TheWashCycle

John Kerry on Biking around post-war Berlin

Secretary of State John Kerry gave a speach on his first day and talked about his first diplomatic passpart - the one he got as an 11-year old when his father was a Foreign Service Officer. 

we went to Berlin, and this was not too long after the war, and I used to ride my bicycle around Berlin, it was my pastime, my passion, and rode everywhere, the Grunewald, around the lakes, up and down the Kurfurstendamm, the church where the steeple burned down, past the Reichstag, burned out, past Brandenburg Gate, past Hitler’s tomb with these amazing, huge concrete slabs blown up. And I just roamed around. It was stunning how little control there was.

And one day – in my sense of 12-year-old adventure, I think it was then – I used this very passport to pass through into the East Sector, the Russian sector, and I bicycled around, and I’ll tell you, as a 12-year-old kid, I really did notice the starkness, the desolation. In fact, I was thinking about it the other day. If the tabloids today knew I had done that, I can see the headlines that say, “Kerry’s Early Communist Connections,” something like that. (Laughter.) That’s the world we live in, folks.

But I would reassure them by saying I really noticed the difference between the east and west. There were very few people. They were dressed in dark clothing. They kind of held their heads down. I noticed all this. There was no joy in those streets. And when I came back, I felt this remarkable sense of relief and a great lesson about the virtue of freedom and the virtue of the principles and ideals that we live by and that drive us. I was enthralled.

 

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."

Maryland MVA: Bikes may use full lane so give them three feet.

The brown mailing envelopes in which Maryland drivers receive their registration or drivers license renewal forms this month include the message "Give bikes THREE FEET when passing, IT'S THE LAW" along with the standard sketch showing a cyclist to the right of a compact car. The message runs about 30% of the length of the envelope, right above the address window, so alot of people will probably notice it.  Running along the bottom of the envelope the entire length of the address window is the message "Share the road,  You could save a life."

The Motor Vehicle Administration has also created a public service message in which MVA director John Kuo explains that cyclists may use the full lane before he introduces himself.  That explanation is provided over about 18 seconds of video shot from a bicycle while cars pass safely.  Mr. Kuo goes on to explain the importance of leaving three feet while passing a bike, with more footage of cars passing bikes, including a bike in the middle of a door-zone bike lane. 

Although some advoates have argued that the presence of a double yellow line allows drivers to ignore the three-foot rule, that is clearly not the view of the Maryland Department of Transportation: several of the shots show drivers crossing the double yellow line to leave a safe passing distance.

 

Barry Childress deserves credit for regularly speaking with Mr. Kuo during 2010-2011 to get MVA to promote bike safety.  Then last year, the highway safety office was moved to MVA, which put Mr. Kuo in a position to do more. 

 (Jim Titus is on WABA's Board of Directors and represents Prince George's County on the Maryland Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee.  The views expressed here do not represent the official position of either WABA or MBPAC)

Bikes Should Take the Lane, says AAA

The American Automobile Association's latest commentary on cycling says that "a major issue is that many bicyclists feel they are not respected by motorists and must fight for their place on the road."  AAA continues:

• Did you know bicyclists can ride on all roads, except where restricted? Bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as motorists, including the right to ride in the traffic lane.
• It is illegal and unsafe for bicyclists to ride against (or facing) traffic. Bicyclists should ride on the road, and must ride in the same direction as traffic.
• Motorists must maintain at least three feet of clearance when passing a bicyclist.
• When a road is too narrow for cars and bikes to ride safely side by side, bicycles should take the travel lane, which means riding in or near the center of the lane

The AAA post also links to a memo by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that discusses the divergent expectations that cyclists and drivers have when they see a yellow diamond shaped "[bicycle symbol] "Share the Road" sign:

Motorists’ perspective:

• Bicyclists need to stay off the roadway and ride on the sidewalk where they belong.
• If bicyclists want respect, they need to show respect and follow the rules of the road.

Bicyclists’ perspective:

• Bicycles are vehicles – just like cars, motorcycles and trucks. I have the right to ride on the road.
• The "Share the Road" sign means it’s okay for me to ride on roads. Vehicles are supposed to make room for me.

These articles come on the heels of a heavily criticized blog post by DOT Secretary Ray Lahood announcing a collaboration between NHTSA and AAA on National Bike Safety Month, which ignored most key points of safe cycling while recycling old canards.  Apparently they listened to the feedback posted on the DOT web site.

(Jim Titus is a member of WABA's Board of Directors from Prince Georges County. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent the official view of WABA.)

Sarasota Recreational Trail

I was in Sarasota, Florida last week. I ran this hike and bike trail. They had a lot of these large signs, but I still found it hard to follow. In parts it was on sidewalks and one part went through a parking lot where cars parked across the trail. But this bridge on the John Ringling Causeway is amazing. Wide pedestrian only paths on the outside, full size bike lanes in the next lane and then the lanes for all traffic. Decadent.

*Everything in Sarasota is named for the Ringlings of circus fame, as Sarasota is the circus' winter headquarters

Tour de Links - Sprung

Capitol Hill - My hometown congressman, the always crazy Ted Poe, wants to make the Census Bureau's American Community Survey questions optional, (which undermines the effort somewhat). One of the questions is about how one commutes to work. Also, an argument for why a Republican congress is good for bike advocates (I'm not convinced).

Philadelphia - tweed+folding bike race “Nowhere else will you see a race with people running and unfolding bicycles while wearing a tuxedo jacket and bowtie with shiny disco pants.”

