Saturday Morning Ride - Sanity

With or without bike valet, biking will be a great way to get down to the Mall today

• Work to rebuild the interchange between the Fairfax County Parkway and the Fair Lake Parkway will include some trailwork. "Shared-use paths and sidewalks will allow for pedestrian and cyclist access at the interchange and also to the Rocky Run Stream Valley Park trail system."
• Silver Spring to get more bike parking, possibly by winter.
• StreetSmart's latest campaign ups the stakes in its shocking imagary (at right).
• "Every Federal program that is used to support cycling is grossly underutilized in Maryland."
• Last month, work began on 1150 Ripley Street in Silver Spring. The Ripley District project includes a short section of the Met Branch Trail, but it's unclear if that section will be built with this building.
• MPD wants you to write on your bike with an invisible marker to aid bike recovery.
• Beer, trivia, more beer, supporting WABA, more beer...
• Use a CaBi to take your bike to the shop
• Discussing safety on the CCT "I reiterated our concerns regarding the 15mph speed limit that, if enforced, would undermine the usefulness of the trail as a transportation path and raised the point that an across-the-board imposition of a speed limit does not address the myriad of behaviors — on the part of both cyclists and non-cyclists — that lead to conflicts on the trail. I acknowledged, however, that both cyclists and non-cyclists have a responsibility to be considerate of other trail users and to work for solutions that will make the trail safer and more pleasant for everyone."
• If bike sharing were counted as transit - as it should be, it would have access to more money. And the bikes are cheaper than buses per passenger, with cheaper operating costs.
• Metro discusses rules about "wheels on the ground" in stations and that a station manager can waive the rule about not using an escalator when the elevator is out.
• "The Royal Netherlands Embassy, in cooperation with the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG), will host a 2-day event - the ThinkBike Workshops - on Monday, November 15 and Tuesday, November 16, 2010....Opening and closing sessions are open to the general public. There is no cost, but advance registration is required.  Click here for more information and to register."
• DC teacher uses MBT to commute to work (but he has to lock his bike to a chain link fence).
• More on AAA's call to remove defund federal bike programs.
• GGW calls for more bike parking at the East Falls Church metro and I have to say, that if it is filled up as they claim, I agree. Because Metro claims there is no space for more parking, GGW suggests putting parking in the station itself as was done in Chicago. Another option is two-tier parking. Also, taking out a car parking space.
• Good idea for stores that sell children's bikes. As they outgrow them, allow the parents to trade them out for larger bikes. "they often break-even or lose a little money on the trade-in. However, they also have the children’s parents coming back in for service, new bikes, parts, clothing, etc."

Comments

[Jim Titus]

Did you omit a link about AAA. The link you have is to the old story from Sept 27.

[Purple Eagle]

This teacher uses the MBT to commute to work as well - but I keep my bike in my classroom.

[washcycle]

Jim, no. It was just sitting in my queue post-vacation.