TheWashCycle

Wednesday Morning Commute - September 21st

About the bombing my wife said "what if it's some anti-tax crazy peeved about income taxes who decided that Boston would be a good place to bomb on the day income taxes are due because of the anti-tax Boston Tea Party." Which is actually a pretty credible theory. Along with any of several other credible theories. Which brings up the question: What's the point of a terrorist attack if no one knows why we're being terrorized? 

• DC United player John Thorrington bike commutes.
• Bikesharing in Montgomery County has a start date - September 21st. "Phase one, funded through a state transportation grant, calls for 29 docking stations with 200 bikes in Friendship Heights, Bethesda, Medical Center, Takoma Park and Silver Spring....Montgomery County is nearing a finalized contract with the bikesharing vendor, and the county attorney and the transportation department have both signed off on the document, Brecher said. The bikesharing equipment will take four to five months to arrive after the vendor receives the go-ahead....Not all 29 stations will be open by the September launch, but Brecher said DOT hopes to have a "critical mass" of stations readied in order to roll out the system."
• The Calvert Track project in Riverdale Park has new plans and a new bridge location which could be good for the trolley trail. "The new bridge alignment would also allow for more tree preservation and an historic alignment of the hiker-biker trolley trail, as suggested by the planning board staff."
• Comparing bike share prices - DC is pretty average. 

Friday Afternoon Commute - chopsticks

Good afternoon

• The original K Street Transitway included 5 foot bike lanes on each side. The new one does not
• PG County Trolley Trail update "A $226 million mixed use development complex in Riverdale Park is moving ahead with the permit application process, despite the status of a key approval condition still up in the air." Since the whole project is being held up by an additional road connection, there is probably something in there one could say about car culture and subsidies. 
• Bike some of the Boundary Stones - this is not WAGBRAD. 
• Other NPS bicycle related projects I just found
  • US Park Police Bicycle Storage shed
  • NPS Pedicab operation requirements.
• My latest Green Lane Project post - on Sustainable DC. 
• CaBi in Del Ray. And more on CaBi's record-breaking day this week
  • only 2,140 rides, or about 22 percent, were by people who purchased one- or three-day memberships.
  • Dockblocking wasn't much of an issue. Bikeshare stations were full for just 6.46 percent of the time and completely empty 7.74 percent of the time.
  • Peak ridership came at 6:02 p.m., right in the middle of evening rush hour, when 502 people were on Bikeshare
• A not-too-serious proposal to tax bikes in Maryland. 
• Ray LaHood on respecting cyclists (are you listening US Attorney's Office?) 

•  
  • “If someone is not respectful of cyclists, there’s a penalty,” he said. “That’s it in a nutshell.”
  • "We need to develop zero tolerance for people who don’t respect cyclists,” Secretary Ray LaHood said yesterday at the first of two national bike safety summits hosted by U.S. DOT this month. “That’s the campaign we’re kicking off today.”
  • Also  “When you build a road, build a bike lane. When you’re fixing up your street, build in a bike lane. Do that, and we’ll be supportive of that at the national level.”
• The World Health Organization is increasingly recognizing mass transport and urban design as traffic safety solutions. " Mayor Bloomberg, who spoke at the launch of this year’s report, cited sustainable transport solutions, such as advanced bus systems, increased pedestrian space, and protected bike lanes, as proven examples of “what works”."
• Pedestrians and cyclists just don't mix. 

Tuesday Afternoon Commute - No. 547,102

One odd thing about living in DC is that I often find out there is a big Supreme Court hearing the next day during my evening run when I notice people camping outside the Court the night before. Either that, or there's a Supreme Night Court where a host of wacky characters distribute justice and laughs. Oh boy, Brent Spiner is on this one!

• More delays on project that would close PG County Trolley Trail gap. 
• Shout it from the rooftops: After putting Lawyer's Road on a road diet, crashes dropped by 80%, speeding decreased, travel times remained stable, and public satisfaction with the project is up.. That's not a war on driving. 
• 1895 Child's bike seat patent below.

 

Friday Afternoon Commute - Sign of Civilization

Is everyone excited about the new Nicole Kidman movie about tandem cycling?

