Here’s the news that caught our eyes this past week…
– Former Metro President David Bragdon, now the Director of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability in New York City, had some inspiring words to share with city mayors from across the country. Sharing his perspective on urban planning, Bragdon explained that a city must adapt its resources and infrastructure to serve its citizens and when you’re talking about the life of a city, 25 years is a relatively short span of time.
– New York City reported a decrease in traffic deaths in 2011. Despite the over all reduction however, the number of bicycle fatalities has stayed steady from the previous year and the NYPD is receiving criticism for not citing the driver of a motor vehicle in a fatal hit-and-run collision involving a person on a bicycle.
– People who ride their bicycle over the Benjamin Franklin Bridge are upset after the Delaware River Port Authority scrapped plans to improve access on the bridge for people on foot and on bikes. Improvements to bicycle and pedestrian access were described as not “absolutely essential for safe and secure operations” of the bridge by the CEO of the Port Authority, John Matheussen.
– With revenues from the state gas tax falling, Portland might need to rethink the price of on-street parking. While other cities are introducing demand-based variable rate parking, Portland continues to charge rates far below market value, missing out on a source of revenue for the cash-strapped Portland Bureau of Transportation.
– Capital Bikeshare in Washington DC has come up with a solution for people who don’t have the requisite debit or credit card to rent bikes. Thanks to their partnership with Bank on DC, low income residents are being given access to bank accounts with low minimum balance requirements, something previously unavailable to them.
– Bike share programs aren’t just catching on in Europe and North America. Programs in Qatar, Egypt, Israel, and others are becoming more and more popular. One author believes that bike share programs may be the future of transportation in the Middle East.
– This Christmas a 14-year-old boy with autism and cerebral palsy was given a bicycle by his parents but sadly the bike was stolen just a few days later. Thankfully this story has a happy ending: hearing of the theft, one man stepped in and gave them a new bike to replace the one that was stolen.
– Ben Stiller might not be the first name you think of when someone says “bicycle” but recently the Meet the Fockers star stepped in to help get bicycles to people in Uganda. Bicycles for Humanity (B4H) was attempting to import donated bicycles into the country but faced about $12,000 in import taxes and fees. Stiller helped B4H pay the costs of transporting and importing the bicycles.
– Riding a bike through Birmingham in the UK has become a little confusing after the city council installed “no cycling” signs directly adjacent to way-finding signs for the National Cycle Network. The council defends its actions by saying the signs were only meant to discourage people from riding their bicycles on the sidewalk but residents in the area have pointed out that other options would have been more effective and less confusing.
– Four students have received scholarships from the USA Cycling Development Foundation. Brent Gillespie, Jill Behlen, Jack Tomassetti, and Andrea Napoli were the winners of the John Stenner Memorial Scholarships, awarded for academic excellence, athletic achievements, and service to their communities.
– One man from Nepal is riding his bike to share a message of world peace and sustainability. So far he’s traveled over 50,000 miles around 77 countries and hopes to visit at least 74 more.
– If you’re thinking about long-distance riding, it may be easier than you assume. Emi Berger made it all the way across the U.S., roughly 4,000 miles, and only had one flat tire.
– We’ve been hearing the word “separation” a lot lately when referring to infrastructure for bicycles. If you don’t think it’s for everyone, you might want to talk to 86-year old Raju, a veteran calling for separated bicycle infrastructure in his native India.
– After heavy holiday rainfall, some people on bikes in Eugene had to find ways around flooded underpasses. Pictures of the flooding make puddles around Portland seem paltry.
– A new fitness center opening in Tampa, Florida is advertising by locking up orange bicycles around the city. Orangetheory Fitness decided to use the bikes in the marking scheme because they “symbolize energy, fitness, affordability, and fun.”
Did you find something interesting that should be in next week’s Monday Roundup? Drop us a line.