TheWashCycle

Saturday Morning Ride

The Ride of Silence is on Wednesday. Don't forget. And bring a friend.

RSVP for Meet the Met: Party on the Met Branch Trail on June 5th.

The Giro in DC gets influential criticism.

The American Council of Engineering Companies has named the Union Station Bike Station as a winner of a 2009-2010 Engineering Excellence Award.

We Love DC debunks some DC biking myths.

David Alpert on how the new Metro fares are core-centered

The peak of the peak also hits DC, Arlington, and Alexandria riders a bit heavier than others, since being a flat fare, it's a greater percentage for those who ride short trips.

Will this induce more biking, since it's more likely that those in Alexandria will bike to work in DC, than those in Fairfax?

Alexandria is offering incentives for riders to keep going at the end of BikeDC

Follow the Mount Vernon Trail from the finish line in Crystal City to Old Town Alexandria. This 4.5 mile extension takes you past National Airport to the heart of Alexandria, where you can enjoy the beauty and the history of Old Town Alexandria.

Do you need an added incentive to bike to Alexandria? Come to the Snack Shak (located on the Alexandria Waterfront in the Torpedo Factory Food Pavilion, 5 Cameron Street) between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Show your Bike DC rider ID and get giveaways provided by the City of Alexandria and a FREE fresh squeezed juice and a cookie! Supplies are limited.

Alexandria also has a new Waterfront plan, but the "continuous path" along the waterfront appears to be just for pedestrians, since the only drawing with someone with a bike is of someone walking their bike. Which is OK, because Union Street works fine.

Cynthia McKinney, six term Member of Congress and 2008 Green Party nominee for President, is riding her bike as part of an unsupported group ride from San Francisco to DC. No need to clean up yet, they won't get here until September.

This is getting boring. Another new building that will encourage residents to bike.

the developer has agreed to provide a $50 SmartTrip card and subsidize membership fees for either a SmartBike or Zip Car membership for each unit upon move-in. Because of the site's proximity to the metro, below-grade parking will provide precisely 34 bicycle spaces (don't even try getting a 35th bike in there) and 17 car spaces, according to the zoning application.

Michael Dresser continues to cover sharing the road in his Getting There blog. One post includes a letter from a woman who's husband was killed in a hit-and-run crash and the other from a man stating that Baltimore is worse for cyclists than Texas. (I have to agree with one commenter that Austin, at least, is a pretty great place to bike). (via GGW)

Baltimore's City Paper has an article lamenting the town's lack of a dedicated bike advocacy group (One Less Car is really state-oriented).

Just look at the respective fronts of Baltimore's Penn Station and D.C.'s Union Station. Here, we have a set of racks sitting out of the way next to a parking lot; Union Station offers a full-on bike transit center, with lockers, storage, changing rooms, bike rentals, and even a repair shop. Note that the center, along with a large percentage of bicycle improvements nationwide, is funded in large part by federal dollars. That is to say that the money is out there for the taking, it's just a matter of having the wherewithal to grab it. Or, to put it into even sharper terms, you, the Baltimore taxpayer, are paying for other cities' bad-ass bicycle programs.

CNN has an article with a take on the conflict between cyclists and drivers over space, money and rights to the road.

"The roads were made for cars," KTAR-FM radio guest host John Hook said in Phoenix, Arizona, last month. "And bicyclists share the road, but sometimes they think they own the road." [WC: Unlike drivers, who KNOW they own the road?]

Photo by M.V. Jantzen

Streetfilms Union Station Bike Station

Changes since 2005

Dr. Gridlock had a story that covered many significant changes to area traffic since 2005. Two involved bike projects.

• In spring 2009, a bike trail opened on the {Woodrow Wilson] bridge.
• August 2008: SmartBike stations opened in the District. They're one of several city programs, including new bike lanes and a biking terminal at Union Station, that have improved mobility for cyclists.

What else would you put on this list? The Four Mile Run Underpass is pretty big.

(Update: The link)

Things Not Looking Good for the Dupont Downunder Bike Station

DCMud writes about the release of the RFP for the former trolley stations and tunnels under Dupont Circle, that I've proposed be used in part for a bike station (a real one this time). 

