Welcome to the week. Given that this is a holiday week and I have family staying at our house through Friday, things will be a bit quieter around here for the next few days. I do have a special Bike Happy Hour planned for Wednesday night though, so if you are in town we’d love to have you join us for a few special guests and a prize raffle. More details coming in a separate post later today.
For now, let’s get into the roundup…
WWTD: What Would Trump Do? Lots of folks are wondering how the new Trump Administration will impact transportation policy, including recently awarded federal grants. (Harvard Crimson)
Swiss say no to freeway expansions: Inspiring news from Switzerland where 53% of voters rejected a $5.6 billion government plan to expand highways after a strong campaign by the Green Party. (SwissInfo.ch)
Anti bike lane argument: As I’ve been trying to amplify here through coverage of political candidates from east Portland, local bike advocates would be very wise to take seriously critiques that say trade-offs for bike lanes aren’t worth it if there aren’t a lot of people using new infrastructure. (Washington Post Opinion)
Helmet history: An interesting look the innovative materials science on display inside helmets throughout history. (The Conversation)
Trump’s transpo pick: Major whiplash going from current Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to outsider and Fox TV personality Sean Duffy, who many top transportation advocacy organization leaders say is a very “troubling” choice. (Streetsblog USA)
Trans america trail: The Great American Rail Trail is the name of what supporters hope will someday be a 3,500 carfree path from one coast to the other. (NY Times)
Bike shop burglary: A bike shop on Lower East Burnside suffered a bad break-in and has been buoyed by community support after being featured on several local TV stations. (KATU)
Unsanctioned signage: Activists in Boulder are so fed up with reckless, selfish, dangerous drivers they fashioned high-quality fake road signs to send them a message. (Colorado Public Radio)
Bike lanes are good, actually: Leaked documents that show removing bike lanes in Toronto would actually make congestion more severe — not less as divisive Ontario Premier Doug Ford has claimed — have added an interesting wrinkle to a heated debate. (The Guardian)
Wasteful decision: In what appears to be a ridiculous decision, Scottish port authorities turned back a shipment from a do-gooder who had prepped 500 bikes for a charity in war-torn Sudan on account of them being “waste” because they needed minor repairs. (BBC)
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.
