TheWashCycle

Friday Morning Commute - Heart like a wheel

Happy equinox

• The Assault of Bicyclists Prevention Act of 2011 was introduced on Tuesday. And you can help get it passed by following the link and reporting any personal assault experiences.
• Could the Capital Bikeshare expansion be paid for with advertising revenue? "Chris Holben, the program's project manager for DDOT, said Capital Bikeshare is currently looking into ways to change how operating costs are met. One solution: A systemwide sponsorship "similar to the naming rights of a stadium." It might, Holben said....While the idea has yet to be formally proposed and no company has been approached, Holben said, "it could be [the company's] name on every bike, the website, the color scheme of the brand." That means the bikes' iconic red color might be abandoned."
• Also, a Bikeshare station tech helps to rescue someone's stolen bike. Has a zipcar employee ever recovered your stolen car?
• The 50 States Ride is tomorrow. I will not be going, but I will yell at you as you ride by my house.
• Bike to school day is October 5th.
• The women's heart health foundation and Vida Fitness are sponsoring an indoor bike riding event, Bike for the Heart, on October 15th.
• NPR's Brian Naylor rides around DC with Andy Clarke to discuss the federal Transportation Enhancement program. And they also did a related story on Complete Streets. 
• What if DC were really car-free for a day?
• "In 1897, it was another sport that drew crowds: bicycle racing. There were racing teams and leagues in big cities. The bicycle enthusiasts in Frederick, with such a fine facility as Athletic Park, decided to hold three days of racing at the park."
• Portland is starting to see "bicycle-oriented development."
• Biking is up in most cities, but not in the southeast or southwest. When I was in Vegas, it really did not look bike friendly (but we didn't leave the strip). 
• Not many numbers in this alarming story about how expensive rebalancing is in Montreal.
• I too prefer panniers to a messenger bag and enjoy a good kickstand, but regular readers know that I think bells are less than necessary. If I really need to warn you, I'll yell.

Sharing the Road replies

The Post published several letters in response to their editorial "Bicyclists are welcome in D.C., but they, too, should obey the law."

The first was last week and in it the authors asked if cyclists were welcome on the streets, where are our cycletracks? It went on to say that cyclists don't always feel welcome.

The other day, a woman in an SUV got behind us on Connecticut Avenue and began insistently beeping. When you are on two wheels and are being threatened by two tons of steel, it is more than a little intimidating. It was a beautiful day in front of the zoo, and the foot traffic on the sidewalk was such that even pedestrians had difficulty getting through. We asked the woman why she was beeping. Her response: “You were in the street.” When we asked where she expected us to ride, she drove off.

The rest all ran yesterday. The first of these is from a woman who feels that cyclists too often fail to signal when passing a pedestrian.

While some bicyclists do ring their bells soon enough for me to get out of the way, far too many do not. Some think a muttered “on your left” as they pass is sufficient — but if I do hear them, again it is too late to react. There is no place where pedestrians are safe from bicycles — on the streets, sidewalks or even off-road paths.

In the bicycle-pedestrian relationship, the walker is the one likely to come out the loser. The headline said it all: Let’s share the streets and walkways.

I'm not sure exactly what Ms. Hadary thinks she has to do to "react" to a passing cyclist. If a cyclist is doing it right, she shouldn't have to react at all. The only time when a bell is even useful is when a pedestrian might suddenly move into your path, and they're capable of hearing you (not wearing headphones). I have a bell, and I use it on the trails - largely for my own safety - but it is odd to imagine this rule applied to drivers who had to honk every time they were about to pass a car (I know, drivers have rear view mirrors so honking isn't necessary, but I hate it when cars honk before passing me on my bike). On her second point, about walker being "the one" who is likely to come out the loser - I'm not sure that's true. I've only seen one slow speed bike-ped crash and the cyclist ended up with an injured wrist. I'd guess the most likely outcome is two losers.

The second letter is from someone sporting the windshield perspective.

I’m more than happy to share the road — with those who obey the law.

So that would leave the roads in the DC area to krickey and an old woman who lives in Alexandria. Everyone else, hit the showers. The irony is that not sharing the road is illegal.

The next one is about a good driver-cyclist interaction

I had a bad bike accident on Massachusetts Avenue that was caused by the handlebars snapping off. A motorist whose name I never got immediately stopped, checked my condition, called an ambulance, waited until it arrived and carried my wrecked bike to my home in her car.

The overwhelming majority of drivers are respectful of cyclists and it's good to know that their are good people out there.

The last letter, well, you've really already read it. But I failed to mention in both my post and the letter that the fault analysis includes child cyclists, which is also likely to tilt blame towards cyclists.