TheWashCycle

Tree Down on CCT

CCT by bikesnick

This was on Saturday, and reportedly it's been down a couple of days.

Tour de Links - Freakish accident

New York City - Renderings of the Hell Gate Randall's Island Pathway are available, and it doesn't look much like the gate to hell. I should know, I've been to Shreveport. This trail will run under the Amtrak trestle.

Also, the police performed a controversial sting on deliverymen because they're believed to often ride stolen bikes. On the one hand, I have little sympathy for someone who agrees to buy a stolen bike, but on the other, I get how it feels like a test of one's moral fiber. "About a week after Mr. Lopez-Velazquez was arrested, his own bicycle, a clunker, was stolen from the bike rack in front of S’Mac, he said." Sometimes, nothing goes right.

Mount Pleasant, NY - A cyclist was "dinged" in the leg when a when police officer shot a sick raccoon near a park's entrance. The cyclist was 170 feet away and separated by a fence. Police are calling it a "freakish accident." Only if this is how sick animals are supposed to be euthanized.

Boston - Boston started its bike sharing program last week.

Cleveland, TN - A cyclist sued the city and state because she was injured when her front wheel fell into the open slots of a metal drainage grate, throwing her off the bike and hitting her face. The grate was of the "old" variety that was no longer used because it is not bike friendly and the road was a bike route. She lost her initial trial, but won on appeal.

The plaintiff argues that the proof shows that the old style grate was a hazard of which the State had been aware for many years. The State simply decided, according to the proof, that it would not deal with the hazard until later. She further argues that if this Court affirms the trial court, "the State would never have an obligation to remedy known hazards if the State merely decided not to as a matter of practice." Although the argument is not presented in exactly these words, the thrust of the plaintiff's argument is that the trial court improperly granted the State immunity for a "category" of activity for which the State does not have immunity under Tenn. Code Ann. § 9-8-307. We agree with the plaintiff.

Florence, AL - More adults are biking

Pasco County, FL - Man mirrors the Tour de France mileage by logging 100 miles a day every day.

Miami - Miami's bike sharing program isn't making as much ad revenue as it had hoped.. There have been 180,000 trips taken in the first four months, but "It is currently limited to selling advertisements on the baskets of its bikes, charging $100 per bike, per month.  But [Colby Reese, chief marketing operator of DecoBike] said that the baskets are a hard sell and potential advertisers are turned off by their irregular size and shape." DecoBike receives no public funding.

France - Great photos from the tour.

Saturday Afternoon Ride - I've missed out on so much

Good afternoon

• On Monday at 7pm, ANC1C will discuss DDOT's planned bike lanes on Columbia Road. Please consider attending.
• Some people are really worried about CaBi riders without helmets - despite no reports of skull fractures among riders. In fact, the story makes clear that all the available data shows that neither injuries nor fatalities have increased since CaBi hit the streets. It's a pretty reasonable story - making clear that helmets aren't the end all be all for bike safety, but they can be helpful in a crash.
• On a related note, I heard Tom Sherwood on Kojo yesterday talking about the Harriet Tregoning crash (he's a big cyclist) . He said "it reinforces the idea that bike riding is a dangerous thing in the city, and that's why the city is aggressively trying to put in bike lanes....And people should wear helmets." I'd have preferred a different lesson - one about drivers and red lights.
• Finally, another story from WAMU, on Tommy Wells' ride across the Douglass Bridge.
• The Bicycle Film Festival is coming.
• Grant money will help to improve the mountain bike trails in Fountainhead Park. "Phase one will involve Jack Rabbit Run, a long ridge top downhill trail that does not take advantage of any of the surrounding side slope. The enhanced trail will shift the existing tread from the fall line to the sides with slope and include banked turns and whoops for a fast and swoopy trail ride experience."
• One idea to improve the intersection of Reston Parkway and Sunset Hills Road is to extend more roads across the W&OD trail. It doesn't say if those are at grade or not, but too many and the trail risks getting a tunnel-like feel.
• The Onion on LA's new cyclist harassment law.

Ignorance, arrogance and hypocrisy...oh my.

There has been quite a letter-to-the-editor fight going on in the pages of the Gazette lately, and it even includes local media personality and self-described hypocrit Chris Core.

