This week’s Monday Roundup is brought to you by Huntco, your Portland-based source for commercial bike parking solutions.
Welcome to the Monday Roundup.
Sorry to start it off on a sour note, but if we want more happiness in the future we have to confront what’s making us so sad (and mad) in the present. We have a trio of stories for you that get to the root of the problem: too many people driving too many cars, too fast.
“Crisis”: An Associated Press story made the rounds last week with dire warnings about the significant rise in traffic deaths across the country so far this year. The word “crisis” is being used not just by activists but by mainstream experts and leaders in the field.
Crisis cause: And in related news, The Atlantic has a must-read article for anyone who follows traffic culture. The headline says it all: “The Absurd Primacy of the Automobile in American Life”
But wait, there’s more: The news and cultural analysts at Five Thirty Eight went deep into the underlying policies and perspectives that lead to America’s speeding problem. Spoiler alert: The way speed limits are set guarantees deadly roads.
Biking is the new golf: That saying has been around for years now and this BBC piece about why Nike and Adidas have pulled out of the golf market validates it even further.
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Bike thief chase: Great story from San Francisco about bike shop employees who rode after a bike thief, knocked him off the stolen bike and subdued him until police showed up. Bonus: It was tracked on Strava.
Branson down: Global business magnate Sir Richard Branson took a major spill on his bike and photos of his wounds have become headline news around the world.
E-bike share: The city of Baltimore is prepping to launch a 465 bike, 50 station bike share program — and about 40 percent of the bikes will be electric-assist. This will be the largest e-bike share in the western hemisphere.
E-bike share II: Seattle’s Pronto bike share system is struggling and the city is looking for a new vendor to expand and re-invigorate it. The leading bidder, Bewegen, is proposing an all-electric fleet.
Parking policy primacy: Slowly but surely cities are realizing how absurd it is to give away so much of their valuable real estate to free car parking.
Fed up: Transportation for America has your update on the widespread pushback to the US DOT policy proposal to measure congestion without taking biking and walking into consideration at all.
Go Go Bronzeville!: Take an illuminating tour of the Bronzeville area of Chicago with a man who’s working to make biking and walking easier for his community — as he weaves through the complex issues of race and urban planning.
Neighborhoods don’t always know best: New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio seems to be finding his footing on Vision Zero. He’s pushing through a road diet despite opposition from the community board.
Put the phone down: Texting while driving is now the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, according to a new study. (On a related note, Ford is sponsoring a teen driving skills and training event in Portland next weekend.)
Check your facts: Advocacy group Bike Austin got called out by Politifact for a statement they made on Twitter about how much sidewalks and bike lanes reduce crashes. “Mostly false” was the ruling. Ouch.
— Jonathan Maus, (503) 706-8804 – jonathan@bikeportland.org
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