Today's action indicates the District is looking for groups interested in using all or just sections of the underground station, but will select no more than two groups to use the area.

the District makes it clear that projects should not come with ideas and empty coffers. "The District is not prepared to offer subsidy or financial assistance."

I don't think a bike station could make it without a subsidy.

DDOT announces plan for new downtown Bike Station

This post was an April Fool's Day entry. The building pictured is a technology campus in Spain focused on sustainable development. I thought the palm trees would give me away.

From a DDOT press release

Today, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Director Gabe Klein announced plans to build a new DDOT office building dedicated to cycling on the corner of H St and 11the St NW on land that used to house the old Convention Center. Called the Bike Haus, the 80,000 s.f. building will hold offices for DDOT's bike and pedestrian programs as well as office space for the League of American Bicyclists, Bikes Belong, the Rails to Trails Conservancy, the Washington Area Bicyclists Association, America Bikes and the Alliance for Biking and Walking.

In addition, the mixed-use project will include the largest and most sophisticated bike commuter facility in the world; the first REI in Washington, DC; a restaurant; a bar and other retail.

The bike commuter facility will be unlike anything else in the world. "It will be the kind of innovative design we hope the rest of the world will emulate", said Mayor Fenty.

Cyclists who join the commuter facility will use an RFID membership card to "park" their bike using an automatic bike parking and retrieval system that has been in use in Japan for years. The facility can park over a thousand bicycles. From a control screen, members can schedule bike repairs or maintenance. While they're at work or running errands, mechanics at REI will retrieve the bike through a separate portal, repair it, charge the member's account and return it to the underground parking facility. The member even gets a text when the bike is removed and returned.

On the ground floor, cyclists will find a full locker room with showers and towel service. Lockers - of which there will be over 1500 - open with the same id card. Lockers are connected to an integrated dehumidification system that will be able to dry clothes and shoes, even after a snow or rain, within 7 hours.

After dressing, members can put dirty bike clothes in provided laundry bags and drop them into a receiving bin. With another swipe of their ID card the clothes are tied to their account and locker. The clothes will be cleaned by a laundry service in the building, folded and returned to their locker by the end of the work day. After work, they can repeat the process with their work clothes which will be returned at the end of the next work day. Laundry is also charged to the members account.

The colorful, glass-louvered and steel building is being designed by noted Hungarian architect Rial Ofpol. It will strive to be LEED Platinum certified.

In the lobby, members will find a DDOT kiosk that allows them to report potholes, downed trees and other road and trail hazards; and an underground walkway that will connect the building one block to the Metro Center Metro station.

“This new architecturally striking facility serves as a symbol that bicycling is a legitimate form of transportation,” said DDOT Director Klein. “DDOT continues to be committed to all modes of transportation understanding each ones importance to a healthy transportation system.”

The building will also feature a bicycle themed restaurant, OTB Bicycle Cafe, which currently has a location in Pittsburgh; a New Belgium Bar and Grill, which features the bicycle themed Fat Tire amber ale; and, as required by law, a Starbucks.

"This is a big F***ing deal" said Vice President Joe Biden.

You can read more here.

Bikestation Membership Sale

At last night's open house, DDOT's Chris Holben told me they were really happy with the way Bike Station was going and that they were looking at adding more secure parking (possibly card activated) downtown. If not at least covered.

DDOT's Action Agenda

The Action Agenda that DDOT released this week is the most positive new document to come out of DDOT since the Master Bike Plan. It includes initiatives that should help make streets safer for cyclists like (emphasis mine). It features five Core Values each with several polices. Under the Sustainable Living, the first Core Value is to "Make walking the mode of choice for trips of less than one mile and biking the mode of choice for trips of less than three miles." Implementing the recommendations of the Bicycle Master Plan and Pedestrian Master Plan are only part of the plan to get there. They also want to

• Transform the DC bike-share system into a substantive transit option with 100 stations and 1,000 bicycles.
• Set aside 5% of the capital budget each year as a core program for pedestrian and bicycle improvements.
• Quadruple the lane miles of separated cycle facilities.
• Formally adopt bike boxes for bicyclist safety at intersections into DC standards and implement them in at least 100 locations.
• Repurpose on-street parking spaces for bicycle parking in at least 25 locations.
• Add four more bike stations.
• Increase marketing and private sector promotion of non-motorized modes.
• Improve the District travel-demand model to capture non-motorized trips.
• Update and expand the Bicycle Master Plan for the next decade.
• Support non-vehicular travel and unique place-making in the public space.

