This week’s Monday Roundup is sponsored by the Chris King Open House. Coming this Saturday (10/12), the event is your chance to ogle the latest rigs from 18 custom bike makers from across the country while enjoying fine beer and food from the CK Cafe.
Welcome to the week.
I swear it’s not me pushing an agenda, there just happens to be a lot of anti-car stories in the news these days. I feel like we’ve reached a social tipping point — or at least a shift in the Overton Window — when it comes to questioning the dominance of driving in our lives.
Here are the most noteworthy things we came across in the past seven days…
Cars are death machines (her words, not mine): A powerful piece in the New York Times profiles a few of the many Americans whose lives have been forever altered by the most dangerous transportation mode every conceived and wonders why we still allow them to be operated so freely on our streets.
Stuff it FHWA: The feds say a rainbow-painted crosswalk in Ames, Iowa is dangerous and must be removed. City engineers disagree. Why on earth is the FHWA so opposed to painted crossings?
Portland’s not so bad: It felt good to get some perspective on Portland’s progress by reading what visiting experts took away from a recent study tour of our fair city (hint: they liked it).
Bike parking idea: A neighborhood outside London has a program where residents can request a secure, on-street, enclosed bike parking structure.
Hacked signs: “Cars Ruin Cities” was just one of several messages displayed on hacked road construction signs in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
Another reason to drive less: LA Times article reveals that car tires are a major source of microplastics in the ocean.
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Oregon Senator oy vey: Republican Oregon Senator Herman Baertschiger thinks current climate trends are just a natural phenomenon and activism to stop it is just a way to scare people.
Oregon Congressman oy vey: We thought it was bad that Eugene’s Congressman Peter DeFazio didn’t support congestion pricing. Turns out he also prefers Hyperloop over high-speed rail, wants helmets on scooter riders, and thinks AVs are the future.
“Robo-doping”?: An indoor bike racer’s use of an souped-up bike was stripped of his e-sports title.
Track news: A relatively new velodrome in Boulder is on the chopping block as new ownership threatens to tear it down for good.
Right turn rescission: Did you know the Institute for Transportation Engineers rescinded right turn on red as a “recommended practice”. Seems like a big deal. Let’s ban it!
People spaces: Keeping with the national trend in questioning automobile supremacy in our cities, this Curbed article goes deep into the history of pedestrian malls in the U.S.
“Smart cars” aren’t: Another reason to be skeptical of “smart cars” being safer is that they still don’t work very well when it comes to avoiding humans.
Tweets of the Week: Two great reflections on why we should move past the auto age..
So, putting aside my histrionics for a sec, here's what we know about cars:
– most people can't actually afford them
– they're poisoning the ocean
– they're wrecking the climate
– they're the leading cause of death for young humans
– they take up most public space in our cities— (((Matthew Lewis))) progressive federalism SOS (@mateosfo) October 2, 2019
I really just don't know how to explain the pointless wastefulness of designing our city around cars. They make the streets scary and dangerous but they're also just in everyone's way, everywhere. And they're not even a fast way to get around. pic.twitter.com/AUKdywfjd3
— 😀🚲 @enobacon@urbanists.social (@enobacon) October 2, 2019
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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