TheWashCycle

NPS to host meeting on Anacostia Park Plan

They write

The National Park Service (NPS) is initiating a Management Plan/Environmental Assessment (plan/EA) for Anacostia Park and would like your help in charting a course for the future management of the park. You are invited to participate in a public process to determine the potential alternative uses of the park, issues to be addressed, and impacts that need to be analyzed in this process. 

Anacostia Park has numerous opportunities to showcase urban environmental management and civic engagement. In recent years the Anacostia River and adjacent park lands have been the focus of public and governmental attention, resulting in improved access, new recreational facilities, and opportunities to improve lingering environmental issues. We need a framework for the park to help the NPS make decisions about the issues and concerns confronting Anacostia Park, ensure that park resources are preserved, and provide a diversity of quality visitor experiences.

A broad spectrum of visitor use is seen in the areas within Anacostia Park. Recently different uses and recreational opportunities have been enhanced through trail construction and river access. What other developments or opportunities should be provided for visitors to use and experience the park recreational, educational and open space?

The meeting is on the 27th at 5:00pm at the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum.

Wednesday Evening Shelter in Place - Rastro

I suspect that most of you didn't go to work, but I did.  And I didn't bike either. So, that stinks twice.

• WABA testifies at the DDOT oversight hearing. Bike lanes and cycletracks are nice, but we need more progress on trails. 
• The new FBI building might be trail oriented development. The Anacostia Riverwalk Trail would stay outside the security perimeter, and one would hope it would involve a really great bike room. 
• Oh man, new Business idea. Buy up old vans, gut them and turn them into mobile containers. Sell them to DC residents and count your money. [The vans would have to be able to pass inspection and you'd need to register them for plates, but it still may be worth it] I can see a "Markets in Everything" post on this at Marginal Revolution. 
• Bike crashes in Fairfax County mapped out.
• Mountain biking in Rosaryville State Park. 
• Local group Black Women Bike DC takes center stage at the Bike Summit which is going on this week. Unfortunately, the snow is making it difficult to advocate.

Monday Morning Commute - No Bags

Good morning

• One cyclist left their Go-getter bike bag on their bike while they visited the Library of Congress and House office buildings. Capitol Police treated it as a bomb threat and mutilated it. "I couldn’t help myself and I said holy crap that’s a $150 bag. They offered me no sympathy and told me I shouldn’t leave a bag on the bike near the Capitol buildings or anywhere around DC." So if you're coming to the bike summit this week, keep that in mind. 
• More development coming along the ART.
• If the Purple Line, and thus the extended CCT, is built, there will be less development along it in the Chevy Chase Lake area. In the image below, you can see the trail and it's bridge over Conn Ave on the north side of the Purple Line. And, in other Purple Line/CCT news, silver spring trails explains why the project doesn't need a Health Impact Assessment. 
• At a recent Alexandria Traffic Board Hearing, T&ES staff requested approval to remove one car parking space on King Street to allow for the installation of a bike corral with space for 8 bikes. "T&ES staff has coordinated with the Old Town Civic Association and key businesses located at the intersection of King Street and Union Street. None of the businesses that were contacted posed an objection to the removal of the parking space, and many noted that they believed the additional bicycle parking would bring more business to their establishments."
• Council Staff on the need for automatic points in car collisions with cyclists: "Currently, there is no fine or penalty for a driver who collides with a bicyclist. If a driver collides with a cyclist as a result of violating traffic laws, e.g. failure to yield, the driver is only cited for the underlying infraction. Certain traffic offenses against pedestrians are currently singled out for enhanced penalties where the same offenses against bicycles are treated identically to an offense between two cars. While it is often desirable to treat cars and bikes equally under the law, the vulnerability of cyclists to collisions with cars warrants increased penalties. This bill is necessary in order to create more severe penalties for drivers who hit cyclists and to eliminate ambiguity surrounding who should be cited for which violations in the event of a collision. Under current District law, hitting a cyclist does not amount to an offense beyond any other moving violation that led to the collision. With respect to cyclists, the practice of citing drivers for the infraction that caused the accident is insufficient for several reasons. MPD has a questionable history when it comes to properly citing drivers involved in accidents with cyclists. In some instances MPD ticketed the cyclist who was hit by a car, even though hitting a cyclist would seem to be a prima facie violation of the 3-foot passing requirement. Additionally, even when MPD does properly cite a driver who hits a cyclist, the penalty may be minimal. District law already has a citable offense for colliding with a pedestrian. This amendment would simply put cyclists on par with other vulnerable road users."
• I think I missed this article when it came out. There's nothing new in it if you follow the blog, but it's a pretty good summary of the status and recent history of bicycle transportation in DC. 
• The helmet challange - ask your helmet-law advocate to take it. Brilliant.
• Richard Layman disagrees with the analysis of "why cyclists enrage drivers" from BBC futures. While I agree with him that drivers aren't morally superior, I do think that part of the explanation is that cyclists break rules that drivers hold above the law - like cutting in line (even though that isn't really what's happening) and not running red lights from a stop. It's the "rules" that cyclists break that make them angry, even when not an actual law or rule (like riding in the street or on the sidewalk). But other violations, like riding without a headlight, almost never seem to get mentioned, even though it's much more dangerous.  
• Starting this week, a long stretch of the W&OD trail ( from Shirlington in Arlington County, all the way to the western town limit of Herndon in Fairfax County) will be open for extended hours - from 5am to 9pm - as part of a pilot program. 
• National Transportation Safety Board, not so interested in bike/ped safety. 

