TheWashCycle

MPD using bait bikes to catch thieves

This is good news

D.C. police are using bait bikes to catch thieves who they believe are responsible for a spike in property crimes in and around Capitol Hill neighborhoods.

Last week, police teams placed two unsecured bikes on the 600 block of H Street Northeast. In less than an hour, the bikes were stolen five times.

I'm not sure about the unsecured part. Maybe that's just the Catholic in me.

“We didn’t have to wait 10 minutes,” said 1st Police District Commander David Kamperin. In one instance, police busted two thieves who rode off together.

Police do not know yet whether the suspects who were snagged in the bait bike operation are responsible for a recent rash of stolen bikes in the 1st District. East of 13th Street Southeast, the area around Potomac and Pennsylvania avenues has been hit hard. Thieves have made off with unsecured bikes left in backyards and used bolt-cutters to snap thin chains attached to racks, he said.

WABA Volunteer Night

Sept 3rd

Have you thought about volunteering with WABA but never really got around to doing it? Now is your chance! Starting September 3^rd WABA will be kicking off its bi-weekly volunteer nights. From 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM we invite everyone and anyone to come by the WABA office and help stuff membership packets, and brain storm future volunteer efforts. Did we mention that we will be providing food and drink?

WABA volunteer nights are a fun way to get to know other cyclists in the DC area and a simple way to help advocate for better bicycling. At this first meeting we want to do a lot of brain storming, which is why we need you! Do you have a list of ideas for volunteer opportunities you would like to see us offer? Do you want to play a larger role in helping WABA’s advocacy efforts? Now is your chance.

Sign up here.

Diamond Teague goes before NCPC

If it is approved, it would open by Nationals' opening day Spring 2009.

2nd Bike Lane opens in Reston

From Washington Business Journal

A second incarnation of a popular Burke-based bike shop has opened at Reston Town Center

The Bike Lane recently opened at 11943 Democracy Drive. The shop carries road bikes, mountain bikes, children’s bikes and similar products.

The Bike Line is particularly known for its professional bike fittings, and plans to host events such as bike commuter seminars and indoor training classes, according to Anne Mader, who co-owns the shop with her husband Todd. The couple has operated another location of the same name in Burke for the past eight years.

“I’m originally from Reston, and we met working in a bike shop in the same town center 10 years ago, so we’ve really come full circle,” Mader said. “There’s such a need for a bike shop here; there’s a huge cycling community.”

Reston Town Center is expecting around 15 new retail openings in September and October.

Falling Down

There was more in the Post about Mayor Fenty's bicycle crash.

Fenty (D) lost control of his bike during a training ride and crashed on the pavement near the Whitehurst Freeway. Although few details have emerged, two people who saw the July 29 wreck said the accident was so violent that a police officer assigned to escort Fenty's cycling team on a motorcycle thought the mayor needed medical help.

The officer radioed for emergency assistance as Fenty picked himself up off the road, limped to a grassy area and lay down, said the two witnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the incident.

But when an ambulance and a firetruck arrived a few minutes later, the witnesses said, Fenty and his brother Shawn waved them off, ordering the workers to leave.

Instead, they said, Fenty, who appeared to be holding his arm and rib cage, lay on the grass 20 more minutes, waiting for his security detail to arrive in a black car with tinted windows. The mayor's detail helped him into the car and ferried him to Shawn Fenty's house, where a doctor was summoned.

"It was a very violent wreck," one of the witnesses said. "His bike flipped all the way over; he landed on his shoulder and slid across the way. . . . Once the [emergency] unit was on the scene, he was adamant about not keeping them around -- officers, marked vehicles, everything. . . . His brother said they did not want any attention."

Update: he's not alone

New Bike Paths

In McLean, so reports the Post (though it's really a lane not a path)

A 0.7-mile bike lane was recently added on Westmoreland Street in McLean, between Chain Bridge and Kirby roads, as part of a county and Virginia Department of Transportation coordinated repaving project.

The bike route, part of the Board of Supervisors' Comprehensive Bicycle Initiative, will eventually extend to the Arlington County line.

For information about the county's bike program, call Charlie Strunk at 703-324-1127 or visit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fcdot. Scroll down, then click "Bike Program" under Programs.

And Bethesda

Montgomery County projects include shared-use paths on the northside of Bethesda Avenue between Woodmont and Wisconsin avenues; the northside of Willow Avenue between Wisconsin Avenue and 47th Street and on 47th Street from Willow Avenue into the Elm Street Park entrance to the Capital Crescent Trail.

