Welcome to the week! Before we get much further into the news and views and issues, here’s a roundup the most notable items our editors and readers came across in the past seven days…
Theyyyy’rrre baaaack: Our friend Doug Gordon (Brooklyn Spoke, War on Cars) lays out the situation many cities find themselves in as car use and traffic comes roaring back after the pandemic, and why there’s still hope to stem the tide.
Business pushback: A new policy in Denver, Colorado aimed at a return to post-pandemic work commutes would have required large employers to discourage car use and come up with a plan to incentivize other modes. That is, until it was killed by business owners.
E-bike rebates: There’s now a Senate version of the E-BIKE Act, which would give people a tax credit for 30% of the cost of a new electric bike. A House version of the bill was introduced back in February.
Berlin bikenomics: A study of German shoppers and business owners found that (similar to a study in the U.S. we covered in 2012) businesses overestimated the amount of their customers who arrived by car.
Why we still widen freeways: “The entire government is wrapped around freeway construction… So just knowing that freeway widening is pointless and destructive isn’t enough,” reports Streetsblog SF, in this solid article on the politics of freeway widening.
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Dangerous road recipe: Streetsblog has the details on new research about the most dangerous roads in America for people on foot. The top offenders tend to have four or more lanes, 30 mph an hour or more speed limit, and lots of destinations.
Low-car Boston: This piece from Boston Magazine offers a useful overview of what it takes for a major city to move toward a low-car future. Portlanders should take notes.
Not an “accident”: A high-profile NFL coach was on a bike ride and died after he was hit from behind by a car driver. Unfortunately the tragedy was widely reported as a a “bike accident”.
Eat in the streets: “Outdoor dining, starting as a pandemic lifeline, has gone from a seasonal attraction to an urban essential,” says renown expert and urban planner Janette Sadik-Khan in a new op-ed.
Transportation talks: As negotiations over a major transportation funding bill continues, a major disagreement between Democrats and Republicans is how much to spend on transit versus highways.
Olympic bike racing: Two unlikely winners took home road racing gold medals in Tokyo: Richard Carapaz of Ecuador won the men’s race and relative unknown Anna Kiesenhofer of Austria won the strange and amazing women’s race.
Thanks to everyone who sent in links this week!
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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