Here’s the news and other interesting stuff that caught our eyes this past week…

– Word choice shapes our perception of information. Streetsblog founder Aaron Naparstek gets it, and he want people to realize we need to “change the way we talk about motor vehicle violence.” In related news, Slate brilliantly proposes that it would make more sense to call shark attacks, “shark accidents,” and car “accidents” “car attacks.”

– The policymakers at the US Department of Transportation are deciding on a formal definition of traffic “congestion” which could have an impact on how federal money is divided among transportation projects.

– A survey of people who drive in the UK found 30% are cutting spending on food to save enough to keep their cars running.
[Read more…]

Here’s the news and other interesting stuff that caught our eyes this past week…

– Mayor Rahm Emanuel has renewed his promise to make Chicago the “bike friendliest city in the country” by installing hundreds of miles of new bike lanes including at least one lane with bicycle-specific traffic signals.

– Even if drivers’ tests include questions about laws pertaining to bicycles, a blogger for the Guardian newspaper in the UK thinks the best way to make people aware of bicycle traffic might be to include a mandatory cycling test as part of drivers’ licensing exams.

– The number of people walking who get killed in motor vehicle-related crashes is on the rise and both vehicle manufacturers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration think changes to vehicle design and advances in collision avoidance technology will help turn the tide.
[Read more…]

Here’s the news and other interesting stuff that caught our eyes this past week…

– The opinion pages of Sunday’s NY Times featured an interesting take on the ethics of illegal bike riding from Randy “The Ethicist” Cohen: If Kant were a New York Cyclist.

– The driver of an Olympic bus was arrested after they killed a person riding a bike while transporting members of the media between events.

– In reaction to the collision at the Olympics, Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins suggested victims of collisions can’t “argue” with the outcome if they’re not wearing a helmet but later insisted he was not calling for mandatory helmet laws.

[Read more…]

Here’s the news and a handful of videos that caught our eyes this past week…

– Grim news this week from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration who estimate traffic deaths have jumped 13.5% from the same period a year ago.

– The Tour de Cure lured over a thousand people and their bicycles to the roads in Washington County, raising $400,000 for diabetes education, research and advocacy.

– There’s a new bike share system live and operational in North America, right the heart of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

[Read more…]

Here’s the news and other cool stuff that caught our eyes this past week…

– One of the victim’s in the horrific theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado was in the middle of a cross-country bike tour. Thankfully, he’s on the mend and just might finish out his ride.

– The much-anticipated launch of New York City’s bike share system has been pushed back a month due to concerns around the system’s software.

– There are those who thought it would never happen but a man riding a bicycle ran a red light and struck a car in Boise, Idaho.

– Bay Area-based Clif Bar celebrated its 20th anniversary by giving every single one of their employees a personalized bicycle.

– Despite Republican support for mass transit on the Tappan Zee Bridge, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has formed a partnership with anti-transit advocates who want to see the bridge built around the needs of what they’re calling “smartphones with four wheels”.

– If you’re new to riding with children you may want to have a look at this oldy-but-goody article from Totcycle on the safety of family cycling as well as this advice for cycling with children from Grist.
[Read more…]

Here’s the news and other cool stuff that caught our eyes this past week…

– The Chicago Tribune talks to officials in San Francisco and Chicago who expect a “bicycle boom” thanks to those cities’ ambitious plans for expanding and improving infrastructure for bicycles and car sharing systems.

– There’s some confusion as to whether the new federal transportation bill increases or decreases funding for bicycling infrastructure and if you’re looking to do your own research you might want to have a look at this extensive collection of information about the bill.

[Read more…]

Here’s the news and other cool stuff that caught our eyes this past week…

– Scientific American asks, “Has the U.S. reached ‘Peak Car’?”

– The auto industry has finally come up with an environmentally friendly car. The Onion has the scoop on the new Prius “Solution” model.

– There’s another example, this time from Berkley, CA, of a hit-and-run driver being brought to justice because of the footage from a bicycle-mounted camera.[Read more…]

Here’s the news and other cool stuff that caught our eyes this past week…

– The Tour de France kicked off this past week, and so did the epic journey of six women (including two from Portland) riding the route one day before the men as part of the Reve Team.

– A study from Canada, presented at the Velo-City conference, clearly shows traffic diversion is essential for safety on residential streets and looks at the relative safety of other infrastructure.

– Officials have yet to issue any citations after a man driving a pickup and a woman riding a bicycle collided in a crosswalk in Hillsboro.

[Read more…]

The pedal-powered Gamera II helicopter
is close to hovering for a full minute.
(Screenshot of video by Team Gamera)

Here’s the news and other cool stuff that caught our eyes this past week…

– Portland’s own Elly Blue discusses a study from an Oregon-based research group that shows automobile use and economic growth don’t correlate like many have previously assumed.

– There’s a detailed proposal gaining attention to transform abandoned logging roads into a mountain bike and backpacking trail system in the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness on the northern side of Mt. Hood.

[Read more…]

S.F. case is making headlines.

Here’s the news and other cool stuff that caught our eyes this past week…

– The man who struck and killed a person in a crosswalk while riding a bicycle in San Francisco was charged with felony vehicular manslaughter and is now expected to surrender to an arrest warrant. The story has garnered national media attention, including stories in , the Los Angeles Times, and the Wall Street Journal.

– The 2012 Reve Team — a group of women (including two from Portland) that will attempt to ride the entire Tour de France route later this month — got front page coverage in the Sunday Oregonian.
[Read more…]