Welcome to the week.
Before we get to our recap of the most notable items from the past seven days, don’t forget that The eBike Store’s Black Friday Sale runs through Friday December 4th. Roll over to their Covid-safe shop across from Peninsula Park and tell them BikePortland sent you.
And away we go…
Karencentives: Hoping to increase safety around bike lanes (among other things) a bill from New York City council would increase fines for illegal parking and give 25% of the fee to the person who reported it!
Concern trolling: Big Oil and their enablers want you to think your anti-fossil fuel advocacy hurts Black people and other people of color.
Slow e-bikes: It’s absurd to cap the speed of e-bikes at 15 mph while we let car drivers run amok, yet that’s what the Divvy bike share system in Chicago is doing. Divvy is operated by Lyft, the same company behind Biketown. Portland’s bikes can can still go up to 20 mph.
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E-bike revolution, part 637: Seems like every week there’s another article about the e-bike popularity boom. This one has a local flavor as it comes from The Columbian and is based on riders from Bend.
Wasted space no longer: A neat idea in Sydney would allow developers to get transferable density credits if they turn parking lots into rooftop playgrounds, gardens, or other uses that have a strong public benefit.
Truck culture is a death cult: Not satisfied with the inherently deadly dangers posed by their obscene grill heights and lack of visibility, the EPA found an estimated 500,000 truck owners have outfitted their vehicles with illegal devices that increase toxic diesel emissions that can lead to heart and lung disease and premature death. Petro-masculinity at its worst. Ugh.
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The truth heals: “It took a pandemic, but New York City is seeing more clearly than ever that its roadways can do more than move cars and trucks,” says this NY Times opinion piece. Same can be said for Portland and our elected leaders should seize the opportunity for change.
Tragic deliveries: A rash of fatal crashes involving bicycle delivery riders in Australia’s largest city has a labor leader questioning their working conditions.
Transit FTW: Transit Center says the recent elections were great for transit funding and a sign that the transportation mode is a political winner.
ODOT’s games: This letter published by The Oregonian about ODOT’s I-5 Rose Quarter project asks the $800 million question: “Will somebody please explain why this is a good idea again?”
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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