Bike Karaoke, proving that everything is better on a bicycle?
Richard Layman on the Western Baltimore County Bike and Ped plan: "So in 2.5 years, or just over 3 years from the time I started, not only was the plan adopted but legislation based on it was passed within a few months of the plan's submission, and began being implemented more than one year before the plan was adopted. This is half the time that was required for the Eastern Plan."
In early January, the Kennedy Center will close the bike path that connects the Roosevelt bridge to Kennedy Center property for a few weeks of concrete repair and maintenance. There will be a clear and easy detour on their property that they will provide and post signs for, and it won’t take cyclists out of their way very far.
More on making the Custis Trail safer, in case you missed it in the comments of this morning's post. "The Lee Highway and Custis Trail improvements include bicycle and pedestrian facility upgrades along westbound Lee Highway (Route 29) between N. Oak Street and N. Lynn Street. Intersection improvements, lane reconfiguration, trail widening, curb extensions, wider curb ramps, signal modifications and increased trail separation are proposed."
This is not the way to handle bad drivers. Also, gun control is working.
Getting people to donate bikes is easy. Shipping them to Africa is expensive. I admire these programs, but I wonder if it's really the best use of resources. I wonder how the cost benefit of this program would compare with giving bikes to America's poor and/or homeless - programs like this. The cost savings could then be invested in somthing like this (which as much as I love bikes, is probably a better dollar for dollar use of money if you want to improve conditions in the developing world). The most eye-opening thing I've learned from Warren Buffet is that starting your own charity is inefficient. The best way to invest your money in charity is to find one that is doing good work and give your money to them.
"A Mount Airy trail plan that has been in the works for about 20 years has been delayed again after the town council this week postponed a vote that would have reallocated funds to be used for further land purchases needed for the project"
Good afternoon. I successfully sold my folding bike (but my Schwinn) is still on the market. It's only the third bike I've willingly parted with since I became an adult. One I sold before leaving for Peace Corps and the other - the "Bike of Love" - I donated to Goodwill when I got a better road bike. They'll be some emotional adjustments needed.
Bad Headline: "Biking to Work: Healthy Trend leads to more collisions." Proably not true. Sure, more cyclists will likely lead to more bike-related collisions. But they aren't (and probably can't) accounting for the fact that less driving should result in fewer car collisions. Also, it's hard to call one year to year comparison a solid trend. Still, next week's headline "Vegetables: Healthy eating leads to more chokings" This video, and others, below the jump.
The last of those videos is for the Penn Ave bike lanes story, in which the on-the-scene reporter says that things had "gotten so dangerous that something had to be done" which is probably a bit of hyperbole. One crash per season isn't really Thunderdome. Another takes time to emphasize that cyclists "also need to follow the rules" pointing to red light running. Following the rules is good, but if 11 out of 14 crashes are the result of illegal U-turns, it's not really a "we're all equally responsible" situation.
Text of the bill moving through the DC Council is here.
Baltimore County approved the bike and pedestrian plan that Richard Layman worked on. It now becomes part of the Master Plan. "The plan offers a long-term look at the infrastructure and steps necessary to make roadways safer for children walking to school, commuters pedaling to work and recreational cyclists on a weekend ride."
Tonight, DDOT will host the second Public Meeting for the Broad Branch Road Environmental Assessment. "It is a very tight space, but there are some alternatives that include bicycle and pedestrian accommodations." says Jim Sebastian.
The developers of the Bergman's Cleansers site along the Custis Trail at Veitch will be given direction to improve the Custis Trail/Lee Hwy sidewalk intersection, just west of the I-66 overpass. One part of that will be to change the triangle intersection into a T-junction (see image below)
DDOT finally plans to start putting ads on CaBi stations, which could bring in several million dollars for CaBi. "It could well pay for all operating costs combined,"... "Arlington County does not currently allow outdoor ads like those D.C. is seeking. Hamilton said county staffers are interested in changing those rules to allow ads on the bike stations and on bus shelters. Additionally, Hamilton said, the county wants to get a systemwide sponsorship of the bikesharing program the way New York City has done with its Citi Bike program sponsored by Citibank and MasterCard. "We'd love to see it and get the revenue," he said."
