminate federal funding for public transit and bike facilities under the notion that transportation projects are part of a plot by the United Nations to "herd citizens toward cities." (more...)

Valentine's Day is tomorrow.
Time to show some bike love.
(Photo: Will Vanlue/BikePortland)

Here's the news that caught our eyes this past week...

- After all the drama over the beleaguered House transportation bill last week, Republicans begin this week with the task of steering the bill away from an impending cliff.

- Sports icon Lance Armstrong, 40, has returned to triathlon. He placed second in an Ironman competition in Panama, just 37 seconds out of first place.
(more...)

Is congestion a sign of success?
The Atlantic Cities says "yes".
(Photo: Will Vanlue/BikePortland)

- Copenhagen has released its Bicycle Strategy for 2011-2025. The plan lays out how the city will reach its goal of becoming "the world's best bicycle city" by the end of 2015.

- A mile-long section of trail in Clark County is receiving mixed reactions as officials and citizens weigh the cost of the trail against its future potential.

- British newspaper The Times has launched a high profile campaign for more bicycle infrastructure but it's not well-received by everyone. One advocate thinks The Times is approaching the problem in the wrong way and their campaign only puts people on bikes in a "voluntary ghetto".

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Seattle is switching gears from sharrows on
busy streets to neighborhood greenways.
(Photo: Will Vanlue/BikePortland)

Here's the news that caught our eyes this past week...

- After telling a crowd at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting that it's, "very unlikely we will have a surface transportation bill during this year of Congress," USDOT Sec. Ray LaHood has changed his tune. He now, says "things are moving."

- San Francisco has started construction of a separated bikeway in Golden Gate Park on John F. Kennedy Drive. The bikeway is one component of San Francisco's planned crosstown bikeway network which they hope will include 100 miles of connecting facilities by 2020.

- Chicago's new coffee and bike shop, the Heritage Bicycles General Store, is now open. Along with looking like it could have been lifted from a Portland neighborhood, the shop will smell like Portland too: Heritage serves Stumptown coffee.

- Christine Grant lived in the world's most bike-friendly cities for six months and brought back 10 lessons for the Pacific Northwest in how we could make our cities better for bicycles.

(more...)

One UC school is home to four
new bike repair stands
(Photo: Will Vanlue)

Here's the news that caught our eyes this past week...

- Portland didn't make it to the top of The Fixie Index but we did come in at the top of The Guardian's five best places to live in the world. One reason for the high ranking is that Portland is "the most bike- and foot-friendly city in the country," according to the British newspaper.

- South Carolina's Department of Transportation might ban bicycles on the James Island Connector after a person on a bicycle was struck and killed by the operator of an AT&T service van. The road in question is one of limited number of routes to access the city of Charleston, SC.

- The Swedish towns of Malmö and Lund will soon be connected by a "bicycle superhighway". The four-lane, bicycle-only road will stretch for 20 miles and is being constructed at a total cost of $7.1 million USD.

(more...)

Bike share programs are the "gateway drug"
to bicycling, according to one news editor.
(Photo: Will Vanlue)

Here's the news that caught our eyes this past week...

- Another one bites the dust... After doing a little reasearch, city officials in Ottawa recently determined the cost of implementing bicycling licensing will outweigh the benefits of such a program. They concluded that implementing the program would present "limited benefits and significant challenges" while also introducing "a significant barrier to cycling.

- Commuting on a bicycle will continue to be an economic gain over driving if the price of gas stays high or continues to rise. CNN's Fareed Zakaria explains why politics, not direct supply-and-demand, is likely to keep the price of oil high for some time to come.
(more...)

Not all of these vehicles will receive
equal protection from a bill in Indiana.
(Photo: Will Vanlue)

Here's the news that caught our eyes this past week...

- Jack Becker, a former Imperial Oil engineer, is serving as chairman for Velo-City Global 2012. His background might seem contradictory to the goals of the conference but Becker has been working to make his home town of Calgary more bicycle friendly for years. He also sees bicycling as one part of a larger goal. Speaking with the Calgary Herald Becker said, "Cycling isn't the goal...It's one of the options for delivering livable, sustainable, active cities and urban centers." (more...)

Is Portland missing out on much-needed
revenue from on-street parking?
(Photo: Will Vanlue)

Here's the news that caught our eyes this past week...

- Former Metro President David Bragdon, now the Director of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability in New York City, had some inspiring words to share with city mayors from across the country. Sharing his perspective on urban planning, Bragdon explained that a city must adapt its resources and infrastructure to serve its citizens and when you're talking about the life of a city, 25 years is a relatively short span of time.

- New York City reported a decrease in traffic deaths in 2011. Despite the over all reduction however, the number of bicycle fatalities has stayed steady from the previous year and the NYPD is receiving criticism for not citing the driver of a motor vehicle in a fatal hit-and-run collision involving a person on a bicycle.

(more...)

Andando en Bicicleta en Cully (ABC)
will bring bike classes to NE Portland
(Image: Community Cycling Center)

Here's the news that caught our eyes this past week...

- Gridlock is so bad in Murcia, Spain that city has offered a lifetime public transit passes in exchange for turning in your car. Instead of destroying the vehicles, the city is turning them into art installations designed to show the city's commitment to reducing the number of cars in the city.

- The federal subsidy for driving a car to work in the US is on its way to increasing on January 1st, 2012. If Congress doesn't take action before the end of the year, along with the bump for driving a car the federal tax benefits to public transit riders will decrease to about half its current level.

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