E-bikes at war, individual responsibility, Helsinki’s triumph, and more – BikePortland

Hi friends. Welcome to the week.

Here are the most notable stories that came across my desk in the past seven days…

Thrust into advocacy: Many riders get into gravel cycling to avoid drivers; but the author of this piece experienced something tragic while bicycling with a friend and says it has made him want to change the system. (Bike Gear Database)

Look in the mirror: It always feels good when an idea I’ve been beating on my desk about for a while gets carried into a national op-ed by a credible source. This 25-year automotive industry journalist believes we can save thousands of lives by simply taking more responsibility for how we drive and improving our driver education system. (The Washington Post)

E-bikes in war: A Ukrainian drone carried an e-bike and dropped it to a soldier who was stranded on a battlefield. The injured soldier rode the bike to safety. (The Telegraph)

Bathroom lobby: I’m still waiting for someone in Portland to become the champion of public restrooms. Until then, let’s educate ourselves on good public restroom policy. (Yes this is an urbanism issue!) (Greater Greater Washington)

Hell-yes-sinki: This Finnish city experienced a full year without any road traffic deaths and its transportation engineers credit reduced speed limits, better road designs, a good transit network, and more. (YLE)

E-bikes FTW: A new study from Germany found that, “43.1% of electric bicycle trips and 63.2% of electric bicycle mileage would have been undertaken using a car if no e-bike had been available.” (International Journal of Sustainable Transportation)

Tour de France Femmes: Pauline Ferrand-Prévot won the women’s Tour de France in a year that saw big crowds and more interest in the event than ever. Ferrand-Prévot has also re-ignited a passion for cycling in France. (The Guardian)

De minimis victory: Bicycle industry leaders are hailing a move by President Donald Trump that removed the $800 import threshold that allows Americans to bring in packages under that amount duty-free. It’s thought unsafe e-bike batteries and accessories and other products give overseas goods an unfair advantage and create safety hazards. (Bicycle Retailer)

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.