• DCist digs into the BikeDC cancellation. "Bauman says he was stymied for months by Mayor Vince Gray's Special Events Task Group and the National Park Service. Bauman says he submitted his request to for a permit to the special events group last November, but did not get an appointment until January, and it wasn't until a few weeks after that when he was told to jump through more hoops involving the Metropolitan Police Department's special operations division, which handles security needs for events around the city....Bauman says he was told that Bike DC could not close certain segments of the Spout Run Parkway and U.S. Route 50 at the same time."
• Cafritz Property at Riverdale Park officially re-submitted their plan to develop the land that straddles the future PG County Trolley Trail. 
• "Three members of the Arlington County police force will participate in the annual “Rode to Hope” Law Enforcement United bicycle trek, which will run 250 miles from Chesapeake to the District of Columbia over a three-day period in May."
• This story about Taylor Phinney reminds me of the greatest Canadian Sports Film You've Never Heard Of a.k.a. "Running"
• WABA on the BSAA 2013 hearing.
• I guess I have to accept that the "SmartBike failed" interpretation of history is going to prevail, much like Jackson's concept of the "corrupt bargain" has. (My thoughts here)
• "Bike lanes and pedestrian activity is a sign of civilization."
• A photo essay on DC bicycling.
• Bike Maryland asks Maryland voters to support more transportation funding. 
• Sally Jenkins on Lance Armstrong "All I'm trying to say is, I think there is a level of outrage at Lance that is simply out of proportion to the offense, in my joking way. I've heard him compared to wife beaters and child molesters, and it's absurd."
• Below is a map of Maryland bike crashes from this presentation about bicycle and pedestrian safety in PG County. ("Data from Baltimore City contain records of crashes but not locations; accordingly, those crashes do not appear in the maps below" WC: Well then, that's something we should fix.) Some of the recommendations are: 
  • "In conjunction with M-NCPPC, SHA, and bicycle advocacy groups, develop a list of roads that are available immediately for restriping for bike lanes."
  • Create a Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Advisory Group within County government
  • MHSO and DPWT should share data on the locations of pedestrian and bicycle incidents
  • DPWT should work with PGPD to develop a “checklist” of engineering and situational deficiencies that officers use during their investigations of crash sites, which can then be shared with the Traffic Safety Division. DPWT should then eliminate the collision audit program and use the recommendation from PGPD to develop work orders for pedestrian and bicycle improvements

Friday Morning Commute - Breathing Room

Everytime I hear the term "breathing room" I think of "lebensraum", but I didn't want to title the post that. 

• "Commuting by bike may work well for those who can arrive at their jobs dripping with sweat or those not raising children, but people in different situations do not have that option." It's a good point. I mean I have kids, but you can't really say I'm "raising" them. I also want to point to this "I would be remiss not to address the lie used by those promoting the war on cars that CO2 emissions cause climate change. If our elected leaders polled more than the scientists who tell them what they want to hear, the 98 percent consensus figure they claim would drop sharply." Yes, if only they would ask non-experts they would get a different, better answer. I, for one, get all of my medical advice from randomly polled strangers on the bus. Suck on that Harvard Medical School. [Of course, people on the bus still send me ridiculous bills]
• Better letters here. 
• "Ellen Jones of D.C.’s Downtown Business Improvement District lauded the addition of bike lanes but said putting them there wasn’t seamless, intrepid Caitlin Emma reports. “DDOT wanted to make this happen, but it was politically dicey,” Jones said at a Green Lane Project briefing during the National Bike Summit. “A lot of people have never seen anything like this before.” The bike lanes act as a cushion while Washington waits for Metro expansion and streetcars, she said. “We’re tapped out, our transit system is at capacity. Bike lanes allow us breathing room while we wait for long-term investments to pay off.”"
• "The bicyling advocates want more federal funding for infrastructure such as bike lanes and for Congress to require state departments of transportation to establish statistical goals to reduce the number of bicyclists and pedestrians killed and injured on our streets. "
• From the Summit. "Venerable House Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) said Congress is "being penny-wise and pound-foolish" when it comes to infrastructure spending. Hoyer's personal bike story was that his father was born in cycle-friendly Denmark. "I'm Danish... Where they cycle because it's good for their health and good for the health of their roads. I came from stock that thinks biking is a part of life. It's just how they do things.""
  • Just before Senator Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) spoke, I overheard one bike advocate whisper, "This guy saved our ass." He was referring the amendment Cardin successfully passed in the recent transportation bill (MAP-21) that put more federal transportation funds into the hands of local cities and counties — instead of letting the state DOTs hold the pursestrings.  "We were successful on MAP-21," Cardin said, "Because of people in the room. There were powerful interests against what we were trying to do. They wanted no federal funds to go toward projects such as bike paths." Now the big challenge, Cardin warned, is to make sure local governments, "Don't succumb to the pressure of the road builders."
  • More here.

