Welcome to Monday. There’s an international flair to this week’s Roundup. But before we get started…
Today’s Roundup is sponsored by River City Bicycles, who reminds you that they’ve got what you need when it comes to bikes, e-bikes, apparel, and accessories.
Here are the most notable stories our community came across in the past seven days…
From puff to power: To make a point about waste, a brilliant YouTuber took 130 used vape cartridges and built a 1,500-watt e-bike battery that powered a bicycle with almost no pedaling for more than 20 miles. (Ars Technica)
Bus bike rack blues: Interesting issue in New Zealand as riders grapple with a nationwide ban on bike racks on the front of buses due to concerns that bikes block headlights. (RNZ)
Route options: I like this article because it reminds us to have an open mind about choosing our routes and how sometimes trying a new way of getting somewhere can really change your life. (LA Times)
Cycling surging in Senegal: A boom in urban and recreational cycling in the capitol of Dakar is a symbol of the need for more progress on bike infrastructure in Africa. (Reuters)
Mass ride in China: Cycling for fun went viral in a city in China and 100,000 students on bikes overwhelmed a city to such an extent the authorities had to step in! (The Guardian)
Parking enforcement’s next phase: The City of Chicago has launched a pilot program where camera-equipped vehicles will monitor bus and bike-only lanes for illegally parked cars and automatically send violators a ticket. This seems like the obvious next step for PBOT’s parking enforcement division right? (WBEZ)
Screen time kills: I’m extremely happy to see that at least some folks are talking about moving away from touchscreens on car dashboards in favor of safer tactile knobs and buttons. (IEEE Spectrum)
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.
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Happy Veteran’s Day everyone!
Thank you for your service, Jake. My oldest son and father also served, and I think it would be great if Jonathan could run an article recognizing veterans. Maybe there’s a way to approach it from a historical perspective?
Thank you for the kind words. Thank you also for what you and your family have given to keep us safe!
I was a little surprised there was no mention of the day which is why i said something. I agree it would be a fascinating historical article if someone wanted to tie military service, the old use of bicycles as well as the modern use for them and Oregon’s status of one of the more deployed states during the past wars. Not to mention the active duty soldiers coming to live here in the beautiful PNW and the families such as yours supporting veterans through their career and standing with them as they transition back into the civilian world as best they can.
West Point (Army Officers in training) have a cycling team.
https://www.westpoint.edu/cadet-journey/clubs-and-activities/cycling
https://crankpunk.com/2020/05/27/the-bicycle-in-war/
https://www.catawiki.com/en/stories/5385-the-forgotten-role-of-bicycles-in-world-war-ii
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_bicycle
https://www.theworldwar.org/learn/about-wwi/spotlight-bicycle-battalions
https://inews.co.uk/news/combat-e-bikes-special-forces-bicycles-enemy-jeep-polaris-dsei-london-1203268
From a quick search it seems the reporting on the overall effects slow down after 2011, but Oregon is still sending troops overseas into combat zones.
https://www.nationalguard.mil/News/Article-View/Article/3871860/oregon-national-guard-mobilized-for-middle-east-deployment/
https://kpic.com/news/local/in-post-911-world-oregon-national-guard-takes-on-bigger-role-11-13-2015
https://www.oregonlive.com/oregonatwar/2011/12/how_the_war_in_iraq_touched_or.html
Vape bike article was interesting. It noted “The US Public Interest Research Group estimates 11.9 million disposable vapes were sold in the US in March 2023. Because liquid nicotine is classified by the EPA as a hazardous waste, e-waste recycling is mostly impossible. And because the devices contain lithium-ion batteries, they cannot easily be otherwise recycled, including for Drug Enforcement Agency buybacks. US PIRG suggests the lithium contained in each year’s wasted vapes in the US is about 23.6 tons, or enough for 2,600 electric vehicles.”
What kind of EV are they talking about? 23.6*2000=47,200lbs. /2600=18.15lbs.Is that how much lithium is in a Bolt or an E Hummer? Either way it seems like it would make a lot of electric bikes.
You know who else hates touch screens in cars? Automotive journalists and bloggers. I’m surprised they’ve become as widespread as they have.
I agree. I also think there’s no more powerful influencer of choices corporations make than what will make them a profit. And people just looove(d) those big screens and it became/has become a way to show off your wealth and status so here we are.
I wanted to buy a replacement stereo for my van when the original one broke. It has become pretty difficult to get a volume knob these days, let alone a decent amount of other physical control buttons. Luckily I was able to make the steering wheel controls work but I would really much prefer a knob and they have cost reduced them out of existence.
I agree!!! I hate driving without audio knobs and tactile buttons that can be felt without even glancing. We replaced a broken sound system in an old vehicle and I have been bonkers mad that my only options, supposedly, involved screens. I hate it. I now have to pull over to figure out how to turn off the CD or switch tracks. It makes no sense. Oh, usually we listen to CD audiobooks when we drive. My kids frequently have questions and want to discuss or they have a fight/complaint, so usually I press “pause” on the audiobook. With the touchscreen, I can’t just hit pause like I did with pressing a knob. I’ve been so annoyed we have talked about returning the whole system. My husband had intended to make me happy. .. only to have me pitch a fit over the lack of buttons!
It makes for an easier gateway for the car companies to charge subscriptions.
Heated seats? That’ll be $19/month
Windows that open? That’ll be $25/month
Route Options – I’ve done a lot to optimize my commute to work, but it took me months of regularly riding it before I realized how much more I got out of the ride home by adding in some squiggles on my way. I absolutely recommend getting a little lost to anyone when they don’t have an airtight schedule. Sometimes the new route sucks, sometimes I get to see the care neighbors decorated their space with, or just a really nice tree, and occasionally I’ll even find or be reminded of a destination for a weekend ride. Additionally between the exercising and the passive demand for attention that cycling requires, I’ve found it’s a good way to leverage in some meditation adjacent time for my brain and that in turn helps remind me how to keep on pedaling in the other aspects of my life that I have less control over. Finding little ways to help ourselves, our mental health, and even find a bit of joy can be very empowering.
Route Options: Great personal story. It reminds me of all the people I’ve met here in Greensboro who early on showed me all the back routes to places I needed to get to, and all the fun routes I used to take from East Portland to downtown, avoiding most of the awful traffic. But I’ve also met many others who hate bicycling (in Greensboro, in Portland, and so many other places) because they use the routes suggested by Google or the routes they drive, without ever asking local riders for the better safer routes.
Route Options:
I live in Montavilla. Moved there in 2001 from Brightwood partly so I couId ditch car commuting and bike to my teaching job in Gresham, which I did daily for the next 18 years. My route was out Burnside nearly the whole way, adding the more pleasant Max trail from Ruby Junction once it opened.
But when I decided to start taking the 205 trail to the Springwater, it absolutely transformed my commute. Now I had less than a mile of riding on (quiet) surface streets, and about 10 miles of quiet trail and near solitude, twice a day. I regularly saw deer, coyotes, raccoons, nutria, and garter snakes. I was serenaded by frogs in the wetlands in the spring, and migrating geese in the fall. And despite adding 3 miles each way over my previous route, the time barely increased at all because I had no traffic signals or traffic.