TheWashCycle

Tuesday Afternoon Commute - Free High Fives

Good afternoon

• Support a trail connection between Carlin Springs Road and the W&OD Trail. 
• WABA is awarded an REI/Bikes Belong grant.
• A well-reasoned argument in support of expanding CaBi in Alexandria versus the one woman who opposes it. 
• I hate it when this happens.
• DC has installed 18 of the planned 54 CaBi expansion stations. 
• The new Bike to Work Day T-shirt. And Bike Month starts tomorrow.
• The Landmark Mall redevelopment in Alexandria isn't as friendly to cyclists and pedestrians as some might want. With Holmes Run Trail just north of the property, they're missing a real opportunity by not building a connection to it. A connection from the Trail alont Shirley Highway and the ramp to Walker street (with a small path to a bike parking facility at the Mall) seems like a no brainer. 
• Sigh..."The American Association of Neurological Surgeons reports that more sports-related head injuries in 2009 occurred on bicycles than on football, baseball, and softball fields combined." Which would be relevant if I knew how much time people spent on the activities. There are probably more gun deaths related to hunting accidents than to gunslinger elimination tournaments, but that doesn't tell me much about which is safer.  
• "A volunteer who often pedals more than 30 miles a day assisting hikers along a popular southwest Virginia trail is being recognized by the U.S. Forest Service."
• London's low-line.

Alexandria needs bike counters

Alexandria’s bike/pedestrian counting project has been helpful for documenting increases in bicycling and walking/running in the past two years. This project informs the City’s transportation planning efforts, such as documenting the need for new bike lanes and new bike routes. We need volunteers to keep this effort going on May 9 (5 to 7 PM) and May 11 (12 to 2 PM). Please see below and respond to Amos Desjardins (amos.desjardins@gmail.com) or Jim Durham (jldurham48@gmail.com) with questions or to sign up.

Review our count locations below, and shown on the attached map, and let us know your preferences. Early requests usually get their pick.  

A - Mount Vernon Trail just south the intersection with the Marina road.
B1 - Mount Vernon Trail just south of the WWB at MV parkway
B2 - Mouth of WWB trail West side
C - Mt Vernon Ave South of 4 mile run
D - Intersection of Commonwealth and Mount Vernon Avenues.
E – Off-Street trail between Braddock and King Metrorail Stations
F - Eisenhower Avenue just west of the Spring Hill Suites
G - North Beauregard Street just south of the intersection with King St.
H1 - Holmes Run Trail, along Holmes Run Parkway near North Ripley St.
H2 - Holmes Run Trail at the intersection of N Pickett/Holmes Run Pkwy 
I - Van Dorn St just N of Metrorail overpass and S of Eisenhower
J - Cameron Street just west of the intersection with Washington St.
K - Prince Street just west of the intersection with Washington St.
L – Slater's Lane just west of Portner Rd

COG Seeks Area Residents for Regional Air and Climate Group

From a press release. I would do this, if I weren't already over-subscribed. It would be a good place to get a bike advocate or two.

Are you interested in topics like clean energy, air quality, climate change, and sea level rise?  Do you want to get involved the public policy process?

You could be a great fit for the region’s Air and Climate Public Advisory Committee. ACPAC advises on air quality, climate, and energy issues to policy committees of the Council of Governments.  This means ACPAC members get to learn about and share input on a variety of regional plans, including transportation priorities and electric vehicles. Members also regularly hear presentations from state and local environmental officials and groups like the American Lung Association, Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Georgetown Climate Center.

ACPAC is currently looking for new members with a variety of backgrounds and interests. The group consists of 18 members, 6 each from D.C., Maryland and Virginia. For 2013, there are 4 openings (1 in DC, 1 in MD and 2 in VA). If you are interested in joining ACPAC, please fill out its online form by January 11.

ACPAC meets monthly at the Council of Governments. The COG offices are at 777 North Capitol Street NE in Washington, DC, 1 ½ blocks from the Union Station Metro Red Line. Underground parking is also available. For more information see the ACPAC description online.

