Hi again everyone! I know it’s Tuesday, but I wasn’t feeling up to working yesterday. I had my total knee replacement surgery Friday and after a really great first day, I had two hard days of pain and pill fog. I’m feeling better today so, fingers-crossed, I should make only forward progress from here on out. And I’m eager to get back into the work groove!
Here are the most notable stories that came across my desk in the past week…
U.S. bike production: A company that makes bicycles in Santa Barbara, California is surging just as Trump’s tariffs cause cold feet throughout the bike industry. (Bicycle Retailer)
Bentonville’s bicycling: Turns out when billionaire heirs of the Walmart fortune are passionate about something and they treat one city like a petri dish to see how much of it they can grow, amazing things happen. (Also, isn’t this really old news? Portland lost two companies to Bentonville in 2019 and 2020 respectively.) (NY Times)
Bike lane lawsuit: In a case with parallels to BikeLoud’s lawsuit against the City of Portland, a safe streets advocate in Los Angeles is suing that city for what he says is a failure to build promised bike lanes. (LA Times)
Houston, we have a problem: It’s bad enough the City of Houston tore out protective elements of an important bike lane, but then they added salt to the wound by saying they’d replace it with sharrows. (KHOU)
Tokyo > Boston: An American professor and his family who’ve lived several years in Tokyo are able to be carfree thanks to the Japanese city’s focus on transit and its strong regulations and pricing mechanisms on car use. (WGBH)
Cargo bike buying guide: This is a very solid overview of the most popular cargo e-bikes and what you should think about when you’re thinking about them. (Ars Technica)
Stop the madness: A columnist implores everyone to “stop the car-brained insanity” of buying oversized SUVs and trucks and hopes that the Trump tariffs might put smaller cars in a more favorable light. (The Guardian)
Speed governor progress: Washington is the latest state to pass a bill that requires reckless, speeding drivers to install a speed governor device in their car as part of their probationary period following conviction. (The Urbanist)
Video of the Week: Everyone was buzzing about this excellent video that breaks down why expanding roads and freeways is a terrible decision and how it leads to so many negative outcomes — yet despite the science that backs up those views, we continue to do it. (Global Cycling Network)
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.