Here’s the news that caught our eye this week:
– Yes, the newly minted health bill has a transportation angle.
– Think bike parking corrals are cool? The ribbon was just cut on San Francisco’s first public “parklet” in a former street parking spot.
– An Oregon farmer is arguing that it would be better to mix farms in with the city rather than maintain strict boundaries between urban and rural land use designations.
– Whoops, someone left a piece of Portland in downtown DC during the bike summit and forgot to bring it home.
– What’s wrong with the $4.2 + billion Columbia River Crossing mega project? Nobody’s in charge of making it look good, according to a local architecture blog.
– A proposed ballot measure in California that would reward consistent car insurance coverage, could be a disincentive for trading in your car for other options.
– Crime is down in LA, but bike theft is up. Police and bike messengers are each addressing the problem in their own way.
– Does your bike bell declare your love (or at least a fading red heart) for your bike? Is it painted red, black, and white and did it come from the hardware store in a green and white package, marketed to kids? If so, don’t lick it. The red paint has lead in it, and it’s been recalled.
– Green Portland enjoys only 26% tree canopy cover—leaps and bounds behind such unlikely rivals as San Antonio and Atlanta. The city has vowed to increase street trees.
– What’s the source of biases against people who use various transportation modes? Social psychology has one answer.
– A fascinating inside look at what it takes to get a driving license in China.
– Car exhaust is the cause behind the blackening of Europe’s cathedrals and, less lamented, concrete retaining walls the world over. In South Africa “reverse graffiti” artists are turning this blight into art.
– NYC activists are still hard at work clearing evicting idling cars from bike lanes, dressing as clowns and handing out mock traffic tickets.