It’s time for the weekly roundup of bike-ish new from around the city and the world.
Check out Portland’s ambitious new cycle track – BikePortland.org » Blog Archive » Photos, impressions after first ride on new SW Moody cycle track
Bikes + trains = <3 – Check out the new bike cars on Metrolink! | The Source
Young people see cars as an unnecessary accessory – Is America’s automotive love affair over? [w/poll]
New Nevada law borders on strict liability – Bike riders get new protections from motorists – Apply Liberally – Opinions – November 3, 2011 – Reno News & Review
Seattle-area motorcyclist involved in incident in Alaska – Local News | Judge sentences motorcyclist who hit bikers | Seattle Times Newspaper
A Feel Good Bike Safety Story | Wallyhood
Forget “20’s Plenty” – Greater Greater Washington: “Fifteen is Serene” | PubliCola
Car-Clogged Chinese Cities Encourage a Return to Bicycles: Scientific American
The Seattle region is #5 – The best cities to live car-free in America – Business – Going Green – msnbc.com
Park your web domain, not your car – Seattle Parking Garage to Become A Data Center
This better come with tons of new bike parking attached – Cyclists alarmed over proposed bylaw to restrict bike parking on the street | I Bike Toronto
Ballardite develops a taste for bike racing at 72 | The Riding Reporter
Police Bravely Defend Man’s Right To Hit Pregnant Protester With Car
The struggle to keep the pitifully small percentage of Federal transportation funding for biking and walking is never ending – Streetsblog Capitol Hill » Senate’s Draft Transpo Bill Ends Earmarks But Weakens Bike-Ped Programs
SDOT outlines the differences between different styles of speed “bumps” – SDOT Blog » Speed bumps, humps and cushions – Huh? What’s the difference?
To go with your beer case furniture – Biking Bis – Bicycle Touring and More :: 12 bicycle wall calendars for 2012: The sexy and sublime
Seriously, urban biking is just awesome – A Bike-Lane Perch for the Urban Show – NYTimes.com
Walk Score launches an awesome walking, biking and transit-aware apartment search tool – Apartment Search for the “Car-Lite” Lifestyle | Sightline Daily
Bellingham woman arrested in bicyclist’s hit-and-run | www.kirotv.com
Should trucks be forced to have sideguards? – Another cyclist Gets The Right Hook: It’s Time For Sideguards On Trucks In North America : TreeHugger
If you know how to fix bikes, share – Urban Adonia: Learning to Fix my Bike: Brakes First
Bike-powered composting – Victoria’s Bicycle Powered Compost Pickup Company | pedaltopetal.com
Munich is actually moving away from separated cycle tracks in favor of wider painted bike lanes – BikePortland.org » Blog Archive » Dispatch from Munich; where old cycle tracks can’t keep up with demand
A playground on a train – Children’s Playground on Commuter Train « The Gondola Project
If you’re into building design codes, this may be the job for you – Seattle Seeks Design Review Board Members – Seattle Transit Blog
Stressed out in traffic? Just take another whiff of car exhaust! – Inhale car exhaust to cope with city life
Seattle Met profiles Blake Trask – Bikers and Drivers: Let’s Share the Road — Health & Fitness
The Driver Privilege Checklist « Scintillator
Baltimore moving forward on a bike share system – Baltimore City News & Press Releases
A London taxi protest takes a page from critical mass – Taxi protest brings Trafalgar Square to stand still | News | LondonlovesBusiness .com
Biking can save billions – How Biking Can Save Cities Billions of Dollars in Health Expenses – Transportation – GOOD
Woman in Boulder finds her stolen bike on Craigslist, responds, then takes it for a “test ride” and never comes back – Woman steals bike back from thief | todaysthv.com
Some creative, super bright light set-ups in Portland – BikePortland.org » Blog Archive » Man that’s bright! Photos from ‘Be Safe, Been Seen’ event
There are more Road Safety Summit forums coming up – Front Porch » You are invited to the Road Safety Summit
Prop 1 failure roundup:
- Car tab tax results: no signpost for Seattle’s future | Crosscut.com
- Proposition 1 Fails: Got the Message? – Seattle Transit Blog
- Both McGinn and His Critics Are Wrong About Why Prop. 1 Lost | PubliCola
- Eight Election Night Ironies | PubliCola
Here is the best way for the city to make enemies: Walk around and cite homeowners who have cracks in their sidewalks near their homes – How to improve Seattle’s sidewalks.
Here’s a video of the farthest spot from a McDonald’s in the US – Map shows how hard it is to escape McDonald’s | Grist
This is an open thread.
Comments
8 responses to “Bike News Roundup: Portland opens ambitious new cycle track”
Looks terrible. It’s a wide sidewalk. As a commuter I might use it but the speed differential between bikes and pedestrians is terrible.
Also watch when the ped’s hear that bell, not until they are right next to it. And then what to do they do? Turn toward it, great, getting closer to the bike than they would have been if no bell had been rung.
Ugh. Reinforces my theory that bicycle tracks and ped walkways don’t belong together.
As folks have pointed out in the comments section of the original story, there’s very little reason for pedestrians to walk on that side of the street because all of the destinations are on the opposite side of the street. That new sidewalk simply hadn’t opened yet when this video was taken. You can also hear at the end that they’re adding additional markings to the cycle track. So really, there probably won’t be much speed differential because the modes won’t be mixing, particularly once folks get used to the new facility.
One thing that does confuse me is why they put the wider strip of pavers and planters between the bike tracks and the narrow strip of pavers between the bike and pedestrian track, instead of the reverse. Seems like you’d want to prioritize separation of modes over separation of direction.
The guy’s a self-centered, bell happy rider.
Since this is an open thread, maybe someone here can answer me this.
In the bicycle storage area where I work, I notice that a lot of cyclists leave their locks attached to the racks whether their bicycle is there or not.
Why do people do that? Are they so certain that you will never need their bicycle for errands? That the only places they will ever park their bike are at work and at home? Does not carrying the lock around save that much weight?
Or is it a passive-aggressive way of saying “this is my spot on the bike rack, no one else can park their bike here.”
I think a lot of folks have a bike they use for commuting (I know that’s the case at the UW) so they leave a lock at their workplace just for that bike, and keep another lock at home with their non-commuter bike.
I do that. I have a u-lock and a cable lock that I leave on the bike rack at work, and I have u-locks and cable locks at home for when I need them. Leaving the lock at work means I don’t have to lug extra 3 pounds around on my back, and both the u-lock and the cable lock take up precious space in my messenger bag that I need for clothes and such. Space and weight considerations may not be a big deal for people who carry an already significant weight in their roomy panniers (laptops, clothes, books, etc.), but I vastly prefer a quality messenger bag for hauling. For me personally, leaving the lock in a place where I know I’ll use it often and it won’t get in anyone’s way is a much better option.
Reinforces my theory that bicycle tracks and ped walkways don’t belong together.
I agree with that
Very cool. Take note, Seattle. This…or, something like this…is the wave of the future.