This week’s Monday Roundup is sponsored by Urban Tribe, the affordable family cargo bike.
Welcome to the week! (Note: I’m out of the office today doing this. Please be patient if any issues or news arises. I’ll be back at my desk Monday evening.)
Here are the most noteworthy stories we came across last week…
Injustice in Louisiana: A jaw-dropping combination of cultural dysfunction on display as three black men are cited for not wearing reflective clothing and blocking a public road — after they were hit and injured by a motor vehicle user on a road with no sidewalks. I don’t even know where to begin. Thankfully Streetsblog took a stab at explaining it.
Portland’s problem with race: An ex-Portlander penned a must-read about why he — and other people of color — are leaving our fair city. One person quoted in the piece said she’s afraid to bike at night. “No way. I’m Black. Even Black people are shocked to see Black people ride their bikes here.” (Note: I’m working on a follow-up to my post about white supremacy. Thank you for all your amazing comments!)
Driving is the problem: Love this piece from Vox that lays out an inconvenient truth for many enviros and progressives who are afraid to aggressively discourage driving (or who don’t see that it’s imperative). Say it with me (and replace “California” with your state): “California has a climate problem, and its name is cars.”
Human chain protected lane: New York City is the latest place this new activism tool was put to use. Where should we do this in Portland? North Interstate Avenue climb perhaps?
De Blasio blasé about pricing: Congestion pricing is the future. Someone needs to explain how it works to NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio.
L.A. vision zero progress: Los Angeles is focusing on speed reduction in their fight to eliminate traffic deaths. Signal timing, more enforcement, and public education are among their strategies.
Cost of driving: Driving has many costs, both to society-at-large and to people’s pocketbooks. A new AAA study finds that just owning a car costs an average of over $8,400 per year.
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Difficult choice: Seattle advocates are struggling with a difficult question for the design of Ranier Avenue: A bus-only lane or a protected bike lane?
A dud at HUD: If America’s cities are ever to achieve their bicycling potential, we must get urban housing right. Unfortunately many cities, like Portland, are struggling with lack of supply and associated lack of affordable options. That’s why the complete lack of leadership at the federal Housing and Urban Development agency is so disturbing.
Not the same roads: That “same roads, same rights” mantra is such garbage. As this tourist in Norway discovered after following Google Maps into a long underwater tunnel and having to be rescued; many roads are not viable for bicycling.
Latest viral transit absurdity: I want to read one of these silly stories someday that says, “These two-wheeled, chain-driven machines are the (past and) future of transportation.”
Bicycle deaths rising: The Governor’s Highway Safety Association released a report with bad news: Bicycle deaths are up more than any other user category. Since 2011 the U.S. has averaged an increase of 55 bicycling deaths per year.
The bike you can ride up buildings: The “Vcycle” fills that pesky gap in vertical transportation between stairs and elevators, at least that’s what its graduate student inventor says. In other words, it pedals straight up the side of buildings.
So many bikes: Utrecht has completed a new, $47 million bike parking facility at their central train station that’s the largest in the world with room for 6,000 bikes. When it’s fully built out the station will have a total of 22,000 bike parking spaces.
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Thanks to everyone who submitted links this week.
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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