TheWashCycle

Thursday afternoon commute - North

Good afternoon

• Maryland's lack of transportation funding could doom the Purple Line and with it the extended Capital Crescent Trail from Bethesda to Silver Spring. 
• A Maryland bill proposes making sidewalk cycling legal except where expressly prohibited (instead of illegal except where explicitly allowed). Pedestrians interviewed in the story are refreshingly willing to share their space.
• The North Trail will connect the Rock Creek Park Trail to ICC and nearly to Olney. 
• If performance parking comes to Adams Morgan and Georgetown, the revenue that supports local initiatives could fund bike parking and/or expanded Capital Bikeshare options. It's done that in other neighborhoods. 

Friday Afternoon Commute - "I was a Bikeshare member, and it encouraged me to get a bike."

Good afternoon

• Must Read: "Bike store owners say bike sharing is actually helping their businesses by fueling an explosion in bicycling enthusiasm. Moreover, bike shops say they are witnessing a culture change in their neighborhoods as more people leave their cars at home and hop on two-wheelers." and "a 2008 report in Bike Europe, a website for bike professionals, cited a 39 percent growth in sales of city bikes possibly attributed to the huge popularity of the Vélib system."
• Apartment building owners are looking to attract customers who are looking for bike-friendly accommodations. This includes locations near trails, access to CaBi or other bike rentals and storage or bike-repair rooms. 
• The BAC has some suggestions for improving Ward 4 and the Georgia Avenue corridor. 
• The ICC Trail isn't particularly good, perhaps we can make it better. 
• “At least it’s not as bad as our Republican colleagues wanted,” complained Rep. Earl Blumenauer, Oregon Democrat, who has championed bike and pedestrian programs. “But make no mistake, it is not a bill to be proud of.”  Meanwhile, the Heritage Foundation thinks cutting bike funding is fantastic. Mark Blacknell tries to discuss this at Patch only to have the comments overrun by Streetcar opponents. 
• A rundown of Tour de France favorites, and of the way in changes how male cyclists view the Olympics. Mark Cavendish, for example, is focusing more on the Games in his home country than on the Tour. Meanwhile, news continues to trickle out about the accusations against Lance Armstrong. 

Saturday Morning Ride - Eve

Happy Christmas Eve

• Motgomery County has formally applied for state money for bikesharing. "[The $1 million dollar grant from the Maryland Department of Transportation] would pay for 29 stations with 204 bikes situated between the Beltway and the Maryland-D.C. border. Stations would be located in Bethesda, Silver Spring, the Medical Center area, Friendship Heights/Chevy Chase and Takoma Park.... The state grants are expected to be announced early next year, according to the county."
• BeyondDC asks why we need another bike lane study before putting the cycletracks in on L & M. That's an excellent question, what is it they're hoping to learn?
• The official numbers for Capital Bikeshare are out for November. Ridership was lower than reported in their newsletter - with only 99,552 trips taken. That's down 19% from October but a little more than double last year. The addition of new bikes is starting to show up with available bikes increasing by about 70. TPBPD is down to 3.5 from it's summer peak of 5. The upside is that dockblocking is down again too. The reason for the drop in ridership, more than weather, is like the loss of tourists. The were only 5,781 24-hour memberships bought in November compared to 13,000+ in July.
• New WABA Board President Mark Blacknell introduces himself.
• Connecting the ICC Trail to the Shady Grove Metro will take at least 5 years.
• "A careful cost-benefit analysis of Ciclovia-style events in four different countries found that the health benefits of these type of events far exceed the costs."

More Photos of US 29 Trail

These are courtesy of Jack Cochrane. The US 29 trail connects to the ICC trail.

Tuesday Afternoon Commute - Speed, it's not just an awesome bus movie

Good afternoon

• WABA calls out DDOT for only installing one mile of bike lane this year, instead of the 10 miles the bike plan calls for. 
• Legislative priorities for Maryland bike advocates include a Cell Phone ban for drivers, a Safe Passing law, Funding for the full ICC trail, bikes on MARC trains, trail use after dark, trail maintenance requirements, and ways to help localities build complete streets. 
• The Bike House has winter bike commuting tips.
• Is it better to build more Capital Bikeshare stations or larger ones? Answer: it depends. 
• "Speed may be the next battleground for urban streets" If you thought turf battles over space were difficult, wait till someone starts trying to slow traffic down. 

Route 29 Trail Underpass

Photo by John K

The ICC Trail - South on 29

Photo by John K.

It looks like the trail is shoehorned between a road and a ramp.

Heading West on the ICC Trail

Photo by John K

Someone asked about a trail map and the closest thing I have is here. Maybe someone can map it on Google maps (or better yet, use their comment feature to have Google add it to the map).

ICC Trail eastern trailhead

Photo by John K

Monday Morning Commute - Rematch

Good Morning. That Rock Creek Park EA might be coming later than I promised. Sorry, the weather was just too nice.

• The Arlington County BAC meeting is tonight.
• Bike advocates in Montgomery County have asked Maryland to allow cyclists to use the shoulders of the ICC. Guess what the answer was. Hint: It wasn't yes.
  
  • Basically they argue that it would be unsafe for cyclists, cause congestion, mess up the tolling system and would require more spending for accommodations.
  • As Jack Cochrane points out in the comments "New Jersey allows cyclists on the shoulders of the NJ turnpike, Garden State Parkway and certain other highways if they get a permit issued by the state."
  • The link also includes the first actual photo of the ICC trail that I've seen, even though it is a dead-end.