Saturday Morning Ride - PDA

So long SmartBike

• Work begins on the New York Avenue Bridge. For cyclists who use the sidewalks on that bridge, they're being blocked off. Detour signs point the way south. As I recall, DDOT counted the number of daily users to be fewer than 10. The new bridge will have wider sidewalks. They will not close the MBT, unless they "have to."
• Send Virginia Gov. McDonnell ideas for improving bicycle transportation.
• "The first phase of Fairfax County's Bicycle Master Plan that will outline a strategy for creating and connecting bike paths through and around Tysons Corner will be completed by mid-February, its authors said at a Tysons Corner Open House last week."
• Klingle Valley Trail needs a hug. The EA is scheduled for release by the end of the month.
• Work will begin on the section of the ART that will connect Diamond Tegue Park and Yards Park this spring (rendering below). The rendering is confusing, because a couple of years ago they announced that biking would not be allowed on the boardwalk. They haven't said anything about it since and I've never seen signs to that effect. Perhaps they've backed away from that. Other activities that appear to be allowed based on the rendering are photography, jogging in baggy shorts and light groping.

• Friends ride to remember Neal Molloy who died after a fall from his bike earlier this year.
• The deadline to comment on the Bradley Blvd Bikeway was extended to Jan 12th. 
• Someone asked about survey questions. Here is a definition of bike commuting from a Commuter Connections survey "You bicycle to work if you ride a bicycle the entire way from your home to your office. For this survey, if you bicycle to a transit station and take the train to work, you do not bicycle to work." What if you bike 10 miles and ride the train 8?
• Sign up with BikeVA to lobby your member of Congress for Safe Routes to School.
• Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) rode around the Capital on a rocket bike. "The model Weis rode in is known as the "Go-One3" and features solar-powered turn signals, an iPhone, and lamps. "
• Georgetown bike thief appreheanded, charged with misdemeaner. "When questioned, the suspect said he was trying to steal the bike in order to get money for his family"
• We didn't get the bikeshare TIGER grant, but the one we did get will still help cyclists. "The District Department of Transportation, meanwhile, will be using its share of the money to make other improvements, such as adding real-time transportation information screens that tell commuters when the next bus is arriving and locate the closet Capital Bikeshare stands and Metrorail stations"
• A report on the Ugly Sweater Ride. 
• Hood College now has a bike fleet. The LAB likes bike sharing.

Comments

[SJE]

The commuter connection survey definition of "bike commuting" seems short-sighted. If you ride 10 miles and take Metro 8 miles, how do you go to work? Similarly, drive to a Metro Station and then take the train, or use CaBi for the last 2 miles.

The relevant question should be what mode(s) do you use to get to work and where do you use them. You shouldnt use the number of "all the way" bike commuters to judge bike needs, as this would undercount bike use around (e.g) Metro stations.

This "single mode" mindset also reflects the tax code and planning.

[Chris]

Perhaps the rendering is trying to reflect reality to a certain degree? In other words, we all know that just because the rules prohibit something, doesn't mean it won't happen quite regularly (ie, eating on Metro, going over the speed limit, etc). :-)

[WillStewart]

Good catch on the definition of bike commuting. SJE states the issue concisely, I concur.

[Jonathan Krall]

Thanks for this info on the CommuterPage survey. Bicycling has a _huge_ potential to impact transit because the "bikeshed" is about 4 times larger than the "walkshed." With a better bicycling network, better bicycle parking, and a good solution to the "what if it rains" problem (rain ponchos in vending machines?), Metro ridership could skyrocket.

But it can't happen if the planners don't get the memo. Surveys that fail to capture information on multi-modal transportation options fail to support those options.

[Jonathan Krall]

Oops! I meant the Commuter Connections survey.