Monday Evening Commute - That's logistics

Good evening

• "The District’s long-planned expansion of Capital Bikeshare this fall has hit a snag because the city has been unable to get all of the needed equipment from its supplier, officials said Monday" 54 stations were supposed to be installed this fall, but most of them won't be. The problem is with Bixi. They've been receiving numerous large orders and simultaneously dealing with financial woes. "It’s unclear wether the demand from cities such as New York and Chicago could slow down expansion of Capital Bikeshare."
• Or "Sunnyside Avenue in PG County to get Bike Lanes." Another advantage of the new higher bridge is that it would make it easier to extend the Indian Creek Trail past Sunnyside Avenue. I suppose it could eventually go as far north as Ammendale Road. But still, it is hard to understand the reason for the shoulders. 
• There's a meeting on the Eastover/Forest Heights/Glassmanor Sector Plan next week. This is right along the DC/Maryland boundary in SE, where people using the Wilson Bridge pass through. If you're one of those people, this is a good meeting to attend. And there is also a community workshop on the Landover Metro Area and MD 202 sector plan. The transportation element of that does recognize a lack of bicycle facilities and the need for more. 
• If you're an Arlington resident (or even if you aren't), you can apply to be on the Multimodal Transportation and Student Safety Special Committee.
• Fairfax County is wrapping up its Countywide Bike Plan
• And Arlington has finished its Bikeshare Transit Development Plan (the drafts of which have been discussed in detail on this site.
• Armstrong likely to lose his bronze medal too. Expect to see a tweeted photo of it soon. 

Comments

[charlie]

adding to the mystery is NYC's claim that they didn't "own" the storm damaged bicycles and docks. Warehouses of them.

I smell a major insurance claim.

[SJE]

If NYC is trying to pass the buck to Bixi, that would be a big blow to the company.

[charlie]

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Hurricane+Sandy+damages+Bixisupplied+bikes+York+City/7573038/story.html

"In August, then-mayor Gérald Tremblay told a city council meeting that 3,500 bikes had been delivered and paid for by New York, with another 3,5000 to be shipped and paid for within weeks.

However, a New York official told the New York Times last week that the city does not own the bikes."

[turtleshell]

It is really disappointing to read how messed up the bikeshare contracts are. It might be a while before DC gets any new bikes or docks.

On the plus side its nice to see DC is not directly involved in NY or Chicago's contract questions. At least we have enough bikes in operation to prove the system is viable.

[Greenbelt]

Greenbelt and Beltsville residents are concerned that the Sunnyside widening project is just the first of many attempts to criss-cross the USDA farm area with highways. Sad, since this is one of the few amazingly scenic ride locations nearby, and also a very pleasant place to drive a car, actually. Traffic is usually light, the speed limits are moderate (although now always obeyed), the shoulders are decent in most places, and it's really just a great overall amenity to have some lighly developed, no traffic sewer or strip despoiled places near the beltway. It certainly is a boon for property values and the general attractiveness of our area. Unless the highway department gets its way, of course... The road to slums and neighborhood death is paved with highway department schemes to speed up traffic...

[SJE]

I fear that a failure of Alta/Bixi, leading to problems with CaBi, would be bad for our efforts to make biking more accepted and respected. Its not just CaBi, but the message that it sends: bikes require subsidies, the business model doesnt work, its not a real mode of transit etc. Its just food for the haters.

[JJJJJ]

The bikeshare people have been pretty good at winning contracts they can't deliver on. Hasnt hurt their business though. When one city sees them missing goals in all their other cities, they ignore it and sign up anyway.

[SJE]

Yep. While the failures of the bike share people SHOULDNT be a basis to complain about cyclists, we know it will. Its sickening.

[Michael H.]

Of course we know that other modes of transportation are always profitable. I mean, look at General Motors. Never had a single hiccup in their existence... er, uh, never mind.

But there's Chrysler. Never had the slightest financial problem in their long history... ummm, oh yeah. That whole bankruptcy thing again.

But no American car companies have ever failed. I mean, that's if you ignore all of those that did.