CaBi closed for "hurricane". So did the airport this morning, even though it was just barely raining, trapping my Mother-in-Law here for two more days.
"the head-shakers and finger-waggers have it exactly wrong. Yes, the Armstrong scandal revealed systemic cheating in a sport that was corrupt to its core—a decade ago. In the landscape of professional sport right now, cycling may actually be one of the cleaner sports around." Also, this.
The Netherlands is considering heated bike lanes. When I was in Iceland, I seem to recall that all the roads were heated by geothermal energy.
This is a weird article, especially for a bike blog, but here is the relevant part “Bike rides,” he says, “are reimbursed half a kroner per kilometer.”
Wired's autopia feature covers bike sharing and CaBi in particular.
Local retail stores not really impacted by USADA's Lance Armstrong report. Michelob Ultra sales, however, have plummeted.
Metro is seeking input on how to improve and how to prepare for the future. So far, only one discussion topic even mentions bicycles or bicycling - and then it is just in passing. I made a list of recommended Metro improvements several years ago (since then #3 and #5 have been enacted), but we could also talk about bike parking, CaBi station space/integration and preventing bike theft and ending full day bike bans such as on the 4th of July.
There are some good common sense improvements suggested in this article about the place where the Rock Creek and Potomac Park Trail crosses the old western turnaround of Constitution Avenue. I reeally like the idea of closing the circle and extending the trail straight across the site along the road. It would make for a nice park and perhaps the site of a future memorial.
A cyclist crashed on Qunicy Street in Arlington because of a very poorly patched utility cut in the pavement (video), and Mark Blacknell points out that poor pavement is often the cause of crashes. "Failure to aggressively hold itself and others to reasonable standards of safe pavement — both temporary and permanent — does a real disservice to Arlington County." In a later column, he follows up with Dennis Leach, the county's transportation director.
A couple of weeks ago, WABA met with Montgomery county officials and representatives of Montgomery Preservation Inc. (MPI) " to resolve the impasse on the trail alignment as it crosses Georgia Avenue and passes the historic B&O Train Station that serves as a headquarters and event space for MPI. At this meeting, MCDOT officials stated that the agency, the County Executive, and the County Council were committed to the Master Plan Trail Alignment and to a grade separated crossing of Georgia Avenue, and that design work is beginning." So, according to WABA the issue of alignment is resolved. That's good news.
Here's more good news. $2.3 million has been allocated to build a W&OD Trail overpass at Wiehle Avenue. It was funded as part of improvements identified in the Reston Metro Access Group study, in which FABB participated several years ago. "In the interim, $46,000 was allocated for installing a raised median and additional signage there. This is a relatively low cost measure that would help slow motorist at the crosswalk, especially those using the left turn lane."
"Montgomery County Council President Roger Berliner (D-Dist. 1) of Bethesda has proposed the county seek authority from the state to establish either a local gas or sales tax to fund transportation." This is relevant for two reasons. One, higher gas prices might induce more biking (though probably not much) and, two, some of the money would likely go toward building the Purple Line. The Purple Line will change the Georgetown Branch Trail from an unpaved tree-lined trail that ends suddenly, into a paved and completed Capital Crescent Trail all the way to Silver Spring.
Next week, the Virginia Transportation Board will be holding a public meeting in Fairfax to "discuss projects and programs in the CTB’s current Six-Year Improvement Program (SYIP) and provide comments for the development of the Fiscal Years 2014-2019 SYIP"
The $20 bike with a cardboard frame could change the world. "These bikes need no maintenance and no adjustment, a car timing belt is used instead of a chain, and the tires do not need inflating and can last for 10 years," he said. It would also put an end to bike theft.
A Richmond paper ran lists of 10 things that cyclists do that anger drivers, but they have to stretch to get to 10. Some are repeats (following the law is the same as stopping at stop lights) and some don't really bother drivers - like not yielding to pedestrians. And the "misconceptions and arguments" after the list aren't always very strong. And they also have 10 things drivers do that anger cyclists.
The Connecticut factory that invented the bike bell is open again after a fire shut them down for 4 months.