Chevy Chase Lake Site Plan

Southeast Boulevard and Barney Circle Redesign

DDOT hosted a scoping meeting last night on the redesign of Southeast Boulevard and Barney Circle. 

In addition to the unintentionally hilarious image above, DDOT presented three concepts for the area which I have photographed with the usual lack of skill that regular readers have come to expect. 

The above shows the basic idea for Barney Circle. The blue lines are the sidepaths. All around the circle are controlled intersections so that cyclists and pedestrians could move around the circle. Everything is still wide open at this point so the consultants that I talked to were open to the idea of using the eastbound tunnel as a bicycle underpass from the southside trail to the eastside one, and/or keeping the westbound tunnel open for the same purpose. Pushing the trail across the circle seems unlikely at this point.

This shows the basic idea for two of the three concepts. Southeast Boulevard would either be close to L like this, slightly farther away or in a 3rd concept much farther away without connections to 13th, 14th and 15th. These two concepts give cyclists more connections, but for those using the north side path, it also means more at grade crossings.

It was unclear how fast traffic would move on SE Blvd and thus how safe it would be for cyclists in the road. It was also unclear why the road would need to be four lanes, or if it could be just two. 

The people I talked to were open to the idea of a pedestrian bridge over the RR tracks somewhere around 14th Street that would give a better connection to the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail.

The design will leave some extra land between the CSX tracks and L street. One idea is to raise the street on a deck and build bus parking or a bus transfer area under the deck. From a biking standpoint this would add some at-grade crossings but otherwise be a non-event.

 

Monday Afternoon Ride - First in Peace

It's not "President's Day" it's "George Washington's Birthday." We aren't honoring John Tyler and Richard Nixon.

• There's going to be a public meeting at Payne Elementary School on Thursday night about turning the Southeast Freeway into Southeast Boulevard and about the new Barney Circle. They will certainly be talking about the new trail that will be built alongside the boulevard. 
• The MBT 5K is scheduled for May.
• Changes at Ft. Myer dealing with access go into effect today. "The Wright Gate, located at the intersection of North Meade Street and Marshall Drive, will now close to visitors from 6 to 11 p.m. each day. During those hours, only those holding Department of Defense identification will be able to use that gate." This is in response to budget issues that arise from no longer allowing private security guards to man the gates. Hatfield Gate and Henderson Hall Gate will remain open, so cyclists may be able to go around the south side of the cemetery and fort if they are coming home late. 
• Frederick, MD has apporved creation of a new Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. "The committee is a more permanent version of the ad hoc committee created in 2010, which helped Frederick earn the bronze-level designation as a Bicycle Friendly Community last year from the League of American Bicyclists."
• A British couple who were biking around the world and blogging about it were killed in a crash in Thailand. They were hit by a pickup truck in a province east of Bangkok, Thai police said Monday. "Thai Police Lt. Col. Supachai Luangsukcharoen said Monday that investigators found their bodies, their bicycles and their belongings scattered along a roadside, along with a pickup truck that crashed between some trees.  Supachai said the truck driver, 25-year-old Worapong Sangkhawat, was seriously injured in the crash. He told police his truck hit the cyclists as he was reaching down to pick up a cap from the vehicle’s floor, Supachai said.The driver has been released on bail and faces charges of causing death by dangerous driving, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail."

Wednesday Evening Commute- Unhappy Grover

Good evening

• A woman in NE DC was sexually assaulted by a man riding a bicycle. 
• Brian McEntee of Tales from the Sharrows writes the definitive argument for why the Near SE section of the ART though the Navy Yard and Yards Park should be open to biking. In the interim, I say just ignore the rules and ride it when you want to. No one enforces it because no one really cares. 
• Virginia Senate votes to raise the gas tax and tie it to inflation. In addition "The plan would impose a statewide 1 percent sales tax on wholesale fuel and allow the state to raise that sales tax by 1 percent if Congress fails to pass legislation allowing Virginia to collect sales taxes on Internet sales....the Senate bill would increase the vehicle registration fee by $15." Not only would the plan make driving more expensive, but it would also provide more money for transportation. 

Wednesday Afternoon Commute - altruistic punishment

Good afternoon. 