It all started with the article "Cyclists ask for care from motorists at meeting with police in Rockville" from June 22 that covered the police's meeting with cyclists and drivers about MacArthur Blvd. 

Mark Scott found a request by cyclists that motorists give cyclists their share of the road too much to handle.

it will surprise you to learn that courtesy on the road is a two-way street

Which is, on it's face wrong. Cyclists weren't asking for courtesy, they were asking drivers to give them the space they're required to give by law. And then, in general it will be the wild west out there if people decide to drive unsafely around bad drivers. It'll be a race to the bottom. You're required to drive safely, regardless of what other people do. And other than yelling "look out" while passing, he never really identifies the discourteous behavior of cyclists. Even that isn't that discourteous depending on how it goes down.

He does pull out a lot of standard tropes. Cyclists don't pay for the roads they ride on (not true). He calls cyclists arrogant (without defining why. I guess riding in the road like a car makes them arrogant). They don't ride on the perfectly good trail right over there. He claims all cyclists are scofflaws.

when did you last see one of these law-abiding, courteous bicyclists actually come to a stop at a stop sign.

Last night, when I was on my way to dinner. I, and the lady in front of me, both did so.

He's also wrong about violations on bikes leading to points - you don't even need a driver's license to ride a bike. So he doesn't know what he's talking about.

So in order for cyclists to show respect they should: pay more taxes, stop at all stop signs, be more humble, and get out of the road and onto the trail. Once they're safely out of the road, he will give them respect on the road.

Chris Core continues his one-man war against cyclists by adding a letter of his own. This one with extra rules for cyclists to follow.

1. Obey the rules of the road: don't blow through stop signs and red lights.

This is against the law. But Mr. Core told me in an email once that when he's on a bike, he runs stop signs.

2. Don't zigzag in and out of traffic.

What does this even mean? Filtering? Legal. Passing slow vehicles? Legal.

3. Don't come up to cars on the right side and crowd to the front of the line at lights; wait your turn as we do.

Filtering, as I mentioned is legal. In some cases it's safer since it makes cyclists more visible - that's why cities are building bike boxes.

And if driver's truly waited their turn, they would sit behind a bicycle and wait just like they would a slower car. But they don't. They look for any opportunity - legal or not - to pass. So, in a sense, cyclists do wait their turn as driver's do - in that they don't.

4. Don't ride several abreast on the roads we share.

We've discussed this before. It's illegal in cases where a driver would legally be able to pass, but if not it's OK. And the alternative is to ride in a long unpassable line.

5. Don't ride on sidewalks, it is against the law.

Not in Montgomery County or any part of DC close to it it isn't. If I were going to write a letter to the editor, I'd look something like that up before including it, but that's me

So 3.5 of the 5 things he's identified aren't illegal. Having cyclists ask to be given the treatment they're legally entitled to and being told that they'll only get it if they adhere to a behavior standard that exceeds the law and, in at least one case, decreases safety is not a two-way street. It's one-sided.

And it always will be. When one person is driving a 2000 pound bullet and the other is on a bike, it's inherently one-sided. Driving a car means you have to show more courtesy to bikes and pedestrians - and the law even makes that clear.

A few weeks later, Jon Morrison wrote in to knock down the "cyclists don't pay for roads" canard. He also points out that Chris Core

contradicts himself, saying cyclists blow through stop signs and red lights, then complains cyclists crowd to the front to wait for red lights.

And makes several other good points.

Lew Baker echoes many of Morrison's points and adds that certainly cyclists are not alone in breaking the law.

Finally, Generosa Collins writes in to complain about sidewalk cyclists who pass from behind at great speed. There are jerks on bikes, and they should be ticketed appropriately.

Dual Surface Trail

This photo shows the Carolina Swamp Rabbit Tram Trail, which has a hard paved surface primarily for those on wheels, and a gravel surface primarily for those on foot.

How Maryland is moving forward on “Bicycles May Use Full Lane” sign

Thanks to WABA's members and supporters, the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) is very likely to adopt a sign that says “Bicycles may use full lane” and post the sign on roads where lanes are too narrow to share side-by-side.  But most narrow roads are operated by local governments, and we don’t yet know what they will do. 

