May 2012 DC BAC meeting notes

The highlight of the May BAC meeting wsa the attendance of DDOT Director Terry Bellamy, which I believe is a first for the Committee. 

http://dcbac.blogspot.com/2012/05/bi-monthly-dcbac-meeting.html

The meeting started with a presentation by the Green Lane Project, an initiative of Bikes Belong. They're focused on adding protected bike facilities (Cycletracks, separated bike lanes etc... which they're putting under the umbrella of "Green Lanes" even though they recognize that not all of them are painted green). There are about 50 such projects in ~20 different cities.

During the discussion, Bellamy said that directors of transportation nationwide are talking about cycling more and more. That DDOT is trying to tie the investment on trails to on-street facilities like protected bike lanes. The reduction in federal funding for bicycling and transit is a step in the wrong direction, as he sees it.

There was also a discussion of what kinds of vehicles green bike lanes were meant for, and project representatives said it was mainly for bicycles, but that over time that may need to be expanded.

Safety Committee - The safety committee focused on crash reporting. Changes to the crash form could help with reporting, but this requires federal clearance.

The MPD representative said that police do ride the cycle tracks and enforce violations. They're trying to use more social media to show enforcement against all users. They're also trying to inves more resources in traffic enforcement, which is funded by DDOT. In April they wrote 723 citations to cyclists. Ward 7 has been doing enforcement at least once a week.  

Facilities Committee - The committee when for a ride on Rhode Island Ave and identified sevearl problems. For one, in the summertime, trees hang below street lights and block out the light at night. There's also poor lighting under the CSX bridge. There is a peristent problem with right turning slip lanes that are unsafe for cyclists and pedestrians. Newton Street, the last residential street before entering Maryland, has an unsafe pedestrian crossing near the assisted living center. MPD was well aware of the crossing and how difficult it is. It was recognized by the BAC that Rhode Island is an efficient a direct route for cyclists and so it should be a high priority for improvements including better destination signage. 

Legislative Committee - DDOT's bicycle team met with the Department of General Services to discuss the Bicycle Commuter Act and getting the city in compliance with it. The Act requires that facitilies have adequate parking and a 2010 report showed that 94% did not. They laid out a strategy for compliance wherein they would start with schools and move on to other facilities. This will be a effort using DGS money, but DDOT will help since they have experience with bike rack installation

Comments

[T]

In all of my time cycling, I have yet to see a single DC MPD Officer in the cycletrack lanes. If they did, then they would be spending a ton of time fining motorists running red lights, cutting off people, and otherwise doing assenine things like blocking the box. (And yes, they would nab a few cyclists for running reds too).

I have seen an officer on bike patrol a few times in upper Ward 4 and once near Brookland. So it's true that they do have bike officers, but downtown, no chance. Now the Secret Service agents do ride bikes and do use the cycletracks on occassion, but they're generally courteous and they don't write tickets.

[MM]

While I appreciate MPD bike officers' ability to patrol for street crime and such, I question their effectiveness for traffic enforcement. I mean, other than flagging you down, there is little they can do to compel someone to pull over and it's not like they have much ability to chase down a car who doesn't comply.

Now, if they were equipped HD GoPros and could use those sort of like red light cams, then I think they could be awesome. The officer would just note the time of the offense, then go through footage of their ride to the timestamp, pull screenshots with license plates, and send tickets. May be somewhat time consuming, but if they focused on only certain types of infractions (#stoputurnsonpenn), it wouldn't be too bad.

[washcycle]

MM, they can call other officers in cars if someone decides to go Dukes of Hazard on them.

[Greenbelt]

For those of us not keen on Rhode Island Ave, the Met Branch/Monroe/Newton/18th Street/Varnum Street route to Maryland and connections to the NW and NE Branch trails is a good option in my opinion. Sometimes dubbed the "flat" route by locals. (Actually "flatter than some of the alternatives" would be more apt.)

[oboe]

@MM,

You are a genius. Get Mayor Wells on this immediately.

:)