There were many interesting and important bike-related stories on the web this week. Below are the ones that caught my eye…
— After my time in New York City, I’ve been thinking a lot about how we build cities. In central Maine (of all places), there’s a development project in the works called Piscataquis Village that promises to be a “modern, rural micropolis.” There will be strict codes in place to make sure that walking and biking are the primary transportation method and cars will only be driven around the perimeter.
— In Copenhagen, our friend Mikael Colville-Andersen reports that their bike share system, “Bycyklen” is being shut down after 17 years in service.
— In other bike share news, London’s mayor says annual subscriptions to their system will double in order to raise money for improvements.
— Believe it or not, the NY Post blamed NYC DOT Commish Janette Sadik-Khan and her crazy bike lanes for the post-Sandy traffic mess.
— Speaking of people with a car-centric outlook. John Charles of the Cascade Policy Institute penned a stirring defense of driving. “Not only is there nothing intrinsically wrong with driving,” he wrote, “one easily could make a case that high levels of personal automobile use are indicators of an economically vibrant and socially dynamic region.” Charles also bashed the SW Moody project as a waste of money because it reduced auto lane capacity (he must not know about the huge I-5 freeway just a few yards away).
— Have you seen the DonkyBike yet? Looks durable and affordable.
— The headline of this story from Cleveland says it all: “Woman who drove on sidewalk to avoid stopping for Cleveland school bus must wear ‘idiot’ sign.” Seriously.
— If you haven’t heard, the cargo-bikes-as-disaster-recovery-tools thing has gone from sub-culture niche to a solid trend. Portland’s efforts have been well documented; but guess what’s getting some attention in the wake of superstorm Sandy?
— Sandy is also exposing a problem with how greenways/multi-use paths are managed. In NYC (and in Portland), many key paths in the bike network are overseen by the Parks department, which is problematic for facilities that are more like streets than parks.
— With Obama settling into a second term, Grid Chicago has some advice on where he should take transportation policy.
— Gothamist reported this week that a stretch of the protected bike lane on Broadway in NYC (which you might have seen in my story/video) will be moved out of the protected area next to a public plaza due to so many conflicts with people walking.
— Comic journalist Bikeyface had a fantastic piece on the absurdity of the “cyclist” label.
— Local essayist, writer, publisher and carfree mama Sarah Gilbert penned a thoughtful letter to Portland mayor-elect Charlie Hales (whom she didn’t vote for), urging him to remember the importance of livable streets.
— The Times of London isn’t denying the onset of “Peak Car.” In fact, they say it’s time to embrace, “a future in which the inner cities are given over to pedestrians, cyclists and public transport, and café culture replaces car culture.”
— Speaking of car culture, did you see the Victoria’s Secret model dressed as a bike?