This week’s Roundup is sponsored by the Portland Century, coming August 18th. Registration is open now!
I realize it’s Tuesday, but I was on the road all day yesterday and unable to get this week’s roundup together.
So without further adieu, here are the most noteworthy items we came across in the past seven seven days…
Pro cycling’s cultural problem: A guest writer for CyclingTips says too many fans of professional road cycling perpetuate the sport’s “weak culture” by giving former dopers a free pass.
Carfree cities get noticed: When something shows up in The Economist — as the idea of banning cars in cities did last week — you can rest assured it’s no longer just a cultural blip or passing fad.
Oregon’s climate change legislation: Two state legislators penned an op-ed in The Oregonian to explain why the policies in Oregon’s climate bill, HB 2020, are still worth fighting for. As a counterpoint, read the opinion of a 19-year-old who’s suing the State of Oregon for not going far enough.
Never satisfied: Even though it’s the best bicycling city in the world, Copenhagen is still pushing forward in an effort to get even more people to give up their cars.
PennDOT’s exciting leader: A woman from a planning background leads Pennsylvania’s DOT and her approach to transportation is what more states desperately need. Hopefully ODOT finds someone like Leslie Richards.
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First cars, then bikes, then people: A plaza in Amsterdam used to be full of parked cars, then it became littered with parked bicycles. Now that an underground bike parking garage has opened, the plaza has finally reached its true potential.
Earn-a-bike: In the other Portland, immigrants can get a free bike after taking a few classes from a local nonprofit that teaches them how to ride.
TNC “confession”: CityLab broke down new data released by Uber and Lyft that demonstrates the impact these taxi companies have on congestion in major cities.
We need more protection: All around the country we are reading tragic stories like this one from Denver and we are coming to the same conclusion: Cities that encourage cycling must also discourage driving and provide physically protected space for people to ride in.
Carfree tunnel: Did you know there’s a tunnel just for walkers and rollers under the River Tyne in the U.K.?
Transit in Utah: An inspiring story of successful public transit in Utah where improved and free (in some locations) service has made bus service much more competitive with driving.
Video of the Week: Comedian Jim Gaffigan nails the absurdity of America’s dysfunctional romance with big SUVs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rb-cwquxLnY&feature=youtu.be
Tweet of the Week: In what feels like the transit riders’ equivalent of a human-protected bike lane, people in Seattle are taking over bus-only lanes and forcing car drivers to get out of them.
In an ode to the woman who went semi-viral over the weekend telling drivers to get out of the bus lane, a group is here at 6th and Olive flagging cars out of the bus lane and thanking bus drivers pic.twitter.com/UxUkq6BUGV
— Heidi Groover (@heidigroover) August 13, 2019
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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