TheWashCycle

Monday Afternoon Commute - Median

I saw a guy walking down the "median" of DC-295 today. I was terrified for him. More and more I see people walking and biking on this road. It's a sign of how car centric that all is. 

• This video was posted in the comments last week, but I didn't realize it was from the June Bike Party. This is not an example of safe but illegal cycling, and the cyclist who gets t-boned by a taxi with the ROW is lucky to be alive. These cyclists were "speeding up in front of the ride marshals and disobeying the rules."
• New CaBi station at 13th and U. 
• A listing of recent attacks on trail users in the DC area. But they don't let us know the races of anyone, so we don't know how angry to be.
• There's a whole article about how hard it is for employees to get to/from National Harbor. One guy specifically talks about the long metro commute to Alexandria. The article never once mentions bikes - Which would surely be the fastest/cheapest way for that guy to get home. Give every employee a bike, or a discount on one, and add a bikeshare station. It would help. 
• Our favorite Washington Times columnist, Deborah Simmons, manages to get one thing right "spending big bucks on statehood sure won’t pay for much-needed road projects." True, but wouldn't you be surprised if it did? She adds, "As things now stand, the short-sighted D.C. planners and transportation bureaucracy are focused on streetcars, bicycle lanes and walkable neighborhoods." Because it's short sighted to plan for the fastest growing transportation modes.
• She's not going to like this "Transportation researchers at the University of California at Berkeley questioned drivers, pedestrians and public transit users in the San Francisco Bay Area about roadway design that might boost traffic safety. Installing more bicycle lanes was ranked first by respondents in all three groups."
• "Cyclists who suffer head injuries in a collision but are not wearing helmets are at least partly to blame – even if the crash itself was not their fault, a German court has ruled. "

Friday Afternoon Commute - Damn you Fozzy Bear

Good afternoon. Here's a pretty cool map of real-time water levels as measured by USGS. Here's one along the Northeast Branch Trail (reportedly 5 feet is when the trail is impassable). 

• My most recent Green Lane blog post - on Pennsylvania Avenue. Look at the photo DDOT made and see if you can find the two "flying" zebra barriers.
• "From a European perspective, space, or lack thereof, is never the problem. If we can find solutions for integrating bikes in the centers of Amsterdam and Copenhagen, it can happen anywhere."
• Washington National Tyler Clippard often bikes to the stadium, but Drew Storen no longer does. 

Storen has since moved downtown. Biking has become a less appealing option, so he hasn’t yet gone that route this season.

“Maybe if I get a little more achiever in me, if I want to achieve a little bit more with my biking abilities,” he joked. “But there are potholes downtown. It’s tough.”

• Jonathan Krall of 
the Alexandria Bicycle and 
Pedestrian Advisory Committee argues that cyclists aren't really scofflaws, it just looks that way. "The mistaken idea that cyclists are less cautious than others has its root in two facts. First, while drivers and pedestrians generally have clearly assigned space on our streets, cyclists do not. In an effort to squeeze the round peg of bicycling into the square hole of our roadways, the law generally allows cyclists to use either traffic lanes or sidewalks....Second, because bicycles have safety advantages over cars, a “safe” rolling stop on a bicycle is faster than a “safe” rolling stop in a car. "
• And the letter that prompted it. "So long as bicycles aren’t required to be registered and have visible forms of identification, like automobiles’ license plates, bicyclists will feel licensed to behave unaccountably."
• Drivers on the W&OD are not all that uncommon.
• Jon Stewart on Citibike in New York "Full Pedal Jacket" (see below). In the first segment, he spends much of the time poking fun at bike sharing and worring about helmets. But then in the second segment, he goes after all the sillyness from critics including, yes - Rabinowitz (aka Rabidowitz). 
• And look at how the New York Magazine makes it funny. 
• Also, Citibike is having software issues.

 

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Daily Show on Facebook

Free Coffee for Bike Commuters

"Free coffee for bike commuters @bikerackdc # bikedc by Joe in DC

Sunday Video - BTWD 2013

Bike to Work Day 2013 Greenbelt, Maryland to Washington DC Convoy #2 from Greenbelt Bike Videos on Vimeo.

