Welcome to the week. Here are the most notable stories our writers and readers have come across in the past seven days…
This week’s roundup is sponsored by the City of Portland District Commission, who encourages you to learn more about their Draft District Plan maps and share your feedback today!
Why we need cars: This is a really good look at why, for some low-income earners, owning a car just might be worth the negative externalities. (Vox)
Woom kids bike recall: Handlebars could detach from some models of woom Bikes sold in the USA between 2018 and 2021. A recall applies to about 84,000 bikes. (CPSC)
Safer vehicles: There are several proposals from the federal government that would make U.S. cars and trucks safer, but they need to hear from you before the auto industry waters them down even more. (Streetsblog USA)
Congestion pricing timeline: We can be excited that New York City is finally moving forward relatively fast with congestion pricing, and we can also lament that it took so damn long. (Vox)
Exploding e-bikes: I feel like after the recent fire in New York City it’s only a matter of time before the federal government does something major to fight this “exploding e-transportation problem.” (The Atlantic)
Degrowth is an answer: I’m convinced that we need to stop default growth assumptions and start to seriously scale back the size and speed of our lives if we want to save the planet. (New Yorker)
Tire pollution: Particulate matter from rubber tires is a very real source of pollution — as much if not more than from tailpipe emissions — and we should promote tires from less toxic materials and hasten government regulation. (Washington Post)
Car violence in UK: Most of the text in this story is (rightfully) about the victims, but we need to talk more about the causes and consequences of dangerous driving if we want to see this type of common crash curtailed. (Guardian)
Extend and pretend: Noted freeway fighting economist Joe Cortright says, “The Rose Quarter will be a zombie project, utterly un-funded, but technically not dead, because ODOT (and its enablers) pump millions into keeping it on life support.” (City Observatory)
Bike bubble burst: A strong market for used bikes is just one reason why one bicycle industry expert thinks sales of new bikes has declined. (Bicycle Retailer)
Cone protest: Anti-car activists found a brilliant way to disable driverless cars in San Francisco. (Guardian)
Thanks to everyone who shared links this week!