TheWashCycle

Friday Morning Commute - New, but Old

Good morning. I was down at Canal Park for the first time in a few weeks. They recently added bike parking and I'm not kidding when I say that there is probably parking for 120 bikes at bike racks there. It sounds crazy to say this, but it actually might be too much bike parking. I can't imagine when it would all be used. Still, a nice problem to have.

• New bike parking in Adams Morgan.
• Once again, Metro will be banning bikes on Metrorail all of Inauguration weekend. 
• State and local efforts to improve cycling in Maryland are paying off. "At the state level, transportation and parks officials have recruited volunteer and community groups to enhance off-road trails and create new ones. Maps and online services are being upgraded to supply more real-time information to mobile devices. 'We're getting close to producing a map of every single trail in Maryland,' said Steve Carr, a planner for the Department of Natural Resources." But communities remain underserved. And "the 20-mile Western Maryland Rail Trail will be extended another 4.7 miles from Pearre in Washington County to Little Orleans."
• The 16^th Annual Bicycle Symposium, hosted by Bike Maryland, has been scheduled for Feb. 27 in Annapolis.
• Virginia Bill would make it illegal to open a door on the traffic side of a car unless it is safe to do so. If Del. Barbara Comstock is your delegate, ask her to not stand in the way of crucial bike safety legislation. 
• Ask VDOT to to ensure that safe bicycling accommodations are included in the widening of Route 1 through Fort Belvoir. We won't get a second bite at this apple in our lifetimes.
• The Old Bike Shop in Arlington has opened. So it's actually new.
• South African Olympic cyclist Burry Stander was killed while training Thursday when his bike collided with a taxi.
• "They'll drive their car home, and they'll wash the blood off, cover the car up and act like nothing happened," says Laurino. "It's incredible the lack of conscience some people have."
• "Mayor A. C. Wharton Jr., elected in 2009, assumed office a year after Bicycling magazine named Memphis one of the worst cities in America for cyclists, not the first time the city had received such a biking dishonor. But Mr. Wharton spied an opportunity."

Wednesday Afternoon Commute - New

Happy New Year (belated). 

• If you have access to Politico Pro you can read an article about bikesharing in DC and elsewhere. If not, then like me, you can only read the teaser. "It’s a burgeoning option in D.C. and many other U.S. cities — bike-sharing kiosks that allow visitors and residents to rent a bicycle for a few hours at a minimal cost. Most bike share programs have plans for expansion, and the new year should be a big one for cities looking to implement their first system. In 2013, bike share will roll into Portland, Ore.; Chicago; the San Francisco Bay area; Columbus, Ohio; and its biggest market yet: New York City."
• 9-11 Memorial Trails will converge in DC area. "Locally, the national trail would start at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and going northwest, connect with the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Trail which follows the Potomac River from Georgetown in Washington, DC, through Maryland and West Virginia to Cumberland, Md., a distance of 184 miles...The leg between New York City and the Pentagon would follow the East Coast Greenway" Creating the trails will involve closing a gap "from the Pentagon Memorial to the Mount Vernon Trail in the area of the Pentagon.  They are working with Arlington County, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and the U.S. Department of Defense to designate a route on Arlington streets."
• Arlignton County plans to initiate a new bike and pedestrian safety campaign, create more bike lanes, add more bicycle and pedestrian way-finding signs; make safety improvements and break ground on a new section of the Washington Boulevard bike trail this year. 
• "Unlike the Columbia Pike streetcars, which will share a traffic lane with cars, buses, trucks, bicyclists and others, the Crystal City project has separate dedicated lanes. "
• This article claims to be about the Maryland legislature, but it's actually about Montgomery County. "Later in the month, the council will examine a plan to bring a bike sharing program and supplemental funding to Montgomery County. The bike sharing program would be similar to D.C.'s bike sharing system."

Thursday Morning Commute - Blast

Good morning. They're getting criticized for it, but Western Kentucky ran the percentage play last night.

