The Monday Roundup: ‘Petro-masculinity’, prostate health, deadly e-bikes, and more

Welcome to the week. Here are the most notable items we came across in the past seven days…

You should care about down there: It is a fact that for men, cycling impacts prostate health outcomes. Should you be concerned? This article from Road.cc is a good primer on the topic.

Austin, the new Portland?: While Portlanders argued and ultimately failed to pass new funding for biking and walking infrastructure, Austin voters greenlighted $460 million and could be on its way to overtaking us as America’s best cycling city.

Trucks and guns: Noted legal and car culture expert Greg Shill makes the case that vehicular assaults are popular because they are a legal way to harass and intimidate that are much less likely than guns to attract enforcement attention.

Fossil fuel culture: Virginia Tech researcher Cara Daggett has coined the term “petro-masculinity” to help us understand why big trucks and fossil fuel extraction are so closely intertwined with the conservative belief system of American men.

E-bike safety: Dutch authorities are likely to implement technology that would automatically reduce power to e-bike motors in dense residential areas due to a rise in deaths from crashes.

Protest planning: Portland’s progressive planning is part and parcel to our proclivity for protesting, says local urbanism expert Jarrett Walker.

Rust belt road safety: Pittsburgh is looking more like Portland as traffic calming measures like plastic wands and narrower streets are integrated into street projects.

Ironclad promise: Road safety and mobility justice groups in Mexico have achieved the extraordinary: a constitutional amendment that includes the passage, “Every person has the right to mobility under conditions of safety, accessibility, efficiency, sustainability, quality, inclusion and equality.”

Black People Ride Bikes: A bike club in Baltimore is helping sustain the pandemic bike boom by creating a welcoming space for Black people who love to ride.

Overcoming obstacles: It’s not just a lack of good infrastructure or fear of drivers that keep people off their bikes. Streetsblog highlighted a series of interviews with people who ride despite disabilities and discrimination.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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