Origins of the sign

A quick recap of where we are on this issue.   As Maryland's new Driver Manual points out, often “the safest place for a cyclist to ride is in the center of the lane.”  If you ride too close to the right edge, people pulling out of side streets or driveways may not see you.  Some drivers pull a few feet onto the pavement before stopping and observing traffic.  It is not practicable for a driver to yield to you if she cannot see you.  So Maryland’s general requirement to ride as far to the right as practicable and safe,[1]  means that one should ride within a few feet of the right side of the roadway, not along the right edge.  And many lanes are too narrow to share side-by-side even if you do ride all the way to the right.[2]  Yet some drivers will try to squeeze past, which is very unsafe.  Recognizing this safety issue, the Maryland Transportation Code allows a cyclist to use the full lane if it is too narrow to share side-by-side with an automobile.[3]

Unfortunately, many drivers do not realize that cyclists are just trying to be safe and responsible when they ride in the center of the lane.   Some drivers yell, honk, or aggressively pass a bike with very little clearance as if to say “if I hit you, it is your fault because you are not where you are supposed to be.” 

Michael Jackson of the Maryland Department of Transportation has been concerned about this problem for about a decade, and has long advocated the use of signs to inform both cyclists and motorists that bicycles can use the entire lane.  (He first noticed such a sign along 13th St, NW (see photo by Michael Jackson) while commuting to work during the 1970s.)   But for a sign to become widespread it has to be part of the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).   Fortunately, Jackson is also on the Bicycle subcommittee of the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which revises the MUTCD every few years.  He helped persuade his subcommittee to put forward the R4-11 sign, a white rectangular sign that says “[bicycles] may use full lane.”

Challenges, then acceptance, within the state government 

The R4-11 sign became part of the federal MUTCDin December 2009.  Many states automatically adopt the MUTCD; but Maryland has its own MUTCD, which is similar—but not identical—to the federal MUTCD.  When I first heard about the sign in 2010, I assumed that Maryland would adopt it, but that we would then have to fight to get highway departments to actually use it.  For years, MDOT and SHA's Office of Traffic and Safety had tenaciously fought efforts to repeal the law requiring cyclists to ride in the shoulder.  SHA seemed to adhere to the "separate facilities" paradigm, not the "use full lane" approach of vehicular cycling.  Asking for the signs in specific places seemed like the best bet for moving the process along.

Last summer, the Glenn Dale Citizens Association asked SHA to post R4-11 signsin and around Glenn Dale, specifically mentioning Glenn Dale Rd. (MD-953) and Annapolis Road (MD-450) inside the Capitol Beltway.  SHA quickly replied that they were looking into it, but nothing else happenned.  Over the winter I heard rumours that the idea of a bike using the full lane was not very popular at SHA's Office of Traffic and Safety.  But the basis of the concern was unclear when relayed third hand.  I asked SHA to set up a meeting with me and two other cycling advocates (Jack Cochrane and David Cranor) to explain how SHA thinks about traffic flow and lane sharing as it designs facilities.  In May, SHA responded that it had decided not to adopt the R4-11 sign, in a letter signed by Bob Herstein of SHA's Office of Traffic and Safety.  The letter did not become public until the June meeting of the Glenn Dale CItizens Association.  Recognizing the statewide significance of the letter, WABA sent an alert advising members to write the Governor and other key officials and ask them to reverse that decision.  More than 600 people did so.

By coincidence, the meeting about how SHA thinks about sharing the road had been scheduled to take place two days after the alert went out.   SHA assembled an impressive array of senior officials and key staffers, including both Bob Herstein and his boss, Tom Hicks, Director of SHA's Office of Traffic and Safety. Mr. Hicks said that SHA assumes that an automobile needs an operating lane of 10 feet, while a bicycle needs 4 feet of operating room. Therefore, on a road like Glenn Dale Road with 10 or 11 foot lanes and no shoulder, the required operating area of the bicycle overlaps the required operating area of the automobile.

"Where should the cyclist ride," I asked.

"The cyclist will ride where the cyclist feels comfortable," he said. "That is up to the cyclist. Generally, the cyclist should be as far to the right as practicable, operating within the 4-foot operating lane."