• SW section of Anacostia Riverwalk Trail takes tiny step forward, menwhile, the Navy Yard section was closed due to a turnstile outage.
• Blasting to continue along the Capital Crescent Trail. "Blasting — designed to clear dense hard rock on the site of what  used to be a popular parking lot at Woodmont and Bethesda Avenues near the Barnes and Noble — began Dec. 5 and is expected to continue daily for the next two to three months, according to an advisory from Montgomery County officials."
• Purple Line price tag goes up again. Capital Crescent Trail completion is tied to this project.
• Four pedestrians were killed by trains in Hyattsville last year. Perhaps some new underpasses or overpasses are needed. 
• Bike Arlington's top 10 of 2012.
• Arlington bike lanes - now with more counters. 
• Montgomery County gets safer for pedestrians following 2007 Pedestrian Safety Initiative.
• The Montgomery County Department of Transportation held it's first meeting on the construction of a bike path along MD-355 that would connect Clarksburg to Germantown.
• Montgomery County Executive Isiah Legget has requested $1 million be added to the fiscal 2013 capital spending plan to fund studies of the Corridor Cities Transitway. One of the studies planned will look at pedestrian and bicycle access to stations.
• To the list of major Maryland projects (Red Line, Purple Line, the Corridor Cities Transitway) for which there is no money, one can add a replacement Nice Bridge. Planning studies for a new four-lane bridge to replace the existing Potomac River bridge are complete. "The new bridge will include a shoulder for disabled vehicles and a path for pedestrians and bicyclists, both of which are lacking now. The sidewalk and roadway will be separated by a barrier to protect walkers and bikers." Currently the Wilson Bridge has the Potomac River's farthest downstream bicycle crossing, but the Nice would take that honor if the new one is built as planned.

Thursday Morning Commute - As close to a CWL post as you'll get this year. Blame Tandem.

Good morning

• Yesterday the DC Council passed the Access to Justice for Bicyclists Act of 2012 and, I think, the Motorized Bicycle Amendment Act of 2012. ABC7 covered the former. 
• WABA is creating three new positions and hiring two new staff. 
• The DC BAC points out that the upcoming (and some are in the past) zoning meetings are a great chance to advocate for cycling. The zoning regs will define how much bike parking buildings must provide as well as rules about showers and changing rooms for bike commuters. 
• Tour de Fat 2013 takes a step forward. 
• Christmas Wish List Alert!! WMATA is testing 3-bike bus racks.
• Staff with DC-based LAB write about their favorite 2 mile rides, most of which are in DC. 
• Why Minneapolis plows their trails “We see the trails as highways,” said  Donald Pflaum, a transportation planner from the Minneapolis Public Works Department. Still the city is looking at narrowing a 20 foot wide trail to 16 or 12 feet to make way for a light rail line. 

Friday Afternoon Commute - I just bombed all the way down Broadway right now

Good afternoon

• A witnessed bicycle crash leads to a discussion of what to do if you see or are in one. 
• As Montgomery County gets ready for bike sharing, councilmembers continue to raise concerns about bicycle safety. 
• The collapse of transit and driving in New York City has proven that when the zombie apocalypse comes, you're going to want a bicycle [Seriously "Walking Dead" when will people run out of gasoline exactly?] And some new bike commuters might not come back - "Thomas Jarrels, 46, who biked home to Crown Heights from his job as a sous-chef at a Midtown law firm, said he was glad to have had an impetus to bike to work.... Though it took slightly longer than the train, he said, he thought he would keep biking even after the subway started running again."
• Bike sneak is designed to help cyclists safely cross streetcar tracks. 
• More European cities are adding green lane infrastructure - like cycletracks and bike lanes - just as American cities are. "From London’s “cycle superhighways” to popular bike-sharing programs in Paris and Barcelona, growing numbers of European cities are embracing cycling as a safe, clean, healthy, inexpensive and even trendy way to get around town." Also growing in popularity: bike sharing - "Ironically, Copenhagen’s pioneering city bike system was scrapped Wednesday after city officials decided to redistribute funds to other cycling initiatives." - more parking, e-bikes and more.  

Friday Afternoon Commute - Cardboard

Good afternoon

• 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. 