Wednesday Afternoon Commute - Bolts

Good afternoon

• NBC4 Story on Penn Avenue Bike lane violations below.
• Attend a Move DC Public meeting
• New Belgium Tour de Fat party starts on Thursday. Volunteers needed. 
• "More than 200 injured veterans and active military personnel have been training in Bethesda for the 2013 Ride 2 Recovery United Healthcare Memorial Challenge, a nearly 400-mile trek that started Monday in Arlington, Va., and finishes Sunday in Virginia Beach, Va."
• "Many years ago Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas fought to save the C&O Canal from destruction from those who wanted to build a highway there, and we now enjoy that park."
• Work begins on the Fairfax County Parkway/Fair Lakes Parkway interchange that includes improved shared use paths. 
• The warm weather is causing something to emerge and it's not cicadas according to ABC7, it's bike thieves.
• Shout it from the rooftops: "People who walk or bike to work are likely to influence their co-workers and partners to do the same, according to health researchers....married people were more likely to participate in AC than non-married people, men actively commuted (AC) more often than women and mothers were even less likely to actively commute....People who were comfortable with their bicycling skills were more likely to actively commute, as were those who believed they had a shorter biking or walking time to work. Believing that an employer supports active commuting and working for an employer who supports AC, living in a community that supports AC and believing that the community is supportive of pedestrians and bicyclists were all positively significantly related to active commuting. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the researchers found that lack of on-street bike lanes, off-street bike and walking paths, and sidewalks all negatively influenced active commuting. Difficult terrain, bad weather and the speed and volume of traffic along the commuting route were also significantly related to people deciding to not actively commute."
• "the researchers concluded that head injuries were decreasing across the country at a rate that wasn't "appreciably altered" by the new helmet laws. Other rider health initiatives — namely, public safety campaigns and the introduction of better bike infrastructure — rendered the contribution of helmet laws "minimal"
• Chicago Bike Share, Divvy, to start on June 14.
• Bolts on the the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge bicycle path were installed incorrectly and as a result, many of the bolts have been sheared off.“It will be 100 percent fixed before they open that bicycle path,”

View more videos at: http://nbcwashington.com.

Tuesday Afternoon Commute - Dangerous sound

Good afternoon

• The cyclist hit on U Street the day before Bike to Work Day did, in fact, die from their injuries. "The crash occurred just after 10 a.m. Thursday. Police say a male driver was heading east on U Street when his car struck a bicyclist at the intersection with 11th Street. The bicyclist, 50-year-old Andre Brands, was not wearing a helmet. He was taken to a hospital, where he died." That's the third local fatality this year and the second in DC. 
• Bike to Work Day broke registration records. And more coverage here.
• "That blur zooming by on MacArthur Boulevard might be Alexis Zink, a Bethesda woman who recently qualified for the Nature Valley Pro Chase Cycling Team."
• On Saturday, runners who oppose the Purple Line and the completed and improved Capital Crescent Trail the project will include participated in a "Save the Trail" 5k. "The organization also points out that the sound created by the passing trains could be dangerous. When the sound of the train is emanating from only five feet away, "you won't be able to call to your children," or hear a bicyclist call out "on your left" (the standard signal a bicyclist calls out when passing a pedestrian) or a bicycle bell ringing. "Warnings will be drowned out 250 times a day," Friends of the Capital Crescent Trail say."
• Meanwhile, the Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail has submitted comments on the NPS Boathouse Feasibility Study, a study on which Save the Trail has been oddly silent. 
• Many stories on NYC's bike share startup
  • "a woman made off with one of the bicycles Sunday evening as workers unloaded them at a Manhattan station, police said. Bloomberg said the bike was recovered. Police were looking for a suspect."
  • “We’re not against the bikes — we’re against them in our park,”
  • "Certain bike share members were supposed to receive a fob in the mail allowing them to skip the one-time rental charge a normal rider would pay. "When I think about how many people with lower Klout scores have gotten their keys," Dobkin told Gothamist. "It hurts,"
  • "having spent several hours riding through Brooklyn and Manhattan on the new shared bicycles – the only two boroughs that have docking stations thus far – I think that we're going to be okay. More than okay, in fact."
  • And more here.
• It goes with my Lance Armstrong football. 
• Bollards hit and damaged by a driver in Baltimore have been repaired. 
• And in a related story, in the video below a cabbie gets the police's attention after making an illegal U-turn in front of a cyclist on the Pennsylvania Avenue cycletrack. The illegal U-turns here are far too common. WABA is asking supporters to attend an NPS meeting on the long-term management of Pennsylvania Avenue and ask for "physical separation from motor vehicles on Pennsylvania Avenue."

Lots o' bikes

Lots o bikes at Freedom Plaza #btwd13 by Joe in DC

More than 12,000 Cyclists Region-wide Sign up for Bike to Work Day

Press Release:

Registration for Bike to Work Day (BTWD) has set a new record with more than 12,000 commuters in metropolitan Washington registered for the regional event scheduled for this Friday, May 17.  Among those participating are dozens of elected officials and dignitaries who will attend pit stops throughout the region. 

Coordinated by Commuter Connections and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA), the free event attracts participants fromDistrict of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia, who join Bike to Work Day to promote bicycling as a healthy and green commute option.

“The Washington DC Bike to Work Day grows every year and this year is no exception,” said Nicholas Ramfos, Director of Commuter Connections. “We are pleased to have so many of the region’s elected officials and dignitaries participate in the event and show their support.”

Participants can ride alone, with a friend, neighbor or co-worker, or join one of 15 confirmed bicycle convoys, led by experienced cyclists. Pit stops will feature appearances by elected area officials and dignitaries, refreshments, entertainment and giveaways.  There are bike-to-transit options and many other program amenities available for a fun and healthy commute alternative experience.