I pressed the issue a bit more. "A 4-foot operating space could mean that the tire is from zero to 4 feet from the curb.  Or do you mean the left shoulder is no more than 4 feet from the curb?"

"The left shoulder," another official chimed in.

"A lot of cyclists would say that this is too close to the right edge of the pavement. On Glenn Dale Road you have driveways, tree branches, mail boxes coming up to the edge of the pavement. Do you recognize in road design the idea that perhaps cyclists need to be farther to the left than this 4-foot operating lane?"

"We recognize that the cyclist will ride where the cyclist feels safe," said Mr. Hicks.  "There is a difference between safety and comfort. Drivers generally feel most comfortable with a 12-foot lane width, but the safety studies show that there is no increase in safety in going from a 10-foot lane to a 12-foot lane."

"Of course there is a double yellow line along most of the road," I said. "Are you assuming that the driver will cross the double yellow line?"

"Yes," he said. "Certainly the double yellow line has an effect on driver behavior. Some drivers will encroach a foot or so while other drivers will change lanes. By riding farther to the left, the cyclist tends to reduce the clearance between the bike and the passing car."

"Some people assume that by using the full lane, a cyclist discourages a motor vehicle from passing at all, unless it is safe to pass by occupying the lane to the left, the oncoming lane in this case. So the clearance actually increases if the cyclist rides farther left."

"We have seen no research to demonstrate that point of view," said Mr. Hicks. 

Another official added:  "I find that drivers either pass within about 3 inches or they move to the other lane."

At this point, the discussion moved to the R4-11 sign.  Tom Hicks and Bob Herstein explained why SHA had decided against using the R4-11 sign. Mr. Hicks said that his chief concern is that the R4-11 sign does not clearly communicate the range of its applicability. Does it mean use full lane just where the sign is, or for several miles? I pointed out that speed limit signs do not state their range; and Hicks pointed out that the speed limit of a given sign applies until you get to the next speed limit sign. I asked why that could not be solved with an “End” R4-11 sign when you want it to end, or append “next 2 miles” below the R4-11 sign if it is important to do so.

Tom Hicks indicated that the “end” sign might be one way to go, but that a better approach is to use a yellow diamond sign to convey the intent of the R4-11 sign. The yellow warning signs can have “next 2 miles” while the white rectangular signs generally do not. He then unveiled an alternative:  A yellow diamond with the words: “[Bicyles] may be on the roadway.”  He said that he was not committed to those words, but that he thought a yellow diamond would be better because the message is a warning, not a regulation.  I told him that those particular words would not solve the problem:  It would be too much like “[Bicyles] Share the Road” because drivers might still assume that the cyclists are along the right edge of the pavement. I suggested that the sign needs to say something like “[Bicyles] may be anywhere in the lane” or “[Bicyles] may use center of lane” or “[Bicyles] use full lane”.  We all agreed to think more about the wording.  (We also discussed sharrows but that is a topic for another post.)

 

The next day, Maryland’s Secretary of Transportation Beverly K. Swaim-Staley responded to the 600+ people who wrote, promising that SHA would issue guidance for the R4-11 sign, and referring people to Tom Hicks.   About a week after that, Mr. Hicks sent me a different yellow diamond sign, this time with the wording “[Bicyles] May Use Full Lane.” It was the same as the original sign that SHA had rejected in May, except with a big yellow diamond instead of a modest sized white rectangle.  WABA’s executive director Shane Farthing told me: “Few people other than those in this email chain will care whether it is a white rectangle or a yellow diamond.”   So we told SHA that this sign would be fine.  I also explained to SHA that our main concern is not the shape and color of the sign, but with the widespread use of the sign.  Another SHA official told me that SHA staff was pleased with its innovation and likely to post the signs wherever communities sought them.

Highway officials pleased about a sign that says “Bicycles May Use Full Lane.”   That’s progress! 

State officials still appear to be deliberating on whether the yellow diamond or white rectangle is the way to go.  WABA and other Maryland advocates have steered clear of taking a position on that question. 

