The Monday Roundup: Rose Quarter questions, street dining fight, Nevada’s speeders and more

Welcome to another wonderful week.

Today’s Monday Roundup is sponsored by Nossa Familia Coffee, the locally-owned company that gives so many of us a great start to the day and also gives back to the community.

Here are the most notable items our writers and readers came across in the past 7 days…

Driverless, not driver-more: If our society embraces new-fangled “driverless cars” without reducing their use overall, our environment might suffer terrible collateral damage says a new piece in The Conversation.

More press for Youth vs ODOT: Portland’s anti-freeway activist Adah Crandall continues to amplify the important connection between transportation and climate change on the national stage.

More bad news for ODOT: A local news outlet in Corvallis thinks ODOT is wrong to blame victims in deadly crashes at a notorious intersection.

Limit car speeds now: In 2021 police in Nevada issued 5,100 citations to people speeding over 100 mph in their cars. Let that sink in.

Rose Quarter questions: No More Freeways co-founder and ODOT gadfly Chris Smith says the time-out the feds have given to the I-5 Rose Quarter project is the perfect time to ask hard questions about the State’s proposed solution to traffic congestion.

Money where mouths are: The USDOT/FHWA has already acted to make good on a provision in Biden’s infrastructure law and the new National Roadway Safety Strategy by mandating that states spend at least 15% of highway safety funds on vulnerable road users if they make up more than 15% of total annual deaths.

Toll first: Willamette Week has a story about a bridge in Louisville where traffic evaporated when tolls were implemented and some say it’s an example of what could happen on the Interstate Bridge.

E-bike subsidies are a no-brainer: If you can get over the shade the author throws at e-bikes (like how they are uncool and can’t carry a lot of stuff), you can appreciate that an article that argues for more e-bike purchase incentives appears in New York Magazine.

Street dining fight: Portlanders who love curbside dining patios should pay attention to the debate in New York City where advocates are being forced to defend them against people who think the space should return to car users.

Thanks to everyone who sent in links this week.

Jonathan Maus is BikePortland’s editor, publisher and founder. Contact him at @jonathan_maus on Twitter, via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a supporter.