• The WeMoveDC Idea Exchange was last Saturday. There is some coverage from the BAC, WABA and GGW. 
• The Navy Yard section of the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail is open again. Biking is still not allowed. 
• Mayor Gray won't rule out a congestion tax. "It's a possibility. I wouldn't rule it out," Gray says. "I haven't considered it yet. I know they do that in London where you can't go into certain areas of the city with a car without paying. But I don't think we're at that point yet." Such a move could really make bicycling a more appealing option to a lot of people. 
• I failed to mention this from the helmet article yesterday " This session, another bill would open up sidewalks to cyclists to give the road-shy a place to pedal, said Del. Aruna Miller, a Montgomery Democrat. But cyclists oppose that measure, too, in the name of promoting driver awareness of cyclists." Whoa. Did not know about that. Which cyclists oppose making sidewalk cycling legal? Is that a WABA or BikeMaryland position?
• "Completion of the last missing piece of a trail network connecting Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., will be celebrated at a June 15 event in West Homestead and at the Point in Downtown Pittsburgh." So I definitely think this should also be celebrated here in DC. Perhaps in Georgetown. I don't know who should organize it (WABA or the C&O Canal group or DDOT or who?) But they didn't just celebrate the Chunnel opening in England.
• Why driver's hate cyclists (one theory): they're perceived as rule-breaking free riders "Then along come cyclists, innocently following what they see are the rules of the road, but doing things that drivers aren't allowed to: overtaking queues of cars, moving at well below the speed limit or undertaking on the inside."
• "the League does not support mandatory helmet laws because of the many potential unintended consequences". And MoBike weighs in on the law as well.
• National bike advocates want the President to appoint a secretary of transportation who supports cycling as much as Ray Lahood does. 

Thursday Morning Commute - 1990 is going to be awesome

Good afternoon

• DC to crack down on Pennsylvania Avenue U-turns across the cycle-track (which are illegal). 
• Why one VA State legislator opposes the 3 foot passing law. "But Senator and former state trooper Charles Carrico said narrow, two-lane country roads are also a problem. He said the bill would cause drivers who pass slower cyclists to inadvertently break the law by crossing the double-yellow line." Heaven forbid that they should inadvertenly break the law, when they could be legally endangering a cyclist instead. "The lane of travel on a two-lane highway is 11 feet, 6 inches. A normal vehicle is about 8 feet," Carrico says. "If you have a bicycle that's a foot wide and you got 3 feet, if you have a double-sided line, you have to cross the double-sided line to pass the bicycle, which, within the code, is illegal." OK. Well, another option would be not passing the cyclist and instead waiting for a time when it is both safe and legal.  But why tempt drivers with breaking the law? What he never talks about is safety. 
• Another piece on the Maryland mandatory helmet law. 
• WABA and Black Women Bike DC Formally Join Forces
• Politico has a story about how LaHood will be missed in bike community (but it's behind the paywall): http://politico.pro/WNZOkd. Meanwhile in a parting shot on LaHood, the Heritage Foundation criticizes the $10M TIGER grant DC received to connect the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail to the PG County Anacostia Trails. "TIGER grant projects do not necessarily provide cost-effective mobility or reduce traffic congestion. Some fiscal year 2012 grants went toward developing 4 miles of bicycle and walking paths in Washington, D.C." Of course, they mention neither the cost nor the expected effectiveness of the trail, but take their word for it - it's not cost effective. [While we're at it, the CA to Las Vegas train they hold up as a boondoggle has received no federal funding - but is seeking an FRA loan]
• Below are snips of the AA County Trail Map that's in the Draft AA County 2013 Land Preservation, Parks and Recreation Plan. It shows close ups on the South Shore/WB&A Trails and the Chesapeake Beach Rail Trail. Extending the CBRT from Chesapeake Beach is one goal of the town's mayor. 
• Someone actually wants to hear your commuting stories.
• In 1990, cities will have no cars (as predicted in 1968). "The 1-mile diameter of this supercity of the future would have bicycle paths, golf courses, parks, streams and lakes—and no automobiles. Barring autos from the center of cities is expected to be a growing trend by the 1980s. A major reason: to cut down on air pollution caused by exhaust fumes. A California official recently called for a ban on all gas-burning autos in the State by 1980."

Anne Arundel County - Proposed South Shore, WB&A and Broadneck Trails

Chesapeake Beach Railway Trail in AA County

Saturday Morning Ride - Crackdown

Good morning

• DC police crack down on pedestrians.
• Eastbound SE Freeway to close at the end of this month. This will make room for a new sidepath, among other things.  

Thursday Morning Commute - Facemask

Good morning

• Phase I of the Wharf, the SW Waterfront project that includes a new section of the Anacostia Waterfront Trail and other bike-friendly components, announced the approval of its Phase 1 Planned Unit Development (PUD) by the District of Columbia Zoning Commission. 
• Very old photo of the C&O Canal (and the towpath).
• Wearing a facemask while biking in the winter makes you a scofflaw cyclist. You're giving us all a bad name. 
• Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) will speak at the Bike Summit. 
• Following MAP-21 funding.