Those who register by 5pm on May 16^th are automatically entered into a bicycle raffle. Registration and information about BTWD is available atwww.biketoworkmetrodc.org.  

 

Elected officials and dignitaries are confirmed to visit the following pit stops:

 

District of Columbia

Mt. Vernon DC

District of Columbia Councilmember Ward 6, Tommy Wells

 

Freedom Plaza

Federal Highway Administration Administrator, Victor Mendez

District of Columbia Mayor, Vincent Gray

District of Columbia Ward 2 Councilmember, Jack Evans

District of Columbia Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser

District of Columbia At-Large Councilmember, David Grosso

 

Maryland

Bethesda

Maryland Comptroller, Peter Franchot

Maryland State Delegate, Ariana Kelly

Maryland State Delegate, Susan Lee

Montgomery County Councilmember, Roger Berliner

Maryland Department of Transportation, Director of Bicycle and Pedestrian Access,  Michael Jackson

League of American Cyclists Vice President Programs, Bill Nesper,

 

Frederick

Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski’s Office, Julianna Albowitz

City of Frederick Mayor, Randy McClement

City of Frederick Alderman, Karen Young

City of Frederick Alderman, Michael O’Conner

City of Frederick Alderman, Shelley Aloi

City of Frederick Alderman, Carol Krimm

City of Frederick Alderman, Kelly Russell

Frederick County Commissioner, C. Paul Smith

Frederick County Commissioner, David P. Gray

Frederick County Council of Tourism Executive Director, John Fieseler

City of Frederick Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee Chairperson, MaryLynn Hinde

 

Greenbelt

City of Greenbelt Mayor, Judith Davis

City of Greenbelt Mayor Pro Tem, Emmett V. Jordan

City of Greenbelt Councilmember, Leta M. Mach

 

Virginia

Alexandria – Old Town

City of Alexandria Mayor, William D. Euille

 

Fairfax City Downtown

City of Fairfax Councilmember, Dan Drummond

City of Fairfax Councilmember, Ellie Schmidt

City of Fairfax Councilmember, Steve Stombres

 

Herndon

Town of Herndon Mayor, Lisa Merkel

Town of Herndon Vice Mayor, Connie Hutchinson

Town of Herndon Councilmember, Melissa Jonas

Town of Herndon Councilmember, Sheila Olem

Town of Herndon Councilmember, Charles Waddell

 

Rockville Fallsgrove and Rockville Town Center

City of Rockville Council member, Mark Pierzchala

Wednesday Morning Commute - Working

Good morning

• The National Ride of Silence is today - same time as the M Street Cycletrack meeting. 
• Inaugural ride of Kidical Mass Arlington is this Sunday. 
• The Suitland Parkway Trail is a mess, (and it is likely to get worse long before it gets better).
• "Alexandria City Council approved the expansion of its eight-station Capital Bikeshare program in Old Town as part of its budget adoption last week. Planners are looking at adding stations in Del Ray and Carlyle, as well as potentially adding more in Old Town.....Several meeting attendees asked that any bikeshare station be placed in existing parking as not to disrupt pedestrian traffic on sidewalks."
• Cyclist assualts runner on the W&OD Trail. 
• Henry Graber at the Atlantic responds to Sarah Goodyear's piece yesterday "On balance, cyclists' illegal behavior—like that of pedestrians—adds much, much more convenience to life than danger. Aggressive enforcement of traffic laws could upend the fragile system of incentives that leads thousands of people to undertake a long and sweaty commute each day."
• More on the increase of bike commuting over the last decade. 

Griffiths said he was surprised by the increase in the number of people biking to work. The share of commuters biking in the area doubled from 2000 to 2011, with most of those cyclists coming from D.C., as about 6,600 new bike commuters started cycling to and from home and work in the District. Griffiths said that change could point to the success of the city's bike lanes, although cyclists still make up less than 1 percent of commuters.

"It's a lot easier to commute by bike in the District than it was at the beginning of the decade," Griffiths said. "Some of the District's policies to make bike commuting more friendly are working."

• CitiBike tips.

Bike Commuting Way Up in DC

The Metropolitan Washington Transportation Planning Board is having a meeting tomorrow on the "Changes in Commuting Patterns in Metropolitan Washington Region from 2000-2011". As we already knew, bike commuting is up, and in some places it is up a lot. Regionally, it is up from 0.3% of mode share to 0.7%, which moves biking out of sole possession of last place, into a tie for last place with "Other". But if you look at the urban core, you see a more dramatic increase over the last decade.

There are a lot of caveats to this data, like using small numbers, but nonetheless we see more than a doubling in DC and Arlington since 2000 and a tripling in Alexandria over the same time. The number of bike commuters in the area increased by about 11,000, about 60% of that by people who both live and work in DC. Other increases were for commuters within Montgomery County and between DC and Arlington. And this was only during CaBi's first full year. 

And that change has been coming almost entirely out of driving. Both single occupancy vehicle use and carpooling are down, while transit, walking and working at home are all up.