Hi everyone! Welcome back to the regular work week after a glorious weekend (and for many of you a spring break holiday).
Below are the most notable stories our community has come across in the past seven days…
The problem with fire bureaus: “For all the good they do, fire departments have increasingly emerged as a primary force preventing cities from embracing walkability, safer streets, transit, and affordable housing.” (Thesis Driven)
IBR secrets: The Just Crossing Alliance has obtained a copy of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Interstate Bridge Replacement (IBR) project and it appears the folks behind the project are so worried about the truth they list public knowledge of it as a major risk and they are working hard to keep the EIS out of public view. (City Observatory)
A challenging journey: Andrew Mortensen spent 280 days in the saddle and traveled 27,000 miles on his global ride, and he did it while being openly gay and raising money for the Trevor Project, an LGBTQ+ suicide prevention nonprofit. (Austin Chronicle)
Special interest bike rides: Is it bad form for a city to allow a transportation-related nonprofit to host a bike ride on a public bridge while there’s an ongoing debate about a new road tax? An editorial board in Seattle thinks so. (The Seattle Times, and read the response from Seattle Bike Blog)
Bigger riders: Bike advocate Marley Blonsky knows all the things people get wrong about “fat cyclists” and she wants you to avoid these common misconceptions. (Cycling Weekly)
“Mega-cars”: I love that advocates in New York City took it upon themselves to count just how many oversized, multi-ton vehicles were using a weight-restricted bridge. We need more of this type of work to highlight the problem of massive vehicles and their impacts. (Streetsblog NYC)
I heart Montreal: I often think of Montreal as having the best bike network in North America, and with the success and growth of their bike share system (which has over 10,000 bikes), I’m wondering how the two are related and what Portland can learn from them. (Next City)
Dream vacation: As if I needed another reason to dream about a trip to Japan, now I learn they’ve got a burgeoning network of carfree bike paths built on former railway lines. (Kyodo News)
Smiling and cycling: I’ll admit I’m not the biggest “smile and nod” person when it comes to biking past strangers; but after thinking about the psychological and physical impacts it could have on me, I might start doing it more. (Cycling Weekly)
Coyote Wall: This beloved mountain bike trail in the Columbia River Gorge will receive a 2.6 mile addition of singletrack thanks to a grant from Uncle Sam. (Willamette Week)
White men and state power: New data on state DOTs reveals that their highest ranking staff are 71% male and 85% white, begging the question of how we will ever reform transportation if the same ol’ people are at the top calling all the shots. (Streetsblog USA)
Video of the Week: Portlander (and former BikePortland Podcast guest) Will Cortez was featured in an episode of “Out & Back” titled “Creating Brave Space.” (PBS Cascade)
Thanks to everyone who sent in links this week. The Monday Roundup is a community effort, so please feel free to send us any great stories you come across.