All the best bike news and tidbits from around the web, published on our Front Page and delivered to inboxes every Monday morning. Signup for the email below or scroll down for past editions.
Welcome to the week! Here are the best links we came across in the past seven days…
Sponsored by Efficient Velo Tools: Don’t trust traffic – scan your surroundings with the Safe Zone Helmet Mirror.
Stay in the pack: A study on wind resistance in a large cycling peloton demonstrates that a rider in the middle of the pack gets a minuscule 6 percent of the wind resistance they’d face riding on their own.
Two ways to kill dockless bike share: The City of Chicago said bikes from dockless giant Ofo must be locked to something (not just themselves). So Ofo picked up their ball and went home. In Australia, it was the mandatory helmet requirement that scared Ofo off. [Read more…]
**This week’s Monday Roundup is sponsored by the inaugural Salmon Cycling Classic on July 21st. Register today for this local fondo that will offer routes in the quiet roads around Wilsonville and a cedar plank salmon dinner for all participants.**
Welcome to the week! Here are the best stories we came across in the past seven days…
Welcome to the week. Today’s Monday Roundup is made possible by the Portland Century, offering three route options on August 19th.
Here are the best stories we came across in the past seven days…
Ball sports are over: If you’re too afraid to let your kid bike in the neighborhood, get them into racing! There’s more to life than the traditional ball sports, as the Bike Snob explains in his most recent column.
Any excuse necessary: It’s amazing what people will do to justify their anti-bike bias; including protesting a protected bike lane on safety grounds while marching in said bike lane in order to not get hit by other road users. (h/t @BrooklynSpoke)
Anti-transit extremists: As if non-car mobility needs any more hurdles in America, the billionaire Koch Brothers are hellbent on destroying it.
Auto touchscreens are bad, very bad: Even a self-described “Tesla fanboy” admits that the huge “infotainment” screens in cars are very unsafe because — shock! — they distract people from the important task of paying attention to the road.
Dockless wisdom: Seattle’s DOT has shared a trove of data about their robust dockless bike share pilot program and Curbed has a solid breakdown.
Portland needs to try this: L.A.P.D. is using e-bikes for patrol. It makes so much sense. Portland talks about community policing, we are a biking city, we finally got rid of mounted horses… Time to bring back police bike patrol units!
A new day at TriMet: The transit agency’s new leader comes out in an Oregonian interview as a champion of bus-only lanes, fewer light rail stops downtown, a new transit tunnel, and more good things. Sure as heck beats his freeway expansion lobbyist predecessor.
Sundress-gate: A councilor in the Canadian city of Hamilton spurred quite the backlash after wondering aloud whether women’s love of sundresses prevented them from riding more.
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Turns out walking isn’t the problem: Despite the propaganda from governments and other “safety” agencies, new research shows what many of us have known all-along: That “distracted pedestrians” aren’t really a thing to worry about.
Congestionomics: What if free-flowing freeway traffic was a sign of economic depression instead of success? New research from Denver makes the case that there’s a strong correlation between congested cities and booming business environments.
Lime’s scooter pitch: High usage rates and solid profits are among the ways Lime is selling investors on their dockless electric scooters. Worth noting that Lime is likely to win a permit to operate in Portland very soon.
Hinault’s gauntlet: Frustrated by continued allegations of doping in the sport he once dominated, a legendary Frenchman says riders should boycott the Tour de France if Chris Froome — who’s under investigation for drug use — participates.
Dispatch from L.A.: Amid a sharp rise in deaths and with a city government not doing enough to keep them safe (despite a Vision Zero pledge), a new guard of bike activists is rising up in the car culture epicenter of Los Angeles.
Speed camera debacle: Advocates in New York are reeling after their state government failed to renew a speed camera program that had placed 140 of the safety devices in schools throughout the state.
Welcome to the week. Today’s Monday Roundup is made possible by Efficient Velo Tools: “Conceived, tested, and proven in Portland – the Safe Zone Helmet Mirror provides unparalleled protection.”
Here are the best things we found floating around the BikePortland universe in the past seven days… [Read more…]
Before we get to the best stories we came across in the past seven days, let’s give some love to our sponsor: The Weekender Ride by Cycle Oregon. Grab some friends and head to University of Oregon on July 13-15 for a weekend of riding, relaxing, and reveling you won’t soon forget.
Welcome to the week. Here are the best stories we came across in the past seven days.
But wait! Here’s a brief word from our sponsor… This week’s Monday Roundup is brought to you by the Whiskey Run MTB Festival, happening June 9th on freshly-built singletrack in the forests of Oregon’s southern coast.
And now, on with the news…
Planning, privilege, and new voices:A fascinating read (and listen) from Streetsblog LA about “accidental planner” Monique López who went from front lines of environmental justice activism to the pearly gates of the planning field — all while being a queer, low-income person of color.
Here are the best stories we came across last week…
Defend our cities: With last week’s horrible hit-and-run downtown, it’s time for Portland to follow the lead of other great cities like Madrid and prohibit driving in some busy central city locations.
Here are the best stories we came across in the past seven days…
Leveling the mobility playing field: People who struggle to make ends meet face a major barrier without access to quality transportation — and Trump’s welfare plan does nothing to change that.
Before we delve into another week, let’s catch up with the best stories from the previous one…
Residents only: A town in New Jersey has taken the awesome step of restricting access on some residential streets in order to get them off the Waze app and prevent drivers from cutting-through. It’s either this or physical diverters on every street. Take your pick, city leaders! [Read more…]
