There are more stories I missed from last week. DCist ran a promotional post. The comments included this remark - that usually follows a bike story and not always this politely.
there is need to remind the occasional users who will be out en masse
tomorrow that DC law prohibits bike riding on sidewalks in the Central
Business District (generally considered to be the downtown area south
of Mass Ave.), requires bike riders to ride in the streets in same
direction as traffic, and to obey all traffic regulations (Speed
limits, traffic lights, stop signs, etc.)
And lookey here.
Bicyclists are reminded not to bike on the sidewalk. In downtown D.C., it's illegal.
"If you're riding on the street, you are much more visible to motor
vehicles. But when you're on the sidewalk and you come to an
intersection, for example, people just don't expect you to be there.
You're kind of like a fast pedestrian."
"You just have to remember your bike is a vehicle," says Eric
Gilliland, executive director of the Washington Area Bicyclist
Association.
"We (bicyclists) are subject to the same rights and
responsibilities as people in motor vehicles. We hope people in motor
vehicles will treat us with that kind of respect."
Eric also did a good job of tying drivers interests (reduced congestion) to those of cyclists.
“Every bike that you have on the road is really one car that you don’t have on the road,” said Gilliland
Charlie Strunk, Fairfax County’s bicycle program coordinator, said
less than 1 percent of people in the county walk or bike to work on a
given day. “We need to get it up over 1 percent,” he said. “It makes
sense. The roads are getting crowded with traffic. Our peak hour has
turned into a peak period, and it’s going to get longer as more cars
are added to the network.”
Of 68 metropolitan regions in the
country, the Washington area ranks third in traffic congestion and
fourth “in the amount of extra time needed for a trip during rush
hour,” according to WABA.
Cyclists don't slow traffic, they reduce it.
CommuterPage covered the Rosslyn event and mentioned that Bike the Sites will again loan bikes (at a discount) to those who want to do the A&A ride.
And here's still more from NPR.
"We've been adding bike lanes, we've been adding bike racks," [Tangherlini]
said. As for a two-wheeled commute, he added: "You don't get quite the
same feeling in a car.
In the end,
fears such as being crushed under the wheels of a garbage truck proved
unfounded. And whatever the reasons — exercise, cost, environmental
friendliness — the small but dedicated number of folks who bike to work
really feel they're on to something. And maybe they are.
And there's audio too. Maybe you'll hear someone you know.
Finally, there was a story in the Gazette that focused on College Park.
Several said traffic isn’t usually a problem, particularly because of
the number of trails around the area. But two cyclists said cars almost
hit them at the intersection of the Paint Branch Trail and the Paint
Branch Parkway.
The area is problematic because of a blind curve and lack of a traffic
light, said College Park resident Mark Shute, who bikes to work at the
REI outdoor store daily.
‘‘I swear, the car almost sped up,” he said. ‘‘It’s a blind curve, so they can’t see you until they’re on top of you.”
By participating in Bike to Work Day, College Park officials are trying
to make the city more bike-friendly, but still have work to do in that
regard, said Jeremy Lambson, a REI bike technician who was helping tune
bikes for free.
The city could be more proactive in installing bike lanes on roads that could be hazardous, Lambson said.
‘‘The city should be more proactive. It’s a college town, and there are
a lot of student jobs in the area,” he said. ‘‘To preserve the way
College Park looks, people should bike more.”
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