Wednesday Morning Commute - Dead Man's Curve

If you haven't seen Barney's Version, I just saw it and it was pretty good. So I guess that's a recommendation.

• The DC State Fair is having a bicycle accessory contest. You have to make them yourself. 
• A woman had her bike stolen at the U.S. Capitol. That's bold.
• As previously reported, BicycleSpace is losing its space. Now to be known only as Bicycle or perhaps Bicycle Cougar Mellencamp.
• Tourmobile might be losing their license, which might be illegal which might open the Mall to Capital Bikeshare. Maybe.
• Borderstan advocates running in the bike lane, which is illegal and, as I've said before, probably unsafe - though I'm open to being proven wrong on that. They don't advocate running against traffic, which is good, but they do say "Bikers - Cities weren’t designed with you guys first in mind." Believe us, we know. But we're going to fix that. 
• Cyclist crashes into police car that was heading to scene of bike-car crash. This along the Custis Trail.
• The Post had an editorial about the Cafritz Project in College Park. Maybe you like the project and the Whole Foods it will bring. Maybe you dislike all the parking. But it will include a section of the College Park Trolley Trail from Albion Road to Tuckerman St.
• This month's Spokes Magazine has articles on the UMD human-powered helicopter team, a proposed 5,000 square foot mountain biking skills area at Rockburn Branch Park in Howard County, and the zigzag stripe experiment along the W&OD trail.
• Vienna's Bicycle Advisory Council to present results of a recent survey. 
• The Brunswick Bicycle Festival is back. This year it includes a race. "The “Dead Man’s Curve” event will start with cyclists at the base of a hill on Park Avenue, who will then race up the hill to the intersection of Park and 9th Avenue. Riders will be disqualified if their feet touch the ground, and the fastest cyclists will win prizes, likely in the form of downtown Brunswick gift certificates, Kay said. Both the uphill race and the five-mile leisurely ride are free, and cyclists will also be able to ride along the C&O Canal Towpath."
• Giant Bridge for $1. Hello new Anacostia crossing.
• Someone is putting tacks, box cutters and glass on popular Colorado bike trails and routes. Someone's getting nothing for Christmas.

Comments

[Matthew Rhoades]

Regarding borderstan.com story: Scott amended his post yesterday.

[Anon]

This doesn't reall fit here, but I wanted to bring it to your attention, as it would be revolutionary (sorry for the pun) for bike commuters:

http://gizmodo.com/5831624/light-your-bike-at-night-with-revolights

[Crickey7]

I think it's overstating it to say that there are a lot of options to Tourmobile. There may be competitors, but they would almost certainly run a similar operation.

And don't misunderestimate Tourmobile's chances. They got the contract because they had pull, and that hasn't changed. Even without nefarious doings, there are many ways to game the federal contracting system if you have the inside track. Even if they lose, they can appeal and bog down any transition for years.

I smell a negotiating position here.

[Greenbelt]

The Whole Foods development sounds good to me, providing they make some improvements to the hiker-biker (trolley) trail. I don't know that area really well, but it looks like a really good location for bike access via the trolley trail from College Park and points north, and could become sort of a bike hub of sorts. Access from the south of East-West to the NE branch via the trail under East-West, then Queensbury and Riverdale Roads. Would be good to have sharrows or green stripes or something on Riverdale/Queensbury to lead riders and peds from the NE branch up to the farmers market area and the hiker-biker trail. Nice.

The bike access would have to be a major marketing pitch though, since so many Prince George's and NE DC residents don't even know about the bike trail network in their midst. A big bike/ped pitch by trail might help alleviate locals' traffic concerns on Route 1 in my opinion.

[Michael Roy]

The cyclist-cop car collision was at Oak St. and Custis trail, site of my crash and that of another cyclist that I posted a comment on only days ago. Someone said it was fixed. This crossing was and remains dangerous.

[Crickey7]

I think I'd find those lights distracting to me as I ride, or even a bit of a bad idea to put bright moving lights in front of my field of vision.

[5555624]

How would you "fix" N. Oak St. and the Custis Trail?

The trail already hsa "Stop" painted on the trail and that didn't work, so they put up those bicycle "traffic" lights. It's no surprise that a lot of people ignore those.

In this case, it does not say whether the cyclist had the signal; nor does it sayd if hte police cruiser had it's lights flashing. (It just said it was "responding" to a call.)

Peronsally, I don't try to race down the Custis Trail as quick as I can. I never know when a car is going to (a) come up and stop, but partially block the trail or (b) turn right on red wihtout stopping.

Anyway, what more can be done to that intersection?

[charlie]

Yes, oak st was "fixed" and I use the apostrophes liberally. Arlington put in a bike light.

The original accident was on Quinn. Facts are very unclear. From the pictures, I'd say the initial description (bike hits police car) on Oak is about right but given that it was police car I doubt we'll get the final (real) story.

I'd say more people are stopping on Scott for the "bike light" than before while going uphill. That is also tough, you want to make it up the hill and get into the shade past scott. People riding downhill, however, continue to blow through.

[Ron Alford]

I deliberately avoid the trolley trail. There is a stop sign every 20 feet.

[Michael H.]

- The Artist formerly known as BicycleSpace?

- I hope TourMobile loses their license. Even if they are allowed to reapply, NPS should request them or another winner to allow CaBi on the Mall and in other NPS areas in DC and Arlington. WABA could be an effective voice on this.

- Re the bike lanes, is it actually illegal to run in the bike lanes? I looked at the links that the commenter posted on the Borderstan blog. I don't see any provision that explicitly prohibits running in the bike lanes. I don't think that bike lanes are defined as roadways. Cars and motorcycles aren't allowed in the bike lanes, so they are clearly not treated the same as roadways.

There is nothing on the DDOT site that mentions anything about this issue either. I looked through it earlier this month and couldn't find any solid answers.

- How steep is that Brunswick hill? That sounds like fun. But it's too far away from me to head out there just for a short hill contest, free or not.

[washcycle]

Michael H, yes it is illegal. Bike lanes are part of the roadway. They are limited access lanes, just like a bus lane. Cars do not make roads.

[charlie]

Int terms of the tourmobile contract, it has nothing to do with bikeshare. Their contract is for "interpretive tours", not some sort of transit, which makes NPS look even more stupid. If that is possible.

And yes, I'm glad someone agrees that it was an illegal contract.