it got noticed by NPR.
(Photo © J. Maus)
Here’s the news that caught our eye this week:
– In the UK, heavy trucks are being equipped with sensors that are designed to detect people walking and bicycling in blind spots.
– The city of San Jose, California, is taking its arcane bicycle registration law off the books. The registration program had become obsolete and did not pay for itself, officials said.
– As electric cars begin to creep into the market, there’s a growing chorus of voices pointing out the obvious—that besides running on coal rather than gas, electric cars are the same as any other cars, and that the bicycle may still be the only truly sustainable personal vehicle.
– Citizens of Dubai are steadfastly finding effective ways around a new law that imposes a hefty fine on helmetless bicycling, though the cheap helmets that have flooded the market are less effective for protecting against injury.
– Are bicycle helmets part of an effective campaign in the auto industry’s war against bicycling? One famously helmetless blogger in Copenhagen suspects as much.
– Local bicycle club members in Kuta, Bali, are thrilled by a weekly carfree night on the town’s main tourist street.
– Dutch bicycle paths are becoming overcrowded and there’s little room for expansion. Worse, moped traffic on separated bikeways is increasing. There’s even talk of letting people ride bikes on the motorways.
– Is a person using a motorized wheelchair a pedestrian? Or are they operating a vehicle? Police in St Petersburg, Florida are stymied by what would otherwise be a simple traffic violation.
– The number of people taking to the streets of DC on two wheels is growing steadily, and much credit is given to a bike friendly city government that has created lanes, parking infrastructure, and a bike sharing program.
– Some of those DC bicycle riders find encouragement and incentives to ride at their workplace, as this NPR story describes colorfully.
– According to census data, more households in San Francisco are going carfree, though it’s unclear if this is out of choice or necessity or both.
– If you don’t own a car, what do you do in an emergency? Especially when you have kids? Two essays this week take on this concern: A bus-riding mom points out that some emergency situations are easier to handle without a personal car. And a cargo-biking mother writes that being stuck at home when someone is sick can be a blessing in disguise.
– Video of the week (below): A nice audio slideshow introduces us to a carfree family with four young children living the good life by bicycle in Eugene, Oregon.