Saturday Morning Ride - African Bush Elephant.

Good morning

• As Buzzard Point develops, the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail in SW should develop too.
• The tree over the Rock Creek Park Trail that one citizen identified as a possible hazard is coming down today. Whew...
• John Townsend is right, the 15mph speed limit is going to enrage those people who commute via African Bush Elephant. [Aside: I'm so excited to see that called out as a unique species. When I was in Peace Corps, I lived next door to the people who ran the nature preserves that surrounded my village. They constantly had guest researchers staying with them so every night over beers it was like attending some other fascinating lecture and I remember the time an elephant researcher came who was pushing the idea that the bush elephant was a unique species, which later became accepted. Anyway please no obvious George Bush jokes in the comments.]
• "DDOT's going to look into whether sharrows and and a reverse (south bound) bike lane might be a good solution for bike traffic on 5th. At the very least, sharrows and a reverse bike lane would alert motorists and pedestrians that there are many bikes traveling in both directions on 5th St."
• CaBi station expansions at Lamont and Mount Pleasant Street (4 docks), Calvert and Woodley Place NW (4 docks), 14th and V NW (4 docks), and 14th and Rhode Island.

Comments

[Shawn]

The only possible argument I have against lowering the speed limit is that it may not be the most efficient speed to drive, in terms of fuel economy, unless, maybe, one drives a hybrid. I hope fact backs this assertion.

But then, that worry is abated by the thought that I usually get up to around 15 mph or more on my bike on so little as a banana in the morning.

I'm behind Wells on it, though, because it may cause more to bike commute or use public transit and because it ought to increase public safety. We'll see how driver behavior would play out if this passes.

[Shawn]

I should say, I hope the fact backs my assertion and that a number of drivers actually care about fuel economy enough to commute another more climate-change-mitigating way.

[GMB]

I think the top recorded speed for a human is around 22mph. By Townsend's logic, driving 15mph is going slow than a person too.

I thought that the most fuel efficient speed is around 55mph, without stopping. Surely you're not suggesting that we allow that in residential neighborhoods.

[Early Man]

I am sure the 15 mph speed limit would be more fuel efficient on Jefferson and Madison than what drivers currently do. The lights are timed for 15mph so after accelerating up to that speed, idling in 3rd gear will keep you going that fast through 2 intersections. Compare that to what currently happens. Briskly accelerate to 30-35 mph, get to the light and idle for 40 seconds. Light changes, accelerate briskly again to next red light and sit and idle for another 40 seconds. Drivers are stupid when it comes to fuel economy (how many times have you had someone accelerate past you just before a red light). A current 15 mph is much more efficient than accelerating up to 35mph to "fill" empty spaces that then forces you to brake. Braking by most drivers is the same as regret for not thinking farther ahead.

[dynaryder]

Actually,if the speed limit is lowered to 15,then many people will prolly start driving 25.

Fun fact:speed limit in Base Housing on military installions is 15.

[Froggie]

@GMB: considering you can't even drive 55 on the freeways in the District (max is 50 on 295 south, lower on the others), I don't think you have to worry.

Regarding the 15 MPH limit proposal, here's what I mentioned earlier in the week elsewhere: this speed limit proposal is a feel-good, but ultimately useless proposal unless Council addresses one (or both) of the following:

- A) reengineer the streets for a lower speed limit.

- B) consistent and continuous speed limit enforcement.

DDOT doesn't have the budget for (A), and MPD doesn't have the manpower or resources for (B). Unless Council changes this, a 15MPH speed limit is useless.

[washcycle]

Shawn, you're right about higher speeds lowering emissions (see page 5.10-7). As someone else noted that shouldn't be the only point, but it can't be ignored either.

I agree with Froggie on this. The law is well intention ed, but will only effect those people who really think following the speed limit is important - and those probably aren't the people to worry about.

A better plan would be to enable communities to ask DDOT to re-engineer select streets for <25mph speeds. Then it doesn't depend on conscientious drivers and/or vigorous enforcement.

It could be called the "Safe Streets" program. An ANC asks that a street be added to it, and when the street is redesigned, DDOT comes in and narrows it, adds bulb outs, plants trees, etc... to slow traffic naturally.

[Max]

If the 15mph was enforced (yeah right), and drivers did feel compelled, out of fear of ticket, to at least somewhat follow the law, then I think they would react with an increased possessiveness of the faster roads, much like the reaction occasionally given to a cyclist riding out of a bike lane. At 15mph, drivers would also probably have a tendency to feel a bit overconfident, and veer towards multitasking activities like texting (pun intended).

It's interesting hearing the local tv news work the fear factor about the imminent road rage. Is road rage classified as a form of terrorism yet? If not, why, not? A group using violence and intimidation to incite fear in another group, right? Now all that's needed is for the government to declare war.

[oboe]

What I find ironic about these debates is that the folks who are the most angry about lowered speed limits are generally suburban commuters. And they have no problem whatsoever with low speed limits--just so long as those low speed limits are in *their* neighborhoods. After all, *their* kids should not be subjected to high speeds. That's why they moved to the burbs.

The city, though: that's where you're *supposed* to speed! If you don't want to live in a neighborhood where people drive 40 mph through a school zone, get a brain, morans, and move to the suburbs!

http://www.stopbigbrothermd.org/2009/12/cheverly-maryland-debases-lowering.html

[oboe]

Because it's Monday:

[Jonathan Krall]

Speed cameras would take care of the 15 mph enforcement problem very nicely. Those will at least slow everyone down to 24 mph.

[Froggie]

Jonathan: that still goes to my point about resources. MPD doesn't have the resources to line every street with speed cameras, let alone the manpower that'd be needed by SOMEBODY to review all those camera images.

Plus, with speed cameras, you can only ticket the car, not the driver.

[oboe]

@Froggie:

DC is apparently in the process of buying a large number of mobile speed cameras, red light cameras, and truck weight violation cameras. Those will be fairly difficult to see, and will be easy to move from place to place. It seems it would be pretty simple to supplement the number of "real" cameras with an even larger number of dummy cameras.

As far as "somebody to review all those camera images", the current camera enforcement program is a net positive revenue. No reason why scaling it up would be cost prohibitive.

[Max]

Let me state the obvious, and say how truly sad it is that we should have to resort to cameras in the first place.