Monday Morning Commute - diaper bags

Good morning

• "The most common reason women give for not biking more is safety...Other concerns cited by female riders include fear of fast-moving traffic, the cost of bike gear and the time commitment. Women juggling kids, diaper bags and groceries are not likely to be riding bikes either, cyclists said."
• Capital Bikeshare expansion (and the M Street cycletrack) is one of the top 10 transportation stories to watch in 2013.
• Bike paths and pedestrian walkways are part of the plan for the New Carrollton Metro station development. I'm guessing something like this or this. 
• "A sign featuring an American Indian and a teepee, which originally marked the Wigwam restaurant and casino, was donated to Charles County government, which erected the sign in White Plains to direct visitors to the eastern end of the Indian Head Rail Trail, a walking and biking trail. It was installed in late December, and county workers will begin restoration work in the spring...The whole process cost about $7,000, cheaper than erecting a new, similar sign, he said. Funds for the project came from the proceeds of selling as scrap metal the steel from the railroad tracks that were torn up to build the trail."
• So, I guess the fallout for Lance Armstrong has been worse than I expected. "Now, after nearly three months without comment on the allegations, which also cost him lucrative sponsorships with Nike, Anheuser-Busch, Oakley and others, Armstrong apparently is interested in regaining the right to compete — if not in cycling, then in triathlon, a sport that has upheld the ban against him taking part in sanctioned meets." The Justice Department is considering suing him for $99 million. "Regardless of the Justice Department’s decision regarding the whistleblower suit, Armstrong  likely faces a host of lawsuits seeking repayment of his winnings, as well as possible perjury charges, having testified in 2006 that he competed drug-free to collect $7.5 million from a Texas indemnity company as a bonus, with interest, for having won five consecutive Tour de France titles."

Comments

[BlooEyedDevil]

Nice article on how Capital Bikeshare came about (apologies if this has already been shared):

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/doers/2013/01/capital_bikeshare_how_paul_demaio_gabe_klein_adrian_fenty_and_other_dc_leaders.html

[T]

The M Street Cycletrack may well radically change the dynamic of those riding in as it opens up that whole east/west. Those of us already riding don't care about being in the road, but everyone who asks me about biking is always worried about traveling in the street. Many have said if they could use cycletracks 90% of the time they're commuting than they would make the commutes. It's more perception, but hey, if it drives reality than great.

[MM]

I'm sure Lance has plenty of money to pay off any potential lawsuits over his winnings/bonuses, given his lucrative sponsorship deals over the years. However, paying out tens of millions of dollars and facing a perjury charge is a big hit just so he can do some sanctioned triathlons. Seems like one of those cases where he either has a really good lawyer, or a really bad lawyer.

[Tara]

I'd be interested to see where WABA is getting their idea that there's a gender disparity. Does it take into account age? On the segment of my commute between Columbia Heights and downtown, half, if not more, of the cyclists are young women. On Rock Creek and Capital Carescent trails on the weekends, women are also well represented.

I'd also like to imagine a world where both women and men are concerned about how best to schlep their diaper bags and infants on their bikes.

[SJE]

I have schlepped kids and diaper bags on a bike, using a trailer.

[MM]

@Tara

IIRC the gender metrics come from both surveys and actual observations by DDOT when they do bike counts. So I'd say the numbers probably are solid. In the city, the gender gap isn't as noticeable, but outside the core and particularly into the suburbs, women are much more scarce. I'd wager that the numbers really start to skew once commuting distances get over 5 miles or so, but that's based solely on my observations when I lived in DC and now as I'm living in ArlCo...so I could be way off.

[SJE]

I would guess that three factors that inhibit women from biking are already being addressed by WABA under improving cycling for all.
1. Safety. Women are more risk averse than men. Improving safety helps everyone, but encourages women
2. Facilities. It takes women more time to get "done" for work. WABA is promoting showers etc.
3. Macho bike culture. WABA and others have quietly emphasized how bike can just be a normal activity. You don't have to be triathlete on a 6K carbon frame.

[Kolohe]

"I'd also like to imagine a world where both women and men are concerned about how best to schlep their diaper bags and infants on their bikes."

It's why I wish CaBi has two bungee cords on each basket vice one.

[Michael H.]

Re Lance, I don't think it's so much about his lawyer as it is his stubbornness. Sometimes a client just won't listen to the advice of his attorneys. Plus he's probably bored by not being able to compete at something.

While I think the situation is complicated (and I do think he doped), I don't think USA Triathlon will let him compete in Ironman events in the future. He will have to settle for unsanctioned races like the recent Half Full Triathlon in Ellicott City, MD. The 70.0 race was unsanctioned (while the non-standard Olympic distance was USAT-sanctioned) to allow Armstrong to participate.

But will they do it again next October? Maybe, maybe not.

[Crikey7]

I'm on board with T. I can take or leave cycletracks and bike lanes, but I recognize I represent a subset of the biking population that will grow in numbers, but only so much. The real growth area for cycling is those people who find dedicated bike infrastructure far more inviting than mixing with traffic. Providing the infrastructure grows the base more than other factors.

[JeffB]

Count me on the other side. I've come to appreciate bike lanes and cycle tracks even though their application here has been less than optimum.

Human beings shouldn't have to compete with 4 tons of steel for road space.

[Paskey]

It is possible to site which make it easy to follow weblogs plus podcasts? I wouldn't have an ipod device, should this matter?