Thursday Afternoon Commute - Reservations

Good afternoon

• WABA has meetings next week with both MCDOT and DDOT, where they will continue to prioritize the completion of the Metropolitan Branch Trail.  
• The District is seeking developers for part of the Resevation 13 site near Stadium-Armory metro. This would include an extended Massachusetts Ave SE, that in all previous designs has connected to the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail. In the original AWI design, it included a bike/ped/service vehicle bridge across the Anacostia too.  
• Surprise! Getting WMATA to pay you when one of their bus drivers hits you is not easy.
• The Bethesda Ave/Woodmont/Capital Crescent Trail intersection is more challanging now that construction has caused temporary changes. 
• Bus Rapid Transit that lets you roll your bike onboard.
• "Britain's cycling success in the London Olympic Games and the Tour de France has put bicycle sales in a higher gear, a leading seller revealed Thursday."

Thursday Afternoon Commute - Capital Bikeshare Day

Good afternoon

• BAC reviews the M St SE/SW alternatives.
• More images of the Eye Street SE/SW green bike lane. It looks like it is in between a right turn only lane and a traffic lane. 
• "The "Gimme 5!" ride will travel to some of Ward 5's well-known and best-kept-secret sites.  This ride is in partnership with Cultural Tourism - a nonprofit organization helping DC residents and visitors discover, experience and celebrate the city’s art, culture, and heritage." 
• This Saturday: Car Free Day and the 50 States Ride. 
• BART is experimenting with allowing bikes - regular non-folding bikes - on during rush hour. "The experiment was a test of the feasibility of relaxing the existing rush-hour bike blackout, and by all accounts it went smoothly, aided by the generally low ridership of Fridays in August."...“It looks promising,” said Steve Beroldo, BART’s bike program manager, of the bike pilot program. “There haven’t been any disasters.”
• CaBi has thoughts on their birthday. "To bring you up to speed, we added an additional 40 stations in DC, and expanded 26 stations. We also added 26 new stations in Arlington and welcomed Alexandria into the fold with eight stations in Old Town. Overall, the system added 74 stations, expanded 26 and added a new jurisdiction to the mix for a current grand total of 189 stations system-wide."
• MAP-21, the new federal transportation bill, includes a provision that would require all major arterial roads to be folded into the national highway system. "this designation basically forces state and local governments to treat arterials like major highways... Speed will increase, certain designs, like bulb outs, won't be allowed without an exception. So on and so on."
• LAB adds a new Bicycle Friendly City category past Platinum: Diamond. Next stop: Unobtainium
• Albany is looking to add bike sharing. Yes, Albany. 

Tuesday Afternoon Commute - Basement

So am I the only one who had to evacuate to the basement at work due to tornadoes? The funny thing is we're doing a launch rehersal focused on anomalies and so now we can check that contingency off the list. Lots of "how did you pull that off" jokes directed at the simulation director.

• "I don't harbor any illusion that they changed the policy because of me," says Tregoning.
• The optimal M Street (and Eye Street) design probably isn't even one of the options here. As oboe might point out, there is some extra space (scraps) and they're letting transit, bikes and peds fight over it. Instead, they should accept that maximizing transportation through there might mean taking some space from autos. 
• An interview with Bethesda native Rich Roll (not to be confused with a rickroll) one of only two people to complete five Ironman triathlons on five Hawaiian islands in under a week. He's also one of the 25 fittest men in the world (Paul Ryan is the other 24). 
• Counter-intuitively, Philadelphia has more cyclists and fewer crashes. We could probably argue over which caused the other (did safety lead to more cyclists, or more cyclists to safety), but really, why fight?
• MAP-21, the new federal transportation bill, may have less money for biking and peds, but it is targeted more at cities. 

 

MSM confused about what is actually changing

There are a few news sites reporting this story wrong.

WUSA9's headline reads "Folding Bikes Allowed On Metro At Any Time, Officials Say." Which is true, but the policy in place for years and years. And it's not just the headline, the whole story keeps emphasizing that folding bikes are allowed on at all times.

Folding bikes are now allowed on the metro but must remained folded during rush hour, officials said.

The new policy will now allow folding bikes on at any time but need to remain "folded and securely fastened," the press release stated.

ABC7 makes the same mistake "Metro now allows folding bikes during rush hour", which again, was always true.

Metro says it is allowing folding bicycles on its subway trains during rush hour.

Examiner gets it right, and implies that the policy may have changed due to a push from Office of Planning Director Harriet Tregoning (which may be true - and there would be nothing wrong with that). 

Kudos to DCist for their reading comprehension skills.