TheWashCycle

Electric Bikes

Electric Geometry by M.V. Jantzen

Looking for Wrenches

Bike and Roll Washington DC is part of a nation-wide bike rental and tour organization dedicated to getting more people on bikes.  What better way to see the city?  We are currently looking for experienced mechanics to help maintain our fleet of more than 500 Trek bicycles at both our Downtown and Union Station shops. 

For wrenches with a proven ability to build, repair and tune, we have full-time positions available.  For those wrenches who want to dabble on the side, we also have flexible part-time positions available weekends, evenings or one day a week.

For those who “just like to work on bikes”, mechanics at our Downtown location are internal support only. You get to keep your hands greasy – no sales and your only customer is our fleet.

For those who like a little more people interaction, our Union Station shop is a full-service repair shop offering a complete range of maintenance to Bikestation members and the Capitol Hill cycling community. 

If working on bikes without the sales aspects sounds appealing, visit us at www.bikethesites.com/jobs to apply online or send an email with qualifications to jobs@bikethesites.com.  Reference:  2MC02WC

Sunday Video - Safer Cycling Study

Saturday Night Ride - Big brother to the rescue (not the TV show)

Good Morning

• A possible solution to violations in Downtown DC's bike/bus only lanes. "San Francisco, with its long-running (if imperfect) "transit-first" policy, has come up with a way to address all these problems at once. By early next year the city's entire fleet of 819 buses will be equipped with forward-facing cameras that take pictures of cars traveling or parked in the bus and transit-only lanes. A city employee then reviews the video to determine whether or not a violation has occurred — there are, of course, legitimate reasons a car might have to occupy a bus lane for a moment — and if so the fines range from $60 for moving vehicles to more than $100 for parked cars."
• Montgomery County's Met Branch Trail funding could be saved by the county council, a meeting of stakeholders or both. Of course, there would be plenty of funding if the county just deferred some highway expansion not needed until 2025. 
• Route 450 in Bladensburg could be more bike friendly in the future (which is a low bar to cross). 
• Gail Tait-Nouri, the bicycle coordinator for the Montgomery County Department of Transportation, has retired. Except that now, she's working for WMATA, which is an odd retirement, but good for cyclists. 
• Local business delivers healthy snacks by bike.
• Gas is Expensive $3.50 edition part III (parts I and II). But this one has a lot of local shots and cyclists. 
• US DOT on why transportation enhancements matter, and Bikeleague on stopping the mandatory sidepath rule.
• Indy Bike Hub lockers look sweet. 
• Mountain bikers in Milwaukee are soft.

Installing a new CaBi station at 7th, D and Maryland Ave NE

Photo by Todd

More work on Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail and Little Paint Branch Trail to start soon

College Park is going to start work on the trail gap near the Metro Station. 

The City of College Park, Maryland requests sealed bid proposals for the construction of a hiker/biker trail in the right-of-way along Rhode Island Avenue between Paint Branch Parkway and Calvert Road in College Park, Maryland, for a distance of one-third (1/3) mile.

Bids are due on March 15. This gap isn't too dire, since you can easily ride on Rhode Island Avenue, but it should be nice for peds. 

Meanwhile, not very far away, the Little Paint Branch Trail extension will begin design this year. 

A new two mile segment of the Little Paint Branch Trail will begin design in 2012. The new trail extension will connect the existing trail at the Beltsville Community Center to the Paint Branch Trail that currently ends at Cherry Hill Road in College Park. The new trail will parallel Cherry Hill and Sellman Roads. With the new trail segment, you will be able to bicycle or walk from the Beltsville Community Center to the Bladensburg Waterfront Park on a continuous 10-mile trail. 

Beauregard Small Area Plan includes trails, bike lanes, parking and bikeshare

Alexandria's Beauregard Small Area Plan has a transportation strategy that aims to create a shift "from private autos to alternative, more sustainable modes of transportation, consistent with the City’s Transportation Master Plan." And, if successful should shift some of those trips to bikes. In order to do that the plan would build trails, bicycle lanes, sharrows, and bicycle parking while improving existing trails and slowing down car traffic on area streets.

The plan advocates

• Building a multi-use trail on Beauregard between Southern Towers and Holmes Run
• Constructing a multi-use trail on the north side of Seminary Road from Fairbanks Avenue to I-395
• Constructing a multi-use-trail along relocated Sanger Avenue
• Providing on street bicycle facilities on Mark Center Drive

In addition the plan would better utilize the Holmes Run Trail

When approaching the Plan area from the south, the primary bicycle route is the Holmes Run Trail. Trail improvements are currently programmed for the Holmes Run Trail, including the installation of a trail crossing at North Chambliss Street, improvement to the trail tunnels at I-395 and Van Dorn Street, and the crossing at North Ripley Street. A trail underpass was recently completed where the Holmes Run Trail/Eisenhower Trail crosses Eisenhower Avenue. Currently this trail lacks accessible connections to the Plan area. An off-street multi-use trail system will provide for primary north-south and east-west bicycle connectivity both within the Plan area, and to adjacent neighborhoods.

