Here’s the news that caught our eyes this past week…
– A local ordinance in the small town of Hull, Wisconsin has been widely misinterpreted as a bike ban says the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin. But the story spread so quickly that it even reached The Onion, where it’s fodder for this headline, Town Seeks to Criminalize Walking and Biking.
– Reports from the first morning of “Viadoom” up in Seattle show that once again, fears of massive traffic jams with the closure of a major downtown freeway are often over-hyped. Traffic seems to be moving along — and of course there is lots of bike traffic!
– A fabulously informative takedown of an economics-based rant against bike lanes in the New Yorker.
– The South Bay Bicycle Coalition is adding their voice to the list of groups upset at Governor Jerry Brown’s veto of a safe passing law.
– If you haven’t already seen it, hot off the presses this week is Los Angeles County’s Bicycle Master Plan.
– As winter settles in, it’s good to remember that cold weather doesn’t preclude the bicycle as a viable means of transportation.
– Electric-assist bikes are becoming a more frequent sight on the road, but are steam-powere bicycles the next big thing?
– The State of Washington is considering a law, similar to one signed into law in Oregon, that would allow cities to lower the speed limit in residential neighborhoods from 25 MPH to 20 MPH, and Seattle’s Mayor likes the idea.
– And the fight for safer, greener streets doesn’t end at our shores; a group in the city of Amedabad, India rallied for safer access to bicycling and public transit.
– Speaking of protests, Bolivian president Evo Morales has bowed to pressure from indigenous groups who fought the massive “Amazon highway” project.
– Elsewhere in India, the city of Bangalore is using a pilot bike share program to help citizens travel “the last mile” to their destinations.
– If you have a sweet tooth you might have trouble resisting this delicious-looking bicycle covered in Skittles.
– In Indonesia, the city of Jakarta has installed its first dedicated bike lane as a way to deal with “acute” traffic problems.
– A news anchor in Utah is returning to work after her bicycle impacted a car that cut her off and gave her a concussion. She asumes the driver will not be caught and brought to justice.
– Is your hair clean? You might need to thank a former bicycle messenger.
– Recently-installed sharrows are providing a preview of things to come for one city in Texas.
– Add Berlin to the list of cities where bicycling is on the rise — and where some are concerned about the safety consequences of all the bikes on the road.
– Bicycle businesses help local economies, and not just here at home. A company in Zambia is thriving by making bicycles almost entirely from bamboo.
– Those who are not satisfied simply riding a bike to work will like this desk that lets you ride your bike while at work.
– If you’re in Detroit you can now tour the city’s spookiest haunts by bicycle.
– That spare water bottle cage can help keep your bike safe by carrying a water bottle-shaped bike lock.
– And an old map from 1896 shows California’s network of bicycle routes.
Did you find something interesting that should be in next week’s Monday Roundup? Drop us a line.