Feeling congested?
Take a bike and call me in the morning.
(Photo: Will Vanlue)

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

- The City of Sherwood, located 17 miles southwest of Portland, has seen a 22% reduction in crashes after installing red light cameras at the intersection of Highway 99 and Tualatin-Sherwood Road. Nearly three quarters of the the citations resulting from the cameras were to people making a right-turn at a red light without stopping their motor vehicle, a significant hazard to people on bicycles.
(more...)

"Are you following me?"
(Google Street View)

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

- New York City has designated its first residential reduced speed zone, called a neighborhood slow zone, meant to reduce the number and impact of vehicle collisions. Oregon's 25 mph residential speed limit law goes into effect on January 1, 2012.

- After its first months in operation, Boston's bike share program has won over the city and many former critics. Tome Keane from the Boston Globe originally thought the program was one of those "off-the-wall, goofy larks you'd find in cities like Portland, Ore." but now says Boston's bike share "is one of [the mayor]'s best ideas ever." (more...)

New sticker campaign.
(Photo: WeAreBikeFriendly.com)

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

- MAP-21, the Transportation Bill being moved through the Senate by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), is coming under fire from bike advocates around the country for its mandatory sidepath provision. A petition by the League of American Bicyclists to strip the proposed law has nearly 7,000 signatures.

- Senior citizens in spandex: Read all about the the Vancouver (WA) Bicycle Club is making a huge difference in the lives of our esteemed older citizens. (more...)

The NYTs explains why we didn't always
need to look both ways before crossing.
(Photo: Will Vanlue)

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

- A new study by the AAA says that Portland area traffic crashes cost us $2.74 Billion a year.

- Beginning February of 2012, Velocity will begin manufacturing aluminum bicycle rims in Jacksonville, Florida. The Austrailian company, which produces bicycle rims and accessories, will be the only company to manufacture aluminum rims in the United States. (more...)

US DOT Sec Ray LaHood:
Well, maybe it's not the end of
"favoring motorized transportation"
just yet.
(Photo: J. Maus)

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

- Enrique Penalosa has lost his bid for re-election as Mayor of Bogota, Colombia. Penalosa is widely hailed for his work in making Bogota more biking and walking friendly. He spearheaded the "Ciclovias" that were widely adopted around the world and which served as inspiration for Portland's Sunday Parkways.

- U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood — who won many fans in the bike world when he declared the "end of favoring motorized transportation" — has stated that the federal government will be involved "big time" in the Columbia River Crossing project and that it is a "classic example of what America has always been known for: doing big things." Many local residents are concerned about Oregon and Washington states' financial commitment to expand the bridge and surrounding freeways when both states are already making major budget cuts in other areas.
(more...)

Happy Halloween!
(Photo © J. Maus)

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

- The City Council in Toronto continues to remove bicycle lanes even though the lanes have no apparent adverse impact on auto traffic.

- Elsewhere in Toronto, a journalist who recently scolded people on bikes for their bad behavior agreed to go on a bike ride with the Director of the Toronto Cyclists Union. The ride through downtown gave him a better appreciation for the challenges faced by people on bikes, and it also helped him realize that riding a bike is fun and exhilarating.
(more...)

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

- A local ordinance in the small town of Hull, Wisconsin has been widely misinterpreted as a bike ban says the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin. But the story spread so quickly that it even reached The Onion, where it's fodder for this headline, Town Seeks to Criminalize Walking and Biking.

- Reports from the first morning of "Viadoom" up in Seattle show that once again, fears of massive traffic jams with the closure of a major downtown freeway are often over-hyped. Traffic seems to be moving along — and of course there is lots of bike traffic!
(more...)

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

- A three-day outage of Blackberry phone service resulted in a big decrease in traffic crashes in the Middle East - 20% in Dubai and 40% in Abu Dhabi.

- In Seattle, a fatal hit-and-run back in July is being called just another "tragic accident". KIRO-TV reports that the teenage driver involved in the collision will get a $42 fine for "unsafe lane change."

- Concern from bicycling advocates has continued after California's Governor Jerry Brown vetoed a safe passing law last week. Some are calling for Governor Brown to meet with people who ride bicycles in L.A. and better explain his reasoning for vetoing the bill. (more...)

When all else fails, call in the mimes.
(AP Photo)

Here's the news that caught my eye this past week...

- California Governor Jerry Brown has has vetoed a safe passing bill on grounds that the stipulation of passing bikes at 15 mph would cause backups and safety problems. Advocates are upset and confused. (*Note: I made a mistake in my critique of Gov. Brown's reasoning that has since been edited out. I regret the error. — JM) (more...)

A Wall St. Journal blogger debunks
the "soot in your lungs while
cycling" stories from last week.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Here are the news stories that caught my eye this past week...

— In recent weeks we've been told by the media that riding a bike covers your lungs in soot and that people on bikes are a menace to those walking near them. Well, turns out the news isn't as bad as you think. The "Numbers Guy" at the Wall Street Journal adds some valuable context to those stories.

— Some very solid increases in bicycling reported in Vancouver, B.C.. The reason? It likely has a lot to do with their new, physically separated bikeways.
(more...)

Screen grab of trailer for new
documentary about cargo bikes.

Welcome to Monday. Here are the stories that caught my eye this past week...

— Big news in Richmond Virginia. That city has been selected to host the 2015 UCI World Championships Road Race. That's a very big deal. Organizers estimate the event will generate about $135 million for the state.

