(Photo the Magnificent Octopus/Flickr)
Here’s the local and national bike news that caught our eyes this past week…
— Our friends in New York City are freaking out right now because their Citibike bike share system is hitting the streets and membership is now open.
— With a bold plan laid out by London Mayor Boris Johnson, everyone should keep their eye on how/if he’ll be able to deliver on his promises. Here’s a good update from the Cycle London City blog.
— More good news from Chicago: They plan to go beyond parking or bollard-protected bike lanes and build some of their new bikeways as grade-separated paths.
— Remember when Rob Anderson singlehandedly stopped the City of San Francisco from installing any bikeways? Now it looks like he’s inspired a man in Boston named Eric Berger, who has already spent $40,000 of his own money to keep bikeways off the streets near his home.
— On a similar note, this anti-bike rant in the Toronto Sun is one of the best I’ve ever read.
— And precisely because those types of rants are becoming old hat with the same old out-of-touch perspectives, a blogger at The Guardian has supplied the “anti-bike lobby” with new ammunition.
— Portland’s Bureau of Transportation does a lot of crosswalk enforcements using human decoys to bust violators. Atlantic Cities took a closer look at whether or not that actually improves behaviors.
— Here’s a more novel measure to improve law compliance and traffic safety: Some folks in London have resorted to dressing up like cops while riding to make people drive more safely.
— Check out this nightmarish streetcar/bus/bike/taxi lane in Edinburgh, Scotland. The person who took the photo called it a “bloody trambles” and said, “I’m appalled.”
— Portland has bike-through windows, but we’ve never had anything like this bicycle drive-in cafe that has popped up in Zurich.
— US DOT Secretary Ray LaHood breaks down the transportation portion of President Obama’s proposed budget. There are some bright spots in there but I haven’t heard a peep about any programs dedicated solely to bicycling and walking.
— And Sec. LaHood posted the full video from the first of two Bike Safety Summits that took place in Tampla, Florida last week.
— Check out these nifty bicycle planning ideas that are up for a prize at Velo City 2013 (which takes place in June in Vienna).
— If you’ve always wanted to ride around Copenhagen but simply can’t make it over there; check out this fun new tool called Cyclodeo. It puts you in the rider’s seat on of some of the busiest bike routes in the world.
— Bicycle-friendly business district expert April Economides is up for a big grant as part of the Good LA 2050 planning effort. Go over and vote for her project!
— Great news for local bike touring and randonneuring fans: 1) SunTour is coming back with a specific focus on those two disciplines and 2) Adventure Cycling has completely revamped their website!
— This “modest proposal” delivered as an open letter to Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn is right after my own heart. The guy is asking for one — just one — street in the city to be set-aside as a bike-only thoroughfare.
— NYPD officers ticketing people on bikes for using the Hudson River Greenway after 1:00 am is the latest sign that no matter how far New York City progresses as a bike city they still have to deal with a police department that seems unable to get on board.
— Some certifiable smart people said bicycle advocates would be wise to read this Salon article on how the NRA — initially mocked for seeming so out of touch in the gun debate — has re-framed the discussion to their advantage.
— The Oregonian had an update on the I-5 widening plan that’s not called the CRC.
— And local transportation reporter Michael Andersen of Portland Afoot shared four lessons from the Williams Ave project on how advocates and planners should handle projects when race and gentrification are part of the picture.
If you come across a noteworthy bike story, get in touch and we’ll consider adding it to next week’s Roundup. Thanks!