Welcome to the week. Before we get going, let us not forget the stories that came before…
Fast and dirty: You had us at, “cut the project time of a new protected bike lane by 90 percent and the cost by 75 percent.”
The truth about AVs: They can’t solve urban transportation problems says this visually-appealing, truth-telling, myth-busting NYT Opinion piece.
Not heroic: The fact that the media and others think a criminal who destroyed a speed camera is a “hero” is everything you need to know about America’s dysfunctional and dangerous road culture.
Idaho stop in Utah: While Oregon’s legislature was busy expanding the bike tax, Utah lawmakers were supporting a change in the law that would make it legal for bicycle users to yield at stop signs and treat signals like stop signs.
Legal clarity: While Oregon’s legislature was busy expanding the bike tax, Seattle lawmakers passed a bill that clarifies the legal standing of electric bicycles. As the fastest growing segment in the bike market, Oregon needs to address this issue too.
Non merci: A dockless bike share company has pulled out of Paris after the bikes suffered “mass destruction” by vandals. Just proves that you can’t copy/paste solutions from one place to the next. Local culture matters.
It’s not the weather: Turns out a major reason people don’t bike in winter is the same reason they don’t bike in summer: because the infrastructure sucks even more.
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Hype-PR-loop: This cautionary post about the PR machine behind the Hyperloop could be applied to big highway mega-projects too. Just remember: The more PR it takes to convince of how good something is, the less likely it is to be needed.
Let’s keep arguing about parking spaces: Scientists are “alarmed” by a startling rise in temperatures in the arctic. (h/t to @BrooklynSpoke for that intro)
Safer trucks: Very happy to see that NACTO is working with the US DOT to develop best practices for big trucks that operate in cities. (For some reason Portland isn’t on the list of cities taking part in the effort.)
About time: The Tour de France says they’ll end the practice of having “podium girls” stand on stage next to bike racers.
Team Sky high: The pro bike scene can’t seem to shake widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Why so many walking deaths?: NPR covered a new report from the Governor’s Highway Safety Association that found the number of people killed while walking has reached a 33-year high.
Dangerous cycling consequences: The UK government is debating a new law that would make it a crime to cause someone’s death by “dangerous or careless cycling.”
Tweet of the Week: We hear you Dena…
Honest to god I don't want to talk about bikes or bike lanes anymore. I don't want to write op-eds or email politicians. I just want our city's departments to be a on auto pilot with safe streets and it not be some ongoing political minefield.
— Dena Driscoll (@bikemamadelphia) February 27, 2018
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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