Thursday Night Commute - Zaminer

Getting this out very late.

• So, did everybody see the Examiner story? The story itself isn't terrible, though it's got its flaws and doesn't really represent the world I live in.
  • "The increasing popularity of biking is giving drivers and cyclists a crash course in the rules -- fueling road rage and leaving both sides scared, annoyed and angry." I actually think things have gotten steadily better over the last decade, and those emotions are nothing new.
  • Saying that county roads are "clogged" with weekend cyclists is overstating it, to say the least.
  • It's unclear how valid DC's bike crash data is - reporting might just be up - so using it to show more conflict may not be accurate.
  • "Capital Bikeshare users cause the most problems, both groups say." According to whom? I thought we were all in agreement that it was the razor operators and segway drivers who were the real problems?
  • Mostly it feels like something someone threw together to meet a deadline.
  • But the real problem is the headline of the print edition "Motorists fuming as bicyclists pack roads; Everyone angry at clueless Bikeshare riders." which is over the top. DCist makes fun of it a bit here. The cover really does look like something you'd see on the Onion.
• Work begins on the new at-grade "Southeast Boulevard" that will replace the Freeway between 11th Street SE and Barney Circle. The project includes the creation of an "adjacent new multi-use trail to allow bicycle and pedestrian travel not currently possible in this area."
• Alexandria bike shops see Capital Bikeshare as a sales pitch for cycling and a good tool for making new bike advocates. “The person on the Bikeshare bike, they’re going to lobby for bike lanes or safer ways to commute and that helps our business as well,” Strang said. “What we’ve noticed … is the more assigned [bike lanes] we get on roads and the more bike specific trails we get, the more people who buy bikes and that’s what’s fueled our industry. That’s the goal: it’s introducing somebody to a bike who might otherwise not ever buy one....Even seemingly direct competitors like bicycle rental companies believe Bikeshare caters to a different costumer.”
• It's someone else's birthday.
• "Instead of staying at the scene, the prosecutor said, Mr. Clement paused his truck for just 30 seconds, pulled to the side of the road for another two minutes, and then drove away, ignoring a cacophony of honking horns and “horrific screams” as bystanders rushed to Ms. Dershowitz’s aid."
• The young people like biking. "Compared with previous generations, today's younger techies are less interested in owning cars and big houses. They prefer to live in central locations, where they can rent an apartment and use transit or walk or bike to work"
• "owing to extensive reporting by Mr. Hamilton’s co-author, Daniel Coyle, “The Secret Race” is much more than just one disgraced cyclist’s confessions and accusations."

Comments

[Read Scott Martin]

"Virginia gets more highway money? Virginia??!! [repeat as necessary]" Talk about your coals to Newcastle...

[Purple Eagle]

According to an NPR report this morning, DC and MD also got additional unspent transportation funds that had to be sent back from other states. The report indicated that VA would use the money to resurface interstate highways in the Richmond and Hampton Roads areas. There was no indication in the report of how the MD and DC money would be used.

[charlie]

The GF and I were talking about upgrading out bikes last night, but decided to spend the money on Bikesharing again (120 or 150 for two) rather than buying new bikes.

Accessory purchases have also dropped off. I looked at a new pannier, decided against it.

[Crikey7]

i got a good laugh out of the Examiner front page. Stay out of the comments section there, though--there are some seriously disturbed drivers in this area.

[MM]

I've watched enough movies to know that young people must've developed a special gene and/or chemical compound that makes them flock to cities and transit. I also know that there must be some way of harvesting this gene/compound, formulating a serum of some sort, and putting said serum in the water supply to transform all the old fogie suburbanites into hip urban dwellers.

Of course, attempting this almost guarantees that some sort of hero will arrive to ruin the plan, but I think it's worth a shot.

[NeilB]

It wasn't only the examiner that had a crazy comment section. On GGW's report on the wacky headlines there are over 100 comments, which can be summarized as:
1. Bikes present a greater danger to pedestrians than cars do.
2. Bikes impede traffic.
3. Bicyclists should be licensed.

[rootchopper]

Oh how I wish Virginia would use some of this money to install paved shoulders on its roadways.

[Ben]

@Crickey7 my favorite was the SUV driver who specifically pointed out he drove a hybrid. Like he gets brownie points for that or something?

[Crikey7]

I saw that, too. I don't think it came across quite the way he intended.