Lack of Awareness at the local level

But we do want to see these signs along the streets where we ride, not just in the manual.  Montgomery County intends to post the signs.  Yet Prince Georges County has been less enthusiastic.  Last May,  Haitham A. Hijazi, Director of the Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPW&T) told Shane Farthing and me that he would only be willing to post the sign on roads with at least two lanes in the same direction and neither a shoulder nor a sidewalk.  (In subsequent correspondence, DPW&T has also emphasized that even along these multi-lane roads they will not post the official R4-11 sign from the MUTCD, but instead will post “Bicycles may use full right lane” signs.) 

For almost a year, DPW&T has been saying that it will not post R4-11 signs (or sharrows) on narrow two-lane roads.  I am not sure why—or whether everyone at DPW&T objects to the R4-11 signs for the same reason.  Last fall, I asked DPW&T to put sharrows and an R4-11 sign on a short and narrow section of Church Road, on which I rode when taking my daughter to pre-school.   The planners from the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission quickly endorsed my request because the county master plan shows this road as a bike route.  But DPW&T wrote back and denied my request on the grounds that the geometry of the road was inappropriate for the warning sign.  The letter referred me to Cipriana Thompson, P.E., who agreed that with 10-ft lanes, “this is a use full lane situation.”  But the Department would not post R4-11 signs “because posting such a sign would imply that we endorse riding on this road, and we do not believe that people should ride bicycles on this road.”  Director Hijazi generally made the same points.  He recognizes that people ride these roads, but does not agree with WABA that this implies a duty to warn drivers.

DPW&T believes that signs and pavement markings increase its liability because doing so would imply endorsement of riding those roads.  Today, cyclists ride those roads at their own risk.  The County has never stated that all of its roads are part of the cycling transportation network.  Installing signs and pavement markings would in effect endorse biking on those roads, making the county liable.[4]

 

I think that under the leadership of Rushern Baker, eventually DPW&T will see these signs as a cost-effective (albeit small) interim step toward improved bicycle safety.  Both the University of Maryland and the City of Baltimore are already using the sign, with plans for more.  Laurel plans to use the R4-11 sign with sharrows. On the other hand, Harford County activist Jeff Springer doubts that his county will use the signs.  And ,ost counties have not even thought about it. [5]

 

The variation of opinion among the localities is typical of many issues.  Yet I am struck by how the “old-school” state highway engineers have found a way to be comfortable moving forward on this issue, while their local counterparts have not.  Certainly the policy decision by the Secretary of Transportation caused SHA to take a second look at the issue; but principals of traffic and safety—not political pressure—are what really brought them around.  Many of the localities have traffic people with skills, backgrounds, and outlooks similar to Tom Hicks.  Rather than rushing the process of adopting guidance for R4-11, SHA should engage those localities to give as many of them as possible an opportunity to buy into the process and feel ownership in the final product.    

We are not asking the highway departments to tell cyclists where to ride.  We are just asking for a warning sign that clearly tells drivers that cyclists may be using the full lane.  The limitations of the “[Bicycles] share the road” sign are palpable to anyone who takes the time to think about it.  Engaging SHA about a new sign could motivate several localities to actually take the time, and find merit in a sign that they would never use if it simply showed up as an option in the  MUTCD. 

But don't expect the government to do everything.  Is there a county road where you take the lane and drivers treat you badly as a result?  If so, then contact your local public works department and ask for a "Bicycles May Use Full Lane" sign now.  Ask others to make the same request.  If the public works department says "no", ask them to explain where you are supposed to ride, and how drivers are supposed to know where you are supposed to be without that sign.  Ask them to talk to SHA as well. 

Although the final chapter of Maryland's approval of R4-11 has not yet been written, localities are free to put up the signs now.  But you have to make them.

 (Jim Titus is a member of WABA's Board of Directors from Glenn Dale, Maryland, in Prince Georges County.  The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily the opinions of WABA.  For a similar post that does express WABA's official opinion, please go to the WABA blog )

 

 

 

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[1] MD Transportation Code §21-1205(a)

[2] For example, if you ride with your tire less than 1 foot from the pavement edge, your left shoulder has to be at least two feet to the left of the pavement edge, which would be 8 feet to the right  of the double-yellow line, if the lane is 10 feet wide.  If a typical 7-foot SUV wants to pass you with the legally required 3-foot clearance, then its left side must be 10 feet to the left of your shoulder, which would be 2 feet across the double yellow line. So that SUV cannot pass you safely if there is oncoming traffic.  

