This week’s Monday Roundup is sponsored by Green Zebra Grocery, who invites you to the Grand Opening Party for their new SE Division store on February 15th.
Here are the most noteworthy items we came across in the past seven days…
Big SUVs: Great piece in Vice about how the auto industry preys on “inherently selfish” people to sell loads of impractical and excessive cars like the new electric Hummer.
Emoji jacket: Ford thinks bicycle riders would be a lot safer if they would wear a jacket with a digital screen that posts emojis.
Get used to it: Electric road bikes that blend right in with the pack are here and will forever change the dynamics of the group ride.
Car control: The League of American Bicyclists wants more people to tell the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) that car testing standards should include vulnerable road users and be on level with the European Union.
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Crime against the planet: A bike thief in Belgium was given a stiffer sentence because his crime was deemed to have hurt the environment when its victims were forced to use cars.
Frostbike: A major U.S. bike and parts distributor held its annual winter trade show and there was lots of cool new gadgets, bikes and gear.
Outsmart ’em: Police in Mumbai came up with a novel way to encourage people to honk less while waiting in traffic.
L.A.’s vision zero status: It’s not good, but I find some solace in learning that other cities are having some of the same problems we’re having.
Rad e-bike growth: I’m fascinated by how an unknown company — Rad Power Bikes — has become such a dominant player in the fast-growing e-bike market.
Stop pointing fingers: The always reliable writer and activist Peter Flax penned a much-needed response to a ridiculous op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle that blamed new bike lanes for traffic on a key bridge.
Worst place to ride?: The BBC says Gaborone, Botswana is the worst city to be a bicycle rider because people feel that the streets are “more dangerous than lions”.
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Finally: In what’s considered a major step forward for safe city advocates, New York City Council is poised to pass a bill that will proactively crack down on reckless drivers.
Racism in elite cycling: When an accomplished British bike racer reflects on his past career, there’s only one reason he can think of for not making it into the highest echelons of the sport: his skin color.
The streetcar solution: The Oregonian has a good update on Portland Streetcar, a mode of transit we don’t hear much about these days.
Bag fee inspiration: Joe Cortright at City Observatory says if Oregon can muster the political will to institute a fee on plastic bags we can do the same for carbon.
Tweet of the week : Noted Portland-based transportation researcher Jennifer Dill posted a dreamy video of San Fran’s carfree Market Street
Amazing to see car free Market St. in San Francisco. Hundreds of people moving on wheels of many kinds. pic.twitter.com/ccA8TukjUa
— Dr. Jennifer Dill (@JenniferDillPSU) February 8, 2020
Thanks to everyone who sent links in. Y’all are the best!
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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