In addition, the county says, bike route signs are planned for sections of Norfolk Avenue, Woodmont Avenue, Old Georgetown Road, Cheltenham Drive, Tilbury Street, Sleaford Road, Pearl Street, Bethesda Avenue, Willow Avenue and 47th Street.

August 2008 Arlington BAC Meeting Notes

Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee
August 4, 2008 Meeting notes

NOTE: These are Draft notes, they have not been corrected or officially adopted by the BAC.

1. Richard Moeur, ­ Chairman Bike Tech Committee NCUTCD and Dwight Kingsbury, chair of the NCHRP panel supervising the latest update of the AASHTO Bike Guide talked about the upcoming changes to signage recommendations, see Richard’s web site.

Some highlights:

• AASHTO is recommending for streets with car parking that the outside bike lane stripe be 12 feet from the curb face, measured to the center of the outside stripe. Communities can carve that up anyway they want to.
• Design speeds: there may be some flexibility proposed to use lower design speeds except for downhill curves. The 85th percentile bike speed on flat trails has been measured as 14 mph. No static signal has any effect on sidepath crossings, so active lights are needed.
• Florescent signage seems very visible but does not change driver behavior.
• The center of a sharrow should probably be 4 feet from a curb, or 11 feet when parking is present.
• AASHTO is adding a section on traffic calming measures and bicycles, along with more on detection for signal changes.

2. Richard also made a short presentation on the  AASHTO Task Force on US Numbered Bicycle Routes, reviving cross-US bicycle routes, with numbers and signs. See the Adventure Cycling site for details.

3. County Board Bike Ride ­A Saturday in October will be found when Board members will be available. The route will feature the Columbia Pike Bicycle Boulevards and some of the Arlington Boulevard Trail improvements that have not happened yet.

4. CIP provisions for bicycles The recently approved Capital Improvement Plan has almost nothing for bicycles in the next two fiscal years except State and Federal funding of about $400,000 each year. Funding for “safety improvements” (paving) is limited to $50,000 in FY 2010, with zero for this year. There were negative comments from some BAC members.

5.  Detector loops - “the County should make sure that any on-demand signal recognizes a bicycle.” We will discuss it further in November.

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Bicycle-related facilities project list
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Bicycle Safety                                                                Placeholder

Bicycle Shelters                                                             Initial project request

N Vernon - N.Vermont & N. Upton St   Donaldson Run      On hold

Bike Lane Implementation                                               Active

I-395 Shirlington Underpass FMR Trail ­ Spring ‘09              Active

Hoffman Boston connector/S.Queen St.&  S.Army Navy Dr.  Canceled

George Washington overpass to Mt. Vernon trail               Active

Arlington Boulevard Trail Renovation                                 Active

Wash. Blvd. trail from Arl. Blvd. to  ...  - Phase I                Active

Route 110 trail Mem.Dr. to Pentagon Gen'l Improvements  Active

General trail improvements                                              Active

Wash Blvd trail to S. Rolfe St. - Phase II                          Funded

Old Dom. Dr. on-street - 23rd St. to 26th St. N.  Phase I   Active

S. Glebe Road at W. Glebe Rd Pedestrian Improvements Funded

Old Dom. Dr. on-street - 26TH ST. TO 25TH ST. N           Active

==========================================
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Consultant Activities on above projects through June 30
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Washington Boulevard Trail
Phase I is out to bid. Reviewed design options for Phase ll including potential connection to Columbia Pike in conjunction with Washington Boulevard interchange construction.

Route 110 Trail
Continued to work on a revision to the VDOT Agreement for the project. Coordinated with Arlington Engineering staff to get an updated cost estimate for the project. Answered design related questions from Arlington Engineering staff. Need National Park Service permits to conduct surveys.

Arlington Boulevard Trail
Identified small scale projects and began work on preliminary design and cost estimates. Can update BAC in October.

Arlington Boulevard Transportation Enhancement project
Continued work on required VDOT environmental documentation Began initial outreach to Fort Meyer.

Columbia Pike Parallel Bikeways
Began work on cost estimate and submitted sign draft of sign plan for showing destinations and distances for key intersections for the bicycle boulevard. Design for 12th Street side almost complete. Can update BAC in October.

Rosslyn Circle Trail/Sidewalk Improvements
Coordinated with VDOT Staff regarding funding for Rosslyn Circle improvements and the VDOT agreement for design and construction of the improvements Continued to assist Arlington Staff with preparing an RFP for the Rosslyn Esplanade/Rosslyn Circle design. VDOT has $1 million funding, agreement soon. Tunnel is on hold. Eliminate lane on Lee Hwy? Dedicated signal phase for ped/bike crossing of Lynn St?