Yes. That just happened. Turns out that the goal is to more than double bicycle mode share by 2012 from levels in 2009 (2.3% to 5%).*  And by 2012 they aspire to double bike lane mileage to 80 miles, have 0 bike fatalities and reduce crashes from 335 to 250.

But on-street facilities are only part of the solution. The fourth policy is to "encourage development projects that promote and support non-auto mobility"

• Partner with developers to ensure private sector implementation of transportation demand management (TDM) strategies.
• Require convenient, covered, and secure bicycle parking in new development; require building owners to allow bicycle access.
• Support zoning code updates that expand bicycle parking and amenity requirements and implement vehicle parking maximums where feasible.
• Meet the challenges of a 21st century urban DOT by incorporating a new administration—the Progressive Transportation Services Administration—that will focus on non-auto mobility.

In the 6th Policy they suggest moving toward fourth generation bike sharing - one card gets you on Metro, bike sharing, car sharing and pays for parking meters. [Factoid: DDOT’s bike-sharing program has 1,200 members who use the system for an average of 90 trips per day. The average rental time is 27 minutes.] In the Firm Foundation section they mention regional bike sharing.

But wait, there's more. Many other policies would make the roads safer or more fun for cyclists, like (emphasis mine)

    -- Train bus and taxi drivers on pedestrian and bicycle laws and safety.
    -- Pursue legislation requiring that new drivers receive bicycle and pedestrian education before obtaining a driver's license.
    -- Develop and expand the annual Feet in the Street event, whereby the city closes select streets to vehicle traffic and allows full bicycle, pedestrian, and retail use.
    -- Expand the enforcement powers of traffic control officers and school crossing guards.
    -- Consider lowering speed limits on local roads.
    -- Reduce speeding on local and collector streets. Ensure appropriate traffic speeds on all roads. Pilot lowering speeds below 25 mph on select local streets.
    -- Implement traffic calming studies citywide.
    -- Continue and build upon regional campaigns such as Smooth Operator, the annual effort to curb aggressive driving.
    -- Improve safety at the top 50 high-crash intersections.
    -- Expand mobile photo enforcement to work zones.

If they pull half of this off, it'll start to look a lot like Portland around here. Very exciting stuff. It's like our DMV has grown up into a real Transportation Department.

*Who's a transportation blog now DCMud?

DDOT's 2009 Annual Report

Here's what the annual report has about biking in DC. 

About two percent of District workers bike to work, and there were 257 crashes involving bicyclists in 2008 and one fatality – up slightly from the previous two years.

Initiatives

There are 64 miles of signed bike routes in the District, 44.7 miles of designated bike lanes, and 55 miles of bicycle trails. More than 1,200 bike racks have been installed since 2002.

Bicycle and Pedestrian Crashes Reduced

On average, 265 bicycle and 600 pedestrian crashes are reported to the Metropolitan Police Department each year in DC. While DDOT is pleased to report annual decreases in crashes, the District government recognizes the importance of a continued commitment to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety. DDOT is also committed to increase the amount of bicycling and walking in the city, and has completed several different initiatives to improve safety and bike and pedestrian accessability[sic].

Bicycle and pedestrian fatalities and injuries continue to decrease, according to Metropolitan Police reports.

Bicycle Master Plan Work Completed

Using the Bicycle Master Plan, DDOT has continued to work towards providing safe and convenient bicycle access throughout the city through the creation of a network of interconnected trails. These include the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, the Marvin Gaye Park Trail, the Metropolitan Branch Trail, the Recreational Trails Program, and the Garfield Park - Canal Park Connection. DDOT anticipates that the completion of these trails, along with other bicycle initiatives, will continue to encourage an increase in biking in the District of Columbia. The goal? The District of Columbia will be a world-class bicycling city that offers a safe and convenient network of bikeways for all types of trips

Bike Station at Union Station Opened

A bike transit facility at the west end of Union Station is the first of its kind on the East Coast. The new facility offers bicycle parking, rentals, repairs and accessories and holds approximately 133 bikes of all types. It boasts a hybrid natural and mechanical venting system to minimize power use. The design also allows for rainwater runoff to be used for irrigation. A portion of the runoff from both the bike station as well as the plaza will be channeled to nearby planters for use as irrigation and to take advantage of the bio-retentive qualities of the planting beds. The project was funded by the Federal Highway Administration and DDOT. It’s one of many DDOT projects to promote sustainable transportation within the District.

