After being known as a city where bicycles ruled the streets, in recent years China has become the leading automobile market in the world. Unfortunately, they’re so excited about cars that major cities are choked with congestion. Now the word on the street is that they’re finally starting to slow down on their car buying binge.

On that note, a reader sent along this amazing opinion piece from the editor of China Car Times. He’s giving up on driving because he writes, “I can’t go anywhere fast and the only thing that seems to be going fast is my heart beat and my hair line as I rage a little bit more about being stuck in yet another traffic jam.” Instead, he plans to buy a fixed gear bike.

Here’s another excerpt:

“Over the past few months I’ve thought long and hard about buying a new car, but I don’t think it’s going to happen, my next vehicle is going to be a two wheeled fixed gear bicycle, which should prove to be much faster around town, at least until it is stolen.

I’m not sure what exactly is wrong, perhaps it is me (I recently edged another birthday closer to 30) or perhaps the number of cars on Chinese roads is reaching breaking point.”

Read the full article here.

Anyone that rides north/south in the Central Eastside Industrial district (a place woefully lacking in north/south connections) will appreciate this. The other day I noticed that the old rail tracks that had made the ride very bumpy, annoying, and dangerous (for some), have been paved over! It’s now a nice a smooth ride! See the photo below…

This just in from Portland Parks & Recreation Dept:

Routine repairs to Eastbank Esplanade floating dock throughout November

(Portland, OR) – Repairs to the side planks on the gangway leading down to the floating dock of the Eastbank Esplanade will begin Monday, November 1 and are expected to last between three to four weeks. During that period, contractors will be using welding equipment behind tenting, designed to both catch debris and to protect the public from the eye-damaging flames from welding equipment.

During this project, all trail users will be asked to use caution as they pass through the work zone. For the safety of both trail users and work crews, all trail users, including those on bikes, skateboards, or other transportation modes, will be asked to walk through the work zone. The work zone will be pinched, but a six- foot wide stretch of ramp will remain open throughout the project to allow trail users through access. The project equipment will be set up and taken down daily, to allow for unimpeded after-hours trail use.

These repairs will be conducted weekdays throughout the month of November, until completed. The hours of work will be roughly 7 a.m. through 5 p.m.

There will also be intermittent closures, up to five minutes at a time, for safety reasons as equipment and materials are moved in, out, and around the work site. These temporary closures will be kept to a minimum to limit impact on trail users.

This project will be making repairs to the ramps that lead up and down each side of the floating dock portion of the Eastbank Esplanade. Portland Parks & Recreation will also be installing and testing a new material being considered to replace the rubber lips at the end of the sliding plates that make up the ramps.