Here are the most noteworthy items we came across in the past seven days…
New Amsterdam: Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is running for re-election on a platform of carfree, bike-oriented neighborhoods where you can get to everything you need in 15 minutes or less without using a car.
Ad ban: UK media giant The Guardian says they will no longer accept advertising from oil and gas companies because they take an active role in preventing action on climate change. How long until media companies start doing this to automakers?
Shoulders of giants: San Francisco’s Market Street is carfree and the SF Chronicle went into their archives to pay tribute to the activists that helped make it happen.
Duh: A fascinating new study validates what many bicycle riders have known for years about the behavioral tendencies of men who drive BMWs and Mercedes.
No more Dirt Rag: A pioneer of mountain biking media has called it quits. We are sad but grateful to have enjoyed the gift of Dirt Rag for so many years.
Bike share bacterium: Ever wondered about the germs on the saddle and grips of bike share bikes? If so, this new research on the topic is for you.
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Whose streets?: How much of our humanity has car culture taken away? A police officer in central California arrested a man who walks along the road with three mules because he wasn’t using a car. Repeat after me: Roads aren’t dangerous, drivers of cars are dangerous.
Scooter user discrimination: I’m so tired of cities getting tough on scooter users while they mostly just look the other way at auto users.
Do this, Portland: One of the way’s Vienna is fighting the War on Cars is to give people free admission to museums and other cultural sites if they show up by bike, foot, or transit.
Local Focus
Politics and bedfellows: Noted transportation reform activist (and BikePortland contributor/supporter) Scott Kocher made a donation to PBOT Commissioner Chloe Eudaly even though he’s a vociferous critic of some of the agency’s work.
One less parking lot: The Portland Parks & Recreation bureau plans to extend the North Park Blocks by one block north (adjacent PNCA) as part of the Broadway Corridor development.
Bow wow beer: Cycle Dog, a Portland company that makes dog products out of recycled bicycle inner tubes, has added a pub to their retail store.
Video of the Week
Someone in Berlin hacked Google Maps into thinking streets were full of cars so they wouldn’t be full of cars. It’s one way to reduce cut-through drivers from neighborhood streets! (H/T Go By Bike on Twitter)
Tweet of the Week
Alissa Walker shared a fantastic thread about all the car ads during the Super Bowl:
Against my better judgement I'm going to attempt to live tweet the worst Super Bowl car commercials. #SuperBowl2020 #SuperBowl #SBLIV https://t.co/VlLUNpt7Mg
— Alissa Walker (@awalkerinLA) February 2, 2020
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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