Fenty's Bike Plans

DCist broke out all of Mayor Fenty's transportation plans yesterday and I'm going to break out all the bike elements that they mentioned. He states that

We can enhance our already national-level leadership in walkability, bicycle, and transit access, by providing clean transportation alternatives to more District residents and neighborhoods.

And sets the goal to, within the first year,

break ground on Phase II of the Metropolitan Branch Trail, which should be welcome news for the cyclists who have been pushing the city to finish the Metro Branch for years. There are plenty of other trails, bike lanes, and bike racks that need to be addressed, but the Metro Branch is a good first priority.

Doesn't DCist know that the proper nickname for the trail is the Met Branch, not the Metro Branch, sheesh. I'll let them slide since they do have a photo of a cool ddot bike rack. On the downside, the 100 days and Beyond plan mentioned the word "bicycle" exactly once - in reference to police patrols. The word bike doesn't show up. It would've been nice if adopting the BAC's legislative agenda (revoking the mandatory registration law, defining a safe passing distance, etc...) had made the 100 day agenda.

Comments

lift the ban on bicycling on downtown [sidewalks] now. It is unsafe to bike on the streets there- so it works out as a total bicycle ban for anyone who is interested in surviving their bike trip across town. If you don't want bikers on the sidewalks- then give us dedicated bicycle ways separte from the road or sidewalks. If DC were truly a leader, it wiould lift this stupid ban. [Editor's note: I edited this one too]

[Michael]

DC streets are perfectly safe. Its the motorists you need to look out for and if you don't give ground they can't take it and put you in compromising situations. (editor's note, I changed a misspelled word so it made more sense)

[Chris]

I disagree very, very much with the idea of lifting a ban of bikes on sidewalks. It would be highly dangerous. Michael is right - the roads really aren't that unsafe. All you need to do if you feel threatened is to take your legal place right in the middle of the lane of traffic - if ride defensively and it's just as safe as anything else.

[Michael Ross]

I agree the sidewalk ban should be eliminated.

But...just ride on the sidewalk anyway! Geez, get some courage! -- few if any Cops will hassle you, and if they do, get off and walk until theyre out of sight and then ride on the sidewalk again!

Look, I ride through red lights and stop signs when it's ***SAFE***, and often theyre cops sitting in front of the light-- so I wave to them, and they wave back! Theyve got much bigger fish to fry, believe me!

I rode 4,000 miles in the city last year and NEVER have been hassled by any cop in the entire REGION.

I'll never ride on the sidewalk downtown, and if you do you ought to be EXTREMELY considerate of the pedestrains. And, contrary to the impression, cycling in the center of the lane with the cars all around is safe (comparativley speaking).

Forester's Effective Cycling is cult religion, but theyve got some very defensible elements, and riding like a car at appropriate times is one of their insights...

Mike

[w]

I get the sense that few people in this blog are parents. Parents would NEVER allow their children to bicycle in a street w/ cars driven by crazy Northern Virginians on cellphones.As for cops hassling people- go to Capitol Hill- they enforce the sidewalk ban. They don't like bicyclists either.Ive been told by one cop to get off the sidewalk- and a block later another cop says "you shouldn't be riding on this street it is closed to traffic"...

[Chris]

Most of the discussions here I've seen really have little or nothing to do with kids riding their bikes -- rather they are about commuting by bikes, etc. Just because somebody (like myself) advocates riding their bike to work on the street, it doesn't mean they're saying kids should do it too - no more than advocating driving a car to work means that kids should drive cars too.

[gwadzilla]

in my wild misspent youth my car driver's license was suspended for a grand accumulation of bicycle tickets

red light running, failure to maintain a lane, speeding, failure to yeild...
and maybe a ticket for riding on the sidewalk

I feel that the law for bikes on the sidewalk should remain as it is
so that bicyclist realize that when on the sidewalk they should yeild to others

yes...
bicyclists should stay on the street and take the full lane if need be