New York - Bike lane opponents n Brooklyn complain that the lanes were added without sufficient community outreach, but "he PPW bike lane was installed after 3 years of open meetings with the local community board. The lane wasn't installed until after CB6 voted to request it be installed by DOT."

Wheeling, WV IL  - "I've had it with these mother f----ing snakes near this mother f---ing bike path!"

Miami - More on Miami's very sexy bike sharing program and its sexy apparal.

San Antonio - The Alamo City becomes the first one in Texas with bikesharing starting March 26th. Also, several cyclists were injured when riding on a San Antonia area trail after "they fell from their bikes when the front tire of the bike fell into a long groove that was left open and unprotected by a county road repair employee while creating an expansion joint on the bridge over the dam."  A judge removed the city from the list of defendants.

Denver - Denver Mayoral candidate James Mejia wants to double the number of B-cycle stations in that town and add helmet rental opportunities.

Long Beach - a prominent CA bike advocate was among those killed in a small plane crash. And a 103-year old cyclist has had to switch to a tricycle. Still, Long Beach wants to make him a poster boy for healthy, active living.

United States - Biking is good for the economy part II, Freeways are expensive.

Portugal - Touring Portugal by bike

Switzerland - Now Cancellera is being accused of using really good ball-bearings (it's all ball-bearings these days). Is that even illegal?

Taiwan - Taiwan wants the world bicycle market to be tariff free.

 

Bleg: NYC bike ride

I'm going to NYC this weekend and have time for a couple hours of biking. We'll be staying in midtown. Anyone have any routes they'd recommend. Trails to check out. Bridges to ride over. Is Roosevelt Island worth going to? etc...

Sunday Night Ride

Busy weekend

• Worst cycling advocate ever? "A 38-year-old Live Oak man on a bicycle threatened a 3-year-old then ran over him in San Lorenzo Park on Wednesday, Santa Cruz police said."
• Weird fatality. Motorcyclist hits cyclist from behind. Motorcyclist dies. 
• Michigan's house passes a law requiring driver's education to include bike laws.
• L.A. works on laws to making harassing a cyclist illegal. This article got a lot of comments.
• An interview with the California policy manager for the Safe Routes to School National Partnership
• A battle for control of Seattle's bike advocacy organization
• How do you visit L.A. for $100 a day? Rent a bike. [DC's Tourism office ought to approach travel writers about visiting DC and using CaBi to get around. I saw six on my (now, unfortunately) weekly ride to the property I manage. One was at the Marine Corps Memorial, which is a fair distance from any station.]
• "20% of bicycle commuters experienced a traumatic event [one that led to an injury] and 5% required medical attention during 1 year of commuting." If road rash or bruised shoulder counts as a traumatic event, that sounds reasonable. I've had two small crashes where I suffered superficial wounds since I started bike commuting.
• Just barely a bike story. A kid who attached an American flag to his bike was told by school officials to take it off. The real mistake - which did not get picked up by the national media - was last May when hispanic students got in trouble for bringing Mexican flags to school on Cinco de Mayo. The school was trying to be consistent. But there is little virtue in being consistently wrong.

Biking to Work in Jakarta

I've been to Jakarta, and I can't imagine riding a bike on the streets there. It was scary enough riding in a taxi or one of the Bejaj that roam the streets. But since the air pollution and congestion are so bad there (and it really is awful) the city is trying to help the bike culture grow. One thing they're doing is banning cars in downtown on every other Sunday.

On those days, Sudirman Street and its circular fountain are lined with bike-repair tents, pop singers and food vendors. Bike-club members in colorful jerseys roam the streets or show off the custom jobs popular among the young and hip - the single-speed "fixies," with color-coordinated wheels and chains, or the chopper-style lowriders.

This is a total reversal, since in 1994 Jakarta banned pedicabs (becak) in downtown, blaming them for causing traffic jams and claiming the work of driving one was demeaning. The tranistion away from bicycles (or ojek sepeda) is not going well.

Jakarta is not the only city in the region with traffic woes. The decline of the bike is a long-standing fact in Asia's hubs, whose residents abandon that healthy, pollution-free habit for the speed and status of a car or motorcycle as incomes rise.

As with any technological change, the shift brings unintended consequences - probable billions in lost productivity, hours a day stolen from leisure time and mounting anger. A heavy rainstorm here last month led to a traffic jam apparently epic even by Jakarta standards. Public interest groups are threatening to sue the government

So it's good to see that there is an official push in the other direction.

In that context, the efforts of Bike to Work Indonesia are certainly uphill. The group counts a few thousand members, but director Tense Manalu estimates that no more than a few hundred brave the capital's streets for their daily commute. She is one of them but acknowledges it can be harrowing.

"Stay to the left, and watch out," she advises about navigating the city's right-hand drive traffic on a bicycle.

Photo by TeeJe

Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail

I'm in the Florida Keys (at Long Key State Park, which I highly recommend. I can reach my hand out of my tent and touch the Atlantic, or the Caribbean or whatever it is. The people in the campsite next to me are driving the Live Ligthly Tour RV) and coming down I could see construction going on on the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail. Where it is in place, it's pretty cool.

Some day, it will be a rideable trail from Homestead to Key West, but as RTC points out.

Bear in mind that this multimillion-dollar project is a complex, long-term undertaking and remains far from complete. Trail sections often begin or end at roadways or bridges with inadequate shoulders, causing potentially dangerous traffic encounters.

I watched the sun set over the Gulf from the 2.2 mile-long Long Key Bridge (pictured, I have my camera, but forgot the cord to download photos). There was no green flash. Maybe tomorrow.