in converting parking meter poles
into bike racks like this one.
(Photo © Elly Blue)
A long list of interesting news articles in the last week, spanning the transportation spectrum:
– US Transpo Sec’y LaHood writes on his blog that 55 mpg is not enough — “If we want to reduce transportation carbon emissions, we need to reduce the amount of driving we do.”
– The EU is considering a law that would automatically assign fault to the person driving the car in a fatal crash with someone on foot or on a bike. There is some nasty backlash against this, in part due to the expected commensurate increase in car insurance rates.
– The New York Times has a long feature on the disconnect between the research that overwhelmingly shows the dangers of talking on the phone and texting while driving and the unwillingness of lawmakers and the public at large to ban these behaviors.
– Meanwhile, one study reports that eating while driving causes 80% of car crashes.
– Transportation Alternatives, NYC’s advocacy group, has found that as traffic enforcement decreases, reckless driving crashes go up.
– In Colorado’s Jefferson County, electeds are asking the state to give them the power to ban bicycles from selected rural roads.
– Some families in Saratoga Springs, New York, are protesting with their pedals after a school rule that prohibits kids from biking to school began to be enforced.
– U.S. obesity rates continue to climb, reports Reuters.
– An NYC businessman died this April after being struck by a deliveryman on a bicycle; his family is suing the delivery company.
– The Streetsblog Network unpacks the myth that people on bicycles slow down traffic, and shares some thoughts on road rage.
– Philadelphia is switching from pole-mounted parking meters to sticker-dispensing boxes like Portland, and local bike advocates are asking the city to convert the old parking meter poles into bike racks.
– In Yonkers, NY, there is a movement to follow the extremely successful lead of Seoul, South Korea in removing a freeway through the heart of town and restoring the river that runs under it.
– The Dutch city of Maastricht is developing an ambitious plan to raise its extremely low (by Dutch standards) cycling mode share of 30%.
– Urban Outfitters is jumping into the transportation mix by introducing a line of cheap fixed gear bikes (with front and rear brakes, apparently).
– An awesomely hilarious analysis of the inadvertent impressionism of bike lane art around the world.