This week’s Monday Roundup is sponsored by the BTA’s sixth annual bicycle-themed storytelling event, Live the Revolution (February 12th, tickets available now).
Here are the bike-related links from around the world that caught our eyes this week:
“Better by Bike”: These five ads from the City of Buenos Aires are more clever and heartwarming than anything I saw on TV Sunday.
“The Forager”: “Is this the first bicycle to come with its own fire-pit, mushroom knife and recycled wooden chopping board?”
Rider exonerated: A Michigan man successfully had an “impeding traffic” ticket dismissed after fighting it in court, thanks in part to the officer’s dash cam video.
Unusual roundabout: This Spanish design sends bikes straight through.
Post-industrial progress: Odense, Denmark’s third-largest city, is putting bikes at the heart of a $4 billion attempt to refocus its rust-belt economy around livability.
Lethal selfishness: The distracted driver is a new kind of “me-first” menace, says MacLeans.
Sign clutter: This Bikeyface webcomic isn’t set on the transit mall, but might be.
Mandatory lane changes: The “Change Lanes to Pass Bicycles” law proposed in Iowa would do what it claims.
London numbers: Bikes will soon outnumber cars in central London rush hours, the city’s transport office says.
Truck visibility: London may require a second window in the lower half of truck doors, to help their drivers see people biking.
Destriping roads: Britain is doing it, and talking about other counterintuitive road safety measures.
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Green neighborhoods: Here’s what low-carbon cityscapes look like from above.
Oil tax: President Obama wants to put a $10 tax on each barrel and spend it on “green transportation infrastructure.” It would require an act of Congress, so it’s basically just for show.
Wonk fired: Former Oregon transportation official Lynn Peterson was unexpectedly fired by Washington’s GOP-controlled Senate, apparently for being “very partial to transit, very partial to bike and pedestrian paths, all those things.” (Update: In the comments, former Cascade Bicycle Coalition advocate Evan Manvel offers a more specific take.)
Biker found: The sprocket-themed belt of Michael Rust was found amid human bones in Colorado. The mountain biking pioneer went missing in 2009.
Cheaper curbs: Austin is using polka dots and plastic posts to make corners much more walking-friendly.
Car Free Day: Dubai does bike to work days, too.
Poisonous cars: Air pollution kills millions of people a year. So why isn’t it condemned by doctors, just like bacon and sugar?
NYC streetcar: A newly proposed line would run along the East River, joining Brooklyn and Queens. “Not everybody’s going to ride bikes,” said former transit boss Richard Ravitch in its support.
If you come across a noteworthy story, send it in via email, Tweet @bikeportland, or whatever else and we’ll consider adding it to next Monday’s roundup.
— Michael Andersen, (503) 333-7824 – michael@bikeportland.org
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