176 new bike racks were installed in 2009.

Car Sharing and Bike Sharing Encouraged

...Also available are SmartBikes, a self-service, point-to-point bike program available at stations throughout the District. DDOT works to support Washington, DC as a cyclist-friendly city for visitors and commuters

Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) Continued

The MBT will run from Silver Spring to Union Station, connecting the Capital Crescent Trail, the Anacostia Tributaries Trail System, and the National Mall. It will be part of the East Coast Greenway. The recreation and transportation route will provide direct access to seven of Metro’s Red Line stations.
MBT is named after the “Metropolitan Branch,” the first rail line built through the corridor by the B&O Railroad. The corridor is now home to Amtrak and Metro as well as freight lines. It is anchored by two significant railroad landmarks, Union Station and the old B&O Railroad station in Silver Spring. Since trail planning began in the 1990s, three segments are currently in place; New York Avenue to Union Station, 1st Street NE, and John McCormack Road.

As well as information about Safe Routes to School, Street Smarts, Feet in the Street and the Inauguration bike valet.

January 2010 DC BAC Meeting Notes

Legislative Committee report - there is no change in status on the Contributory to Comparative Negligence law.

The committee is working on a draft version of the Complete Streets legislation for review by the BAC. Tommy Wells is interested in pushing the bill, and Jim Graham is likely to support it.

They have a Bikes in Building law draft ready to go. It largely mimics New York City's law. DC parking is reviewing the draft. It may be better to amend the zoning code than to pass new legislation.

The Bicycle Commuter and Parking Expansion Act of 2007 called for the Mayor to

report on bike parking at District-owned buildings such as government office buildings, recreation centers, public schools and libraries. The report will include information on: 1) the number of existing bicycle and car spaces currently provided at all District buildings; 2) a strategic plan to bring the ratio of bike to car parking up to at least 10% and to provide additional bicycle parking above the minimum at those buildings where demand is higher; 3) an evaluation of bicycle travel lanes leading riders to and from District facilities and parks; 4) a detailed report on the bicycle parking plan for the new baseball park in Southeast DC.

That report was to be done within 90 days, but it was just finished last month. WABA was, I think, paid to do the report (maybe after asking about it for the 100th time?). The legislative committee was also concerned about another part of the law that requires residential buildings to add bike parking (1 for every 10 auto spaces - double the current zoning requirement set in the 80s) and the fact that it isn't being enforced. There is ongoing discussions between DDOT and DCOZ as to who should enforce this law. 

Finally, they're working on a letter to DDOT Director Klein to ask about DDOT's decision to rescind more CMAQ, TE and Recreational Trails money than was required. They also plan to ask about underfunding in both the Highway Safety Improvement Program (10%) and the State and Community Highway Safety Grant Program, both of which can be used for bicycle programs (infrastructure, education, enforcement, research etc...)

Facilities Committee - There was a discussion about the loss of parking meters and the impact this has had on bike parking. It was reported that 3800 parking meters have been removed so far as part of the transition to multi-space meters. DDOT does not necessarily put racks in as they remove meters - as the two are under separate contracts. They do try to follow a meter removal with a rack installation. There will be no multi-space meters going in this year, and so that should give DDOT a chance to catch up. DDOT admits there is a backlog, but they're working hard to fill it. Part of the problem is getting racks from their supplier, though they just received 300 racks which they started installing yesterday. The Downtown and Golden Triangle BIDs have done a good job installing hundreds of racks and that helps.

The system for rack installation is request driven. Someone requests a rack online or by calling 311 and DDOT's bike parking team eventually inspects the location and if they decide it is suitable for bike parking then a rack is installed. There is not some larger plan (as it would be too expensive/time consuming).