• Cafritz project (and its section of the PG County Trolley Trail)  works on traffic study.
• Alexandria Commuter Challenge. 

Monday Morning Commute - Launch Day

Good morning. If you aren't doing anything a little after 1:00pm today, you can watch my satellite launch over on NASA TV.  Blogging might be light for awhile. 

• See, even without the three foot law it's hard to pass without inadvertently crossing the yellow line.
• Developers broke ground on Fenwick Station in Silver Spring. The building will back up to the future Capital Crescent Trail extension (should the Purple Line ever be funded) and will include a Capital Bikeshare station. Until the Purple Line work ends, it will also include a temporary walking and biking trail that will ultimately connect to the planned Capital Crescent Trail.
• The Cafritz-Riverdale Park-Trolley Trail project continues to make changes. 
• Stop by the public hearing for Washington Boulevard bridge over Jefferson Davis Highway rehab project between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 13 at the VDOT Arlington Area Headquarters, 1426 Columbia Pike in Arlington.
• FABB's Bruce Wright responds to the LTTE complaining about DC's new priority on safe streets that provide space for everyone. 
• The Broadneck Trail's first phase will be delayed until summer because of utility relocation problems.
• Tales from the Sharrow's Brian McEntee has a family history with bicycling. 
• A discussion of police enforcement of events they didn't see. 
• Update on progress of bike-safety bills in Virginia. 
• CaBi serves as an example of how going big can often succeed where going small (SmartBike) did not. [Lesson for high speed rail?]
• Part of Chris Dorner's rambling manifesto: "Cyclist, I have no problem sharing the road with you. But, at least go the fucking speed limit posted or get off the road!!! That is a feasible request. Livestrong you fraudulent assholes."
• Wisoncon Avenue's road diet was meant to slow down traffic, which it did, and now people are unhappy. Is it easier to bike?
• Pedicabs in Reston.

Tuesday Evening Commute - LaHood

Good afternoon

• More on the delay with the Whole Foods development that will include a section of the PG County Trolley Trail. 
• The history of bicycling in California
• NPS has grant money for "Public access site development projects that advance the development of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail  or the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail or Chesapeake Bay Gateways water trails are the funding priority for fiscal year 2013." The Star Spangled Trail passes right through the DC area.
• LaHood is leaving the Department of Transportation once a replacement is in place (maybe a couple of months). Mayor Gray says the District will miss him "Gray (D) said Tuesday that LaHood has been an invaluable partner in city leaders’ efforts to invest in more bicycle lanes, push forward plans for a streetcar network and secure more funding to repair city bridges."

Thursday Morning Commute - in disregard of approaching traffic

For a while there I thought no one was reading the blog anymore. I had gotten no comments since Saturday, but it turns out gmail was just treating them as junkmail. For a while there I thought SJE was sick or something.

• Everything you might want to know about biking to the Inauguration (and more here). CaBi is setting up a bike corral until Thrusday, and if twitter is to be believed, they're in discussions to have a bike corral downtown every weekday starting in the spring. 
• On Wed., Jan. 23, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., WABA will be hosting an open house at their office in Adams Morgan. This will be a low-key opportunity for people interested in participating in Maryland and DC planning efforts and testifying or presenting at public meetings to meet their fellow bicyclists, review background materials, ask questions, and get a better understanding of what’s going on in D.C. and Maryland.
• Support a sidewalk on Wisconsin Avenue.
• A Virginia bill aims to make those little stop signs on the W&OD Trail (and other trails)enforceable and set a fine of $100. It made it out of committee. As did a bill to make it illegal to follow too closely. Here are some other bills of note. 
• More on the Trolley Trail-surrounding Cafritz project.
• Driver pleads guilty to vehicular homicide and driving while intoxicated in Rehobeth Beach Henman fatality. "His attorney, John Sandy, told the Cape Gazette he expects Meegan to serve at least 20 months in jail and that he faces a possible maximum sentence 16 and a half years." And an Arlington driver has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after running a red light and killing a pedestrian.

