how closely people pass.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)
Here’s the news and other cool stuff that caught our eyes this past week, including lots of news from Los Angeles…
– In a surprise announcement, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says Bike Nation, a CicLAvia partner, will fund a bike share program for Downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, Venice Beach and Westwood consisting of 4,000 bikes at 400 kiosks.
– Speaking of CicLAvia, organizers estimate that 100,000 people came out for the car-free event this Sunday, described by the Los Angeles Time as the city’s “marquee event for pedestrians and cyclists”.
– The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC), in partnership with the LA Department of Transport and R.E.I, has launched LA’s first Spanish-language bike safety campaign.
– If you think being car-free in LA is only possible during CicLAvia, meet this completely car-free 27-year-old Los Angeleno.
– A study from the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (view it in a PDF) found 1 out of every 6 motor vehicle operators in Baltimore passed people on bicycle illegally but on streets with bike lanes, people driving motor vehicles were 20% more likely to follow Maryland’s safe passing law.
– Another study on bike lanes (view it in a PDF) finds (maybe not surprisingly) that cities with more bike lanes have more bike commuters.
– Portland-based Alta Bicycle Share has won yet another bike share contract. This time it’s a 3,000 bike, 300 station, $18 million system in Chicago.
– Toronto Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday doesn’t want to see any more “activists”, “unionists”, or “cyclists” elected and urged citizens to instead support people “with good common sense who just want to manage the city’s affairs.”
– Only two arrests were made in connection to any of the 21 people on bikes who died in vehicle crashes in New York City last year.
– Tomorrow is tax day, which, according to the American Medical Association, comes with a 6 percent increase in traffic fatalities compared to other days with similar conditions.
– The U.S. Census Bureau estimates there was a 50 percent increase in people who commute on their bike from 2000 to 2010.
– One neighborhood in Florida has started enforcing a rule banning anyone under the age of 18 from being outside without an adult chaperone.
– Ferries in the Seattle area are raising their per-person fare but will not increase the surcharge for bringing a bicycle on board.
– In their infinite wisdom, the House GOP is reportedly trying to cut a deal to pass the Senate transportation bill; but only if they can add in the controversial Keystone XL pipeline.
– One man who started out on a a solo around-the-world bike trip to raise money for SolarAid is determined to carry on after he was struck and severely injured by another man driving a truck.
– As some people’s concerns about law-breaking “cyclists” continue, Cyclelicious tries to figure out where all the legal drivers are.
– We’re usually not that into Portland top 10 lists, but we couldn’t pass this one up. It says, the local “bicycle lobby” is a, “political force to be reckoned with. It’s like Big Oil without the oil.” We wish!
– The Dutch Ministry for Infrastructure and the Environment launched a series of commercials aimed squarely at motor vehicle operators who drive dangerously, even if only “slightly”.
– Chicago-and-Nashville-based blog Lets Go Ride a Bike has a handy DIY idea for women looking to ride in office-friendly skirts.
– You’ve heard of Portland’s “Pianobike Kid“, now meet Antwerp’s “Piano Paul“.
– Previously we shared a video of Frank Zappa playing music on a bike and this week we’ve got a modern incarnation of a musical bicycle: the Turntable Rider. Have a look below…
— Did you find something interesting that should be in next week’s Monday Roundup? Drop us a line. For more great links from around the web, follow us on Twitter @BikePortland.