 

Friday afternoon commute - Pavilion ADA

Happy Pearl Harbor Day (although Happy seems like the wrong adjective)

• Used bike sale tomorrow.
• 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"

Friday morning commute - Boring

Weird hours again. Last night I was out for a run and just as I went past the Eastern Market Metro somebody started yelling out from inside the station and I realized they were yelling "That guy just robbed me!" and I looked over and on the other side of the bus stop was a guy running in the same direction I was - and he was not dressed for running. So I followed him, but he was much more willing to run across Penn Ave into oncoming traffic than I was. I called out to people, but I was hesitant because I wasn't actually sure this guy was the thief. I think if I'd sprinted I could have caught him, but was I going to tackle him on such flimsy evidence (and risk getting my ass kicked?) Of course, it was the first time I chose not to run with my phone, so I couldn't get a photo or call 911. He ducked down a gap between two houses on D and climbed an 8 foot high brick wall, and so I gave up pursuit. Still, it was all very exciting. Turns out, that a woman had her purse snatched, but I don't think the police caught the guy.

• WABA does not hate clueless Bikeshare riders.  Alex Baca calls the Examiner story boring and suggests better story ideas than "this group hates that group." In the week before the Texas-OU game there is always an effort to have groups from the schools team up to do charity work - to make up for the fist-fights that will inevitably break out on Commerce Street. Perhaps AAA and WABA need to do a river clean-up together or something. 
• Bike thieves arrested at Georgetown U. "DPS apprehended and arrested two males who were in the process of trying to use bolt cutters on a bike that was secured in a bike rack. This case is being handled by MPD."
• Arlington County is conducting it's bike and ped count and needs volunteers. 
• The Crystal City Diamond Derby will take place on Saturday, September 29 from 4:00-10:00 pm. The venue is the underground parking garage at 2345 Crystal Drive, which will be transformed into an urban cycling course.
• Most e-bikes users in Maryland will now be required to title and insure their vehicles with the Motor Vehicle Administration. Drivers also must wear helmets and eye protection. "Reyes said he wouldn’t know how the MVA would title an e-bike, as they generally are not assigned vehicle identification numbers....Although VINs are the primary number MVA uses to title vehicles, any moped or scooter without a VIN will be assigned a number by the MVA so that it, too, can be tracked, Young said."
• A development along Oxon Hill Road may result in the road being widened to 4 lanes with bike lanes. People who live along the road oppose it. Maybe just widen it to include bike lanes?
• A very dramatic car crash in Brooklyn luckily resulted in only minor injuries "Authorities say the 49-year-old woman lost control of her vehicle in Brooklyn Wednesday morning. She crashed through a wooden partition blocking the construction site after striking a bicyclist and three parked vehicles. The SUV flipped and came to rest on its roof at the construction site about 50 feet below. "

Mount Rainier Bike Co-op Seeks Volunteers

The Mount Rainier Bike Co-op (MRBC) would very much like you to volunteer alongside others during our open shops. We have the space, the tools, and used parts in great supply, and we certainly have the clientele. With your help, we have the ability to more than double our service potential!

About MRBC: Since 2005, MRBC has aimed to enable and encourage people to own, maintain, and ride bicycles safely. We reclaim, refurbish, and redistribute used bicycles that would otherwise be heading for the landfill, teach mechanics to youth and adults, and partner with local DC area organizations to promote an inclusive and responsible bicycling  community. MRBC focuses its services locally, but the shop and its programs are open to all members on a donation basis.

Volunteering at MRBC: MRBC offers volunteers an opportunity to assist a diverse clientele in a relaxed, well-supplied bike shop. The willingness to learn and to teach form the core of volunteerism, and as such MRBC accepts volunteers of all mechanical skill levels, from completely inexperienced to veteran wrench. Volunteers are also granted the right to use our wholesale bike parts catalogue, and the opportunity to work on personal bikes for free.

Regular Open Shops:
Mondays: 6:30pm-8:30pm open to ALL
Thursdays: 7:00pm-9:00pm open to ALL
Sundays: 1:00pm-4:00pm

-1st & 2nd Sundays are 18&UNDERS shops
-3rd Sundays are VOL-ONLY BUILD Shops
-4th Sundays are open to ALL
-5th Sundays are CLOSED

To Volunteer Just show up ready to help at one of our open shops! If possible, email <mailto:mr.bike.coop@gmail.com> ahead of time and let us know you are coming.

Thursday Morning Commute - Scooter

My CaBi key broke yesterday - it wouldn't fit in the keyhole anymore and I realized it has delaminated a little. There going to send me a new key, but instead of having my black charter member key, I'll have a red one - like a commoner. I already feel like a hobo.

• A new definition of scooters could change who can park at bike racks. 
• "Wells will have to convince large swaths of a skeptical black electorate that his push for a more pedestrian- and bike-friendly city isn’t a veiled attempt to speed up gentrification."
• Arlington County is looking for trail counters.

