Thursday Morning Commute - Runnel

Happy Groundhog Day

• New stairs at the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station include a bike channel or a runnel (new term for me). This staircase is external to Metro, but I think cyclists are banned from using stairs in Metro. "The staircase reopens a pedestrian connection from the station to the south side of Rhode Island Avenue, and makes it easier for customers to bring a bicycle as well."
• CaBi's website has a new look. The station map now has a yellow icon for new stations.
• 14th Street could get better defined bike lanes and more CaBi.
• Phoenix bikes is hiring a new Executive Director.
• Not to get too excited, but US DOT announced a $500M fourth round of TIGER funding. In the past three rounds, the DC area has sought money for bike projects and each time been rejected. Perhaps we should zag when they zig and not ask for any money so that then they'll give it to us? No word on whether or not MWCOG will be submitting a proposal and if so what for. 
• The Streetcar Land Use Study (page 38) includes some consideration of bicyclists and the conflict between them and the streetcars as well as the tracks. "Several options are available to mitigate potential conflict. One-way streets can accommodate bicycle lanes on one side of the street and streetcar tracks on the other. Alternately, bike routes can be designated on streets parallel to streetcar routes. In addition, several cities have developed coordinated lane markings for bikes and streetcars that could serve as models for the District."
• Critical vote today could preserve the main source federal funding for biking and walking (though the idea that it will "save biking and walking" is perhaps a bit overstated. Win or lose, people will still bike and walk).

Comments

[Michael H.]

I think MWCOG and local jurisdictions should offer to give money TO US DOT as part of the TIGER funding. I figure that will guarantee that MWCOG becomes one of the largest recipients of money in the 4th round.

[Crickey7]

Any truth to the rumor I just made up that runnels will be installed on the Dupont Circle South escalators?

[ontarioroader]

I heard [as in also just made up] the rumor that they will instead be installing bike-escalators:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aEjQhKKjVU

[Jim T]

The amendment to the highway bill that was defeated only preserves funding for enhancements in states that don't want to spend money on such facilities. I think that there is a pretty good chance that DC and MD will continue to spend the same amount of funds on bike-ped as before whether or not TE is scrapped. With DC and MD getting 33 and 34% increases in federal funding (exceeded only by Kansas) I'd say it is reasonably to expect a comparable increase in bike-ped spending in MD and DC. (Even VA gets a 13% increase).

I'm sure that some worthy bike-ped projects will be lost in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, and West Virginia. Still, considering that this is the house bill, it seems as if some of the "blue states" do ok.

[washcycle]

Jim, I wish I were as optimistic as you. As it is, DC often sends back unspent TE money as part of recissions, so they aren't spending the full mandate NOW. If the mandate goes away, I'm not so sure spending doesn't change.

[Jim Titus]

Maryland rescissions of TE have generally been a pro-rata share of all funding. Are DC rescissions disproportionate?

[washcycle]

Not sure. Another question is does either state every spend MORE than the mandate on bike funding? If not then it's hard to believe that funding won't go down without it.

[Jim T]

Maryland spends 4 times the minimum. Most money comes from localities but for our purposes here, that's beside the point. The minimum is for locals to match every federal dollar with 25 cents of state and local money (the so-called 80/20 formula). But Maryland requires a 50/50 match, so each federal dollar is matched with a dollar of local money (though sometimes they do play games by how spending is defined). Maryland also puts some of its own transportation money into bike-ped, the state complete streets projects do not come out of the enhancements but are just part of the cost of a project. While its too bad that the ICC only had 40% of the planned trail, the $35 million cost came from regular highway funds. Then Secretary Flanagan told me that if MoCo wanted to fund the rest of the trail using a combination of local money and federal enhancements, he would make that happen.

[Jim T]

As a PS, my main reason for relative optimism is the 35% funding increase. When there is extra money, bike-ped tends to flourish; when there is less than it languishes. At some point we need to get into the weeds to learn why DC and MD get so much more money with the House formula.