Welcome to the week. There is so much going on beyond the cycling and transportation world that demands our attention. I hope some of you were able to take part in community-building and/or service work yesterday for Martin Luther King Day. And I know most of you logged some sunny miles on the bike over the past three days! I’ve unfortunately been sick since Friday but am finally feeling a bit better. I should be 100% by Wednesday and look forward to seeing everyone at Bike Happy Hour.
For now, let’s take a look back at the most notable stories of the past week…
The Amish and e-bikes: Amish folks know how terrible cars are for communities, so they’ve stuck to horse-and-buggy. But an increasing amount of them are hopping on e-bikes as a way to get around. (Jalopnik)
Portland snubbed! A major national cycling nonprofit published a list of the top 10 bike lanes built in the U.S. last year and Portland’s SW 4th Avenue was not among them. Ouch. (People for Bikes)
More bus, less stop: There’s one bus service change that is cheap, fast, and effective: removing stops. I have yet to hear a good argument against having fewer stops. And for folks who bring up access issues for older and/or disabled riders, I’d say the pros (much better service overall) outweigh the cons (a few extra blocks to a stop). (Works in Progress)
New Jersey’s blunder: The governor of New Jersey signed an absurd and unprecedented bill into law that requires riders of all e-bikes — from basic Class 1s to e-motos — to be licensed and registered. It’s a worst nightmare situation. (NJ.com)
Sound Transit deep dive: An excellent look at the ups and downs of Seattle’s Sound Transit as it builds out its light rail network and experiences ridership growth, while being criticized for not building fast enough. (Bloomberg Citylab)
All eyes on Salem: It will be fascinating to see what happens in the transportation funding debate during the upcoming short session. This article is a good overview on where things stand at the moment. (The Oregonian)
Two-way streets are better for humans: I hope some influential folks in Oregon read this story about how cities across the country are converting one-way streets back to two-way streets. It’s always bugged me how many downtown main streets across Oregon are suffering because of one-way thoroughfares. (AP)
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.