[3]  MD Transportation Code §21-1205(a)(6)

[4] Minutes from meeting between WABA and DPW&T, May 24, 2011.

 

[5]Advocates from Baltimore, Frederick, St. Mary’s, and Washington Counties have asked their county transportation departments (as well as the cities of Hagerstown and Frederick) whether they are willing to post a "Bicycles May Use Full Lane" sign, and so far, none of those jurisdictions could answer the question. 

First leg of ICC Bike Trail opens on Saturday

No ceremony I guess

The 2.5-mile section, which will run from Needwood Road to Emory Lane with a connection to Muncaster Mill Road, is part of what will eventually be a network of 11.5 new and 3 miles of reconstructed 3d trails through the ICC corridor. The road itself is open from Georgia Avenue to Interstate 370.

The SHA said it will open more miles of trail as sections of the ICC east of Georgia Avenue are completed. The agency said the bike trails will eventually allow bicyclists to ride from the Shady Grove Metro station in Gaithersburg to the Muirkink MARC station in Laurel.

Friday Morning Commute - Taking the lane

I saw Captain America last night so I didn't have time to check the news. I assume the whole debt cap thing is fixed, right?

• Lydia DePillis turns her spotlight on the Tourmobile contract - the one that supposedly prevents Capital Bikeshare from going on the Mall. You're going to be shocked to hear this, but it may be illegal. And it doesn't actually preclude BikeSharing "Nothing in the language of the contract actually precludes the Park Service from allowing different forms of transportation on the Mall, interpretive or otherwise. Tourmobile has the right of first refusal there, but doesn’t get to block others." What are we going to do when DePillis gets scooped up by someone bigger?
• MPD coudl take a lesson from the Mount Ranier Police Department. Here is a story for which they should be commended. A cyclist was bumped by a passing car..."Conveniently the police were out monitoring traffic so I told the officer what happened. He jumped into his car and raced after the guy. The guy came back to the police station and we talked about what happened. He said he saw me riding in the street but he didn’t see me as he was passing. That’s a little hard to understand since I’m on a day-glo orange bike wearing a orange safety vest with a super blinky light in back. The officer thought he was telling the truth though so after discussing it with me I decided to have him give the guy a ticket for ‘failing to yield’ which is a $120 hit." This despite there not be $2000 worth of damage or any injuries. You can see a video here of how closely he was passed or the photo at top.
• The Examiner blames Montgomery County for "dropping the ball on BRAC." Now I've been following this since the beginning, so I'm not sure that's a fair characterization - the Pentagon should have come forward with more money, and five years is a short time span for a large project like this - but more importantly this sounds like an insult: "Montgomery County's hopelessly inadequate immediate solution consists largely of building pedestrian and bike trails and urging commuters to car pool." Bike trails are a fantastic solution if the roads are already congested. And perhaps the Examiner should actually wait to see what happens before they call it a complete failure. Do they not even read their own paper?
• Laurel, MD is getting more bike-friendly. "Connecting newer parts of the city to downtown through safer bike and pedestrian routes will help draw more people to struggling Main Street shops, Brendle said."
• A Bikes for the World photo slideshow. It shows bikes, their previous owners and where they end up. 
• Finally a Fox news story somehow ties together the CaBi expansion, Tregoning's crash and Tommy Wells' Frederick Douglass bike ride - and it doesn't feel too forced. I went on the bike ride, the highlight of which was crossing the bridge in the road (which I've never done, and is legal. The speed limit there is 30mph if you'll believe it) instead of on the sidepath. But most of the information given out is well known to readers here. No one honked at us either.

DC Council Member Tommy Wells Bringing Attention To Bike Safety in DC: MyFoxDC.com

Indicator Species

Going her way by ivan | sciupac

Capital Bikeshare Expansion News Coverage, one station added yesterday

The Washington Times has the longest story. It's a multi-pager that covers the whole program from beginning to now. It has a somewhat negative tone in parts, focusing pretty heavily on dockblocking.

