Welcome to the week.
We’re still in vacation mode around here (posting this from an airplane!), so I apologize in advance for not being on top of everything for the next week or so. You can expect a few posts, including Becky Jo’s latest, but other than that I’ll be trying to unplug until mid next week.
I hope everyone has had a nice holiday!
A time for war: Of course a man who doesn’t understand why, “this topic is very emotional to some people” thinks we should just give up and let cars and their drivers rule our city.
Car economy price tag: A Harvard study puts the estimated cost of maintaining a system of 4.5 million cars and trucks in Massachusetts at an eye-popping $64 billion a year. It’s considered the first comprehensive estimate of public and private costs.
Broken dream: Nicholas Dlamini, a 24-year-old up-and-coming pro road racer had his arm broken by overzealous park rangers while training in his hometown of Cape Town, South Africa.
Trains or lanes: The Stranger looks into the political imperatives around Cascadia high speed rail and the billions we’ve wasted on car lanes that could have funded it.
Inga Thompson and transphobia: Outsports picks up the saga of the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association and the removal of former Olympian Inga Thompson from their Board of Directors.
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No comment: The Oregonian/OregonLive.com has decided to close their online comment section, saying it takes too much time to moderate the, “uncivil, even downright nasty at times” posts.
Strava stats: The inimitable DC Rainmaker looked through Strava’s annual data dump and found some interesting tidbits — including that a whopping 44% of Portlanders logged their commutes on the app, the highest total in the world.
Paris progress: Another report of bike use growth in Paris and I can’t help but notice that a major element of their strategy is to restrict car use in the city.
Helmet obsession: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo shocked transportation reform advocates with a veto of a bill that would legalize e-bikes and scooters. His rationale? The legislation didn’t include a mandatory helmet law.
Tweet of the Week:
Why I commute by bike:
– I like not spending cash on gas
– it feels like flying
– it’s cool (literally slows global warming)
– it makes me immune to traffic
– my bike basket holds all the things
-strong booty
– pure joy— Riley (@therilesyouknow) December 28, 2019
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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