Portland leads the way, smart growth pays, road rage crackdowns, PR problems and solutions, Critical Mass for cars, Thomas Edison and fixies, the demise of the rest stop, trikes in Scappoose.
– Portland is held up on the Huffington Post as a national example for our climate initiatives — particularly our bicycle-friendliness.
– Portland’s city council has approved $30 million dollars for a new MAX light rail line to Milwaukie, including a new bridge over the Willamette, scheduled to open in 2015.
– Smart Growth pays — literally — says a new report. What’s more, the report finds that building and planning for density and transit isn’t just an economic boon, it particularly helps combat poverty.
– It’s happening, even in Phoenix. Check out this StreetFilm of their new, 22 mile light rail line.
– Time Magazine suggests a “radical” plan to fix suburban sprawl by creating more density and fewer parking lots.
– A Fox News writer has been charged in a disturbing road rage case in which he is alleged to have purposefully hit a man on a bicycle and driven some distance with him clinging to the hood of his car.
– In Columbia, Missouri, road rage directed against someone on a bike can now result in a $1,000 fine or a year in jail.
– One of the main dangers for bicycling in London is trucks, and Mayor Boris Johnson plans to address it by installing mirrors at intersections.
– In the US, the government is weighing whether or not to allow big trucks to get even bigger.
– The World Health Organization has released a report on the global health problems caused by car traffic.
– How to do effective PR for a giant naked bike ride, explained here.
– A Toronto blog has an excellent primer on how to create your own faux “bike vs car” war.
– A paean to the declining institution of the highway rest stop.
– A sort of Critical Mass for cars is planned in Boulder, Colorado to protest a popular century ride.
– The Portland region’s newest bike gang has hit the streets in Scappoose: a three-wheeler group for the over-55 set.
– Another internet movie of a guy doing tricks on a fixie — but this one was filmed by Thomas Edison in 1899.
– Recommended reading of the week: a romantic passage on the freedom and transformative power of a car of one’s own.