Monday Roundup: Road lobby, rural transit, bike bus and more

Welcome to the week. Here are the most notable news items our community has come across in the past seven days…

Rural bus service: Oregon recently ended service of a key bus route in eastern Oregon, and it’s an unfortunate trend that rural transit is being sacrificed to the budget gods. It doesn’t have to be that way says former Metro President David Bragdon. (EnoTrans)

Exposure risks: It’s a truism of transportation that fewer miles traveled by car equals less exposure to the dangers cars pose. So it makes sense that pricing travel and reducing VMT, like NYC did in Manhattan, would lead to safer streets. (Daily News)

Depoliticization: Want to win the debate of whether cities and states should invest in bike lanes or wider freeways? Think about how you frame the debate. (Omer Rafael Bor on Substack)

Social media is good, actually: When it comes to building the bike bus movement, social media has been vital. And I can prove it by sharing what happened when someone tried to popularize the idea before we had social media. (Note: I did not write the headline.) (The Guardian)

Cars are the new cigarettes: “New Zealand’s ‘road lobby’ uses the same tactics as the tobacco industry to obstruct transport policies like walking and cycling, a new University of Otago study says.” (RNZ)

It’s a global epidemic: Lest you think the stubborn scourge of road traffic deaths is an American thing, don’t forget that developing countries across the globe have it much worse. This expert thinks road planning and safety should be treated like a public health epidemic. (The Guardian)

Pay up: Washington D.C. has a law on the books that allows the city to file a lawsuit against out-of-state drivers who don’t pay traffic fines. (Washington Post)

SF is moving from the center to the right: Not politics, but a major bike lane that was piloted in the center of a busy commercial street is being moved curbside — and still folks are mad. (ABC 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.