Did you miss the best bike stories on the web last week? If so, peruse our roundup to catch up…
— Probably the biggest story of last week was a NY Times article about the “sea of bikes” that “swamps” Amsterdam. It’s a situation playing out in many Dutch cities — they can’t build bike parking fast enough. I say that’s a great “problem” to have.
— Across the pond in the U.K., there’s a debate going on about how the bike industry can have the most impact in growing cycling. Some bloggers say companies should spend more funding direct advocacy and less on high-end press junkets (or “jollies”).
— Exciting news for Amtrak users: There’s a push on some of their east coast lines to add a bicycle baggage car.
— The Seattle version of the Disaster Relief Trials was held over the weekend. Here’s a recap of the event from a local TV station.
— There were two flying bikes going around last week. One was from the Czech Republic but it didn’t even involve pedaling. I prefer this model from a group of British inventors.
— This headline from the Twin City Sidewalks blog succeeded in getting our attention: Why Bikes are the Guns of Transportation Policy. The post was inspired by news that a pro-gun group planned to set up at an open streets event.
— Outside Magazine featured an article on a bike touring family that rolls with three small kids and a dog.
— This Cadillac ad noticed by Streetsblog is a classic of American car culture. It features a fashion consultant in NYC who says she “can’t get anything done without a car” in Manhattan.
— In Toronto folks are wisely considering a streetcar-only zone on one of their downtown streets during rush hour. I’ll use this as an opportunity to point out how ridiculous and broken Portland’s downtown “transit” mall is and how it would behoove our local leaders to consider making it carfree.
— New York-based advocacy group Transportation Alternatives released a study claiming that 88% of people drive too fast in Brooklyn.
— In a strange twist, while I was in the Netherlands for a reporting and study tour, Bicycle Dutch blogger Mark Wagenbuur was in the U.S. on a similar trip. He shared his perspectives on U.S. cycling with a blog post and video that is well worth checking out.
— And speaking of perspectives, I shared a few Portland cycling tips with Canadian media outlet The Globe and Mail.
— And our video of the week is of famous road cycling pro Peter Sagan parking his bike:
If you come across a noteworthy bicycle story, send it in via email, Tweet @bikeportland, or whatever else and we’ll consider adding it to next Monday’s roundup.