The Monday Roundup

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

– Tuesday, September 22nd is World Carfree Day. The Washington Post contemplates what that means.

– A new study has found that the largest US fossil fuel subsidies primarily benefit foreign countries.

– A borough in London will, for a trial period, allow people on bikes to ride both ways down one-way streets.

– One mayoral candidate in Seattle says he will try to bike to meetings as much as possible if elected (that means his security detail gets to ride, too).

– The police in a British town have pulled the plug on a program that donates unclaimed “lost property” bikes to a charity in Africa, due to concerns about being sued if someone gets hurt riding them. (via Copenhagenize)

– In Japan, the penalty for drunk bicycling is up to 5 years in prison.

– The Oregonian crunches ODOT’s crash statistics and finds a big problem when it comes to distracted driving and yielding to bicycles.

– Tom Vanderbilt (Traffic author) was in Portland two weeks ago and has blogged about our bike infrastructure, as well as the way we’re perceived in the rest of the country.

– In Iowa, a petition to ban bicycles from farm-to-city roads has inspired a counter-petition — to ban private cars from the same roads.

– More on Dubai’s new light rail, with a fascinating look at the city’s transportation dynamic.

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– David Byrne writes about his travels by bike in the Wall Street Journal.

– The New York Times profiles wealthy people who ride expensive bikes to work while wearing fancy, professional outfits.

Bike-inspired fashion is set to hit the runway bigtime in 2010.

– A Japanese transit line experienced a significant bump in ridership after officials appointed a cat as stationmaster.

– An Austrian rap music video called “Fuss vom Gas” (Foot Off the Gas) features freak bikes of all stripes and — wait a minute — are those the Sprockettes?

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Elly Blue (Columnist)

Elly Blue has been writing about bicycling and carfree issues for BikePortland.org since 2006. Find her at http://takingthelane.com

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Matt Picio
15 years ago

Nah – those are posers with attitude. The Sprockettes are prettier, sexier, and would rock that video even more.

It would be even hotter if it had the Sprockettes AND the Irondelles in it.

Europe is cool, and their cities surpass Portland in many ways – but not in crazy sexy awesome quirky unique bike fun. Portland practically has the patent on that, with Vancouver (BC), Seattle and L.A. deserving honorable mention.

Yeah, sure, I’m biased…

John Lascurettes
15 years ago

Tom Vanderbilt (Traffic author) was in Portland two weeks ago and has blogged about our bike infrastructure, as well as the way we’re perceived in the rest of the country.

Do you have a link for that Tom Vanderbilt blog post?

P Finn
15 years ago

Tom Vanderbilt needs a link

wsbob
15 years ago

“…wealthy people who ride expensive bikes to work while wearing fancy, professional outfits…” eb/bikeportland

Has “…Renaud Dutreil of LVMH on his Gazelle.” designed a way to keep the fancy suit from being pitted out on his way to work? I can see it…possibly, he gets to work, throws down the smelly wool suit he uses for biking, and slips into cool looking bike togs for working around the office, doing lunch, clubbing, etc., etc.

Eric
15 years ago

Overall the Post piece was great…until you got to the quotes from AAA Mid-Atlantic. I guess 2nd worst congestion in the US and non-attainment for AQ isnt good enough for them.

Seager
Seager
15 years ago

That Iowa bit is partially due to a hit and run fatality recently. There have been several people killed on county roads this year due to driver error, and many people want to ban bikes because of it. They say “How many more cyclists must die before we ban them from these dangerous roads?”

Scary coming from the state that houses RAGBRAI, the largest mass recreational bike ride in the world.

Kt
Kt
15 years ago

Re: The Washington Post article:

This quote struck me as odd: The context is that of “what if no one drove for a day”:

“Forget for a minute that jobs would be lost, classrooms would be empty, that the president and the polar bears at the zoo would go hungry. Dream of a day when not a single ignition key turned. “

Seager
15 years ago
April
April
15 years ago

I feel that I should mention: I love these lists every Monday. I don’t always read/watch all of them, but I love these posts!

Pete
Pete
15 years ago

Maybe they should ban Iowans from hitting bicyclists??