This summer, the city’s innovative bike-sharing program has been crippled by its own success when it comes to commuting during rush hour, with bike racks completely empty - or just as often, completely full, making it impossible to drop off a bike.

And on the LivingSocial deal

“That was the big breaker,” says the worker, who didn't want to be named because of company policy. “We’ve got more members than the bikes and stations can handle.”

But it mostly takes a positive tone

Despite such frustration, an unexpected side effect is emerging: A culture of urban chivalry, where pedalers go out of their way to look out for one another and synchronize handoffs.

They include a map of the most-heavily used stations (which they claim is due to a Washington Times analysis, but I think is the one CaBi handed out at the May meeting), though it leaves off the EOTR stations.

The details of the expansion are covered pretty well. 32 new stations. 18 expansions. 265 more bikes. The station installation will start in October and wrap up a few weeks later.

Some highlights? A station at the National Zoo, several new stations east of the Anacostia River, one in The Yards Park, a second along H Street NE, more docks in Petworth and more - a station in Fairfax Village was even installed today.

DDOT announced that if you don't like what you see, more expansion is coming. And

DDOT has ordered 500 bike helmets to provide with Capital Bikeshare rentals, although the details are in the works.

Add to that the 30 stations and 200 bikes in Arlington.

The Examiner says that the R-B corridor stations "became instant hits in their communities less than two weeks ago.

DDOT Director Terry Bellamy said in a news release that the expansions would expand the program downtown by 22 percent, east of the Anacostia River by 80 percent and in all other wards by nearly 40 percent. Lisle said this will help offset the imbalance that commuters naturally create each morning.

Meanwhile the Post had a profile on Bellamy, noting that he uses the bikes

On days when he has meetings farther than a couple of blocks from the D.C. Department of Transportation’s offices atop the Navy Yard Metro station, he might grab one of Capital Bikeshare’s ubiquitous red bikes.

Though it incorrectly states that Klein introduced bike-sharing to DC. SmartBike predated him by at least half a year. It's an excusable mistake since SmartBike is kinda forgettable, but still...not accurate.

It also talks covers biking in general

Gray said he and Bellamy are working together “to get people out of vehicles and onto public transit and other means of transportation like streetcars and bikes.”

The city has also seen substantial growth in Capital Bikeshare, the regional biking program co-founded with Arlington in September. Expansion of the District’s 50 miles of bike lanes will continue, Bellamy said, with four to five miles of new bike lanes in Southeast Washington alone and an additional six miles in the rest of the District, tied, when possible, to resurfacing of streets.

The bicycling community is closely watching what happens, especially after last month, when Bellamy said at a D.C. Council meeting that the city “may not” build a planned corridor of east-west downtown bike lanes.

The comments alarmed bicyclists, who flooded the council and DDOT with phone calls and mail.

Bellamy clarified his comments and said last week that the lanes are under study; a consultant’s report is due in the fall. “What they’re going to tell us is what we did right and what we need to modify,” he said. “The projects we move forward, we’ll do in the spring of next year.”

Shane Farthing, executive director of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, takes a wait-and-see attitude.

“There’s been a bit of a lull in the last six months that I wouldn’t attribute to Mr. Bellamy, but it is his job to pull DDOT out of that lull,” Farthing said. “We want to see the master [transportation] plan updated. . . . We want to emphasize the inclusion of bicycling in every project they do, from resurfacing to rebuilding. . . . We hope director Bellamy is a strong force in pushing DDOT forward.”

The city has also seen substantial growth in Capital Bikeshare, the regional biking program co-founded with Arlington in September. Expansion of the District’s 50 miles of bike lanes will continue, Bellamy said, with four to five miles of new bike lanes in Southeast Washington alone and an additional six miles in the rest of the District, tied, when possible, to resurfacing of streets.

The bicycling community is closely watching what happens, especially after last month, when Bellamy said at a D.C. Council meeting that the city “may not” build a planned corridor of east-west downtown bike lanes.

The comments alarmed bicyclists, who flooded the council and DDOT with phone calls and mail.

Bellamy clarified his comments and said last week that the lanes are under study; a consultant’s report is due in the fall. “What they’re going to tell us is what we did right and what we need to modify,” he said. “The projects we move forward, we’ll do in the spring of next year.”