Lots of news this past week. Here we go…
(Photo by Hugger Industries)
– Transportation for America reports that attempts to strip the transit funding from the federal stimulus package have been unsuccessful — for now. Transit funding still makes up only about 1% of the package, despite increasing calls for investment in rail rather than roads.
– Kevin Black was killed while riding his bike to work in Ballard (a suburb neighborhood in Seattle) last week. Black was a molecular neurobiologist and popular member of a local cycling team. Over 200 people turned out for a memorial ride, and advocates are mobilizing.
– In DeKalb County, Georgia, a seven year old boy was struck and killed by an SUV as he crossed the street in front of his school in a marked crosswalk where crossing guards were standing with flags and stop signs. The driver did not stop. Parents had been advocating for a stop light at that intersection for two years.
– In local bike industry news — Jay Graves, owner of the Bike Gallery, tells the Oregonian that this January’s sales were up from the same month a year ago. And the Sellwood Bee has a feature about the popularity of cargo bikes in Portland, interviewing a manager at the Bike Gallery and one of the owners of Clever Cycles.
– The cargo bike germ is spreading… The Patriot-News in Pennsylvania features a roundup of kid-carrying bikes, highlighting the Madsen.
– New York City could soon require all new buildings to provide secure, indoor bike parking. Streetsblog reports on the progress of this effort — it is looking good.
– Denver is now developing a bike sharing program, inspired by the big success of bike sharing during the 2008 Democratic National Convention in the city.
– San Francisco bike advocates are feeling lukewarm about a recent concession from Caltrain to try to add a few more bike spaces to meet the growing demand on their commuter rail cars.
– The much-anticipated annual TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference included a few transportation-related talks. Robin Chase, founder of Zipcar, talked about technology for road pricing (that’s congestion pricing’s next step). Jaime Lerner, former mayor of Curitiba, Brazil, discussed Curitiba’s innovations in transportation and urban space, particularly Bus Rapid Transit. James Howard Kunstler spoke on his trademark theme, the perils of suburbia.
– The UK’s Times Online has a really interesting little piece on a movement in China to “embrace austerity” — many people in China are taking a pledge to live on 100 yuan a week (that’s under $15 US), and the key to this is often giving up the car.
– David Byrne (formerly of the Talking Heads) says that he takes his bicycle on tour “so I can get around various towns on my own.” He’s currently in New Zealand, not famous for its bike friendliness.
– Ending the roundup on a fun note — a new nature documentary tracks the demise, and possible resurgence of an endangered species — the urban pedestrian.