will bring bike classes to NE Portland
(Image: Community Cycling Center)
Here’s the news that caught our eyes this past week…
– Gridlock is so bad in Murcia, Spain that city has offered a lifetime public transit passes in exchange for turning in your car. Instead of destroying the vehicles, the city is turning them into art installations designed to show the city’s commitment to reducing the number of cars in the city.
– The federal subsidy for driving a car to work in the US is on its way to increasing on January 1st, 2012. If Congress doesn’t take action before the end of the year, along with the bump for driving a car the federal tax benefits to public transit riders will decrease to about half its current level.
– After receiving a grant from the Central Northeast Neighbors, Andando en Bicicleta en Cully (ABC) is bringing bike maintenance training to Portland’s Cully neighborhood. ABC was started by a group of Cully-area residents (with the help of the Community Cycling Center and Hacienda CDC) and plans to start offering bike repair clinics in the summer of 2012.
– The Associated Press reports that the typical American household spent $4,155 on gasoline this past year, or about 8.4% of their total household budget. Families’ spending on gasoline was a higher portion their income than in any year since 1981.
– Seattle residents were shocked to see a video of Seattle Police Department officers mocking a critically injured victim. The man was hit by the driver of a semi-truck as he was jogging to work at the behest of the city, which was encouraging people to leave their cars at home while a major road was closed for construction.
– Separated facilities and trail systems are catching on in places outside the Portland-Metro area. Eighteen trail projects around Pennsylvania and New Jersey were awarded funding this year and another series of trails in their transportation network are expected to receive funding in 2012.
– Oakland, California (named a Bronze Bicycle Friendly City by the League of American Bicyclists) has laid down 18 new miles of bikeways in 2011. The new network of bikeways fall short of the city’s original goal of installing 32 miles, but much of the remaining 20 miles of new lanes are scheduled for installation in early 2012.
– Further south in the Bay Area, Palo Alto is moving forward with plans to build a bridge for pedestrians and people on bikes over Highway 101. The project, which aims to reconnect neighborhoods currently divided by the speed and volume of motor vehicle traffic on the road, has received virtually no public opposition to date.
– San Diego, California residents were initially concerned when they saw sharrows disappearing from city streets. After receiving numerous calls from citizens, a city representative issued a statement reassuring everyone that the sharrows were only removed in preparation for repaving. He confirmed that the sharrows have “really worked out well” and the city is eager to seem them back in place, just like everyone else.
– Plans for India’s first bike share system are moving forward in the city of Pune. Officials hope that the program will increase the number of bicycles on Pune’s roads but some people have raised concerns about sub-standard cycle tracks which should be improved before money is spent on the bike share program.
– Hong Kong is raising fees for bicycles on the Star Ferry. The increase will require passengers to pay about 80 times the standard fare if they want to bring their bicycle on board.
– Bicycle Federation Wisconsin discusses the implementation of bike boulevards in Milwaukee and Madison, pointing out that neither city has implemented anything matching the quality of Portland’s neighborhood greenways.
– Elsewhere in Wisconsin, the city of Hull is trying to make walking and biking through the town illegal without specific government approval. Their plan to require “travel plans” from people wishing to walk or bike on city streets supposedly aims to reduce traffic collisions, yet the city hasn’t seen a single traffic incident involving someone on foot or on a bike in the last three years.
– The Iowa Bicycle Coalition is hosting its annual Winter Bicycle Challenge to show it’s possible (and fun) to ride a bike even when the temperature drops. Prizes for participants include plenty of warm, high-visibility bike gear.
– Looking to warmer weather for a second, a group of twenty-three organizations around the UK and Europe have announced their intention to run a joint Summer of Cycling program in 2012. The promotions and celebrations won’t be location based and may include forms of online participation or discounts.
– Couldn’t find a present for the bicycle enthusiast with everything? This bicycle PA system might be the belated gift you’re looking for. Combining two motorcycle speakers with an 8″ subwoofer, the backpack-like contraption will weigh you down a bit but it will certainly make your voice heard.
– If your friends and family are too fashion-conscious for a shoulder-mounted subwoofer they might enjoy a Gucci bicycle instead. Designed by the company’s Creative Director and build by Bianchi, the bicycles retail for over $5000 (USD).
Did you find something interesting that should be in next week’s Monday Roundup? Drop us a line.