Here’s the news that caught our eye this week:
– As the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico continues to spread, we are continuing to not make the personal or policy connection between the disaster and oil consumption.
– Large scale bikesharing programs are taking off in the U.S. this year. First DC, then Denver…and now Minneapolis is launching the largest program yet with 700 bikes at 65 stations.
– Time reports on a new trend in repurposing—or just removing—parking lots
– The US department of housing and urban development (HUD) is working with the transportation department and committed itself to award housing funds based on “location efficiency,” with the explicit intent of counteracting sprawl.
– According to one report, people often drive when they could walk because the landscape for walking is often unappealing and boring. Check out this Scientific American podcast for more.
– And often, there is just nowhere to walk, as this woman found out when she followed online walking directions along a shoulderless, sidewalkless, state highway and was struck by a car. Her response? She’s suing Google.
– A man is charged with four counts of attempted murder after using his SUV to hunt down and hit people on bicycles in San Francisco.
– In LA, a bike ride protesting the BP oil spill was policed a little too heavy-handedly according to the cell phone movie footage taken by a man, whose digital document survived despite his phone being smashed as police allegedly beat and kicked him.
– The number of US teens who have drivers licenses is declining significantly, largely because of the internet.
– An insurance company survey has found that 38 million licensed drivers in the US would not be able to pass the written driving test today.
– Within the next 15 years, downtown Cairo, Egypt could become free of car traffic.
– Would you be in the market for a bike helmet that emitted a noxious smell when it became unsafe after a crash?