Riverdale Park section of PG Trolley Trail suffers setback

The College Park Trolley Trail will someday extend south through Riverdale Park and Hyattsville to create what only I am calling the "Prince George's County Trolley Trail". One gap in the trail in Riverdale Park was to be built as part of the Cafritz Property project whihc was to be built on the empty lot that once housed Calvert Homes "which was government housing for the factory employees of ERCO, an aircraft company."

But in a Jan 10th report, the staff for the Prince George's County Planning Board recommended members not approve the current preliminary plan of subdivision of the Cafritz project, arguing that the proposal fails to meet several conditions required for passage. Among their concerns:

• Moving a planned hiker/biker trail so that it aligns with the entire historic trolley trail, as opposed to making a detour and reconnecting with trail as proposed in the PPS.
• Moving the proposed roundabout east, so the trail will only intersect with Van Buren Street once, with the aim of increasing pedestrian safety.

As a result, the Cafritz team has withdrawn their preliminary plan. 

 

Monday Morning Commute - Pigs on Wheels

Yesterday I was riding my bike and a driver pulled up next to me at a red light when I kind of thought they should wait behind me, but otherwise I didn't think much of it until he rolled down his window. "Oh brother, here it comes," I thought to myself. And then he asked "Would you like me to ride behind you for the next few blocks for safety?" It was really very nice. Unnecessary, but gracious. Good cycling moment. So I gave him the finger (I'm joking)*

• This, in Old Town "A local resident was lurking on the corner, harassing and physically assaulting any cyclist who did not happen to put their foot down and come to a complete stop at the intersection. The resident was jumping out in front of cyclists in a dangerous and aggressive — as well as illegal — manner. The police arrived, but the resident went into hiding after changing his clothes. Seeing the officer coming, he would not answer his door when the officer knocked."
• "The existing Southgate Road would be realigned to the western edge of the Navy Annex site to maintain appropriate access to Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, while directly linking the Navy Annex site to the existing Arlington National Cemetery grounds.  Engineering and design work must be completed to determine the exact location for a realigned Columbia Pike and the parties must work out the exact acreage and parcels to be exchanged."
• Meanwhile, on the other side of the Pentagon, VDOT is taking public comment on a proposed design for the reconstruction of the Washington Blvd bridge over 110. "it includes a 14-foot shared-use path on the east side, and an eight-foot sidewalk on the west side. Not only is the trail side widened, but there is a physical barrier added between the path and car traffic. The VDOT project page doesn't mention it, but I believe the "lengthening" of the bridge mentioned will also help provide additional space for the long-mired 110 trail." [See image above] I used to bike this route all the time, and this will be a big improvement.
• The Trolley Trail and where it will run becomes a sticking point for the Cafritz property in Riverdale Park.
• “Five years ago, I don’t think businesspeople were even thinking about bikes as a part of business. Today it’s definitely part of the discussion.” He notes that Accenture recently relocated their Boston and Washington, D.C. offices from suburbs to the city to offer employees better opportunities for biking, walking, and transit....Leinberger marvels at how bicycles are changing Washington, D.C., where he lives. “Bikes have been a critical part of D.C.’s turnaround. They are putting in protected bike lanes, which does a lot more to encourage riding than just a white line of paint between people and a one-ton vehicle.” Ellen Jones, director of D.C.’s Downtown Business Improvement District, agrees. “It’s just crazy how biking has taken off here, especially the new bikeshare system which a lot of people are using for commuting,” she said. We spoke after she returned from an appointment with managers of a high-tech company wanting to rent an old warehouse downtown. “A lot of their employees bike to work and they were concerned about whether they could easily get their bicycles upstairs. When bicycling is part of the final decision on where a company relocates, then we know its impact.”
• New Obama Chief of Staff might be a bike commuter. "The 6-foot-3 McDonough often plays basketball with the president and, Bloomberg notes, he usually rode his bike from his home in Tacoma Park, Md., to work until a recent accident."
• Another story on DDOT's new Douglass Bridge plan. Nothing really new here. 
• How some non-cyclists see us. 
• In LA, a cyclist is left in the road by a hit-and-run driver. When the police fail to help him, he tracks the guy down on his own. And in keeping with cliche's, he was a lobbyist.

*I once asked my British roommate what was the weirdest thing she'd noticed about Americans that she didn't expect and she said it was that immediately after making a joke like this, they say "nah, just kidding" or something. Brits, she claimed, never do this.