This week’s Monday Roundup is brought to you by Chrome Industries, who recently moved their headquarters to Portland and they’ll celebrate by having a Warehouse Sale with deep discounts on last season/sample bags, apparel and footwear. Sales runs 8/18 – 8/20 at old Shleifer builder at 224 SE 2nd Ave.
Welcome to Monday. Before we start another big week, let’s not forget the most interesting stories from the past seven days…
Driving privilege and racism in America: Transportation reformers and racial justice advocates see disturbing parallels between our overly permissive car culture and the accused murderer who intentionally drove his car into a crowd of people protesting against a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville over the weekend.
Rapha and Walmart: High-end apparel brand Rapha (whose U.S. headquarters are based in Portland) was bought by an investment firm owned by Walmart heirs. Expect big growth from Rapha, don’t expect them to go downmarket.
Cycling is a wonder drug: A UK study found “staggering” health benefits from people who biked to work — as much as a 41 percent lower risk of death compared to people who drove or took public transit to work.
Best bikepacking: The newly minted Oregon Timber Trail made Travel Channel’s list of “10 Best” bikepacking routes in the U.S.
ODOT’s propoganda machine: Joe Cortright over at City Observatory has dismantled the latest ODOT freeway expansion propoganda.
Little thing, big consequence: A jury ordered a Portland business to pay $291,000 because they let a tree grow over a stop sign. A judge ruled their trimming negligence contributed to a traffic fatality.
Velotopia: Our friend and author Steven Fleming imagines what a city would be like if it was built for bicycles from the group up.
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Outside perspective: A British bike blogger spent her holiday biking in Portland with young children and found our bikeway network to be relatively relaxing and low-stress (even after being dinged with $20 fines for locking Biketown out of the service area).
Welcome e-bikes on multi-use paths: WashCycle has a solid defense of electric bikes on non-motorized paths.
Models shmodels: Another reason why Portland’s recent backpedal of its bike commute mode share is wrong-headed: Research showing that “positive utility” of modes — like health for bicycling — isn’t captured in travel demand models.
Bike tax metastasis: That Colorado politician inspired by Oregon’s ill-advised bike tax now sees a similar measure as a way to fund a pre-existing pledge by that state’s governor to raise $100 million for bikeways.
Kabul’s bicycling postman: The NY Times shared a wonderful video-laden story about a man who uses a bicycle to deliver letters on the roads of Kabul, Afghanistan.
More affordable tri-bikes: Tualatin-based A-Squared is a new company that offers a more affordable triathlon bike in an effort to increase participation in that discipline.
Thanks to everyone who sent us recommendations. Don’t forget you can now sign up to receive this Monday Roundup in your inbox.
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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