The Monday Roundup

Traffic fatalities are the leading cause of death
for people 10 to 24 years old, worldwide.
(Photo: OSP captures the aftermath of a
car-bike collision in Oregon City on May 5th.)

Here’s the news and other stuff that caught our eyes this past week…

– A new report found the leading cause of death in 10 to 24-year-olds is “road traffic”.

– Thousands of protesters gathered in London, Edinburgh, and Rome last weekend to bring attention to the lack of protections for people on bicycles in many large European cities in what was the largest protest for road safety in London’s history.

– Meanwhile, Toronto’s mayor Rob Ford is continuing to push the idea that roads should be the domain of motor vehicles and although his “heart bleeds” for people who are killed while riding their bike he believes “it’s their own fault at the end of the day.”

– California Highway Patrol is trying to determine the identify of a victim of a hit-and-run accident on Highway 1 who was struck by a motorist and was left on the road for half a day before a passerby reported the crime.

– Three men were riding on a rural road in Georgia to raise money for a pregnancy center being set up in Costa Rica by Beautiful Feet International when a person driving a van struck them from behind, killing two of the three men. A state trooper said the men all had “plenty of lights and reflective gear on their bicycles and helmets.”

– A study by the New Jersey Department of Transportation found that bicycles make up more than 47% of traffic on a route just outside New York City.

– More data, this time from the Federal Highway Administration, has been released showing relatively small investments in infrastructure for “nonmotorized” transportation can bring big results.

– If you’re looking to make an impact in your city The Atlantic Cities has your Official Guide to Tactical Urbanism.

– NPR’s Talk of the Nation explores the issue of kids’ transportation to and from school, discussing schools’ liability for children’s safety and the growing health problems in our nation’s youth.

– A vast majority of people who drive cars know how dangerous it is to text or talk on a phone while operating a motor vehicle yet a third of people who drive admit to texting and nearly 7 out of 10 admit to talking on their phone while driving.

– Still not sure why kids these days are driving less? Here’s what they have to say for themselves.

– A study of Washington D.C.’s bike share system finds that people on rented bicycles wear helmets at close to the same rate as everyone else, despite some people’s assumptions.

– The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition caught the attention of Copenhagenize when they asked people to sign a darkly-worded release in order to participate in a 10-mile ride at a “moderate pace“.

– Bike Month is in full swing but there might be a disconnect between experienced bike commuters and novice riders looking for advice holding some people back from trying to ride for the first time.

– On his Fast Lane blog, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood says he wants you to “put on your helmet and saddle up” for Bike Month.

– To celebrate Bike Month, and specifically Bike Week (May 14th-18th), Seattle’s King County Metro is letting people with bikes ride for free all next week.

– Portland’s own Shad Johnson of Goods BMX caught the eye of ESPN.com which featured a video of Johnson’s vintage BMX collection.

– ESPN The Magazine also shared a story about Kyle Lehman, a Portland man who inspired one of his college professors with his love of riding a bike years before suffering traumatic brain injury after he was struck by a another person driving a car.

– A local San Francisco reporter talked with officials who have deployed video cameras on public busses to catch people parking illegally.

– WIRED takes a look at the Blink/Steady bike light on Kickstarter, saying its design is sleek enough to have been designed by Apple.

– The key to increasing the number of bicycles used for transportation may be in simply making the experience of riding a bike in a city a “lovable” one.

– As cold spring rain lets up and crisp spring breezes become the norm for morning rides, these DIY windproof shoe covers might come in handy.

– Riding a bike can save you money on gas even when you get back into a car by getting you in better shape. It turns out that the we could save over $1 billion on gas if we, as a country, were in as good of shape as we were in 1960.

– As riding a bike for transportation becomes more and more popular, with it comes a growing interest in consumer bike shows.

– Bicycle manufacturing might also start playing a larger role in propping up Detroit’s sagging economy.

– Oregon’s own Mark Frohnmayer spent over a decade in the computer gaming industry but has since turned his attention to sustainable modes of transportation.

– And finally, a bicycle’s best friend has been getting a lot of attention from sites around the web for guarding his owner’s bicycle:

— 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.