Bike Lane and Other Bikeway projects
Assisted with design of bike lane and shared use markings for the Williamsburg Circle.

(compilation 8/5/08 -- Accuracy suspect!)

==============================================

Agenda for October:  First Draft

Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee
October 6, 2008 7:30 PM
Azalea Room 103 - Courthouse Plaza

Agenda

1.  Introductions and approval of minutes                (7:30 We try to start on time.)

2.  Trail maintenenace issues ­ Kevin Stalica
Includes slippery striping paint                               (7:40)

3.  County Board Bike Ride                                    (7:55)

4. BAC and staff priorities for new funding in FY 2010. (8:05)

5.  Pentagon Area Bicycle and Pedestrian Access Study (8:25)
           Identify relevant projects from the Arlington Bicycle Element
           as staff input to the 14th Street Bridge EIS and other relevant
           planning studies.

6.  Bicycle education in Arlington ­ where are we going? (8:45)

7. Update on County and Other projects Dave Goodman (9:15)
      Drawings for north end of Shirlington underpass
      Patton's progress
      Consultant activities  (Charlie Denney may be among us)
      Status of funded projects

8.  Regional issues and meetings Allen Muchnick     (9:25)

9.  Items for the November agenda

Adjourn by 9:30

New York City Building Great Streets

9th Avenue's bike lane has now won an award and they're going to expand it and build a complimentary one on 8th

DOT's 9th Avenue bike lane continues to delight New York City's cyclists, and now it's also attracting attention from leading engineers around the world. This August the design will be awarded the Institute for Transportation Engineers' Transportation Planning Council's Best Program award at ITE's Annual Meeting in Anaheim, CA. The 9th Avenue facility solved the tricky issue of how to design intersections of the protected bike path and cross-streets, to ensure that cyclists and motorists could see each other and left-turning vehicles did not endanger cyclists who were continuing straight ahead. NYCDOT addressed these issues by providing special signals for cyclists and left-turn bays for drivers with a separate signal phase, allowing them to cross the path when cyclists are stopped.

The 9th Avenue lane is such a hit we're already working to expand it. This fall the lane will be extended from 23rd Street to 31st Street and will be partnered with a sister lane on 8th Avenue from Bank Street to 23rd Street.

Read more about both projects here:

9th Avenue Bicycle Facility and Complete Street Extension, Manhattan (October 2008)
8th Avenue Complete Street Redesign, Manhattan (November 2008)

They're putting Broadway Boulevard on a road diet, and putting a cycle track on Grand Street

Grand Street is narrower than Ninth Avenue, where the existing protected path runs. Whereas the Ninth Avenue cycle track uses signal timing to prevent conflicts between bikes and turning vehicles, the Grand Street plan uses what DOT is calling a "mixing zone," a space shared by cyclists and drivers at the approach to an intersection (shown above).

Hat Helmet tip to GGW.

And as mentioned before here, they're doing Ciclovias - or Summer Streets as they've called it. It seems like a success

Motorless traffic was up exponentially over most Saturdays, with thousands taking to the wide-open streets on bicycles and in-line skates and in running shoes.

Though local businesses complained

At T. Anthony Ltd., a luggage store on Park Avenue where an alligator duffle bag sells for $10,000, sales decreased as much as 35 percent during Summer Streets, said Jack D. Weiss, the store’s retail director, putting a crimp on what is normally its busiest day of the week.

“Maybe if you’re a biker or a hiker or a runner, you like this,” Mr. Weiss said. “But from the point of view of a retailer, especially in this economy, to have any kind of an impediment is very detrimental.”

so far, officials say, complaints like Mr. Weiss’s are the exception.

Perhaps businesses like Borders, which saw an uptick in sales, would be willing to send some money to those businesses hurt by the program.

Greenbelt National Park Training Race Series

The Post had a nice story (and a video on line) about bike racing in Greenbelt National Park

The Greenbelt National Park Training Race Series takes place Wednesday nights for 16 consecutive weeks. The course is 1.4 miles on the perimeter road of the park. This is the 29th year of the series, making it one of the oldest training series races in the nation, and it's a hot destination for those who want to rack up enough races to advance to the sport's higher levels.

I knew there was racing in Greenbelt, I just didn't realize it was so close to my daily commute. Next year - all the races are over for this year - I'll have to stop by to watch a few.

Possible abandoned/stolen bike

Ian spotted this Trek 7100 mid-strip. As only the front wheel is locked it is only a matter of time before the whole thing is gone. If it's yours you should grab it pronto. If it's yours and stolen, I can tell you where it is, if you can tell me the serial #. It has a Zane's sticker on it.