This week’s Monday Roundup is sponsored by the River City Bicycles Cyclocross Crusade, coming to Bend this weekend for spooky cyclocross shenanigans.
Just noodling along: The most emailed link we got from readers this week was about a guy in Toronto who uses a pool noodle to keep drivers off his back.
Latest bike share bike tech: Bike share bike maker BCycle’s newest rigs look pretty solid and offer tight integration with transit, turn-by-turn directions, and a big touchscreen in the cockpit.
Entitlement and fear: A surprisingly comprehensive and concise look at traffic culture problems and how to fix them, including, “Emphasizing intervehicle etiquette in driver’s education programs,” and the “emotional side of driving.”
Sweet dreams, wealthy folks: What happens when researchers meld commute patterns and income levels? We find out even more about how privilege impacts daily life.
Flying light: We’re not exactly sure what the applications of a drone-mounted bike light would be — but we’re intrigued by the idea.
Non-motorized drone: Keeping on this same topic, if you’ve been wanting to get sweet aerial footage of your bike adventures, this new “Birdie” product is a parachute for your camera.
Chicago’s latest: Take a ride on a new protected bike lane in downtown Chicago.
Free parking costs a lot: Not a new idea, but City Observatory has a great explainer about the strong correlation between the cost of parking and how people choose to get to work.
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Bike share for all: Bay Area Bike Share announced a solid plan for low-income residents: the ability to pay with cash and a first-year membership of just $5. Their system is operated by Motivate, the same company in charge of Portland’s fleet. Even so, our low-income plan has yet to launch.
Bike share for free: Despite urban legends about theft and vandalism, two small cities in Minnesota are proving that free bike programs can actually work.
A fifth for cycling: The United Nations says governments should spend at least 20 percent of transportation budgets on cycling. Hear that Governor Brown?
Future of Portland housing: Here’s everything you need to know about the City of Portland’s Residential Infill Project (written by some guy named Michael Andersen).
Irrelevance defined: What better example could there be that the federal traffic engineering establishment is completely out of touch? They’ve given final approval of bike boxes — a mere eight years after cities started installing them.
Slow for stimuli: These are tough times for the “E” of enforcement. It’s facing concerns about racial profiling, and now there’s a growing awareness that what really thwarts speeding and reckless driving 24/7 is more thoughtful road design. Specifically roads with more stimuli and narrower lanes.
Gag me with a u-lock: A San Francisco-based entrepreneur fed up with bike thieves has blown through his crowdfunding goal with “SkunkLock” — a vomit-inducing u-lock.
Uber education: In the, well-good-they-need-it category, Uber has released a series of videos to help train their drivers about cycling laws and the rights of people who ride. Videos based in Portland are likely coming soon.
Driving skills problem: Been thinking lately that we don’t have a “traffic safety” problem or a “bike safety” problem in this country; we have a driving skills problem. Too many people simply suck at driving and they are crashing into other people and other objects more than ever.
Thanks to everyone who sent in links this week.
— Jonathan Maus, (503) 706-8804 – jonathan@bikeportland.org
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