"Army Secretary John McHugh is being treated in a hospital for injuries he received in a bicycle accident but is expected to return to work soon. McHugh was riding his bike at around 6:30 p.m. Monday in Alexandria, Va., when the accident occurred. No further details of the accident were available."
A map of the "Green Mile" fancy sidewalk. While sidewalk cycling is generally less safe, this isn't so bad. There are no driveways to deal with, but one must be careful near the intersections. I actually would support signage making the sidewalk one-way for bicycles. But there needs to be good signage warning cars about the facility.
DDOT will be holding its third and final meeting on the M Street Southeast/Southwest Transportation Study TONIGHT. The study is evaluating proposed alternatives for multi-modal transportation improvements to the M St SW/SE corridor. WABA is pushing for a cycle track, but cycle tracks on both M St SE/SW and on M ST NW are going to confuse me like crazy. Still, I'm all for it.
In WABA's full letter on automated enforcement, they actually support LOWER fines. "If lowering of fines so that they not seem punitive is necessary to the expansion of the program, we support such lowering up to the point the deterrent effects begin to erode." So another deception by Milloy.
“A lot of our team members take public transportation, and from the Bethesda Metro it makes much more sense to come down the bike path — it’s only a mile and a half down to the building — than having to take a 45-minute route on the bus,” Joanna Bragg, a marketing team leader for the store, told Patch last year. “We also have a lot of customers who are health-conscious and eco-conscious, and the trail runs directly behind our building — it just seems like such a no-brainer.” A public hearing on bike sharing in Montgomery County has been scheduled for Oct 23 - "As the county nears the launch of the program, he said it will look at safety and education initiatives for cyclists as well as motorists and pedestrians and at where the county can engineer roads with features such as bike lanes to aid in safety."
With construction underway next to the Capital Cresecent Trail, workers have started discovery remnants of Bethesda's industrial past, including old rail spurs. Of course, the region has made good use of the old Gerogetown Branch rail line that those spurs used to connect to.
A $32,000 bike might seem expensive, but, to put that in perspective, Victoria's Secret has a $2,500,000 bra. I suppose the two can only properly be used together.
Through August of 2012, CaBi has surpassed the number of rides for all of 2011. Currently they're at 1,293,431 rides for the year. CaBi had a glowing report in businessweek as well. "Better yet, the program pays for itself: Maintenance and operating costs totaled $3.5 million in 2011, while fees collected were $4.1 million." Though I think they're wrong on this "Most people opt for the $75 annual membership." I think most people opt for the 1-day memberships, but I know what they're trying to say. And, in preparation for the 2 year anniversary, they're having T-Shirt design contest.
"the D.C. Department of Transportation has announced a pair of community
meetings to discuss what parking in D.C. might look like in the future...DDOT is asking for citizen input to develop strategies and
recommendations to better balance the parking needs of everyone
-employees, residents, and visitors - who competes for a share of the
limited curbspace." One goal is "Ensuring the safety of all transportation users including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, and motorists." and they're seeking comments on bicycle and scooter parking accommodations. "The first discussion will happen next Tuesday from 2 to 4 p.m. in the
Old Council Chambers at One Judiciary Square (441 Fourth Street NW). The
second will happen on Tuesday, September 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in
the Ora Glover Community Room (1800 Good Hope Road, SE). More meetings
might be added to the schedule."
Bladensburg Waterfront Park - through which the Anacostia River Trail passes - will be home to the War of 1812 Visitor Center. Grand opening tomorrow.
A 15 year-old Gaithersburg cyclist was taken to the hospital with life threatening injuries after being struck on southbound 124 near Airpark Road. "Police say she was on a bicycle. The striking vehicle reportedly stayed at the scene."
A positive review for PR. "But is cycling ready for its close-up? "Premium Rush" arrives with some timeliness, a kind of victory lap for the country's growing cycling culture and New York's increasingly bike-friendly streets. Wilee's Wild West and his trusty steed are in some ways behind the curve, as Mayor Bloomberg has largely tamed the Manhattan grid with color-coded bike paths."
"Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong faced a deadline Thursday to formally challenge sweeping doping allegations from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency or accept sanctions that could include a lifetime ban from the sport and potentially strip him of his titles."
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