Hi again everyone! Slow but surely I’m recovering from my first (of two!) total knee replacement surgeries. I’m at just over two weeks post-op and have made a lot of progress. I’m still limping around and the pain and stiffness remains annoyingly persistent, but I can work a bit more more now. I just can’t bike yet so my ability to get stories is limited to what I can do online. I’m hoping by start of June I can bike around and attend more events. We’ll see.
For now, here are the most notable stories that came across my desk in the past week…
Carfree downtown is key: Nice to see someone from outside the transportation reform sphere make a clear argument for more carfree spaces in downtown Portland. This time it’s noted architecture critic Brian Libby. (Business Tribune)
More than free breakfast: Portland’s fun Breakfast on the Bridges tradition got the major props it so richly deserves! (NPR)
Punishment and crime: The British Parliament is considering an update to their criminal law that would add a new penalty of life in prison for cyclists who kill someone while riding. (BBC)
Duffy is wrong: Not that it matters because the Trump Administration doesn’t care about facts; but just for the record, our current USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy has no clue what he is talking about when it comes to bike lanes (and just about everything else) . (Streetsblog USA)
Road rage assault: A cycling advocate in Chicago called out a driver for parking in a bike lane and a passenger in the car hopped out and whacked the advocate over the head with a crow bar. (Streetsblog Chicago)
Another one: A person who authorities had a history of mental health issues drove their SUV through a street festival in Vancouver, Canada and left 11 people dead. (CBS News)
Transit turning point: The more I read about the state of transit in America, the more it feels like this next year could be an inflection point: Either we find a way to maintain and expand service, or it takes a devastating nosedive. Read this article to find out why we must prevent service cuts. (Bloomberg)
Video of the Week: An entertaining retelling of the Mt. Hood Freeway saga by YouTuber “Road Guy Rob”.
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.