— In Japan, a man is walking the streets is ringing a bike bell to see how people react. "The results are near Pavlovian, because as soon as the people hear the bell, they instinctively move out of the way." There's even a video. (more...)

Here's are some of the stories and other interesting bits that caught my eye this past week...

— As people in Seattle who care about road safety continue to cope with a tragic spate of fatal bike collisions, one alt weekly responded with a compelling manifesto, OK Fine, It's War. Here's a snip:

"The mindless repetition of this "War on Cars" falsehood—by car advocates harboring a phony, self-serving sense of victimhood—has led to a situation in which this "War on Cars" is acknowledged by most Seattleites to be real. Because of this regrettable specter, it is high time that cyclists, pedestrians, and their transit-­riding comrades openly publish their views, their aims, their tendencies, and meet this nursery tale of a "War on Cars" with a manifesto of and by the nondrivers themselves."

— The New York Times says the war on the streets in Copenhagen is between people on bikes and people on foot (look for that column to stoke yet another anti-bike controversy in the Big Apple).

— Sick of getting wet when you ride or schlepping rain gear? Check out the nifty "Rainfish" invention from Hood River. (more...)

[For nearly three years now, I've been rounding up the bike news every Monday morning right here. It's been a good run, and I'm moving on to other adventures, including writing regularly at Grist and at my new blog, Taking the Lane. Keep in touch, and thanks for reading and sharing. And don't forget to support this site, and this column's sponsor, the awesome Harvest Century. — Elly]

So...one last time, here's the news that caught my eye this week:

- Hurricane Irene blew along the east coast this week, leaving many streets filled with water and debris. Bicycling conditions don't seem ideal, but many people are taking to two wheels anyway. In Richmond, Virginia, a columnist offers advice for postapocalyptic biking.

- The day of the recent earthquake out east, though, DC's bike sharing system was an essential part of the evening commute, clocking record ridership while the subway system was shut down. (more...)

[Publisher's note: Thanks to the non-profit Community Vision and their annual Harvest Century (October 8th) for support of the Monday Roundup! - JM.]

Here's the news that caught our eye this week:

- "Why are American's driving less?" asks the Washington Post/Bloomberg business blog. It's important food for thought for transportation planning.

- A new report details the potential economic benefits of the UK being more bike-friendly, including over 2 billion pounds a year saved in missed work days and up to 56 billion in health spending due to reduced car emissions and increased physical activity.
(more...)

[Publisher's note: Thanks to the non-profit Community Vision and their annual Harvest Century (October 8th) for support of the Monday Roundup! - JM.]

Here's the bike news from around the world that caught my eye this week:

- The ban on bicycling in the casino town of Black Hawk, Colorado is now headed to that state's Supreme Court.

- In preparation for a bike sharing system in Tel Aviv, Israel has adjusted its helmet law so that adults may legally ride helmetless in cities.

- A woman in Harare, Zimbabwe starts riding a bike, and shares her thoughts. "I was no longer a hostage to religion, tradition or men. I was free. On my bicycle I felt like I was in a room of my own."

- It's unclear if we really needed an in-depth look into the carbon footprint of bicycle transportation, but here one is anyway. (more...)

Here's the news from around the world that caught my eye in the last week:

- A look at the Slow Bike Movement, which means not just riding slowly, but purchasing a slow bicycle.

- No slow bicycling here: A profile of a new bike courier company in bike-unfriendly Indianapolis.

- A new report shows a clear relationship between transportation and housing costs.

- In bike share news this week: A look at what makes Dublin's system successful. Researchers in Barcelona quantify lives saved due to reduced emissions. And Streetfilms sings the praises of D.C.'s newly expanded system. (more...)

Here's the bike news from around the world that caught my eye last week:

- Oregon is home to a thriving artisan bicycle building economy, but it's hard to make a living that way.

- A Sunday Opinion piece in the New York Times reflects on why America is so "manacled to the car" while Europe is moving beyond them. The author includes an interesting tidbit about Dutch drivers, who are taught to open car doors with their right hand, forcing them to swivel around and look for bike traffic.

- Women are still a stark minority across the bike industry.

- According to a new research paper, commuting by bike doesn't just save you money compared to driving -- the resulting sense of well-being means you need less money to be happy. (more...)

Here's the bike news that caught my eye in the past week:

- In Toronto, a thousand people turned out on bikes to protest the planned removal of a bike lane on a major street.

- Los Angeles has passed a law that makes it illegal to physically or verbally harass anyone who is riding a bike. (more...)

Here's the bike news from around the world that caught our eye this week:

- First, the fun news. LA's much hyped freeway closure this weekend resulted in traffic free streets throughout the city -- and a friendly, ad hoc race between contestants traveling across the city via plane and bicycle. The two wheeled racers won by nearly an hour and a half, followed closely by a transit rider who and then by a rollerblader who had joined the race at the last minute. This is all over the web. Read the tweets that started it here, the live-updated tale of the event here, a recap from the transit rider here, and an erudite recap and commentary here. (more...)

Here's the bike news from around the world that caught my eye this week:

- As LA braces for the "Carmageddon" freeway closure next weekend, Santa Monica lifeguards have a different kind of traffic complaint -- bumper-to-bumper bike traffic on the beachfront path.

- The true indicator of a bicycle-friendly city? It might be a bike-friendly transit system.

- A New York City reporter breaks the news that people riding bikes in bike lanes might be terrorists! (more...)