Monday Morning Commute - Pigs on Wheels

Yesterday I was riding my bike and a driver pulled up next to me at a red light when I kind of thought they should wait behind me, but otherwise I didn't think much of it until he rolled down his window. "Oh brother, here it comes," I thought to myself. And then he asked "Would you like me to ride behind you for the next few blocks for safety?" It was really very nice. Unnecessary, but gracious. Good cycling moment. So I gave him the finger (I'm joking)*

• This, in Old Town "A local resident was lurking on the corner, harassing and physically assaulting any cyclist who did not happen to put their foot down and come to a complete stop at the intersection. The resident was jumping out in front of cyclists in a dangerous and aggressive — as well as illegal — manner. The police arrived, but the resident went into hiding after changing his clothes. Seeing the officer coming, he would not answer his door when the officer knocked."
• "The existing Southgate Road would be realigned to the western edge of the Navy Annex site to maintain appropriate access to Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, while directly linking the Navy Annex site to the existing Arlington National Cemetery grounds.  Engineering and design work must be completed to determine the exact location for a realigned Columbia Pike and the parties must work out the exact acreage and parcels to be exchanged."
• Meanwhile, on the other side of the Pentagon, VDOT is taking public comment on a proposed design for the reconstruction of the Washington Blvd bridge over 110. "it includes a 14-foot shared-use path on the east side, and an eight-foot sidewalk on the west side. Not only is the trail side widened, but there is a physical barrier added between the path and car traffic. The VDOT project page doesn't mention it, but I believe the "lengthening" of the bridge mentioned will also help provide additional space for the long-mired 110 trail." [See image above] I used to bike this route all the time, and this will be a big improvement.
• The Trolley Trail and where it will run becomes a sticking point for the Cafritz property in Riverdale Park.
• “Five years ago, I don’t think businesspeople were even thinking about bikes as a part of business. Today it’s definitely part of the discussion.” He notes that Accenture recently relocated their Boston and Washington, D.C. offices from suburbs to the city to offer employees better opportunities for biking, walking, and transit....Leinberger marvels at how bicycles are changing Washington, D.C., where he lives. “Bikes have been a critical part of D.C.’s turnaround. They are putting in protected bike lanes, which does a lot more to encourage riding than just a white line of paint between people and a one-ton vehicle.” Ellen Jones, director of D.C.’s Downtown Business Improvement District, agrees. “It’s just crazy how biking has taken off here, especially the new bikeshare system which a lot of people are using for commuting,” she said. We spoke after she returned from an appointment with managers of a high-tech company wanting to rent an old warehouse downtown. “A lot of their employees bike to work and they were concerned about whether they could easily get their bicycles upstairs. When bicycling is part of the final decision on where a company relocates, then we know its impact.”
• New Obama Chief of Staff might be a bike commuter. "The 6-foot-3 McDonough often plays basketball with the president and, Bloomberg notes, he usually rode his bike from his home in Tacoma Park, Md., to work until a recent accident."
• Another story on DDOT's new Douglass Bridge plan. Nothing really new here. 
• How some non-cyclists see us. 
• In LA, a cyclist is left in the road by a hit-and-run driver. When the police fail to help him, he tracks the guy down on his own. And in keeping with cliche's, he was a lobbyist.

*I once asked my British roommate what was the weirdest thing she'd noticed about Americans that she didn't expect and she said it was that immediately after making a joke like this, they say "nah, just kidding" or something. Brits, she claimed, never do this.

Comments

[Michael H.]

Pleasantly surprised to hear that, despite the recent gas tax-sales tax proposal in Virginia, that new transportation projects in Arlington will improve cycling routes. In addition to the Wash. Blvd. bridge over Rte. 110, there's the reconstruction of the Wash. Blvd. bridge over Columbia Pike and the intersections of Rte. 50/10th St./Courthouse Rd.

The gas tax proposal is still a problem, but at least in the near future, VDOT is including bike routes for the major rebuilding projects in Arlington.

[Ren]

I saw a guy riding on 395 this morning. He passed me going past the Pentagon, and was making much better time. I finally caught up to him going over the river. (I was driving but I have a good excuse.) My passenger got a good pic.

[Chris Slatt]

RE: Southgate Road, this might be an excellent time to remind the Arlington County Board that the old Southgate Road was an important Bike Route used to avoid biking that section of Columbia Pike and any re-configuration of Columbia Pike in that area should be used as an opportunity to add high quality bike facilities (ideally a cycle-track or buffered bike lanes - not just a sidepath)

countyboard@arlingtonva.us

[me]

"lobbiest"?

[Crikey7]

I find people trying to be helpful to be more dangerous than those who don't. Predictability is a virtue, and "helpful" drivers do unpredictable things.

[T]

He rode from Tacoma... that's a really long commute! I nominate him for commuter of the millenium. I suspect they meant Takoma.

[Kolohe]

the Pearls Before Swine comic theme is a long standing in joke between Pastis and Jef Mallett (who does Frazz); every 6 months or so, they do something like this and troll (successfully) the entire internet.

[Anonymous]

Thanks so much for posting the news about the Route 27 bridge over 110, as well as the VDOT email address. I just sent my comments to VDOT. I will be so happy to have the multi-use path separated by a physical barrier. That section always freaks me out a bit, especially heading south at night when the headlights of oncoming traffic look like they're coming straight at you.

[JimT]

I wonder whether the gracious driver made the offer because of the fog? Monday was a good day to have tail lights > 150 lumends.

[Bill Walsh]

The story of the driver's offer reminds me of the time a few weeks ago when a cabbie next to me at Sixth and Pennsylvania rolled down his window to ask about my helmet cam. He seemed genuinely interested and supportive, which was downright heartwarming.