Friday Morning Commute - GPS-tagged

Good morning.

• There's a must read article in the Hill Rag on bike theft. "The reports of stolen bikes fell marginally from 1835 in 2011 to 1797 in 2012. Arrests for bike theft increased from 65 in 2011 to 98 in 2012. Arrests for receiving stolen bikes, so-called ‘fencing,’ increased from 32 in 2011 to 36 in 2012....The US Attorney is not interested in prosecuting bicycle theft, stated one DC Council source. Very few of the cases that the MPD brings to them are pursued. As a result, the police are reluctant to waste time chasing bike thieves." It's a good read throughout. 
• Mystery Incorporated had new maps. One is of Arlington bike crash locations, which shows them clustered along Columbia Pike, Wilson, Fairfax, Washignton and Glebe; and causes "The action field for vehicle #2 is “No Improper Action” 83% of the time". The other shows bike sharing trips in Montreal. 
• An update on Maryland bike-relevant legislation. Top of the list is the transportation funding and spending bill. 

Comments

[M.V. Jantzen]

I think it was back in '93 that a guy stole a wheel from my bike, which was parked on a street on the Natl Mall. I saw him running away and got the attention of nearby cops who easily apprehended him. A few weeks later, I got a call from the US Attorney's office, asking if I wouldn't mind dropping charges, because they were busy, and if they prosecuted the bike thief, then that meant that people who had committed more serious crimes might go free, or something like that. I reluctantly agreed to let them drop charges, sadly. (It was a federal charge because it happened on federal land.)

[Read Scott Martin]

Broken-windows ignorance.

[Daniel]

Interesting how the Arlington crash map makes an argument for complete streets. The accidents all seem to be along the major streets. I see plenty of commuters (myself included) working complete streets from Shirlington to the orange line and there are few to no accidents along that route (some at major street crossings).