Here are some news stories and links from around the web that have caught our eye in the last week:
Auto Industry in the News
- News Flash: Drivers and smokers are the new real Americans. The Oregonian asks state Republican lawmakers how they plan to handle a new political climate that is friendly to tax increases. Here’s one response: “On Wednesday, House Minority Leader Bruce Hanna said Republicans will continue to look out for taxpayers, especially drivers and smokers.”
- Asphalt shortages are becoming serious due to cost-cutting changes in the oil processing industry. Not only is asphalt more difficult to buy, but the price is skyrocketing. And petroleum product add-ins that increase durability are scarce as well, meaning that new paving won’t last as long before it needs to be maintained. Pavement management is already stretched thin in many places…yet the feds are focused on bailing out the auto industry.
- Massachusetts is running into trouble paying for Boston’s Big Dig project.
All Things Bikey
The USA Today covered art racks like this one
on SE Ankeny in Portland.
(Photo © J. Maus)
on SE Ankeny in Portland.
(Photo © J. Maus)
- The New York Times reports that “In increasingly green-conscious Europe, there are said to be only two kinds of mayors: those who have a bicycle-sharing program and those who want one.” Read the article, and join the discussion on the Shift email list.
- USA Today has another nice piece about biking — a story about artful bike racks around the US.
- Proud of your high-visibility lights and reflectors strategy? You could win some free reflective gear from DIY website Instructables.com.
- The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation is now employing “Transportation Coaches” to help new cyclists get around. The program is modeled in part after Portland’s now defunct Bike Buddy pilot program.
- New bike commuters can get help and advice from two new online features: Bike Your Drive, a nice new website by REI, includes features like “12 Cycling Myths Exposed,” how-to videos about basic bike maintenance and hand signals, and a calculator to figure out how much you can save by biking. Meanwhile, the advice columnist for Grist, an online environmental news magazine, has made an introductory bike commuting video.
Local News
- The Bee reports that plans are proceeding apace for the Clinton Street Bike Boulevard pilot project. One neighbor attending a recent open house told the Bee, “I live just off the route. I’d like to see [S.E. Clinton Street] car-free, myself — diverting traffic away from Clinton Street. I’m told it is a really difficult thing to do, though.”
- The Eugene Register Guard has a story on a woman who moved to her new house by bike with the help of 15 friends. “DeLaurier thought it was appropriate to move by bike, she said, and pay tribute to the fact that she saved money to purchase her home by not owning a vehicle.” Meanwhile a rainy bike move in Portland on Saturday morning drew 27 movers and was completed in less than 2 hours.
Thanks for reading.
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Photos of Emily’s Move by bike have been uploaded…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ufobike/sets/72157608816178605/
It was a lot of fun (showering with friends)!!!
oh…oh wow…please someone…tell me how to get ahold of Bruce Hanna…
ha ha, “Real America” oh I’m remembering that great Daily Show episode I watched the other week.
How do you move a couch or mattress with a bike?
@ GLV
With a big trailer… What I’d be impressed to see would be someone attempting to move a Piano (or my 90+ years of National Geographic).
Regarding REI’s 12 biking myths… The one regarding “you can’t carry much on a bike” – I think these bike moves, as well as things like this:
http://www.copenhagenize.com/2007/08/royal-danish-post.html
go a long way to debunking that one 🙂
Also, both the REI site and the Grist video pretty much say not to commute by bike in your work clothes, however if you are looking to become a bike commuter, and you’re not particularly sport-inclined, just find a good upright bike with full fenders (and possibly skirt guards), and a chain case and you’ll ride year-round without getting mud and dirt on yourself. Depending on the bike, it’s usually easy enough to add fenders or a chain guard that will at least keep most of the spray (and chain grease) away from you. Then there are no worries about your work clothes getting all wrinkled while rolled up in your bag.
It depends on the person and the route, but I find that even if I ride casually, I still get to work as quickly as driving, with much more consistent times (no traffic fluctuations on a bike), and I also don’t get sweaty if I ride casually, so I can wear my normal clothes, stay mud-free and non-sweaty on my commute, while still making the same or better time as I would in rush-hour traffic in a car.
http://www.leg.state.or.us/hanna/
The Party That Wrecked America sure learned a lot in this last election huh? Yo Bruce I pay lots of taxes I don’t smoke and I don’t drive much, whatcha gonna to do for me?
Don’t be afraid to get in over your head…
http://onemansblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/funny_bike.jpg
I’m thoroughly intrigued by cargo hauling by bike. I don’t even have a trailer yet, I’m just thrilled at the use I’m getting out of my new Wald folding baskets. I load them up with so much that the bike wants to do a spontaneous wheelie. I’d like to see how to go about getting, for instance, a bunch of 4’x8′ plywood home. And how much weight is practical to carry on a trailer, anyway? I would imagine at some point you’d want the trailer to have its own brakes!
Where I grew up there was a long-standing tradition of tractor-pulling: souped-up hot-rod “tractors” that would pull massive weights short distances in a fairground race track. Maybe a bicycle version of those events would be in order 🙂
Hey Bahueh
You can get in touch with Bruce Hanna but good luck reaching him. We will have better luck reaching out to his 14 year old and peers. I enjoyed checking out his bio that includes something to the effect of enjoys church, skiing, snowmobiling, biking and Harley Davidson riding. Ah saddle time!
I don’t mind soda pop so much, it is the marketing and distribution I have a beef with. In my humble opinion, it’s just straight up barnyard,karo,meth,santorum,palmal, gross.
I look out for drivers and smokers too, and steer clear of them at all costs. ‘both smell like death. Those brothers and sisters need to be taxed much much more. Anyone know how to better effect this?