Lots of great bike stories to share from the past week, so let’s get right to it…
— The folks at the Copenhagenize have done some interesting work on bicycling behaviors based on video footage in “Choreography of an Urban Intersection“.
— This “Biking wisdom in 10 words” map by the NY Times is amazing. It collects comments from readers on bicycling conditions around the country.
— If you were ever curious into the history of the “marginalization of bicyclists” from a vehicular cycling perspective, sit down and digest this massive blog post by Bob Shanteau on the I Am Traffic blog.
— The gravel riding/racing thing is really taking off. Now it’s really arrived (or it’s officially over, depending on your perspective) now that the NY Times has devoted a feature article and some photos to it.
— Courtroom deal-making lead to just 90 days in jail for a hit-and-run that killed a 48-year old man who was bicycling in the Bend area.
— I don’t understand the anime intro, but this video of robotic, underground bicycle parking in Japan is amazing.
— A reporter from The Atlantic was on the Portland World Naked Bike Ride.
— WNYC has done some solid reporting about the software problems some folks are experiencing with the new Citibike bike share system in New York City.
— While software problems have gained a lot of media attention, there are far more positive experiences with Citibike than negative ones. On that note, The New York Daily News begins one of their stories with “New York City isn’t going to hell in a bike basket after all.”
— And Hasidic Jews in the Williamsburg area of NYC, who have in the past blocked bicycle infrastructure, are now clamoring for Citibike in their neighborhoods.
— And the final word (for today) on Citibike is this awesome new video from Casey Niestat: “Citibikes are a pain in the ass” (spoiler: they’re not):
— Is cycling bad for your vagina? Apparently it can be if your saddle position isn’t right. Or, at least that’s the contention of a study recently covered by Grist.
— Raquel Nelson, the woman who was charged with vehicular homicide when she tried to cross a street with her son and he was struck and killed by someone driving a car, has finally been cleared of the charges.
— It has happened yet again: After investing in infrastructure and creating a comfortable bicycling environment, Vancouver (Canada) has seen a massive jump in bicycle use.
— The trend of older folks moving to cities will have a huge impact on transportation. A story in Business Insider reports that many seniors are looking for the vibrancy of a city as well as the ability to get around without a car.
— Portland has Street Books, a bicycle-based library for folks who live on the streets; but Seattle has a public library on a bike.
— If you missed the recent Velo City conference in Vienna (it looked amazing), check out daily recaps via the European Cyclists Federation website.
— This is a hilarious take on Americans’ “clown-like” driving habits.
— Inspired by the now-famous rant from the Wall Street Journal’s Dorothy Rabinowitz, Politico took a closer look at the actual bike lobby and found that yes, it exists, but no, it’s far from “all-powerful”.
PORTLAND
— The Portland Tribune took a closer look at the local cargo bike scene.
— KBOO Radio interviewed Cyclepedia bicycle collection owner Michael Embacher.
— The Oregonian has a history of promoting a narrative that people on bikes are hot-headed, crazy radicals. Their recent story, Are Portland bicyclists showing signs of an unfortunate new trend? covers the “increasing numbers of instances where two angry, fist-clenched bicyclists are facing off in the Rose City.” Huh?!