Tuesday Morning Commute - Burning like a silver flame

Good morning

• One reader reports seeing a cyclist crash into one of the yellow bollards along the Mt. Vernon Trail in Alexandria yesterday around 6:00 pm. "The cyclist was bleeding from his left ear and the back of his head, and had some decent road rash on his left shoulder area.  After several minutes of us telling him not to move and that help was coming, he began to respond to voice, etc.  When the Meds showed up I told them that he was "out of it" when we first approached just so they wouldn't assume that he was "fine", because he appeared to have struck hid head quite hard."
• Phoenix bikes is the featured non-profit this month for Busboys and Poets Change the World Wednesdays.
• A visionary wants to take illegal parking to places it's never been before. 
• Life on the Edgewood is concerned that a rendering of a park in the median of L Street in NoMa doesn't include a ramp down to L Street. I'm not too concerned. I think it was just left out and that the ramp is highly likely to happen. 
• Old 11th Street bridge deck coming off, but it could be replaced with another bridge later. The portion over O Street SE is already gone.
• There won't be much green paint in the L Street Cycletrack.
• The New York Times' list of "Innovations That Will Change Your Tomorrow" includes three for bicycles: a fork that can be locked in place to deter theft, a rod and internal gear drive train and plastic frames. The first of those is the best idea of the three.
• A Washington Post writer tries bike commuting for a couple of days. The 17 mile ride takes him 50% longer than driving, but it's much cheaper. And he bumps into the foolishness that is the rush hour restrictions on Metro.
• More on John Diehl. "The truck also had two orange cones in the bed of the truck, which are visible in the video. When he was presented with the tape, Diehl said that "he didn't know what to make of (it)." However, when asked by police if it was his tag that was spotted on the vehicle, he said yes."
• A discussion of going car free on Kojo naturally mentioned biking.
• And then there is this:

Monday Morning Commute - Buffalo Soldiers: the first mountain bikers

Do you think Bruce Banner qualifies for medicinal marijuana? I mean, if anyone does...

• WABA needs volunteers
• Group of five kids in Columbia Heights surrounded a cyclist and stole his bike. Chase ensued and two of the kids were arrested.
• Bike Maryland on helmetlessness.
• No money for biking in Fairfax county.
• Safe Routes to School is in jeopardy.
• "many positive projects have resulted from a growing relationship between the Park Service and the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA)—a nonprofit group that advocates for landscape conservation, trail access, and above all else, good trail etiquette. “IMBA has shown through hard work and cooperative attitudes that they share our passion for protecting and enjoying our nation’s parks,” said Park Service Director Jon Jarvis in a press release. “Bicycling helps draw new visitors—especially younger people—and gives them fun, memorable experiences in the national parks.”
• I'm not sure if this is too late, but you might be able to ask Sec. LaHood a question.
• The American Taylor Phinney won the Giro d’Italia’s first stage, a 5.4-mile individual time trial in Herning, Denmark.
• I know what got the headline, but this part is more impressive "The top woman was Canada's Angela Naeth, who won in a course-record 4:28:12 despite peddling the last six miles of the bike leg with a flat rear tire."
• Some guy on a bicycle outruns police at crazy highway speeds.

Friday Morning Commute - ANC2B

Good morning

• GGW celebrates the 27 new bike racks at the NoMa Metro station (nee New York Avenue Station). They also moved some racks away from a wall to make them easier to use. 
• America Bikes is having a press conference with members of Congress on Wednesday, May 9, 2012 at 9:30 until 10:15 AM at the House Triangle (map) to release the new data. Speakers at the press conference will include Senator Ben Cardin (MD), Representative Earl Blumenauer (OR-3), Andy Clarke of the League of American Bicyclists, and Angela Fox of the Crystal City BID. Speakers will join America Bikes to call for the continuation of federal funding for biking and walking infrastructure.  This press conference will take place on the heels of a National Bike to School Day celebration in Lincoln Park. From 7:30 - 8:30 a.m., school children will gather in Lincoln Park and ride in “bike trains” to nearby Capitol Hill public schools
• Why did CaBi move the station at New Hampshire and U to 17th and T? Best answer "The bike station was moved because ANC2B objected to moving the station into the street at 16th and U. Under CaBi’s original proposal, they would have expanded the station by only 4 docks while removing three parking spaces. Relocating the station to T Street was a compromise that eliminated one less parking space and allowed the station to expand by 8 docks."
• Free Confident City Cycling Ride - This Saturday!
• Bike Arlington is looking for volunteers for bike to school day.