But it won't relegate cyclists to facilities

The slower design speed and urban context of the streets will encourage cyclists to “take the
lane” on all streets where appropriate. However, on-street bicycle facilities on certain streets will
include bicycle lanes to improve bicycle safety and provide a sense of security. This includes an on-street facility that will be built through the Town Center neighborhood of the Plan area. Roadway
crossings are critical to the connectivity of the bicycle network and intersections will be designed to
street the convenience, safety and comfort of cycling. Providing adequate end-of-trip facilities is a
critical component of any bicycle network and especially in transit-oriented developments.

The plan also considers bike parking

• Bicycle parking in connection with public transportation and at major stops along the Transitway;
• At homes and at workplaces;
• At shops and retail centers; and
• On public streets.

To encourage the use of the bicycle as means of transportation, off-street bike parking will be incorporated in the redevelopment. Bicycle parking areas are recommended to be located on the ground floors of buildings, close to activity to provide convenience and increase security. A combination of Class I and Class II spaces should be provided to meet this bicycle parking supply requirements. Class I bicycle parking facilities provide secure long-bicycle storage by protecting the entire bicycle, including its components and accessories against theft and inclement weather. Examples include lockers, check-in facilities, monitored bicycle parking, restricted access bicycle parking and personal storage. Class II bicycle parking facilities provide short-term bicycle parking and include bicycle racks at permit the lacking of a bicycle frame and one wheel and support the bicycle in a stable position without damage to wheels, frame or components. Class I bicycle parking is  required to be provided at residential buildings, and a combination of Class I and Class II parking is required to be provided at retail and professional services uses at the school and at the fitness/ community center.

And, of course, the plan encourages expanding bike sharing into the area.

Cyclists run red lights = careless, rogue and somehow newsworthy

FOX WUSA9 CBS did some hard-nosed investigative journalism to show that cyclists are, in fact, running red lights. Yes, that must've taken them 9 minutes of undercover work. Wait for their next story about young people and their penchant for making out. 

They follow it up by asking a few cyclists why they run red light, which none of them answer well and makes me wonder what wound up on the cutting room floor. The best part was when they interviewed someone from WABA about it...oh, wait...they didn't.

Sigh. They never show any evidence that what is going on is dangerous (though the one guy who squirts in front of the Metro bus is doing it worn), never mention the real reasons why cyclists do it, never mention the Idaho Stop, never mention the low rate of crashes that result from cyclists running TCDs, never compare it to the hight rate of jaywalking or speeding or all the other types of traffic violations that would make all road users careless groups who rule road in rogue fashion...In short, terrible, terrible news story.

Friday Morning Commute - kickstart

I don't want to know if you rode a bike yesterday, because I didn't.

• TBD has a lenghty story on DC Pedicabs, NPS and DDOT. Some of it rehashes issues covered here, and some of it is new. I will add something to D.C. Pedicab Operators Association founder Oscar Mosco's claim that "DDOT isn't even contacting us." It appears that quote is from January 10th, and I happen to know for a fact that DDOT's Alice Kelly has tried to contact him since then. NPS and DDOT are planning to meet with pedicab operators this year. What's unfortunate is that the Park Police appears to be completely unwilling to talk about the issue.
• So I have to admit I'm surprised. When the story first broke about the Buzzard Point velodrome I was skeptical. But it appears that it is really happening. "DC Velodrome, has leased a parking lot on V Street SW, just off South Capitol Street, and plans to erect a 166-meter-long, oval-shaped wooden track with 48-degree banked turns....Ponte, a Bethesda architect who owns the CycleLife bicycle shop in Georgetown, said the track will host sanctioned racing events but will also hold classes and training sessions for adults and teens who have little or no experience riding on a track. Former Mayor Adrian Fenty is on the group’s board of advisers....The Southwest cycling track will be the 27th operating velodrome in the United States." Still, they need to raise $300,000 to get this thing started.  They should start a project at Kickstarter.
• Do you live in Anne Arundel County and want to help make biking better? Perhaps push for a WB&A trail crossing of the Patuxent River along the railroad right of way? Well then, apply to be on the County's Citizen Advisory Committee for the Anne Arundel County Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan.

Friday Afternoon Commute - CaBi ads coming soon.

Good Afternoon

• There will be a Public Hearing for the 14th Street Bridge Corridor Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on Tuesday, February 28th at 6pm at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 400 I Street SW, Washington, DC
• It appears that Jack Evans played a part in towing the car in the 15th Street bike lane yesterday.
• Arlington is putting together a six-year Capital Bikeshare Transit Development Plan, the first in the nation. "Arlington began studying how to build a longer-term bikeshare strategy from October 2011 and beginning this February, plans a public outreach campaign through April, and hopes to draft a final plan by May, to be presented to the public in June. An online crowdsourcing site is tentatively planned for March 12 through April 13 and will provide "an online forum for Arlington residents to comment on each of the draft expansion scenarios." A general public meeting to present the final plan to the public is scheduled for June 27." The draft report could be online as soon as today. 
• From the same article "The District will issue two requests for proposals in the coming weeks involving such sponsorship, which will include advertising opportunities on the backs of the bikes themselves and on station maps."
• 2nd Annual Ward 7 Transportation Summit is this Saturday. 
• "Buehler and Pucher report that bike commuting in cities with the most bike lanes per 100,000 residents was three to four times higher than in cities with the fewest, and twice as high in cities with the most bike paths. They also found three to four times more bike commuting in cities with the most combined path and lane mileage compared to those with the least."
• The Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) will honor James Oberstar with the Meritorious Service Award.