Here’s our recap of the biggest and best bike news we came across last week…
— Finally. It’s coming folks. Citibike in New York City. My friend Doug from Brooklyn Spoke shared photos and commentary on the new bikeshare stations and kiosks that were installed over the weekend.
— Also in NYC, the NYPD is demanding that a man who was struck while bicycling by an officer driving a police car pay for damages his bicycle caused to the police car.
— It was widely reported last week that religious police in Saudi Arabia lifted the ban on women riding bicycles. However as the news spread it became clear there were a lot of conditions and outlets like Al Jazeera took a more skeptical view of the news.
— Speaking of religion, an Australian man who follows the Sikh religion won in court after arguing he had a right to wear his turban and not a helmet as the law dictates.
— The next time your DOT tells you they need millions for new freeways or more lanes, just pass along the new video from Streetfilms: Americans are driving less:
STREET FACTS #2 – Americans Are Driving Less from Streetfilms on Vimeo.
— A police officer in West Vancouver (Canada) got caught on video punching a man suspected of running a red light and not wearing a helmet.
— Up in Seattle, police were able to track down a hit-and-run suspect who hit someone riding a bicycle while driving a Car2Go vehicle thanks to information stored in the vehicle’s computer database.
— And Seattle made even bigger news when a group of citizens (calling themselves Reasonably Polite Seattleites) took bike safety into their own hands and installed a guerrilla-style protected bike lane.
— Gnarlube, a seller of bicycle lube, found themselves in hot water after releasing an ad that is demeaning to women.
— I have no idea why, but several traffic fines in Washington D.C. are being lowered — including ones for speeding, failing to stop at red lights, and failing to yield to people walking.
— Meanwhile, a columnist for the Washingtonian says D.C. authorities need to get tougher on people who hit people on bikes while driving.
— You know those “bicycle highways” in Europe? Know there’s a push to build more of them even faster due to how much money they save governments in healthcare costs.
— How big of a disastrous boondoggle is the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) project? So big that even the venerable international magazine The Economist is making fun of it.
— Speaking of the CRC, Seattle Transit Blog did a three-part series examining how the project will impact Washington and why folks up north should care about it.
— If you are on the shorter side when it comes to height, Portland’s very own Elly Blue shared some tips on how to find the right bike.
— The 99% Invisible podcast published a fascinating historical look at the evolution of “jaywalking” and how cars came to dominate American roadways.
— A man riding his bike on one of Minneapolis’ famed greenways was hit with a molotov cocktail thrown by someone standing on an overpass above him.
— There’s been lots of buzz about a UCI rule forbidding pro mountain bikers from riding in unsanctioned (meaning local) races. Most pros are aghast at the rule saying it would hurt the grassroots. Here’s an opinion on the matter in Velonews from racer Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski.
Thanks for reading! If you come across something you think should be in next week’s Roundup, drop us a line via Twitter @bikeportland or email.