Welcome to the week. I hope you’ve taken a few minutes to soak up my video and photos from the Bike Summer Kickoff Ride on Saturday. It was an incredible display of cycling spirit and an atmospheric river of bike joy. This will be a big week with lots of great rides, a warm sun, big Bike Happy Hour Wednesday, and the Oregon Active Transportation Summit kicking off.
Let’s start things off with a recap of the best items our community came across in the past seven days…
Protesting the right-of-way: As we enter what could be a big summer of protests, it’s time to brush up on the ethics and laws that govern our rights to assemble on public roads. (Streetsblog USA)
A cautionary tale: As Oregon embarks on a debate about transportation funding, California shows us that even in 2024 it’s possible for leaders to prioritize freeway expansions over bicycling and walking projects. (LA Times)
**This week’s Roundup is sponsored by Ride the Dirt Wave, a mountain biking event on the Oregon Coast that happens monthly and starts on June 8-9th at the Klootchy Creek Trails in Cannon Beach.**
What the hell(cat): This dude up in Seattle thinks his big Instagram following gives him a right to race his souped-up Dodge “Hellcat” around city streets at night. Hopefully the car is booted along with his rights to drive it before he kills someone. (NY Times)
Bike-on-bike collision: A popular carfree path in Washington was the site of a scary bike-on-bike collision that sent a woman to the hospital with head injuries. It’s interesting to see how local media handles crashes when no car user is involved. (King 5)
No men: If you’ve ever wondered why some folks love to host rides where men are not allowed, this cyclist offers a good explanation of why she prefers all-women rides. (Cycling Weekly)
Ride to remember: Long bike tours are such great ways to raise awareness about historical events because they give participants endless hours to ponder what they are pedaling for. This ride to remember the forced removal of Cherokee tribe members from their land is a good example. (Cherokee Phoenix)
E-assist upgrade: This attachment known as the Clip has been banging around for a while now and it seems pretty nifty. It turns almost any bike into an e-bike. But it’s the aesthetics that I just cannot get used to. (Ars Technica)
A tired take: The idea that New York’s ubiquitous e-bike delivery riders have made the city a “nightmare” is entirely missing the point. Yes they are an issue to deal with, but a major reason they are so problematic is because they operate mostly on crowded scraps of space left over from all the damn drivers. I bet that when congestion pricing hits and NYC reduces the number of drivers in the city, this issue will magically balance itself out. (NY Times)
Tariffs and you: The expiration of a tariff exemption will add an additional 25% onto the cost of many e-bikes produced with Chinese parts, adding even more urgency for states to subsidize costs to promote purchases. (Global Cycling News)
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.