DDOT update

Metropolitan Branch Trail - Good news. As someone said in the comments, WMATA has issued DDOT the necessary permit for the New York Avenue to R Street section. Work should begin as soon as next week.  the entire New York Avenue to Franklin section will be done by April, which will really mean everything from Union Station to Franklin will be done (the stairs at L are temporary, but let's not quibble). In addition, DDOT has created a list of places where they expect to need access to WMATA land in the future. This will be given to WMATA so that when the time comes to build on that section the permit(s) will be ready and work can continue without delay.

South Capitol Street Trail - DDOT is still working on this plan, but an interim route to the Wilson Bridge may be signed.

Bike Lanes - DC paved 6.2 miles of bike lane in 2009 (not including sharrows). They're also aggressively working to build bike lanes on Pennsylvania Ave NE NW between 3rd and 15th.

Bike Sharing - No change. They're still waiting on Arlington County to finalize their contract, which DDOT will then review to see if they can get in under similar terms. They may know something by the end of this month with bikes up and running by summer. If they switch providers, there will be no gap in service.

Cycletracks - The K Street NW FONSI did not include bike facilities. But as a result of the stack of comments asking for them, DDOT is working to add cycletracks in the greater downtown area soon. I Street and/or L Street NW are being investigated as replacements for K. Ironically, K Street is dependent on winning the TIGER grant, but a cycletrack on I or L is a pretty good bet whether DC wins the grant or not. Also being looked at is extending 15th Street's cycletrack south and adding cycletracks to 7th and 9th around Mt. Vernon Square (and sotuth).

Bike Station - At last count they had 111 members (out of a maximum ~250). Though not planning a second bike station, they are talking with Metro about adding bike parking at Metro stations using a smaller facility available from BikeStation.

Saturday Morning Ride - Snow Job

A Virginia lawyer who specializes in bicycle cases wrote a book, available for free download, on 10 Mistakes that Can Derail Your Bike Injury Case.

His list of 10 mistakes: 1. Being Unprepared, 2. Failing To Get Help, 3. Not Having Any Witnesses, 4. Not Having Any Evidence, 5. Not Contacting The Authorities, 6. Failing To Follow Up, 7. Not Having "Show & Tell", 8. Failing To Document, 9. Talking Too Much, and 10. Losing Track Of Time.

City Paper covers the opening of Champlain Street.

Via GGW, MARC explains why they don't allow full-sized bikes on board.

Our solution was a vertical bike rack mounted to the side of each passenger coach.  The bike storage area would be separated from the rest of the car by a partition.  Our design was tested at the Federal Railroad Administration’s facility in Colorado.  However, since it would have meant the loss of two rows of seats in each car we ultimately decided not to proceed.  Adding a dedicated car for bikes is not an option for us because we are short on mid-day and overnight storage space.

I can see taking seats out as an issue, but I've seen other trains (NJ Transit) that allow bikes on without special racks. 

ACT has published an article in their latest newsletter criticizing Montgomery County for being "hostile to transit riders and pedestrians" Among the specific claims are

MCDOT opposes provisions of the White Flint master plan that would make Rockville Pike more friendly to pedestrians and bicyclists. It insists that the road's overriding function is to carry high-speed traffic into D.C.

Pointed out that the county DOT has stalled completion of the Metropolitan Branch bicycle trail through Silver Spring

Richard Layman lists the top 30 DC regional transportation stories, including:

13. DC Bus shelter improvement contract (2005) including the creation of bicycle sharing (2008) and the funding of streetscape improvement projects.

15. Efforts to make the Metropolitan Branch Trail off-road walking and bicycling trail from Silver Spring to Union Station in DC, first conceived of in 1988, reality.

26. Increased focus on pedestrian and bicycling matters in many of the region's jurisdictions.

27. The failure of the forthcoming Silver Spring Transit Station to include a dedicated bike station. (And the building of this station.)

28. A bikestation just opened in the past year at Union Station.

GGW links to  a Georgetown writer who wrote that cyclists should stay off the road until the snow is cleared. I can't get to the link, but SJE pointed out in the comments that she is

getting hammered on her blog. She wants us to believe she was being humorous.

Portland cyclists ride through the snow, FABB notes.