(Photo: WeAreBikeFriendly.com)
Here’s the news that caught our eyes this past week…
– MAP-21, the Transportation Bill being moved through the Senate by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), is coming under fire from bike advocates around the country for its mandatory sidepath provision. A petition by the League of American Bicyclists to strip the proposed law has nearly 7,000 signatures.
– Senior citizens in spandex: Read all about the the Vancouver (WA) Bicycle Club is making a huge difference in the lives of our esteemed older citizens.
– A 52 car pile-up on the Autobahn killed three people and serves as a dramatic illustration of the dangers of driving too fast for conditions. To calm your nerves after seeing those images, check out this slideshow from National Geographic of twelve car-free city zones.
– Wisconsin’s laws got a “tune-up” this week from a bill signed into law by Governor Scott Walker. The Bicycle Tune-Up Bill clarifies legal issues surrounding bicycling in Wisconsin including the correct use of rear reflectors and lights, different methods of signaling right tuns, the use of studded tires, and other vehicles’ right to pass bicycles.
– The largest bike parking lot in the United States has opened in the new Santa Monica Bike Center. The facility is over five-thousand square feet and includes 360 secure bike parking spaces along with locker rooms, vending machines, and other amenities.
– The cycling coach at Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky has launched a bicycle friendly sticker campaign for homes and businesses who want to support the college’s racing team. But as the coach will tell you, the idea wasn’t his and it didn’t come from the team – it came from the people who live on the rural roads where the team rides.
– Portland isn’t the only place benefiting from the economic engine of the bicycle industry; bicycle-related businesses are fueling the economy in Indonesia too.
– Thanksgiving is just a few days away and riding a bicycle is a perfect way to burn off those extra holiday calories. In other T-day news… Apparel company Rapha is inviting folks to participate in a virtual “Turkey Take-off” event.
– If you can’t get outside during the holidays you can always hook up your bike to the television. The 123GoTV connects a bicycle to any TV and was designed to encourage kids to exercise while watching television.
(Screenshot from Youtube)
– A few gas stations in Copenhagen are trying to attract more customers by installing bike care stations complete with repair stand, compressed air, and repair tools.
– Critical Mass is less prominent in some U.S. cities these days but it’s going strong in Guadalajara. In a video from StreetFilms, students, families, and others at the Critical Mass ride celebrating the Day of the Dead discuss why riding a bike is an important part of their lives.
– School children in India bought their friend a bicycle after he was denied a state-sponsored bicycle because of his family’s caste.
– One German bike manufacturer is releasing a bicycle with a USB port hooked to the dynamo, allowing the bicycle to charge anything that would normally plug into your computer.
– Fixed-gear bicycles are becoming so popular, even robots are riding them! This year’s International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo featured a foot-tall robot riding and steering a fixed-gear bicycle. The robot is able to stay upright and stop on command despite riding a bicycle with no brakes and no helmet.
– Think there’s not enough room for cycle tracks on North American roads? Think again. As this video clearly shows, the common configuration of intersections in the U.S. could be adjusted slightly to make sharing the road easier and safer for people on bikes and in cars.
Did you find something interesting that should be in next week’s Monday Roundup? Drop us a line.