Hi everyone.
I’ve been out of town since Thursday and just got back late last night. So sorry for the delay on the roundup — and for not covering the TriMet 82nd Ave Transit Project news. I’m working on both right now.
Below are the most notable stories that came across my inbox this past eight days…
Long live jaywalking: Don’t miss this interesting and important history lesson about the racist and legal underpinnings of jaywalking laws and how the city where they first began — Kansas City, Missouri — has worked to overturn them. (KCUR)
Waymo watch: Since Waymo wants to be in Portland, I’m now tracking Waymo-related news more closely. On that note, they just launched an autonomous fleet in Nashville, Tennessee. (Reuters)
Cyclocross in the Winter Olympics: I had no idea this was even something folks were talking about, but it’d be really cool if ‘cross was named as a new sport for the 2030 games! (Cycling Weekly)
Private or public? A video that delves into the pros and cons of publicly subsidized bike and scooter share systems in Vancouver BC has relevance in Portland as folks debate how to keep Biketown viable. (Momentum)
Gas tax politics in California: Our neighbors to the south face many of the same political challenges as we do when it comes to weaning folks off the outdated notion that the gas tax adequately funds the transportation system — and more importantly — how to find a new source of revenue. The mere mention of a per-mile tax caused a political storm. (Politico)
Backwards on climate: Another step backward for our country thanks to the corrupt Trump Administration who have decided to reverse a key, common sense EPA finding that said greenhouse gas emissions are bad and are worth regulating. (NBC News)
New LA subway: After spending billions on one of the most congested sections of freeway in the country only to see induced demand work its predictable magic, Los Angeles officials are now considering a subway under Sepulveda Pass to get folks out of their damn cars. (Bloomberg)
‘E-bike for your feet’: The geniuses at Nike HQ in Beaverton are hard at work on a new product they describe as a bionic sneaker that helps propel your feet. (NPR)
The good kind of AI?: The City of Santa Monica in Southern California plans to equip its parking enforcement vehicles with AI scanning technology in order to bust folks who park in bike lanes. (Ars Technica)
In favor of free buses: With New York City on the cusp of fare-free transit, a social justice organizer and former public defender explains some of the oft-forgotten benefits of letting people ride for free. (NY Times Opinion)
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.
Thanks for reading.
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I’m actually looking forward to Nikes walking assistance shoes and hope they can help me. I was diagnosed with neuropathy about 1 1/2 years ago. It’s getting progressively worse as time passes. I still ride my e-bike everywhere (no car). It’s Nike, so the only thing I’m worried about is the price.
As a person with a balance/movement disorder, I share your hopes, Jeff. I wonder which direction Nike will go with them and will they lean toward athletic ends or therapeutic.
That was my first thought, too–that they could really be beneficial for people with walking difficulties. (OK, actually my second thought, since I initially wanted to ridicule them as a needless expensive toy the way new tech often is.)
There are a lot more people who might benefit from them than people realize, and I like that they could be used visibly or hidden, depending on users’ preference. And it’s actually not bad they can be used by people who don’t need them other than as a novelty, since it makes them more mainstream, vs. something “for handicapped people”.
I’ve had the “Cyclocross at the Olympics” discussion with friends and fellow cross racers off and on over the years, and I’m generally opposed. Not saying it wouldn’t be fun to watch, but ‘cross isn’t really a winter sport. Or rather, it’s not a traditional snow & ice sport. There are occasional UCI cross races in Switzerland and Italy (and even the US) that are run on snow and ice, but they tend to be carnage-filled, and I have to imagine dreaded by a lot of pro racers. And racing on an intentionally snowy course wouldn’t necessarily play to the skills most pro cross racers spend years developing.
But I’d definitely watch it if it happens 😉
Maybe they could do a cross/winter fat bike race format?
Biking on a groomed snow course, or an icy one, would be a big change to the sport. It hurts to say it, but future winter Olympics might have an easier time finding dirt than snow.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTIl913iJu5/
Its a fine winter sport.
Regarding fee free transit trips, may be NYC can learn from the PNW: there are many examples of such locally for all ages free access, even in lower density areas: Intercity Transit (Olympia region), Link (Wenatchee / Leavenworth), plus another 19 across WA, OR, and ID. And this does not count that youth ride free* (for now thru 18 YO; 15 and younger with fare paying adult) in Washington State for the Amtrak Cascades and all local transit. [I hope DJTs EO against “no free transit” does not impact our local services.]